One of the greats of Indian Bridge, Manas Mukherjee, breathed his last on the evening of October 20, 2024. Prior to his death, he was in a coma for the last three odd months after suffering a stroke.
For me, Manas was a demi God who I watched from afar. I had the privilege of being in the same team as him during one of the online tourneys, but never really said more than 4-5 words to him in my life. That too at a bridge table in Indore, if I remember right. Nevertheless, it is with a heavy heart that I am compiling this tribute to his memory.
Manas' first major win (as far as I know) was the Singhania BAM trophy on behalf of Calcutta Furniture during the 1983 Winter Nationals in Chennai where he partnered another legend, Pritish Kushari. As a result of this, the team got berth to play in the Indian team selection trials. The renowned bridge columnist, Mr. Bobby Sinha, recommended these two players to Ms. Pammy Jasuja of Orkay Mills in Mumbai in 1984. Forced to play together for this commitment, they thus became a partnership.
In Mumbai they had very good results in both team and pair events, . During 1984-86 they played together, staying in the same residence and consequently found ample time and scope for discussion on several aspects. Quitting Bombay, in 1986 November they joined South Eastern Railways, HQ and started to represent Indian Railways team in several national major tournaments.
As Kushari declined to become the captain of Indian Railways team in the year 2002, Manas took charge and continued till his retirement 2013.
Manas was known to be very simple and his game was totally based on common sense. After Kamal Mukherjee who was the highest master point holder for decades it was Manas who took the lead for another decade.
Presented below are a few eulogies to Manas da
Mrinal Mukherjee
Let me start about MANUS with a true story about why and how he came to this game of bridge and excelled as a natural player.
As a college boy of 19 years, he had gone to play an Auction bridge (popular in Bengal) tournament with his father. It was a 24 board match. The Dad-son were trailing by 200+ points. On the 8th board, Manas missed an ice cold game. His father took the scoresheet and conceded the defeat and deposited the same to authorities.
Manas was shocked as there were 16 more boards still to go and protested against his father's action. On the way home, his father said told him that the way Manas tried to make the contract would only if a side suit has 12 cards not 13. That day, he understood that counting the opponent and partner cards was more important than conventions.
I first met Manas in 1985 at Bombay VT station where he, with the late Pritish Kushari and Ashim Mukherjee ( all 3 were then in Orkay Mills as sports quota appointees) came to receive me. Since we were not known to each other I was puzzled why he came to the station? It had so happened that in the 1985 Nationals, my team has been registered in my name as M K Mukherjee's IV. His curiosity as to who was another MK Mukherjee in Bengal besides him piqued him.
As a result of natural cordial behaviour, it took us no time to become friends forever. Shortly after this, Manas, Pritish and Ashim joined the Railways where they were posted at the Garden Reach area. They had almost a permanent daily routine to come to my office at 12 o'clock, take tiffin in my office canteen, and solve bidding puzzles given by Kushari before they left for their practice at the Railway club at Dalhousie.
I used to call him Manus since he was a great humanitarian.
His love for the game is fathomless. He was my partner in the Indore event of 2023. We came 6/7th in the Holkar pairs. On the day of Holkar final, he was very sick, He had not slept the previous night and in terrible body discomfort. Inspit of this, he prepared himself for the final despite my request to take rest. I used to call him MANUS (A HUMAN) not Manas. A TRUE FIGHTER.
Alok Daga
Manasda and I go back a long way. In the early 2000's I started forming a serious team and had the fortune of him as captain. In 2017, from the Vizag Nationals onwards, we had struck a partnership. I came off serious bridge in 2021, but our bonding remained.
In his bridge career spanning over 4 decades he had very few serious partnerships. His most famous one was probably with Pritish Kushari for around 10 years and, after that, Rana Roy for 15. Prior to that he used to play with Ashok Chatterjee. His command over defense and the ability to read the table were legendary.
Om Shanti Manasda.
You will be missed
Sowmik Das
Indian Bridge's most natural player has lost his battle against death. The man who has won so many bridge battles unfortunately couldn't win the hardest battle of life.
In my association with Manas Mukherjee, I have never seen him commenting on wild hands or freakish hands. He believed that there is no science in the fact when dealing with them. Whoever guesses correctly will win. But when it comes to normal deals, he said that it is the duty of a proper expert to weigh it against the profit and loss theory and then bid.
Having said that, I have seen him bid based on his hunches. A moody person, when he is in the best of his moods, he will call me to give advise on how to improve my card reading. He said he only knew how to tackle simple hands, which allowed him to win MP pairs with ease. Complicated hands are dealt with caution.
A player like his favorite partner, Kushari, he was a true workaholic as per bridge is concerned. You never had to repeat any bridge hand twice, to him such was his concentration level. His play was very simple, and he avoided fancy things and that gave rich dividends. A true exponent of simple Bridge.
Rest in peace, Captain , you will be missed.
Sumit Mukherjee
When I was young, it was not so easy to watcha world level game.
Manas Kushari was the Meckwell partnership for me and for many other's. But in 1998 their partnership broke and Manasda made a partnership with Rana Roy, another superb card player. In 2002, I joined Railways, Under Manasda ' s captaincy we did really well.
He was very fast thinker and very accurate. He used to say "whenever partner put his hand as dummy, he finished his plan as declarer".
A nice human being and a great player. I was so lucky to get him as teammate.
Disclaimer : All opinions are entirely those of the author and are no reflection of the views of the BridgeFromHome Team.
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I have the opportunity to play a few the manasda. my best result with him are the 2nd spots in consecutive two years in west bengal state championship pairs tournament. I have another sweetest memory to play against him in the ruia final list by 1IMPs. I was partnering his long time partner pritish kusharr and he had partnered my favourite partner amarnath bannerjee. I have a very good show in that match. manasda was the most natural player, I have seen other than sudhir ganguly. manasda stay in peace.