A cup of memories

Tea stall owner to present the cup to President from which Pranab sipped tea 60 years ago.

The owner of a roadside tea stall in Thakurpukur is eagerly waiting to present the President of India a rare tea cup he has preserved for 60 years.

It is the cup in which Pranab Mukherjee used to have tea whenever he visited the tea stall outside Vidyanagar College, where the President used to teach.

"Whenever Dadababu comes to our stall he wants to have tea in that cup. I have preserved it for 60 years and now want to gift it to him," said Bimal Jana, the owner.

The President will be visiting Vidyanagar College tomorrow to lay the foundation for three buildings for the institution where he taught political science between 1963 and 1968. His return to the college after so many years made his colleagues and friends nostalgic.

Pradyut Kumar Mondal, a retired political science teacher, recalled his days with Mukherjee. "In 1966, he was appointed vice-principal. During those days Indira Gandhi used to call him up to discuss various political issues. His political career started after he resigned from the college," he said.

Kartik Chandra Adhikary, another colleague and a former teacher of economics, said Mukherjee was engrossed with national politics from the very beginning.

"He had little time to think about Bengal. If he had thought about Bengal's development, it would have been helpful for the state. I called him at Rashtrapati Bhavan two days back, and even after so my years we shared the same bond," said Adhikary.

His old friends might be able to enjoy another round of tea with the President of India at Vidyanagar College on Sunday.

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