Back in 1987, when I was working as an Assistant Engineer in the Medical College Construction Division at Bhangagarh, a young and handsome Birendra Mohan Goswami joined our office as an Assistant Executive Engineer.
I remember Goswami sir, who left for his heavenly abode recently, as an outspoken and honest man with impressive administrative qualities.
We worked together on infrastructure development of the Gauhati Medical College. I personally learnt a lot about execution of projects in a well-defined way from him.
Punctuality and a disciplined way of working were his hallmarks. He never left his official work pending for the next day. He would rather prefer to rid his table of files as quickly as possible.
He was affectionate towards his juniors. His love for the junior officers was evident when one of our Assistant Engineers committed a mistake in recording measurements of an under-construction multi-storeyed building. When it was brought to the notice of Goswami sir, he called the Assistant Engineer to his room and explained to him what dire consequences he might have to face because of the mistake.
Though the Assistant Engineer spent many sleepless nights, Goswami sir made every possible effort to resolve the issue amicably and finally managed to save the young engineer from official punishment. It shows his love for the young officers as well as his responsibility to the State.
Very often, he used to narrate his past experiences to us. As he had served in the PWD Rangiya Roads Subdivision before joining us, he once told us about a wooden bridge at Ghagrapara near Rangiya. The bridge was the only link between Rangiya town and 15 villages.
He recalled how he, along with others, had worked overnight to repair that bridge to ensure that the people of the 15 villages do not have to face any inconvenience. In doing so, he himself had to get into water to do some repairing work and the next morning he reached his home with a wet pair of trousers, which is a testimony of his dedication towards his work.
Despite his workaholic nature, he also loved to spend time with his family. When he was serving as the Additional Chief Engineer, PWD (Roads), at Chandmari, very often he had to work on Sundays. His wife, Dr Malini Goswami baidew, used to bring tiffin for him and he shared the tiffin with his wife and their two children in his office chamber. The new generation has a lot to learn from him.
Today, I pray to the Almighty to grant eternal peace to his noble soul.
