Amitava Mukherjee and his wife Neela Mukherjee were professors at prestigious Lal Bahadur Shashtri National Academy of Mussoorie when both went to Mindnapur in Bengal with a team of trainee IAS officers.
The couple felt connected with villagers who told them that area lacked a school for children. Amitava and Neela started a school in 1998 and it was their sincere effort that total twelve such schools now parting education at Midnapur.
Now Neela no more but Amitava and his son Taponeel still taking care of the school which was a "brainchild" of his better half.
Amitava belonged to a reputed family of Hazaribag, Rai Bahadur Yadunath Mukherjee. He had completed his schooling from Hazaribagh St Xavier's School and then from St.Columba's College. Every year he come to Hazaribagh to participate in Durga Puja organised by one of the oldest club Bengali Durga Mandap.
Talking to The Pioneer, he said the school he and Neela started named as Sal Piyali. Elaborating this, he said Midnapur is surrounded with forests of Sal trees where Piyali is a fruit found there. He said today 600-children taking education free of cost with uniform and books too provided by the trust running the schools there.
He said Neela was much attached to this project and worked till breathed her last in 2011.
According to him, villagers told them that many children belonged to families of criminals and other various background who were deprived of education. Amitava said he and Neela worked on this project and finally school started in year 1998.
He said now school running till Std-6 and having students of Lodha tribe who belonged to various background.
Dr Amitava Mukherjee, an internationally recognized scholar and development practitioner on food security, hunger and poverty reduction, has worked extensively in the countries in Asia, especially in China, South East and Central Asia and India. He has also worked in several countries in Africa.
The basic reach of his work has been in poverty reduction and food insecurity and hunger. And range of his work has included action research, project implementation, capacity building and advocacy, for over three decades across continents.
About Neela, she was a doctorate from Jadavpur University and had a brilliant academic record being first class first throughout her academic career.
She began her career in the Indian Economic Service in 1977, was Professor of Economics at LBS National Academy, Mussoorie, commonwealth fellow at London School of Economics, London, Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University, Stanford and UNDP Fellow at London School of Economics, London. She was at the time of her death, Chairman, Development Tracks RTC, New Delhi and Managing Trustee, Indrani Foundation.