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Gourisankar Mukhopadhyay

Gourisankar Mukhopadhyay (18 May 1947 – 23 August 2023) was an Indian businessman, lawyer and finance professional,  with a career spanning  four decades, spent in Nigeria and India, in various functions including cost audit, group finance and general management.

Life

Gourisankar was born on 18 May 1947 during the British colonial period into a Bengali Brahmin family in Calcutta (now Kolkata), the capital city of Bengal presidency. His father Bholanath Mukhopadhyay, was an officer in the Calcutta Municipal Corporation. His mother was Nilima Mukhopadhyay. He was the oldest of five siblings: three sisters and youngest brother. He spent his childhood in Boro Chapatala, Chandannagar (also Chandernagore), Hooghly District in West Bengal, India. On 15th August 1981, Gourisankar married Sarmishtha Mukhopadhyay in a ceremony held in Chandannagar. They had two children into their family: Subhodeep Mukhopadhyay, born on 7th Feb 1983 in London, UK and Madhura Mukhopadhyay, born on 10th Feb 1986 in Saltlake, Kolkata.
 

Education

Gourisankar attended Kanailal Vidya Mandir at Chandannagar for his primary and secondary schooling. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Commerce (B.Com) from xxx. He then pursued and attained a degree in Law (L.L.B) from . He completee a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and a Post Diploma in Automobile Engineering from Hooghly Mohsin College.

Career

Gourisankar held different positions in various organizations during his career, including the Calcutta Tyre Dealers Association and the Birla Group. He had extensive experience traveling to different parts of UP like Saharanpur for company audits. In the early 1980s, he relocated to Nigeria to join a Sindhi multi-national company, the Primlac Group belonging to Nari (Narayan) Kriplani. By 1990, Gourisankar had risen to the role of Group Financial Controller, overseeing companies such as Nigerian Fishing Net Industries and Power King Drugs.

In 1990, Gourisankar alongside three partners, co-founded Sentex Private Limited, a venture specializing in the production of elastic tapes for the hosiery industry. Despite a decade long success, the company later faced challenges related to trade unions, ultimately leading to its closure in 2005-2006 during the communist regime in West Bengal.

Health-Issues and death

From the 1980s, Gourisankar faced various health issues some of which were life-threatening. He underwent major surgeries, including colostomy and colostomy reversal in 1981 in London under Dr Paul Roswick, and gallbladder stone removal in 2005 in Kolkata under Dr Umapada Bhattacharya. Additionally, he battled diabetes for many years.

In 2021, Gourisankar contracted COVID-19, and although the symptoms were not severe, it had a negative impact on his kidney-health and blood glucose levels, which became erratic, and in 2021 he was administered insulin (Basalog) for the first time. Till that time, he had been on oral diabetes medication since 1980s (Dionil in early days, later Janumet, Januvia, Amaryl etc). The discovery of a heart block further challenged his health.

On August 18, 2023 he suffered a major attack and died on August 23, 2023, 3:45 PM in Calcutta Heart Clinic, Saltlake, Kolkata due to a cardiac arrest and multi-organ failure. His passing occurred while options for a pacemaker were being explored, and second opinions sought.
 

Legacy

Until August 18, 2023, the day he fell ill, he remained sharp and alert, and enjoyed life with high-spirits. Being the eldest son, he was known as "Borda" (elder brother) and respected among family and friends for his knowledge on various subject and humor.

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