Ham radio operators reunite friends across the international border after half a century

Kolkata, Dec 29 (IANS) Loneliness can be disastrous and may even push people -- particularly the elderly -- over the brink. So, when 75-year-old Gautam Ray sent out an appeal over social media for information about his college mate Saifuddin Ahmed Choudhary, amateur radio operators of the West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC) got into the act.

Ray is a retired banker who lives in Kolkata. He lost his wife a few years ago and his only daughter is now settled in the US.

"I don't know how he got our number but he sent a WhatsApp message and then called up. He said that at fag end of his life, he wants to get in touch with Choudhary. According to him, Choudhary completed his bachelor's degree with English Honours from the Scottish Church College in Kolkata before doing his master's from the University of Calcutta. Ray and Choudhary were batchmates between 1964 and 1969. Choudhary used to live in Andul, Howrah, and left for Bangladesh in 1971 after the country was liberated. In Bangladesh, he joined a college or university as a teacher, Ray told me," says Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary, WBRC.

The elderly gentleman also provided some old photographs from their college days and said how Choudhary had refused to migrate to East Pakistan before the Independence of Bangladesh. The Ham operators of WBRC immediately got in touch with Shamsul Huda, secretary of the Amateur Radio Society of Bangladesh. Choudhary was traced within a few hours.

After leaving India, Choudhary started teaching at the Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka. A bachelor, he has also been associated with theatre. For over two decades, he has been a member of the steering committee of the UNESCO supported Forum of Theatre Training and Education.

The two friends broke down after getting reunited after more than 50 years. "This is a new sunrise for the both of us. I had never thought that this would be possible. I have been trying to get in touch with Gautam for so long. We will also get in touch with another friend Deepak," Choudhary said.