I do not remember the precise moment when we became friends. We went to the same college and she was a few years senior. Most juniors silently admired this affable and bright student, the Premier of Patna Women’s College.

The brutal murder of Patna University’s Prof. Papiya Ghosh and her elderly maidservant at her home in Patna on December 3 shocked the academic community in Bihar. A brave and popular singleton, Prof. Ghosh taught history to postgrad students at Patna University.

It has been almost five years since my aunt Papiya Ghosh and Malti Devi were brutally murdered in our family’s home in Patna. Though several years have passed, the pain and injustice of their murders remain raw. Every time a birthday or holiday passes without hearing Bumble’s voice, the harsh reality that she is gone sets in.

Bumble used to call me "son." How fortunate I was all those years, and I did not know it. I had a second mother in Bumble mashi. She knew it, and every interaction she had with me reflected this maternal sense. Virtually every phone call and email, as well as those precious personal visits, began with a simple salutation: "Hello, son!" Hearing those words always cheered me up.

The following article written by Supriya RoyChowdhury was published in the Economic and Political Weekly on January 13, 2007, little over a month after the brutal killing of Patna University professor Dr. Papiya Ghosh.

The PDF format of the original article is here.

Goodbye my bumble,
Goodbye my friend
May you ever grow in our hearts,
You were the grace that blessed us all.
You used to captivate me
By your resonating life
Now you belong to heaven
And the stars spell out your name

you and I born of the same mother, struggled for life from the same womb, yet unknown to each other, they killed you, plunged their knives into your fragile body, like Brutus hath done to Caesar 

Professor Papiya Ghosh
Historian

It was my great fortune to be neighbour to Papiya during six happy months at the Indian Institute for Advanced Studies in Shimla in 1995. Papiya was on leave from her home city and university of Patna. She had a very friendly and warm personality, a powerful voice and infectious laugh, and was supportive of all her many friends. She was not above putting them straight when they needed to be, without causing offence.

Most people knew Papiya Ghosh as a professor, a teacher, and a historian. However, very few knew her as a poet who penned a number of short poems that expressed her true feelings about things she cared.

It has been more than a week, Professor Papiya Ghosh, the noted historian from Patna was brutally murdered, yet the police haven't been able to find any leads. 

A Tehelka article that appeared on March 31, 2007 - three months after the brutal killing of Patna University professor Dr. Papiya Ghosh. Download the PDF version here.