In Memory of Mrinal da

Today's blog post is a rather sombre one. Our dear friend and colleague Mrinal Banerjee, or Mrinal da as we fondly called him, passed away last week. Many will remember him as ‘macha’ Bapi from Gaaner Oparey and Bhiringi from Adwitiya, if not for his various other roles in a number of television serials.

The unit was almost like a family and he was the most bullied member of this family. Each and every member of the unit had, at some point or the other, pulled his leg. He was always sporting enough to take it in his stride. We are all grief-stricken by his sudden demise. It was rather unexpected. He was just 40 years old.

His death has once again pointed out how important helmets are. Two wheelers are unstable. They have no balance of their own. Please wear helmets while riding bikes or scooters. Do not be reckless. Do not make the same mistake he did. It cost him his life.

I had the opportunity to work with him in Gaaner Oparey, Adwitiya, Rang Milanti and Laptop. He was assistant to Kaushik Ganguly in the two feature films. He will always be remembered as a tremendous sport without whom none of those shoots would have been as much fun.

Mrinal da, you are sorely missed.