Born and growing up in a middle class joint family in mid-sixties Kolkata, I never
really imagined that I would ever pursue the path of literature some day! Being
brought up by a Central Govt Employee father and a housewife mother, I was
getting used to a life where we have to adjust, fit in and learn to be happy in the
mundaneness of everyday life! But then something happened. Something that
shook the mediocrity of urban middle class comfort zone.
Naxalbari.
That, and one kiss from a girl overnight changed my persona. These let me to
believe that literature, politics and love relationships are intricately intertwined,
weaving together the complex fabric of life.
And with this newfound realization, I stepped into university.
Jadavpur University in those days, nurtured its students, fostering their growth in
various ways. So here I began immersing in Bengali, English and non-English
poems, novels, and non-fiction articles. French surrealist literature and
philosophical works started leaving a long lasting impression on my eager mind. I
watched most of Avant Garde films screened in Kolkata back then. The poetic
works of Heinrich Heine, Jean Cocteau, DH Lawrance and Federico García Lorca
have influenced my thought process, while the works of Shakti Chattopadhyay,
Amitava Dasgupta and Arun Mitra had made me understand the fabric of life in the
soil of Bengal.
Coffee house, prosceniums and film clubs became an integral part of my life! We
even formed a film club of our own, called Chitra Chetana with many friends and acquaintances.
This is how my PG days and PHD days went by.
Meanwhile I had loved and lost, like so many others before me, and so many
others after me! Some of my relationships were bold, some were downright rebel!
And all this finally culminated in my first poetry in July 1993. Here are a few lines:
সার্সি ভাঙার আওয়াজের
মতো
তোর ইচ্ছেগুলোকে
টুকরো টুকরো করে ভাঙিস
ওর প্রেম
ওর মায়া
ওর অহং
তোরই স্বপ্নের ভিতরে
টুকরো টুকরো হয়ে
রয়ে যায়….
I named this poem ‘আয়নায় ইচ্ছেগুলোকে’।
And then there was a major shift in my professional life! From the world of
academics I jumped into the Corporate world.
Here I sustained and slowly acclimatized with corporate culture. Very quickly I
was friendly with my colleagues. In this set-up, I had to interact with cross-culture,
different ethnic groups of people, and this enriched me further.
My work took me to different countries of the world and I amassed a wealth of
experiences that would later shape my literary thought process.
In the monsoon of 2005, the bohemian spirit in me settled when I got married to
this erudite, intelligent and beautiful lady, who is by my side till date…
I have retired from my corporate duties and have gone back to Academics.
In a way life has come a full circle!
Except that I have an urge to share my experiences now… to share them the way I
know best – through my poems.
There are several forms, such as Haiku, Tanka, Haibun, monologues, poetic
dramas, but they tell you the same story – the story of love, longing, and an ever
undying spirit, that changes its face with different cultures, but remains the same at
its core!
To sum up here are a few lines of one of my poetic prose (কাব্য কাহিনী: পর্ব-৪-
অনেক ‘হ্যাঁ’-য়ের মধ্যে একটাই ‘হ্যাঁ’).
Amitava Mukherjee
Academician and Writer
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