Though no longer physically present, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the final Chief Minister of West Bengal’s Left Front era and a towering figure of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), continues to echo through the fabric of Bengal’s political memory. His ideas, writings, dreams for a better future and principles remain etched in the hearts of not only his party comrades but also people across the state.
Today, August 8, marks the solemn death anniversary of Bhattacharjee. In quiet remembrance, an intimate gathering is being held on the fourth floor of the CPI(M) state headquarters at Alimuddin Street. Among those present are his wife, Mira, and only child Suchetan, but noticeably absent is a figure who once stood quietly beside the former Chief Minister for nearly two decades: Mohammad Osman, his trusted driver.
Osman, now residing in his native Muzaffarpur in Bihar due to health complications, may be physically distant, yet his memories of “Buddha Da” remain vivid and emotionally stirring. Osman recounted, with moist eyes and a faint smile, tales of the man behind the leader, the quiet revolutionary who once climbed onto a hooded jeep in Kakdwip in the 1990s, on Osman's humble suggestion, setting off a media frenzy and an internal party debate. For Bhattacharjee, the moment signified political intimacy with the masses; for Osman, it earned him sweets from the leader’s own hands.
Beyond the corridors of power, a bond blossomed, one that transcended designations. Despite holding the state’s highest office, Bhattacharjee never let go of his innate humility. Eid and Shab-e-Barat were incomplete without Osman's homemade mutton biryani reaching Palm Avenue. Despite suffering from high blood pressure, Bhattacharjee would mischievously defy his wife’s dietary restrictions, telling Osman, "Aaj tomar aunty kichu bolte parbe na!" ("Today your aunty cannot forbid me from eating!")
Osman and his family became an extension of the Bhattacharjee household. His son, Mohammad Jamshed Ali, recalled with pride and affection how, as children, they received “Edi” (Eid gifts) from the Chief Minister, a mere 10 rupees at first, later rising to a thousand. “The amount was never the point,” said Jamshed, adding, “What mattered was that he gave it from his own meagre salary, with pure sincerity.”
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The relationship was not merely personal. It was anchored in values and moral responsibility. “Osman, don’t do anything that leaves a stain, a mark that remains even after death,” Bhattacharjee once told his driver. Osman took this advice to heart, ensuring that neither he nor his family ever did anything that would tarnish Bhattacharjee’s name.
Despite retiring from politics and public life, the legacy of dignity, simplicity and unwavering ethics that Bhattacharjee upheld lives on, particularly through the gestures of Mira Bhattacharjee. Just two weeks ago, she personally checked on Osman’s health. “What greater debt could there be?” Jamshed asked, humbled by her continued concern.
Osman's loyalty was reciprocated in action, not just in words. When the former Chief Minister resigned in 1993, Osman too left his government position. Although Bhattacharjee urged him to accept alternate postings, concerned for his financial well-being, Osman remained firm in his quiet loyalty. It was the same Buddhababu who later brought a foreign doctor to treat Osman during a life-threatening bout of cholera in the '90s.
In one memorable episode, Osman chauffeured industrialist Ratan Tata and Bhattacharjee in a white Ambassador to the airport. Tata, reflecting the shared humility of both men, told him, "No one takes anything with them, Osman ji. What remains is their work and the love of people."
Despite living modestly in a congested quarter near Alimuddin Street, Bhattacharjee ensured Osman’s family found a better home in nearby Padmapukur. He even arranged a government job for Jamshed in the Food Department, embodying the values of empathy and gratitude seldom seen in today’s political landscape.
The warmth extended further. In 2005, the Bhattacharjee family attended Jamshed’s wedding, along with prominent CPI(M) leaders like Anil Biswas and Biman Bose. In 2018, they gathered again for another family wedding. Even today, party leaders continue to check in on Osman’s family, not out of obligation, but out of a shared sense of kinship and humanity that Bhattacharjee nurtured.
"This is Buddha uncle’s party. This is what he taught us," said Jamshed.
As Bengal pauses to remember one of its most humble and principled leaders, it is not grand speeches or towering statues that keep his memory alive, it is in the quiet loyalty of a driver, the homemade biryani shared with love, and the enduring values that still light the path of his comrades.
Indeed, he is not there. But in every memory, in every gesture of integrity and in every quiet act of kindness, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee remains.
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