A Tribute...

My father, Late Kamal Prasad Alley, son of Rashmi Prasad and Santa Maya Alley, was an illustrious son of an illustrious father. He graduated from the Bengal Engineering College of Shivpur as a Civil Engineer in the year 1961. He worked for a short while at the Public Works Department of Sikkim under the then Chogyal regime. Thereafter, in West Bengal PWD as an Assistant Engineer but his calling was the Border Roads Organisation, a Central Government department under the Ministry of Shipping and Transport from the year 1962 onwards.

At work, he was conscientious and sincere and was posted to almost all the border areas of India and we were lucky to see all these beautiful parts of our country. That itself was an education for me, meeting people from different states, appreciating and learning their customs. He also worked for four years at the Central Secretariat in New Delhi.

In recognition of his hard work and sincerity, he quickly rose up the ladder and became the Commander, 46 BRTF, at a very young age. That itself was a great feat as he and Late Shri Nima Lama were the only two officers in the organisation from our part of the country. Daddy was one of the pioneers of the JN Road to Nathula. He told us how he used to walk up the rough and untrodden path to reccee the new road while way down he could see the new vehicles assigned to the company shining in the sun dutifully polished by the drivers.

When he was posted to Sikkim, he wanted to do much for his home state, to improve the condition of the roads and the bridges and he did do it and won a lot of accolades and praise for his work even from the then Governor of Sikkim, the late BB Lal.

He was a father to be proud of. Daddy was a simple, honest and a practical person and encouraged us to follow the same principles. He was disciplined and never misused the privilege he was given. We never visited Rumtek in the Border Roads vehicle during his tenure here because that area was not under his jurisdiction!

Despite being so work conscious, he was a dutiful, loving and a caring family man. My sons and I got our basic education in the Science subjects, Math and Hindi from Daddy. When he was posted to Shimla, I had to take up Sanskrit as a compulsory subject. Daddy studied the fundamentals, taught me Sanskrit and made me a “pundit”!

A thorough gentleman, he respected women, always stood up when a lady entered the room. He opened doors for us, seated us and then only sat down himself. Where do you get a hero like Daddy nowadays?

“Oh my Papa

To me he was so wonderful

Oh my Papa

To me he was so good

No one could be – so gentle, so adorable

Oh my Papa

He always understood

....Deep in my heart I miss him so today”

Be happy wherever you are daddy. We cherish and hold dear all that you taught us.

Your ever loving daughter

Annapurna