Padmashri Dr Robin Banerjee was born in 1909 at Berhampur, a moffusil town in the district of Murshidabad in West Bengal. He hailed from a middle class Bengali family, his father being a magistrate in those days. Murshidabad was famous for the legendary nawabs of Bengal like Siraj-ud-Daula, who ruled Bengal under the suzerainty of the Mughal emperors of Delhi.

Since Banerjee’s father was in a transferrable job, Robin was sent by his father to Santiniketan of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore for his schooling. Of course it was a matter of pride for the aristocratic Bengali families to get their children educated at Gurudev’s Santiniken. Mention may be made that late Indira Gandhi and Maharani Gayatri Devi received their early education at Santiniketan. The beautiful natural surroundings of Santiniketan in those days were tranquil and rejuvenating, which contributed greatly to moulding the mind of the young Robin Banerjee, who also had the good fortune of coming into contact with luminaries like Nandalal Bose, Charles Andrews etc.

In course of time, he got admitted into Calcutta Medical College, from where he got a medical degree with distinction.

Dr Banerjee sailed to London and got admitted into Edinburgh University for higher medical qualification. He obtained his MD with flying colours. In the meantime, the second World War broke out. In 1942, Dr Banerjee joined the British Royal Navy to pursue his medical profession. He served in different war zones in Europe. He saw the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, where inhuman atrocities were meted out to the Jews. The trauma of the Holocaust was a turning point for a peace loving man like him. In fact, Dr Banerjee made up his mind to devote his time in the pursuit of peace and happily, such an opportunity came to his life after the war.

In 1952, Dr Banerjee returned to India and joined as the principal medical officer of the tea gardens of the Dhansiri and Golaghat areas, setting up his headquarters at Golaghat. Dr Banerjee was fascinated by the scenic beauty of Assam. He visited the then Kaziranga game sanctuary just by chance. Dr Banerjee was beside himself with joy when he saw tens of thousands of wild animals and migratory birds moving about freely in the wilderness. The prehistoric one horned rhinos fired his imagination. It was in fact his love for Kaziranga that led Dr Banerjee to live in Assam permanently, Dr Banerjee, a committed naturalist, dedicated his life and energy for the cause of the preservation of the flora and fauna of the region. So far as Kaziranga was concerned, he associated himself with a team of dedicated wildlife lovers. They were Prafulla Sarmah, tourist officer, DFO late Dev Roy, soil conservation officer Uma Gogoi, Ranger Rajen Sonowal, and Planter Dill Mutch of Methoni TE etc. All of them rendered yeoman’s service to Dr Banerjee in his conservation efforts. He hired a video camera and set about capturing on film the fauna of Kaziranga and above all, the rhinos. It was indeed a Herculean task for him and with single-minded devotion, he completed his unique Kaziranga documentary, which took him seven long years to complete, from 1953 to 1960.

Dr Banerjee paid a visit to Berlin in the year 1962, being invited by the Zoological Society of Berlin, and broadcast his documentary Kaziranga on German TV. As a matter of fact, it was for the first time that animal lovers throughout the world saw the one horned Asiatic rhinos of Assam with great surprise and delight. In no time, the name and fame of Dr Banerjee spread like wildfire amongst conservationists. Invitations poured in for Dr Banerjee from different zoological societies of the world and thus, Dr Banerjee became a much travelled man, a roving ambassador, so to speak. Dr Banerjee is credited with having made as many as 28 documentaries on wildlife during his lifetime. As many as 32 zoological societies throughout the world conferred on Dr Banerjee honorary membership. The Government of India conferred on him the title of Padmashree, although he deserved more than that. He accepted the honour without any regrets. The Agricultural University of Jorhat honoured him with a PhD. The Dibrugarh University also followed suit. His residence at Golaghat became a pilgrimage for animal lovers and conservationists from all over India as well as abroad.

It was in 1972 that I first met him at Kohora, where he presided over the annual general meeting of the Kaziranga Wildlife Society, being the founder president of the NGO, the oldest NGO of North East India. Dr Banerjee was the president of this society from 1971 to 1985. He was a handsome man with a charming personality. Dr Banerjee wrote some articles advocating the preservation of flora and fauna. In his article ‘Our Vanishing Wildlife,’ published in 1997 in Rhino, the mouthpiece of the Kaziranga Wildlife Society, Dr Banerjee cautioned the present generation with the following prophetic words – ‘The delicate balance of Nature is already affected and man, after destroying the animals of our planet, may be destroying himself.’ But how many of us would care to pay heed to his timely warning?

In short, Dr Banerjee was a man with a mission for the cause of the preservation of Nature and wildlife. In one of his public addresses at Guwahati, he humorously told the audience to shoot wild animals as much as one could, not with a gun, but with a camera.

Patrick Donald Stracey, IFS, the last British Chief Conservator of Assam who retired in 1961, was very much impressed with the missionary zeal of Dr Banerjee and they were very much drawn to each other. PD Stracey did a lot in Assam for the conservation, development and rehabilitation of our precious natural resources. When Stracey died in London in 1969, Dr Banerjee paid glowing tributes to the departed soul.

In 1974, when Kaziranga Wild Life Sanctuary, spreading over an area of 430 sq miles, was declared a National Park, Dr Banerjee was beside himself with joy but he was equally concerned about encroachment and poaching.

Prafulla Sarmah, then serving as tourist officer at Kohora, once introduced Dr Banerjee to Chandra Phukan, the celebrated actor-dramatist and Mouzadar who then lived at Kuthori, far from the madding crowd. Late EP Gee, the author of Wildlife of India hailed Chandra Phukan as a man of great vision and original ideas. Sri Phukan was then an ailing man and Dr Banerjee, at the initiative of Prafulla Sarmah, treated Phukan. Both Phukan and Banerjee were multifaceted men in their respective fields. Both of them shared a warm bond and were appreciative of each other.

Dr Banerjee, before his death, bequeathed a part of his majestic residential bunglow, surrounded by a vast open space full of greenery for some public purpose like a school for children. Side by side, a part of his residence has been converted into a mini museum, also containing a library full of rare and costly books and a priceless collection of dolls, besides an auditorium with a provision to screen his unique film documentaries. In a separate room, pre-historic man, woman and animals are shown in their anthropological development. It is indeed an arresting sight in the semi-darkness. Mention may be made that Dr Banerjee was a life long bachelor, the reason for which was known only to a few of his intimates.

In the year 2004, Dr Banerjee passed away in his Golaghat residence at the ripe old age of 95. Everyone leaves behind memories but Dr Banerjee has left behind a legacy. He was born in Bengal but he made Assam his home. It is all the more heartening that Dr Banerjee’s property at Golaghat has been handed over to the prestigious Vivekananda Kendra of Guwahati.

The Vivekananda Kendra, Guwahati, is going to celebrate the birth centenary of late Dr Rabin Banerjee at Golaghat on August 12 in association with the Kaziranga Wildlife Society in a manner befitting the occasion. The centenary celebrations will include essay competitions, seminars, quiz etc. The year long programme will end at the Guwahati Vivekananda Kendra.
(The writer is the president of the Kaziranga Wildlife Society)

Ramani Kanta Deka