Soon after his birth, Amar was nicknamed Ghonshu after Lord Ganesha. Apparently, as a child, Amar had a disproportionately endowed belly like that of the Lord. However, this belly thing must have been a case of a blip as later, Amar went on to acquire a rather lean and lanky frame which stood by his side all his life. 

At the time of Amar's birth, the family had no history of providing English education to its children. However, when the right time arrived, Amar's mother insisted on her two sons being sent to a Convent school, apparently against the initial wishes of the patriarch. Finally, Amar studied at St. Mary's Convent School at Cantt, Varanasi until Class Four and moved thereafter to St. John's School, D.L.W to complete his 10+2 in the year 1984. Amar owed the solid plinth of his education to the vision of his parents, particularly of his mother who came from the family of Shri D.L Ray, one of the most illustrious Bengali writers, playwrights and musicians. 

After completing graduation at Banaras Hindu University (B.H.U) in 1987, Amar completed his MBA course in 1990 at the Faculty of Management Studies, B.H.U, a prominent management school in India. Always a free bird at heart, he had opportunities to fly away to the limitless sky of the professional world but being conscious of the demands of his family businesses, Amar voluntarily kept himself grounded at Varanasi. The sky's loss was his home land's gain.Till he breathed his last, Amar worked day and night for the furtherance of his family's vast business interests at Varanasi and Kolkata.   

Amar was a very bright student and had started showing glimpses of his brilliance at a very young age.  He had an incredibly sharp mind, memory and intellect which one suspects, he deliberately hid under his boyish charm and easy demeanour. Few traits which differentiated Amar from other bright students in the class were his keenness to learn by logic and experiments, his ability to  question the obvious and refusal to learn by rote. He used to say in half-jest that this was the reason why he could rarely be top of the class. ):- The truth was that the teachers and peers always counted him amongst the brightest ever. 

He was always curious, questioning, observant and eager to learn right since he was a kid. Legend has it that even during short breaks while preparing for the next day exam, Amar, the young kid, would gate crash the family/business meetings of his father and his uncles at home in the nights and silently observe the proceedings. The seedings of his latter days' business acumen were probably sown during this time of his life through these sub-liminal learnings.

Amar was a man of many parts and a well- read man beyond words. He had picked up the habit of reading books of all genre at a very young age, be it comics, fiction, non-fiction, history, what have you !. Adventures of Tintin, Mandrake and Asterix were three of his most favourite comic books. He loved reading Readers Digest and Amar Chitra Katha even as an adult. He was extremely interested in philosophy and was an ardent admirer of Swami Vivekanand and his writings. Every single day, he devoured Times of India many times over ever since he was a young boy. 

Very few are aware that he had an equal interest in Quran, Bible and Ramcharit Manas and had read all three, in some measure over the years and would often quote their excerpts at home. Sydney Sheldon and Robert Ludlum were his favourite fiction writers. History fascinated Amar no end and he was fixated with World War books particularly written by Wilbur Smith. Over the years, he had also developed interest in reading books on Astrology, Palmistry and other similar esoteric subjects. The last book that he probably read was Palace of Illusion by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Its so heartening to learn that he has bequeathed his interest in books to his young children who are now pro-actively following their illustrious father's path in pursuit of knowledge.

Amar was also keenly interested in watching informative documentaries on BBC, National Geography, TLC and History channels particularly with his son Kolyan. His interests in these documentaries exhibited his constant pursuit of knowledge. He  also loved watching automobile shows (as he was madly in love with cars). He loved watching old English movies and his favourites were Troy, Ben-Hur and Sound of Music.

Amar was very fond of listening to music, particularly English music. Some of his favorite singers/bands were Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, John Lenon, and Carpenters. His music sense was quite sharp and he loved Jazz . He also loved listening to and collecting albums of Michael Jackson and Yani . On other occasions, particularly when he was on outings with his friends, he would often break into fast- beat Hindi songs, particularly of Kishore Kumar. He also loved to shake a leg or two with friends and was always delighted to Damenstrate his cute dancing skills in the right company. ):- 

It is evident from above that Amar had a vast repertoire of meaningful and stimulating interests. No wonder that Amar possessed incredible worldview  and knowledge of things and his exceptional communication skills (both in speech and writings) impressed all and sundry. Even though ensconced in Banaras, Amar traversed several differing worlds with equal elan and could hold his own against opposition in debates on varied subjects like sports, politics, economics, films, music, et. al.  By way of an example, he was equally versed with Mohun Bagan as much as he was with Manchester United and Arsenal and could give a lecture on  both  the American and the Indian Electoral systems for hours with consummate ease. He was a conversationalist nonpareil and even in his short encounters with first-time Indian or overseas visitors  to Varanasi (introduced to him by friends), he left an indelible impression on them.

Amar was very proud of his Bengali heritage and always upheld the values and ethos of his cultural background. He was deeply religious man but was not consumed by zealotry. He generally had moderate and progressive views on sensitive topics but sometimes he did hold stronger, hard views on subjects closer to his heart. However, the moment he sensed ego clashes taking over the debate, he would let discretion be the better part of his valour and disengaged politely.  Possessing this discretion was one of his biggest strengths. He never allowed to get his personal views or beliefs, howsoever strong, to get better of his friendship with people.

