2021-07-26 06:11:05 wrote:

Bye Jerome until we meet again Jerome Dsouza was my colleague and friend. Its strange that I am writing about him in past tense. Jerome aka Jerry had left this world on 23rd of July due a massive cardiac attack. Since I heard the most shocking news yesterday morning from another friend Jaison, I had been just trying to come to a term to believe that he really left us. I even checked with his sister. While attending his funeral in Kolkata through online I was still not believing that it was Jerome’s last journey! While Jerome was laid down for eternal sleep. the Father was praying from the holly bible and coincidentally Aazan was happenong from a nearby Masjid, many of us felt the Almighty has agreeing with us that Jerome was one of those few true secular human beings of our time. A group of (almost 10 of us) young energetic development practitioners from India, Bangladesh and Nepal were on boarded to DCA South Asia regional office back in 2007. DCA SARO’s golden era had started holding the hand of Nina Ellinger and some of us! Over the course of time few others had joined the caravan. We would pull Jerome’s leg as “ Nina’s beta or blue eyed boy “!! Nina loved Jerome like her own son ! Jerome was the foody amongst us along with Mallick Ji. He used to love food and drinks and he did smoke too, so far, I recall. In all the retreats, after the work is finished, we would give ‘adda’s and drink and eat pakoras. Mallick ji used to be the ‘Dada- the big brother’ to supply us all off time late night foods we would nag to eat! Jerome would talk socialism to untouchability issues to caste system, religion base minority systems in countries, poverty, hunger and human rights defending across the continent. Jerome was a true human rights defender- a rare category of human being. Sometimes we would say, Jerry, stop giving us ‘gol gol gyan’ (round and round knowledge), lets have some fun. Then we would dance, Jerome a bit bulky would also dance with us and that was not a grammatically correct dance neither any correct steps, it used to be a dance from our hearts and then some of us would take some photos or videos of those crazy yet cheerful dances! From Dharamshala to Mount Abu to Kashmir to Pokhara to Copenhegan to Rangpur. Ah… Over the time some of the colleagues stated leaving SARO, fund constraint, regional politics with Denmark etc etc. Jerome and I were still there till late 2015. In 2015, after the earthquake of Nepal, in the winter, there was bandh by India, border was sealed so no gas, so supply was from India and me, Jerome and Venkata was in Kathmandu that time. In the cold winter evenings, we would prepare our own Maggie noodles as dinner and then drink the old monk and kukri ram with lemon and hot water with one or two spoons of honey and spend hours in the guesthouse kitchen. He visited to my hometown in Mymensingh along with few other colleagues and my mother was so happy to feed him the payesh and luchi. She even packed some for him as Jerome was loving the food. Then both of us left DCA, I joined BRAC and then at some point I joined another agency in Nepal and Jerome also was in the same agency in Mongolia and both had left as none of us liked the agency. Actually, whoever has worked in DCA SARO during 2006-2012, will be difficult for them to like any other organization. We were a family in real terms. Jerome’s younger sister Judith joined BRAC Bangladesh. We became friends too, such lovely souls all of them. I was in touch with him through messenger and would chat often. The last chat I had with Jerome just a week back. He was asking about my daughter’s career choice etc and pulling my leg that at least one of the two is choosing mother’s path, its good for me so I can teach my daughter all “dynamics’ of development sector. Jerome and I had similar and, in many cases, same point of view to development issues while we also had many differences of opinion. We used to have arguments, do little power politics, sometimes we would even write rude emails to each other’s, but at the end we were believing in the same humanity. We had hot debates, high voice but never hated each other, despite all arguments we possess a camaraderie. Jerome, its too early dear! I did not like it buddy, although we know no one can denies the destiny I had never said “sorry” for all disagreements we had neither you did Jerry. as we both knew at the end we are in the same boat in our professional journey ! Hopefully we will meet again over a glass of old monk or kukri ram, laugh over some “gol gol baten, yaar” , till then goodbye dear comrade!