Jit Paul: A legend who broke social barriers

KOLKATA: On Wednesday, Umesh Kumar Thakur sat at his makeshift barber shop under a banyan tree beside Russell Street, affably chatting as he shaved customers. A short conversation later, his animated disposition suddenly changed into a stony demeanour.
Silent, his eyes brimming with tears, Thakur learnt of industrialist Jit Paul's demise. The emotions weren't without reason.The friendship between barber and the businessman went back a long way, characteristic of the extraordinary relationships that Paul had with countless people.
"My father, who ran the barber shop here, knew Saheb (Paul) for 30 years. After him, I've been cutting his nails for four years. He gave money for my sister's wedding and promised to help me, too. He was a good man. How can I meet the family?" a distressed Thakur enquired.
Across the road, at Apeejay House, where Paul was the patriarch, a holiday was declared after the news of his demise. Ashok Kumar Jain was among the few who remained there. He knew Paul for over four decades after joining as a fresh graduate in 1968.
"I was in tears when I came to know about his death. He was the man who made me," said Jain, sitting at his desk facing Paul's cabin. He remembered an incident that had endeared him to a man whose humanity was undoubtable.
"Just after my daughter-in-law delivered a child, I asked him for leave. Knowing the financial problem I was going through, he asked me if I had enough money. When I said that I didn't, he gave me enough to pay the hospital bills."
At the factory of Flurys the confectionery that Paul had purchased from its British owner in 1965 the mood was forlorn. "He was like a family member. Before 1992, he handled Flurys himself. Everything was at a personal level. Now, like every other company, the corporate culture has come in here," the confectionery's oldest employee Paras Nath Singh lamented.
Further down Park Street, at AN John Hair Studio where Paul was a regular Raman Bhardwaj spoke of his grandfather's close friend: "I've been seeing him since I was a child. He would drive down in his white Ambassador from Park Hotel. My grandfather and he would often go out together. I'm sure the old Kolkatans will miss him a great deal."
Another close friend, Hariom Sood of Burlington's in Park Mansions, who knew Paul for over quarter of a century, recalled when the two had first met. "Just after he bought Park Mansions, the tenants came together to discuss their problems. He patiently sat and heard everyone out. He was a great listener," he recollected. But what set him apart was that he had respect from all quarters, Sood said.
"Once, R P Goenka had walked into my shop just after Paul had left. When I told him so, he said Give my salute to him'. Park Street will miss the man who owned half of it."