Few Kolkatans knew the brain as well as Sandip Chatterjee. Not just in terms of the properties of the mysterious organ but also its application in entertaining and enlightening generations. On the morning of September 30, Kolkata lost one of its most accomplished neurosurgeons and public speakers, as Sandip Chatterjee passed away after several months of treatment for a critical illness. Aged 63, Chatterjee was a familiar face at medical conferences across India and a leading light of Kolkata’s intellectual firmament.
Known as one of the earliest exponents of microneurosurgery for brain and spinal disorders in Kolkata’s private sector, Chatterjee was the academic coordinator at Park Clinic and professor and head of neurosurgery at the Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS). A passionate photographer, Chatterjee was a prolific debater since his school days at St. Xavier’s Collegiate School and co-founded the Calcutta Debating Circle in 2012 along with Kunal Sarkar and Pradeep Gooptu.
My Kolkata reached out to Chatterjee’s debating colleagues at CDC, who remember him not only as a gifted orator but as an equally exceptional mentor and friend.
‘Sandip was the favourite of young debaters for his humour and sarcasm alike’
(L-R) Sandip Chatterjee, Pradeep Gooptu, Jawhar Sircar, Kunal Sarkar and Abhijit Dasgupta at a CDC event at the Victoria Memorial
Sandip and I go back a very long way. He was a year junior to me at St. Xavier’s Collegiate School. The first time we interacted was probably during an inter-school Jesuit event, when I was in class 10 and he in class 9. We struck a subconscious partnership of sorts, a bond that matured when, years later, we formed a debating team at Calcutta Medical College, not to be disturbed for five to six years. As a duo, we never surrendered a debate for the best part of half a decade.
Thereafter, Sandip and I went off to the UK to pursue our respective surgical specialities, but we remained in touch. After we came back to Kolkata, along with our friend Pradeep, we thought about reviving our collective passion for debating. Our conversations culminated on an autumn evening under the shade of the traffic lights at the Alipore crossing with the formation of the Calcutta Debating Circle.
A natural public speaker, Sandip endeared himself to audiences with his inimitable style of speaking no matter the topic. I would frequently nag him to attend CDC meetings, which he would frequently miss due to his intense travel schedule. At CDC, we will miss him deeply, even though our memories of him as a great debater and a brilliant human being will never fade. I hope Sandip continues his intellectual prowess wherever he is…
Sandip, my dear friend, be at peace, be happy.
— Kunal Sarkar, cardiac surgeon and founding trustee at CDC
Sandip Chatterjee came from a family of brilliant doctors and lived up to all that was expected on the professional front. At CDC, he brought his remarkable skills as a teacher and speaker to the world of debating. His famous Sandip-isms included gems such as “I was expecting a question shorter than the speech that provoked it” and “if you ignore the timekeeper and don’t stop now, do remember I’m both moderator and bouncer, and I will throw you off stage!”
Sandip was the favourite of young debaters for his humour and sarcasm alike. At CDC exhibition debates, his wordplay was legendary. In a video recorded for the CDC Debating Excellence programme in May, he fought back his critical ailment to record a short but stunning speech that was played to the delight of debaters across Bengal as well as coaches and speakers from from Harvard, Yale, Cambridge and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Sandip was world-class, both in his profession and in his debating and soft skills.
— Pradeep Gooptu, author, journalist and managing trustee at CDC
Being a co-trustee at CDC, I had worked alongside Sandip da for almost a decade.
There are doctors and then there are those who are much more than doctors. Here was a person who was soaked in his own passions. I particularly remember an online meeting during the Covid-19 lockdown, when, having wrapped up our discussion in record time, Sandip da proceeded to present a most professional show of his photographs of the Northern Lights… His suffering over the last few months weighed heavily on CDC.
— Swati Gautam, entrepreneur, social activist and CDC trustee
The news of Dr Chatterjee’s untimely demise came as a rude shock. To say that he was an outstanding moderator and debater would be an understatement. I had the privilege of listening to him numerous times, observing how he could decimate the opposing side not just with cutting-edge arguments but with a sense of humour that was as sharp as it was refined and witty. In losing him, we’ve lost a multi-faceted citizen and an inspiring individual. My deepest condolences to his family and close ones.
— Supriya Newar, author and CDC executive member
‘In spite of all his achievements, Dr Chatterjee’s favourite poem was one that celebrated the beauty of simplicity’
Chatterjee was a mentor and guide for numerous young debaters in Kolkata
I have countless memories to share about Dr Chatterjee in the debating space — how his voice thundered when he narrated his trademark “why is a firetruck red?” quip, how students hung onto every word when it was time for his feedback, and the gentle twinkle in his eyes when he approved of my speech even if we were not on the same team. One of my most vivid memories of him is from his Park Clinic office, where he shared with me that one of his favourite poems, “Ekti Shishir Bindu” by Rabindranath Tagore, was displayed on a poster behind his door. He asked me if I knew the poem and then recited it aloud. I was struck by the profound humility that accompanied Dr Chatterjee’s greatness. In spite of all his achievements, his favourite poem was one that celebrated the beauty of simplicity, reminding us to appreciate the glistening dew drop at our doorstep.
— Moyuree Mukherjee, PhD scholar at New York University and CDC executive member
There are very few people in life who can inspire you to strive for excellence, not just in your academic pursuits but in your day-to-day affairs. Dr Chatterjee was one of them. No conversation with him was bland, as he would either narrate a compelling anecdote to keep you engaged or make a witty comment that made you marvel at his speed of thought. He always had that twinkle in his eyes whenever he spoke to us about his debating days and how he came up with the famous CDC introduction, which goes something like: “The Calcutta Debating Circle was formed by a cardiac surgeon without a heart, a neurosurgeon without a brain, and a journalist without both!” With Dr Chatterjee’s demise, we have lost a gem of an orator, thinker and mentor.
— Natasa Aziz, lawyer and CDC executive member