Teacher donates lifes savings to poor students

Updated on: Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Malda: A 74-year-old teacher, jeered all his life for being a miser for his simple living, has donated Rs 81 lakh — all his life’s savings — to poor students. When the news broke on Sunday, a stunned Balurghat searched for the benefactor but Saradananda Das had quietly slipped away on a pilgrimage on May 20.

Thanks to Saradananda’s trust ‘Daridra Medhabi Chhatra Sahaya Tahabil’ 10 poor undergraduate students of Balurghat College and Balurghat Girls’ College will now get a scholarship of Rs 600 a month and 10 university students Rs 800. Five needy medical students will get Rs 1,000 a month.

Saradananda knew the pangs of poverty. Born in Akkelpur in East Pakistan ( n ow Bangladesh), he migrated to West Bengal after Partition. Uprooted and in an alien land, life was a struggle for the family. He completed his matriculation from Balurghat High School and joined Balurghat College. As soon as he graduated, he joined a school in Bandel as a teacher.

He had already made up his mind to dedicate his life and whatever he earned to poor students. He taught needy children for free at his home and even refused to marry rather than risk being swayed from his ‘penance’.

In 1965, he joined Balurghat Khadimpur High School as an economics teacher and completed his MA in English during this time. Das stayed with this school until he retired as assistant headmaster in 1995.

He lived an austere life, sleeping on the floor and eating simple, never saying a word to anyone why he was sacrificing even the small pleasures of life. People called him a miser behind his back. Some made him the butt of jokes. But Saradananda was undeterred. Finally, a few days before his pilgrimage, he confided in just one former student — the principal of B a l u r g h at Nadipur NC High School, Madan Mohan Maitra.

“He strictly told me not to tell anyone about the trust till he was long gone. Now I am making this announcement so that needy and bright students get to know about the trust,” said Maitra.

The other members on the board of trustees are the principals of Khadimpur High School and Khadimpur Girls’ High School, the district inspector of secondary schools, principals of Balurghat College and Balurghat Girls’ College, chartered accountant Pradip Pal and another former student Sachindranath Saha. “We are going to advertise about the trust in newspapers so that students in need of scholarships can contact us,” said Maitra.

Educationtimes

Teacher donates lifes savings to poor students

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