Deepak Jyoti -2026
On 22nd March 2026, on the occasion of the 25th death anniversary of Dipak (Paltu) Das, the visionary reformer of East Bengal Club, floral tributes and ceremonial lamp lighting were offered at his portrait in the Club premises in the morning. Later, from 3:00 PM at Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium, distinguished personalities from various fields of society were honoured with the “Dipak Jyoti” Award in memory of his ideals.
The event featured a musical performance by renowned artist Sriradha Bandyopadhyay.
The programme commenced with an inaugural address by Club President Murari Lal Lohia.
The Hon’ble Justice Arindam Mukherjee of the Calcutta High Court graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and was welcomed by President Murari Lal Lohia and senior advocate Ajay Krishna Chatterjee.
A commemorative book featuring writings by eminent personalities on Dipak (Paltu) Das was unveiled on stage by former players of the Club. A video documentary on his life was also screened.
Senior advocate Jayanta Mitra was conferred with the “Dipak Jyoti” Award by President Murari Lal Lohia and Debabrata Sarkar.
Eminent educationist and social reformer Professor Dr. Samit Roy was honoured with the award by former players Alok Mukherjee, Atanu Bhattacharya, and Prashanta Banerjee.
Renowned physician Dr. Raja Dhar received the honour from former President Dr. Pranab Dasgupta, Cricket Secretary Sanjib Acharya, and former player Amit Bhadra.
Noted actress and Banga Bhushan awardee Rituparna Sengupta was honoured with the “Dipak Jyoti” Award by General Secretary Rupak Saha, Bikash Dutta, and elocution artist Raya Bhattacharya.
A donation of ₹1,00,000 was presented to Life Beyond Cancer Trust in support of cancer patients by President Murari Lal Lohia and former President Dr. Pranab Dasgupta.
The Club’s men’s and women’s Kho-Kho teams were felicitated and encouraged by President Murari Lal Lohia and Vice President Kalyan Majumdar.
The SAFF Club Cup Champion East Bengal Women’s Team was also felicitated in the presence of Coach Anthony Andrews and Manager Moumi Pal. They were honoured by IFA President Ajit Banerjee and Dipankar Chakraborty.
Representatives of the Club’s athletics team were also felicitated by President Murari Lal Lohia, Vice President Kalyan Majumdar, and Ajay Krishna Chatterjee.
Former player Baichung Bhutia was conferred with the “Dipak Jyoti” Award by former players Bhaskar Ganguly, Manoranjan Bhattacharya, and Bikash Panji.
Along with the felicitation of all awardees, video presentations highlighting their achievements were also screened.
The entire programme was eloquently hosted by eminent sports journalist Gautam Bhattacharya.
