Amit Chaudhuri in conversation with Ananya Vaijpeyi is soft
spoken and unassuming. Listening
politely and earnestly answering questions and drawing the audience into his
Calcutta- Two Years in the City - the subject and title of his latest book,
released in New Delhi on Friday, February 21, 2013.
I did not know much about Chaudhuri till the Jaipur Lit Fest
I attended at the end of January this year. I didn’t see or hear him but heard Ananya
Vaijpeyi talk about his literary criticism work. So, when I received the e-invite from Penguin
and the magazine Caravan I decided to go.
Calcutta is close to my heart – my past and my present. I was born and
raised in West Bengal; a four hour train ride from Calcutta and am currently
working on an illustrated book for young people on Calcutta. I am immersing myself
in all things Calcutta.
I Googled Chaudhuri and read his interview in the Guardian
about his writing the book. I learned a little bit more about him. I liked his
stories about the process of his writing the book, his experiences and his
passion for the green slatted windows and doors. I share that passion, growing up as a visitor
to Calcutta for my monthly dental work (with Dr. Ghosh) and as an adult,
studying and working in Calcutta, other Indian cities and countries. My photos taken in Italy, Philippines,
Switzerland and many other places suggest my attraction to the same woodwork
and architecture.
I too, witnessed the golden
period of Calcutta in the 1960s early 1970s, going back to it like a moth to
light and slowly over the years, the change. While not actively living in
Calcutta I continued to be engaged in things Calcutta, Bengali and everything
else that surrounds it – in my heart and mind.
The evening was held in Oh! Calcutta, a Bengali restaurant
in South Delhi and one of my favourite eating places. Astrid (a friend visiting from Edinburgh) and
I had lunch earlier in the day, took a side trip to Hauz Khas Village and came
back at 5.30. The room was transformed,
chairs rearranged, tables pushed against the walls and there were cameras and
lights. As you stepped into the restaurant, on the right, a table with his
books were displayed. An impromptu stage was set up, in the natural step up
area of the restaurant with a table and two chairs, and a backdrop announcing the
function.
The conversation was good; the reading Chaudhuri picked was
about the purchase of the green slatted window and door. His knowledge of music
surprised and pleased me and the connections he made between his life, the city
and other cities all came together.
Astrid gifted me the book and I bought five other
paperbacks, to catch up with what I have missed. I am reading the book,
transported into the Calcutta of my child and adulthood. It’s going to be a
good Amit Chaudhuri weekend.
