Dr. Probal Roy: A mountaineer and a good samaritan

Though Probal was quite passionate about mountaineering, and was one of the very few doctors who ventured into this adventure sports  way back in 1970s, he was at the same time very much concerned about extending medical treatment to people, particularly the poorer ones who live in the remote villages of the district and elsewhere.

It was a  balmy  August evening  in 1977  when I first met Probal Roy,  a graduate from National Medical College in Kolkata. He also did his post graduation in ENT from Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research  in the city. 

In the post monsoon that year Himalayan Association of Kolkata planned an expedition to scale two hitherto unclimbed peaks- "Bomba Dhura and Chirring We"- in Kumaun Himalaya under my leadership and was looking for a doctor to accompany the team as the medical officer.

Adventure loving Probal came to know about it and volunteered to join the expedition team. Probal's love for mountaineering grew in this expedition and being very amiable in nature and always ready to help, he emerged most popular to both his team mates and the mountain folks he met in the villages during the expedition.

In those days  the people living in remote mountain villages hardly had any medical facilities and Probal used to carry a bagful of medicines  for treating the villagers on the way to base camp. Beside  extending medical treatment Probal  with his very loveable nature became  friendly with villagers at Munsiyari, Pato and Ralam -the last village before Base Camp. 

This relationship came handy to the expedition which after making the first ascent of Bomba Dhura, ran out of ration during the return march from Base Camp. Since winter was setting in, most of the villagers had gone down in and around Munsiyari  and the last  few of them were in the process of leaving  for their winter abode.  The shops at Ralam village were also closed.But when they saw Doctor Probal, they readily shared with us whatever little food  they had .
A couple of years after 1977, Probal joined another Himalayan Association expedition; which made the first attempt to climb virgin Sudarshan Parvat in Garhwal Himalaya.

Dr. Probal Roy ( sitting 2nd from left) with other members of Kumaun Himalayan Expedition 1977 of Himalayan Association during handing over of national & Association flags by Sir Edmund Hillary.

Thereafter his passion for mountaineering flourished  and he participated in several expeditions organised by another city based mountaineering club Climbers' Circle in Himachal Pradesh and Garhwal Himalaya.

Probal remained attached with Climbers' Circle till his last day. In one of these expeditions Probal also climbed Sitidhar peak in Himachal Pradesh.

After post graduation Dr Probal worked as a specialist in an ESI Hospital in Kolkata before switching over to West Bengal Medical Service for which he was posted at Diamond Harbour.

During this period his commitment towards  people living in far flung villages grew and he finally decided to take voluntary retirement from the state health service in 1975 and started his own practice at Diamond Harbour so that he could devote more time to his patients  who were spread around in all parts of the district and even beyond.

During his later years Probal totally remained engrossed in organising  medical camps at the less accessible areas of the riverine district beside  treating his patients, arranging free medicines and consultations whenever required.

Though he could not take part in expeditions because of time constraint, Probal continued his connection with Climbers' Circle and other members of the adventure fraternity  and extended his help whenever required.

For the last one and half years Dr Probal  was bed-ridden either at home or hospital following kidney ailments and left for his heavenly abode at the age of 74 on 23rd May 2024 last leaving behind his wife, son and a huge legacy of a Good Samaritan.