Deepak Joyti Samman 2023
The 22nd death anniversary of East Bengal Club’s visionary reformer, Deepak (Paltu) Das, was solemnly observed on 22nd March 2023 at the East Bengal Club. In the morning, former players of the club, the reserve team’s coach, and members of the club’s working committee offered floral tributes to the portrait of Deepak (Paltu) Das at the club tent. Later, the club authorities visited the “Himadri Memorial Cancer Welfare Trust” in New Garia and donated ₹20,000 towards medical aid for the underprivileged.
In the afternoon, at the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, distinguished personalities from various spheres of society were honoured in line with the ideals of Deepak (Paltu) Das. The ceremony began with floral tributes to his portrait by all the dignitaries present. This was followed by an inaugural song performed by eminent singer and club member, Shri Saikat Mitra.
The felicitation ceremony began with the “Deepak Jyoti Jeevan Kriti Samman”, awarded to two eminent personalities — noted physician Dr. Sukumar Mukherjee and celebrated author and novelist Shri Manishankar Mukherjee.
The “Deepak Jyoti Dishari Samman” was conferred upon dynamic industrialist Shri Satyam Roychowdhury for his contribution to Bengal’s progress.
The “Deepak Jyoti Samman” was awarded to:
Late Subhash Bhowmick (former player and coach)
Former captain Prashanta Banerjee
Late Babu Guha (first coach of Tushar Rakshit) — the honour was received on his behalf by his sister, Smt. Mousumi Ganguly
Former captain Satyajit Mitra
Late Khokan Basu Mallick (first coach of former player and coach Biswajit Bhattacharya) — the honour was received by his nephew, Shri Indrajit Basu Mallick
Shri Sadhan Kumar Ghosh (first coach of late captain Krishanu Dey)
The Chief Guest for the occasion was Hon’ble Mayor of Kolkata, Shri Firhad Hakim, and the Special Guest was Hon’ble MLA Shri Tapas Roy. All speakers fondly remembered Deepak (Paltu) Das in their addresses.
In a gesture of solidarity, the Deepak (Paltu) Das Memorial Welfare Association of the club handed over ₹2,00,000 to the wife of late young journalist Abhijit Sarkar, pledging support to his family.
Finally, members of the club’s working committee and former players engaged in an interactive session, discussing the current state of the club’s football and its future prospects.
The entire event was anchored by eminent journalist Shri Gautam Bhattacharya. The occasion was marked by the notable presence of the club’s executive committee members, club members and supporters, and distinguished personalities from various sections of society.
