Kolkata: Professor of English and also former head of the English department at Presidency College, Asoke Kumar Mukherji, passed away on Tuesday at his south Kolkata residence. He was in his late 80s and was suffering from age-related ailments. Mukherji is survived by his two daughters — Subha and Kamalini Mukherji.
Mukherji, son of scholar Tarapada Mukherji, did his graduation from Presidency College in 1956 and subsequently went to Oxford University for higher studies.His association with Presidency College is over half-a-century old. His students remember him as the last of the teachers that they associate with the galaxy of Presidency English professors.
Emeritus professor at JU Sukanta Chaudhuri, who was a student of Mukherji at Presidency and later became his colleague, feels that it is an “end of an era”. According to Chaudhuri, they particularly remember Mukherji for happily and competently assuming the task of a chronicler of the Presidency College in general and the English department in particular.
“When I was a student at Presidency, Asoke babu was a young man, may be in his mid-20s or early 30s. He taught us with great gusto and enthusiasm and never sat down while taking classes. The classes used to be lively. Later, when I had the experience of coming back to Presidency as a teacher, I found him as my colleague,” Chaudhuri added.
He added that Mukherji loved to sing. “There are some videos of him singing and reciting with his daughters and wife. These are the treasures that we now have to remember him,” said Chaudhuri. Professor of Presidency University Sumit Chakrabarti also shared his fond memories about Mukherjee. “I was his student in both BA and MA. He taught us Chaucer but I particularly remember him for teaching us The Nun’s Priest’s Tale with exceptional humour,” he said.