Sajjad Hussain chronicles Anindya Chattopadhyay’s early years in ‘Anindyakal’
Sajjad Hussain, a travelling storyteller by his own accreditation from Bangladesh, who has been writing biographical books on the biggest Bengali literary and cultural personalities in India and Bangladesh, has weaved the spectacular journey of Anindya Chattopadhyay in his latest book, "Anindyakal".
The book, exploring the obscured corners of the singer's life before his rise to fame, has been unveiled at a programme held at the Bishwa Sahitya Kendra Auditorium in the capital on Monday evening.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Anindya Chattopadhyay, the headliner of Kolkata-based Bengali band "Chandrabindoo", is known for his diversified and versatile music, acting, film production and literary career spanning over decades, inspiring a variety of people from both India and Bangladesh.
From directing acclaimed films like "Open Tee Bioscope" and "Manojder Adbhut Bari" to delivering a stellar performance as Shubhankar in late director Rituparno Ghosh's "Shubho Mahurat", and captivating audiences with his hit song "Bhindeshi Tara" in "Antaheen", Anindya has firmly established himself as a prominent youth icon through his versatile roles across various fields.
His songs in popular films like "Praktan", "Posto", and "Paanch Adhyay", along with his collaborative efforts with Rituparno Ghosh in launching the literary magazine "Robbar", further solidified his status.
The artiste recently engaged in an interactive session hosted by Sajjad Hussain, where he shared insights, memories, and reflections on his diverse journey with his devoted fans, particularly from Bangladesh.
"It's true that I wasn't aware of the deep affection Bangladeshi people hold for me, my work and 'Chandrabindoo'. However, it feels like a second home to me. In expressing my feelings towards Bangladesh, I'd like to draw from the lyrics of my song 'Bhindeshi Tara' - 'Tumi Mayer Motoi Bhalo' (you are as affectionate as my mother). This sentiment encapsulates my profound connection, and I aspire to return here as often as possible."
He continued, "No doubt that Sajjad Hussain is a brilliant writer but what impressed me the most is his indomitable passion, dedication and the patience towards penning this book. We started our collaborative effort back in 2020, and it was tough for us to match our schedules due to the pandemic. Nonetheless, he prioritised this book over everything else in his life and made it happen and for that, I'm thankful to him.'
The book is centred around a time when Anindya was just figuring out his career in his youth. "I was a journalist you see, with a minimal wage. When that organisation was shut down, me and my closest friends went in separate directions and it was pretty unsettling at that time. But somehow, I found my way around with music, films and writing," shared Anindya.
"If you were to choose a singular identity, what would you choose?"-- as one of his admirers posed the question to the versatile artiste, the jolly and witful Anindya went into a sudden deep thought and answered with thorough articulation, "What I feel is being able to write something in the first place turned me into a lyricist, vocalist, columnist and storyteller. If I had not been a writer, I wouldn't have been able to do this many things, nor would I have been able to understand things that are happening around me. So I would identify myself as a writer first and then other things."
Anindya,the author of "Niruddesh Samparke Ghoshana" and "Ekdinbyapi", then traced back to his journey with legendary filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh in establishing a youth-centric magazine, "Robbar", which went massively successful with an improvisational approach in publishing stories, novels, photography, poems and all other genres that resonated with the youth of the respective time.
"One day I got a job at a publishing house and went to Rituparno Ghosh to give him the good news. Ritu remained silent for a while and asked me if I can hold up the joining date for three more months. As shocked as I was, I asked him, why?"
To which he replied that he was about to direct a film named 'Shubho Mahurat' and he wanted Anindya to portray a character in it. "Although I was completely apprehensive of my inclusion in the film, I finally decided to go along with it. As of what I feel now, I think it was a good decision," he shared.
The interactive session went along with the unveiling of the book, "Anindyakal", which contains interesting stories of his youth and book signing. The program ended with a few rendition of the singer's famous songs.
Author Sajjad Hussain previously wrote several crowd-favourite biographical books such as "Kabira" on Kabir Suman, "Bismoye Babita" on Bangladeshi actress Babita, "Ami Ami" on Bangladeshi actor ATM Shamsuzzaman, "Soumitrakkhar", on Soumitra Chattopadhyay, "Mohineer Ghoragulir Gaan", and "Madhobir Jonney".
"Anindyakal" has been published by Sajjad's own publishing organisation Chhapakhanar Bhoot.
Comments