Five years after he finally retired, aged 88, a new photo exhibition about Calcutta Rescue’s inspirational founder, Dr Jack Preger, has opened in the room where he lived for most of his 40 years in Kolkata.
The exhibits in Dr Jack – A Life in Pictures span his life from his childhood in Manchester to retirement in Norfolk, England
They are arranged in chronological order on the walls of his old room in No 10 Nilmoni Mitra Street, which CR has used as an education centre for many years, and include film posters and press cuttings, as well as awards and personal items owned by Dr Jack.
A launch party was held on February 28 attended by staff, governing council members and volunteers.
UK volunteer Sean Duggan, who helped organise the exhibition with Piers Skinner and Sambhu Ghoshal said the aim is to remind people of Dr Jack’s extraordinary life and for staff, students and visitors to be inspired by his example to help the city’s poorest people.
Dr Jack, who shared photos and information for the exhibition, thanked staff for all their hard work and asked that his room be brought back into use by the NGO.
At the event, staff shared moving stories about Dr Jack and CEO Jaydeep reminded everyone that his values lie at the core of everything the NGO does today.
All the possessions he left behind when he retired in 2019 were shipped to Switzerland last month to be shown in temporary exhibitions being organised in Geneva and Paris by long-term Calcutta Rescue supporter Benoit Lange.
Anyone coming to visit Calcutta Rescue in India is invited to go and see the free exhibition.
