Anindya Chatterjee, lead vocalist of Bengali band Chandrabindoo, is not only an accomplished singer and lyricist—he won, with Chandril Bhattacharya, the national award for best lyrics for the Bengali film Antaheen —but also an editor of a Bengali magazine Robbar an actor and has directed his first film Bondhu Bylane . He has also written his first book, Niruddesh Somporke Ghoshona , which has created waves for its off-beat style.
Anindya will be in the city today for the launch of Niruddesh Somporke Ghoshona , organised by Ridhdhi Foundation and Bengali in Bangalore. Niruddesh …is characterised by the element of nostalgia and a longing for a life which wasn’t as materialistic as it is now. Speaking about his book, Anindya says: “ Niruddesh… emerged from a column I wrote for Robbar for two years. I explored various topics in this column.”
Stories of memories and days gone by, of a Kolkata untouched by globalisation and of simpler times—the book is marked by various interesting personal narratives.
“The prose essentially captures Kolkata of the late 1980s and early 1990s. One piece is about the Soviet Union, which was at the time considered major power and had quite a strong political influence in those times. Another is of the quintessential Kolkata double-decker buses, which have all but disappeared. I have also written about how the tradition of serving food on banana leaves has given way to caterers preferring to serve food on terracotta plates instead,” says Anindya.
Anindya speaks of his close association with the late filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh. He has acted in an earlier film Shubho Mahurat and more recently in Ghosh’s Satyanweshi , a Bengali mystery and thriller film, which was completed after the filmmaker’s death. Anindya is all praise for Ghosh’s immense artistic endeavours. “At the event, I will be reading a piece I wrote on Rituparno Ghosh. I have explored Ghosh’s works, having known him personally,” he adds: “People are often interested to know unnecessary aspects of Ghosh’s life, the clothes he wore, his orientation. But of far greater value is his works, his contribution to the creative field, and I would like to bring that to fore,” concludes Anindya.
Anindya will read excerpts from Niruddesh …and engage in an “adda” (informal discussion) session with the audience at Atta Galatta today at 6.30 p.m.
The event marks the return of Boi-Choi , an initiative by Ridhdhi Foundation, a not-for-profit registered trust, which is a literary space that facilitates informal interactions among writers, poets and literary personalities. Atta Galatta is located at 134, KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala.
