- Souryadeep Chatterjee (Class X), the dedicated team player for whom representing the school and winning medals were matters of great honour
- Pushan Sadhukhan (Class IX), who could strike a perfect balance between academics and sports, was the natural choice for class monitor
Students and teachers of South Point High School on Tuesday remembered Souryadeep and Pushan, who drowned during a Nor’wester that struck while they were rowing in the Rabindra Sarobar on Saturday evening.
Over 200 people attended the short and sombre condolence meet held online for the two boys. Despite the physical distance of a virtual event, sadness was palpable.
Pushan and Souryadeep were part of the school’s junior rowing team that had qualified for the finals of an inter-school championship. The finals had been scheduled for Sunday morning but were cancelled following the tragedy.
“This evening we have gathered here to mourn the loss of two Pointers, our own Pushan and Souryadeep. Their loss has not been easy to accept for anybody gathered here, especially for their parents and family. We are all at a loss of words to express our grief, nor are we able to accept that Souryadeep and Pushan are not amongst us physically anymore,” Rupa Sanyal Bhattacharjee, principal, South Point High School, said at the virtual meet titled “A Remembrance...”.
A minute’s silence was observed for the two schoolboys during the condolence. There was an outpouring of grief for the two when the condolence was put up on the social media page of the school.
A still from the virtual condolence meet to remember Souryadeep Chatterjee and Pushan Sadhukhan that South Point High School held on Tuesday
The captains of the boys’ and girls’ rowing teams of the school spoke at the event.
Md Sheezan Shakil, captain of the boys’ team, said Pushan and Souryadeep were an “integral part of the rowing team and were a part of my sporting life”.
“Many hours were spent together, many happy moments shared…. They would be sorely missed by all who knew them,” he said.
Moumita Mukhopadhyay, Souryadeep’s class teacher, recalled that what caught her “attention was his tremendous enthusiasm for rowing”.
“Souryadeep, the helpful friend, the dedicated team player, the proud Pointer for whom representing his school and winning medals for his school were matters of highest honour, is no more with us today. But he will always live on in our hearts,” said Mukhopadhyay, who remembered the quiet and friendly child with a perpetual smile on his face, always ready to extend a helping hand.
“But what I remember most vividly are his eyes, the eyes which were so full of life and fun. That thought has been haunting me since the fateful evening…. That and the thought of how unpredictable life is, of how it gives no sign, no warning that this lovely young soul would be soon gone from us,” she said.
Tania Chattopadhyay, class teacher of Pushan, remembered him as a “bright child, exuding great confidence”.
“Attending classes with rapt attention, showing great respect to his teachers, balancing academic and sport with great adroitness, that’s our Pushan. You will remain in my heart. In the hearts of all your teachers and your friends,” she said.
