It’s unlikely that a name as trailblazing as Srijato Bandyopadhyay would stay mum as the psyche of our country turns to shambles; the poet, lyricist and author is set to read out some of his verses in a solo show at Arts Acre this Sunday. The set titled Andhokar Srijato is being hosted by Kriti, and will see the poet address the darkness which surrounds us in these uncertain times.
We caught up with the poet to give us a glimpse into what audiences can expect from his show:
Tell us a little about Andhokar Srijato
The concept aims at acknowledging the darker truths. What usually happens when we have paying audiences, is that most of them want to be entertained. They enjoy the celebratory elements, owing to the feel-good factor. But the things are so uncertain all around us, I was asked to address that. I have quite a few pieces which are dark, and I was asked to do a reading of those works only.
Honestly, I was a little apprehensive because it's a ticketed event when people pay money they are looking for something to lift their spirits. But this show doesn't exactly help listeners in that pursuit, these tell very blatant truths about the world we're living in right now. But we felt it's very relevant to our situations, and where we stand, thus quite important.
Can you tell us the published works from which you’ll be reading to the listeners?
I’m set to read pieces from four of my books, Dhwangsho, Ondhokar Lekhaguchho, Karkatkrantir Desh and Mushtaq Hussain er Darbari.
Have you written something recently driven by the turmoils around us?
I've written quite a bit inspired by whatever has been happening these past few days, I have posted some of it on Facebook but they have not been published yet. In fact, I may read out some points from there too, if it makes sense, but my reading material will mostly comprise of these four books.
Can you tell us a little about the age demographic of people who show up at your live readings?
I would say it's mostly young people, college-goers or people who've just gotten a job, they relate more to my work, I think.
Can you tell us what you’re working on next?
I’m actually working on a play. I've only just started working on its concept, but then again, no one asked me to write it. I feel like writing a play driven by these times could be a good idea, I'm trying to figure that out.