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

And it seems to me
You lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset,
When the rains set in.

Loveliness we’ve lost
These empty days, without your smile, without your laugh!
And even though we try, the truth brings us to tears
All our words cannot express, all the joy you brought us through the years

From us, who are lost without your soul
And who miss the wings of your compassion,
More than you will ever know.

And it seems to me,
You lived you life,
Like a candle in the wind…..
Never fading with the sunset, when the rains set in

Your footsteps will always fall here…..
Your candles burned out long before, your legend ever will.
 

I don’t have words to express how much Papiya – our dearest ‘Bumble’ – meant to me and how much I will miss her. From feeding me Farex on the window-sill of her room, to indulging my amateurish efforts at scholarly discussion, to the subtle ways in which she exposed and corrected my prejudices, and of course the innumerable disputed games of Scrabble and in the way in which she came up with some of the best nicknames I have ever had, she is always going to be in my fondest memories. She was a confidante and a true teacher. Her praise was true and her criticisms fair. She wanted me to really be all that I could-encouraging me to develop what she called ‘real’ interests beyond the Science and Maths that were my daily bread. In her vast Library I could always find something new and interesting to immerse myself in. Literature, Music, History, Politics – everything I know about these and several other more eclectic subjects can be traced back to her inexhaustible collection in Patna. I never ceased to be amazed by the depth and breadth of her knowledge, but more importantly, how humble she was and how lightly she wore all her accomplishments. Her professional achievements are well known, but to me her love, warmth, sheer selflessness and the pure resolve by which she maintained our house in Patna as a real sanctuary was truly remarkable. She really was noble and lived by her principles, qualities that are to be cherished because they are too rare in our world. The manner of her death could not have been less befitting of the way in which she lived her life. I pray she is at peace now. Whatever I am and whatever I may become will be owed in no small part to her. After all, as she would say ‘aakhir tumko Farex kisne khilaya hai?'  

“Karmayogi” is a description that would aptly describe Papiya – a believer in service, rather than a follower of religious rituals. She had a deep and abiding faith in the Divine Presence and whatever she did, it was with complete truthfulness and honesty and to the best of her ability.

She was the most caring and dutiful of sisters. Always positive, optimistic, with ready wit and sparkling intelligence, Papiya could not be put down for long. She was not afraid of voicing her opinions and would not tolerate injustice.

Through our deep grief, we will honour and cherish our brave and courageous sister for the very high values she epitomized.

I appeal to you to help securing justice for Papiya. Else it will be mockery of all that our Constitution and legal edifice stand for.

Though married to a family of historians, I had tried to keep my distance from History, with a typical Technocrat’s arrogance, which held that History dealt only with past.

It was Papiya, who successfully changed that over the years as she discussed her riveting research work with me, especially her work on Partition. Her passionate involvement and commitment to academics made me very proud of her. Her last book will tell the story of millions of displaced lives, but will not tell the story of the dedicated person who was always game to negotiate the uncharted course, unescorted!

Cruel hands of destiny have taken away my favourite sister in the prime of her life through an unspeakably terrifying ordeal. I have lost a caring friend and one who made me feel good just by being around.

Friends, Papiya’s mission will not remain unfulfilled and I am confident that Papiya will remain in our hearts forever!
 

With you, always.

Will always remember you and your smiling face.
Lots of love,

You had become such a great confidant of mine. What you meant to me only you and I know. I will not be able to forget you since you were my closest and only neighbour. You will be remembered by me every time I pass this road to reach my house. You had such an "invincible aura" (like Prakash coined it) that we never thought you would come to this end. But your end was too pre planned and too big for any one, male or female, to handle. So you lived your life head held high - I always will admire you - you will be unforgettable!
Truly yours,
Neeta & Prakash,
Patna.

This is a serious blow to serious academic pursuit and decent endeavour. Irreparable loss.
Ajay Kumar, I.A.S.,
25 Bailey Road, Patna.
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TI knew Papiya not only as a colleague, but also as the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Ghosh. I had personal knowledge of her as a person and as a scholar and as a Teacher. She should be remembered as a person who combined in herself the best qualities as a Teacher, a Scholar, and a human being. I will miss her a lot.

It is a loss both to me personally and the whole fraternity of Modern Indian History. Papiya was a great friend, noble Soul and a person who always wished to do something innovative.

Papiya! I find it difficult to find words to express my feelings of anguish on your most unexpected and shocking departure from our Department. It is indeed, a great loss to all of us. Your presence in the Department was highly inspiring. We shall always miss you a great deal and hope that your memories will continue to inspire us to maintain the academic environment in the Department.
Nihar Nandan Singh,
Dept. of History, Patna University.

It's a big jolt to me personally as she was my batch mate. She is my first batch mate that I have lost. A brilliant teacher, a prolific writer and above all a super human being. Her brutal killing is a colossal loss not only to Bihar academics but all over the nation.
May God give peace to her soul in heaven and let her be re-born to serve the country.

Part of me has gone with you, but all of you is with me and always will be.