   

Be that as it may, he was a true Banarasi at heart and this, mostly overshadowed any other identity that he may have had, cultural or otherwise. His eating habits, carefree attitude, simplicity, zing for life, free-willed nature, informal speaking style, all were primarily influenced by the local sensibilities of Banaras-the incredible city of  Lord Shiva. No wonder, he was named "Amarnath" after the Lord  himself.

Amar loved eating out with family and friends. He was amongst the first to check out new restaurants in the city. He was also an avid street-food lover though lesser so in recent years. His frequent visits to the road-side Dosa, Golgappe and Chaat thelas (carts) in younger days, particularly to Motu Chaat, the one near his house, were his worst kept secrets. Separately, he was a warm and gracious host and within minutes of one's entry in his house, he would serve the famous Rasmalai and Aloo Cutlets procured from the nearby Rajesh Sweets with such affection and warmth that these would instantly warm the cockles of one's heart and belly both :)- Nothing but memories remain now. 

Amar had a blessed childhood in a large joint family comprising of about 20-25 members. Being the eldest in his generation, he commanded love and affection of all, whether elders or younger. His own value system in life was reflective of the simplicity ingrained in the entire Lahiri clan led by his father Mr. Shambhunath Lahiri.  Amar understood the importance of the familial value system at a very young age and upheld it throughout his life with his devoted sense of responsibility, respect for elders and at times, personal sacrifices in the larger interest of the family. A tragedy in which he lost his father in the mid-2000s, dented his spirits for a while and tested his resolve no end but Amar, leaving his personal pain behind, rose to the occasion quickly and provided much needed leadership and support to the family to successfully fight this crisis.

Amar was a role model for his younger brother Sandeep and shared  a fantastic camaraderie and friendship with him, rarely witnessed between two siblings these days. Amar was never shy of reaching out to his brother's friends and embraced several of them as his own. Amar also built close relationships with his cousins and stood by his extended family at all times. A caring husband to Peau and a doting father to Kolyan and Koynaa, Amar was a quintessential family man. 

Amar's reputation of having a brilliant, sometimes wicked sense of humour and child-like, playful ways always preceded him. Almost everyone who knew him well also  knew about these attributes of him, either after being at the receiving end of his antics or after watching his unsuspecting victims from the sidelines. ):-With Amar being in the company of close friends, it was a near certainty that his target's legs would be pulled that day, he or she would be teased to his or her wit's end and  that in no time, the entire house would be brought down. He endearingly earned  the sobriquet of  " Conspirator" in his group of childhood friends. ):-

He single- handedly took the mantle of  anointing his friends with crazy and funny monikers which seem to have got stuck with them for all their lives. In fact, people struggle today to remember the real names of Bhindi, Lala, Khud-Khud, Nanu, Guttam Hazaam, Pelu, Rani, Chachu (all these were monikers created by Amar). Also, his repartees were instantaneous, funny and tickling and brought smiles on people's faces.

Amar walked with a swag which no one could match. He was named John Trovolta in his friends' group. A tall, handsome man, very conscious of his attire and looks, his external charm invariably matched the inner beauty of his soul. Rarely  has there been such an union of these two ostensibly conflicting attributes in a single man. 

There is no gainsaying the fact that he had a star-like personality. He was a man of golden heart and helped all to the exclusion of none. He kept much of his social activities private and away from the glare and silently supported causes dear to him. While he personally believed in the maxim " Neki Kar aur Dariya mein Daal", Amar always remained soaked in gratitude for outsiders and friends who had ever helped him in his life with any matter, personal or professional. They don't make them like him any more.

Amar was "Yaaron ka Yaar" and meant many things to many people. He endeared himself to his friends with his infectious smile and a caring attitude for all, at all times. Almost everyone  wished to appropriate a part of him. 

While he rose effortlessly to match the wavelength of a high-flying friend, he willingly climbed down to match the wavelength of his more down-to-earth counterpart. He was equally at ease with all kinds of friends-rustic,cerebral, party-goers, homely, composed, loud, serene, quiet, chatter boxes, all. Like water, he could fit in any vessel.  Almost every close contact of Amar would have stories to tell as to how Amar touched his or her life and how life will never be same again without him.

Amar loved travelling outdoors with family and friends. Amar had a special love for fast cars and long drives and drew immense pleasure from these travels.  His conversations with friends were replete with childhood stories about his time spent in the family bungalow at Nainital including the innumerable road travel stories from trips to Badrinath, Nepal, Rajasthan, Shimla to name a few. He loved travelling to the hills and enjoyed trekking with his family and friends. His first ever (international)  trip to Bangkok with a few of his close friends a couple of years back was a high point in his life. He had a special love for Goa in the company of his childhood friends. Alas, Goa, indeed life, will never be same again for these friends.

Amar was a great raconteur but even a better listener. He was interested in telling his own stories to a few but keener on listening to the stories of a vast array of people, particularly of close friends.  He wanted to know every small detail of his friends' experiences in life, whether from workplace, travel, family life, what have you. If one returned from a vacation, Amar would be curious to a T and would want to know the size of the room of the hotel (even that of the beds therein ):-,  the quality and the menu of the food in the restaurant, the quality of the "gentry" in the aircraft ):-, the specific road/airport experiences, almost everything. He had a genuine interest in people's lives and always admired the success stories of his friends from the bottom of his heart.