Dengue: Student Arup dies shortly after returning to his mother’s arms
Photo: Arup Banik
“Why did you leave me alone, brother Arup? We grew up together. We were supposed to do so many things together, brother. Were you upset with me...?”
Apurba Banik Dipto was mourning his brother Arup Banik in a Facebook post with these words. Since Thursday afternoon, he has repeatedly posted messages on his Facebook wall addressing Arup Banik Niloy.
Arup, a young student, is now gone forever. After suffering from fever for several days, he died at around 3:30 pm on Thursday. His last rites were performed at the cremation ground at his family home on Friday.
Family members said he died of dengue.
This year, around 7,500 patients have received treatment for dengue in Chattogram under government supervision. At least 40 people have died. It is not clear where Arup contracted the virus.
He ran a bookstore in Banglabazar, Dhaka, and operated an online page called Boipara.com. He had returned to his family home about a week ago. Their ancestral home is in Hadi Fokirhat in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram. He was the youngest of two sisters and one brother. Arup was an avid reader, and his sudden death has left everyone grieving. Many have been sharing memories of him on Facebook.
Apurba and Arup were cousins from different branches of the family. They were extremely close and lived in the same building as part of their extended family in Mirsarai. They used to spend much of their time together. Arup had visited home just a few days earlier during Kojagari Purnima. Apurba was ill at the time. He had also contracted dengue. Arup’s father, Arjun Banik, and several other family members were also sick.
After taking his father to Chattogram for medical treatment and looking after him, Arup returned to Dhaka. A few days after arriving there, he developed a fever himself. His mother, Gouri Banik, repeatedly urged him to see a doctor and return home. Eventually, despite being ill, Arup returned to his parents on Thursday. After getting off the bus on the highway, his father, Arjun, supported him as he walked home.
Arup’s cousin Sushanta Banik told Agamir Somoy, “Niloy came home at around 2:30 pm. He was in a terrible condition. He said it was because of the bus journey. Then he took a bath. Within half an hour, he told us that something felt wrong in his chest. His eyes and face had rolled back. I just told him, Niloy, give us a little time. We are taking you to the hospital. You will recover. My aunt, I and others took him to the hospital in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw. The doctor said Niloy was no more.”
Family members said he died of dengue fever. They believe Arup thought he would recover after his fever subsided. They suspect this may have contributed to the tragic outcome.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Arup was a college student in Feni. During the pandemic, he and two friends established an online book business called Boipara.com. From then on, he devoted himself to reading, collecting and selling books. Driven by this passion, he eventually opened a small bookstore in Banglabazar.
Both of Arup’s sisters are married. Arup, who had completed his bachelor’s degree, was also preparing to get married. Now his mother, Gouri Banik, is left mourning while holding on to her son’s belongings and memories.
His father, Arjun Banik, cannot accept that his son, whom he had brought home just half an hour earlier so the family could look after him, has passed away in this way.
Sushanta Banik said, “Our fathers and uncles have always lived as an extended family. We all live in the same building. We grew up like biological brothers. Arup was particularly close to my other cousin, Apurba Dipto. They were of the same age. My aunt and Dipto knew about his fever. My aunt had urged him to see a doctor and come home. But when he finally returned, he did not give us any more time.”
It was as if Arup had returned home just to see his parents one last time. Then he was gone.
In 2022, Arup posted a Facebook status using the title of a song by artist Abinav Sharma: “If We Ever Stop Talking Send Me a Song.”
Sharing that post on Friday afternoon, Apurba Banik Dipto wrote, “We will never talk again, brother. We will never talk again... There will be no more songs sent. Rest in peace.”
