Ashok Mitra (1928-2018): A voice of dissent with a tender heart

Those who were fortunate to receive his affection knew that beneath his rage was a gentle soul. No one showered affection the way Ashok Mitra did

Ashok Mitra’s death on Tuesday morning is the passing of an era. That cliché has a certain poignant resonance. Ashok Mitra embodied certain values and attitudes and a definite voice of which he was the last representative. The values were those of dissent and thinking against the grain and the voice expressed itself with equal ease and sharpness in Bengali and in English. In Calcutta, as Kolkata was known till recently, he came from a long line of dissenting bi-lingual men of letters.

Ashok Mitra’s provenance was not Calcutta. In conversation --- and he was unforgettable as a raconteur