Somak Datta, ardent student of music and slave to the tune, loved playing Ek din bik jayega maati ke mol, the timeless Mukesh song with lyrics by Majrooh that seemed to mirror his story in many ways. Young, vibrant Somak died a month before he would have been 20, his life an unfinished symphony that his parents are now trying to complete. Since losing their son in 2015, Gourisankar and Sujata Datta have strived to turn their grief into a motivation to help others accomplish their dreams. Somak was one of the recipients of the Surrendra Paul Memorial Award for Courage at The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence that year. Father Gourisankar, a retired deputy general manager at ONGC, said he and his wife took a couple of years to set up the Somak Datta Endowment because they needed some time to come to terms with their loss.

Source: The Telegraph August 26, 2017 04:30 UTC