The 1960s Berkeley Grad Student Who Took a Breakup Really Badly
In 1967 Prosenjit Poddar, a graduate student from Bengal, India, enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley. Months later, he met fellow student Tatiana Tarasoff at a folk dancing class on campus, and the two began to hang out. They shared a friendly kiss that New Year’s, made out a few times, and dated briefly. Eighteen-year-old Tarasoff liked Poddar a little, but unfortunately, he liked her a whole lot more. As in way, way, more. When Tarasoff realized just how seriously Poddar was about the relationship, she let him know that she was not as into him as he was into her. She told him that it was just casual dating, and that she was seeing other guys. Poddar did not take that well.
He neglected his studies, ceased to take care of himself, grew depressed, began to talk in weird ways, and frequently burst into tears and wept. That was bad, but worse, Poddar also turned stalker. He ran into Tarasoff a few times at Berkeley, and secretly recorded their conversations. That was no easy feat, given how bulky recording equipment was back in the 1960s. He incessantly played the recordings back to himself to try and figure out why she didn’t love him. He also began to keep a journal, in which he described every interaction he ever had with her. He also followed her around to try and change her mind. In the summer of 1969, Tarasoff travelled to Brazil. While she was gone, Poddar saw a campus psychologist, Lawrence Moore.