Late Dipanjan Rai Chaudhuri, born in
Kolkata, read Physics at Presidency College in the turbulent late sixties
and early seventies, while breathing philosophy, politics and literature. Over
the years, he alternated between physics and political activism–earning a PhD
from London, spending a term in prison, teaching and publishing research papers
in physics and also working with the Association for Protection of Democratic
Rights. This strange mix led VS Naipaul to feature Dipanjan in one of his
books, India: A Million Mutinies Now. He has published two volumes
of poetry in Bengali, several books on the political economy of West Bengal,
and books on science for children. He wrote prolifically on current affairs,
both in Bengali and English. He had retired as Professor and Head, Department
of Physics, Presidency College, in 2004. In his spare time, apart from writing,
he was involved, along with his students, in the education of children in the
slums of Kolkata.