Calcuttans.Com

Introduction: At the Calcuttans.Com, it is our pioneer gesture to present unique individual achievements and goals by people who hail from India dwelling presently in the USA. We believe each individual we speak to is unique and each has his own story to tell. Be is mundane or be it vivacious; their lives are always a chiaroscuro of events. They have struggled their way to the zenith and are now enjoying the fruits of their labor. Such people make us proud and they inspire us in our own journey of survival. Living in a foreign country is difficult. The rat race, the competition and the struggle all can strike you down and demolish and annihilate your dreams. But we salute those who have successfully survived this battle. Dr Ranadhir Mitra is one of such personalities of yester year and here is our modest attempt to portray his thoughts and ideas as he sits in the present century and looks back at the fond memories of his days in the USA.

Q1. Dr. Mitra when did you come to America?

Ans: Well, that’s a long story; I disembarked at this country on 12^th September 1964.

2 Since then you have been living in Columbia for so many years?

Ans: yes, I have been staying here in Columbia since then. I think 44 years have passed by since I first came to this place.

3. Then Columbia must be a very dear place to you?

Ans: Yes, I liked the place and decided to settle here.

4. I heard that you came here as a Researcher or a graduate student. Tell us something about your experiences as a student back then.

Ans: Well I came here as a student rather than a researcher. As for my experiences as a student. The 1960′s was the era of Hippie culture in the USA. Having high school education with emphasis in English during the British era in India speaking in English was never a problem for me. That gave me the opportunity to mix freely with Americans of the time who were also highly interested in learning International traditions and culture and I on my turn, spoke out freely.

5. Now, after so many years having passed by,  when you look at the present scenario  when a lot of International students are coming to this country for higher education how to you see their perspective, their way of thinking being different from the conventional American manner of thinking and viewing situations? Tell us a few words about the difference between them and the people who disembarked at this country back in your time.

Ans: I think there is a marked difference in views and manners of thinking between us and the International students coming to this country now a day(s). There is a great disparity between us and their points of view, their values (and) manner of speaking are different from ours. I feel it is the modern trend of their ever-changing society that makes them so different from what we were back in our time. When we came here, though most of us never went back to India yet, we never bade adieu to our traditions. Still now we are well aware of our country and we think of her (with deep emotion). The International students I see around in most cases, rear a demeaning attitude towards their country. Their way of thinking reflects their lackadaisical spirit for India. As if all that is bad happens in India. Even if that is not always the case, they perceive it in such a manner in despair. There is also a difference in their attitude and their values too. It is now a “Me” generation. People give more importance to what is happening to their own selves than to the society as a whole.

6. For all these years you have been involved with a gamut of different public services. Not only you are a part of (the) University of Missouri, Columbia; you have (also) been an active participant in many social and community services as well. Tell us something about your experiences as a community worker and your present commitments as a social worker.

Ans: Well, there are a number of student organizations and student government activities at this University. Currently I am chairman of the Student Organizations and Government Activities – a committee that oversees more than 500 student organizations at MU.  Our Cultural Association of India celebrated its 50^th birthday, in 2007, it happens to be the oldest student organization at this University and I am serving as an advisor to it since 1994. Then there is the Vedic Society which I spearheaded to create in 2002 where I am pretty involved as well. These activities keep me busy most of the time. Also I have served as a Community Development Commissioner – one of the six – in the City Government of Columbia.  Then I did some works in preserving our countries culture and heritage too. Well. I shouldn’t say our country in this respect; because different states in India bear a different culture so a “typical Indian culture” is hard to define. We started celebrating Saraswati puja in 1990 – a Hindu festivity around an “icon” for the first time ever in Columbia’s history.  The first Saraswati puja was held in my house in 1990. The venue was shifted to larger rented hall 2 years later and the tradition has been going on since then. After that, some of my friends and I then decided to start a temple. The effort took more than ten years to take root, though unsuccessful in the beginning we did not give up. Three years back, we managed to buy a small church to start the temple in Columbia.

7. So, this is the Hindu Temple of Columbia and this temple is the open to all. It is not restricted to any particular sect or group of believers.

Ans; Yes, the temple is called the Hindu Temple and Community Center of Columbia, Missouri and I have been the  President of the Board of Trustees since starting this Temple in 2005. The doors of the temple are open to all irrespective of their culture or sect. People from different spectrum of society come and worship and participate in cultural and social activities as they please. There is just one restriction; people are not allowed to have non-vegetarian foods, like meat fish or eggs in the temple.

8. Dr. Mitra till now we have dealt and talked about your social endeavors. Let us now talk about your research work. You have been a professor as well as a researcher. Tell us something about your research work.

Ans: Well, I did my research for my Doctorate of Philosophy, Ph.D degree. My research work dealt with Growth Hormone (GH). The effect of Growth Hormone in hotter climate, the augmentative or diminutive effect of Growth Hormone. Why people and animals hailing from hotter climatic conditions like that of Punjab tend to be robust and big in structure compared to people and animals hailing from milder climatic conditions like that of Bengal. I was always inquisitive about this phenomenon. While doing my research in Growth Hormone I developed a special immunologic technique to measure Growth Hormone using radio-isotope. And, I was the first person in my university to develop this method. The technique I developed earned me  a faculty position in Pathology.

9. So you earned your Doctorate degree for your research in this field.

Ans: Yes, the research I did on growth Hormone earned me my Ph.D degree. But the technique I developed earned me recognition in clinical Pathology. Presently, I am dealing with introduction of different clinical laboratory services and techniques for early detection of various ailments through blood tests and other processes. My job responsibility mostly is in Pathology laboratory services for patient care and teaching Resident-Doctors to prepare for their Pathology Board Certification Exams.

10. Having been a non-resident Indian and living abroad for so many years; when you look back at your country, India. How does India appeal to you? What would you like to say in a few words or advise about the present situation in India?

Ans: India seems to be heading to hell, morally. To tell you the truth, the familial ties, the values that we reared in our hearts during our freedom movement (of which my family and I were a part) are nowhere to be found now. Those values are long gone. All that is left is a stale opposition of those values. While working in India after independence, I came face to face with this disparity and that was a shocker to me. Then, you can say, I ran away. Now, when I look back and see the corruption in the political system, the moral degradation, the money-politics and undue complication in the governmental system, I am saddened.  The politicians there are trying to sell our country to foreign powers. They are vociferous about foreign investment but they tend to forget that, when any foreign country is investing in another country, it is draining away the profit-money to the investor-country and that helps neither the people nor the recipient-country; it acts as the detriment to the recipient-country’s infrastructure but the politicians in India don’t realize that. We have the people-power, the intellect, education and capability to succeed as the Indian Diaspora all over the world have shown. Why, then do we have to cadge for foreign help in developing our own country?

11. So, you think that this realization has not dawned upon people in India.

Ans: Yes. It is very saddening that they – most of the educated people I have talked to – do not realize that.

12. Dr. Mitra did your wife come with you when you came to the USA?

Ans: No. I came here alone. I left my wife, Roma, and my two children in the hands of my brothers and sisters in India. I had a joint family. After eight years of my stay in USA, my wife and children came and joined me in this country. So for eight years I stayed alone in this country as a graduate student, then I became a Post-doctoral fellow and saved some money and then I returned to India and brought my family here.

Dr. Mitra it has been a pleasure talking to you. We learnt a lot of different things from you. We yearn to learn more about your ideas and feeling, about your family and your experiences as a freedom fighter. We hope to get back to you soon with all these questions. Thank you so much for your time.

Interview Translated to English by Barnali S. Banerjee / Interview and Video courtesy:  Mita Das and Ujjal Sarkar