Book Launch Of Anupam Roy's Comic Book Antony O Chandrabindoo: 10th April 2015 Kolkata

 

Those of you who live in Kolkata may have already read the comic strip that Anupam Roy created with the character 'Antony.' I have seen it in snippets, so finally it is great that the entire creation will be published as a full fledged comic book.

If you are in Kolkata, make sure you visit the book launch and get your own copy

Where And When

10th April 2015 Friday 6pm

West Bengal Bengali Academy (Paschim Bongo Bangla Academy)

Nandan Premises, Rabindra Sadan

- Debolina Raja Gupta

Catch Anupam Roy At The Kolkata Book Fair On 3rd Feb 2015

By now we do expect a new Anupam Roy book at the Kolkata Book Fair each year, don't we? Anupam Roy carries on the tradition this year too!

Anupam Kawtha by Anupam Roy has released on the 1st of February 2015 at the Kolkata Book Fair.
To find out more details about the book you can also like its official page HERE

Catch him there:

Date: 3rd Feb 2015 Tuesday
Stall No: 426 (Kolkata Book Fair)
Time: 03:00 pm onwards

Be there and tell me if you managed to grab a copy and got an autograph too :)

- Debolina Raja Gupta

Anupamer Lekha by Anupam Roy: An Arty Look At Poetry

front cover jacket....one thing you can be assured of when you are reading an Anupam Roy book is that it's not just a book, it's also an art in the visual form.....'Shara raat kete jaaye tor kotha bhebe'....the entire night passes by thinking of you....

On my recent trip to Kolkata a couple weeks back, I was sitting at this really amazing old worldish 'small' chai shop sipping through a cup of brewed Makaibari tea. It was the perfect afternoon when Kolkata was just starting to turn from hot to a pleasant feeling, and I was already dreading the thought of returning to scorching Mumbai.

My chai finish, I went to the counter, looking at the many artefacts and tea pots, paying up my bill, when I saw a section of the area dedicated to bengali books. Yes I don't read bengali much, in fact I must admit with a not-so-proud feeling that I don't read bengali books - I can read it, but it takes me absolutely years to finish one page of bangla, and then it's just not worth it - loses all the charm. Books, however, fascinate me, whether I bring them home or not, and so it was that I looked around and thought I saw something that read 'Anupam Roy.'

It didn't click and I turned back to the counter and then....whoops....what????....wait.....what did I see????......and then turned back again to the book space......and looked closely....

Anupamer Lekha by Anupam Roy

With this, my collection of Anupam Roy's written creatives is complete.....

Anupamer Lekha
Chhoyache Kolom
Shomoyer Baire

Let's see what gems come up next :)

- Debolina Raja Gupta

Shomoyer Baire by Anupam Roy: Book Review

I recently managed to get the copy of the book Shomoyer Baire by Anupam Roy. It released this year (2014) in Kolkata and has already been lapped up by fans and readers alike.

Unfortunately, I could not find the book on any online store or any book store here, so I contacted the publishing house and asked them to send me a copy. You can do this if you are based outside Kolkata, and can have the option of COD too!

Before I talk more about the book, here's a quick look at the details:

Details about the book:

Title: Shomoyer Baire
Author: Anupam Roy
No. of pages: 125
Publishers: Dey's Publishing

Format: Hardback

About the book (synopsis):

The book is a look at the life of Biplab (which means revolution in Bengali). The protagonist goes through various experiences throughout his life, all of which are drawn upon through various times in his life. The many experiences clash with each other, connect with each other, and through these, the reader gets a glimpse into his life, into his personality, and how the protagonist evolves through time, and why he does the things he does.

My take on the book:

For someone who is not fluent in reading Bangla (it takes me ages to read the script, and THIS is the first Bengali book that I have finished!) this book was the answer to - how to create a book in Bengali that is great on the subject, is interesting and still can be read easily.

For starters, the book is tiny (especially for those who are comfortable with the script.) It took me half a day to finish it off, in the midst of work and other commitments. So if you have free time, you can easily read it in the lesser part of an hour.

The cover is where you can see the mark of an artist. It is simply beautiful, I loved the way the old buildings have been shot in a different angle. It instantly reminds me of the old style houses I have seen in some parts of Kolkata, and that are so present in my memory of the city. I love latticed windows, those long verandas that spin so many different stories of co-existence, and this book and its cover brings all that alive.

Chhoyanche Kolom by Anupam Roy (The Contagious Pen): My Take And Sort Of A Review

So before I begin talking about this book, there are a few things I need to say:

1. This is the first time ever that I am talking here about a book that is written in the Bengali language
2. This is one of those very few books in the Bengali language that I have read in its entirety, without a translation
3. This is the first ever book of poetry that I have bought outside my literature syllabus, from school till my post-grad level, which was decades ago
4. This is the first time that I am talking about a book that revolves around poetry and such

That said and done, this book was highly anticipated, not just by me, but millions of other fans of Anupam Roy.

If you do not know about him yet, he is an artist first and foremost. He is a multi-talented artist who has made a name for himself as a singer, song writer, lyricist, composer, music director, columnist, social speaker (do watch his first English music video Second Sex on YouTube) poet, novelist (his first ever novel written in the Bengali language has come out this year and I am desperately waiting to lay my hands on it – that will mean another review as soon as I get it and read it, so fingers crossed!), plays the guitar as if it’s his second skin, plays other instruments too about which I am not good enough to comment.

If you would like to know more about him or the kind of music he creates, you can visit my other blog here

There are many layers to his talent, which is the reason that in just the last few years, he has, after shifting base to Kolkata, become one of the biggest names in the Bengali music industry ever. From movies to albums to coming together with a talented director like Sujoy Ghosh and scoring music for his upcoming Bollywood movie, Anupam Roy is a name to reckon with.

Chhoyanche Kolom is the first ever book of Anupam Roy that I read. I did read his columns online, but as a book, this was the first one I read.

Before I move further, let me also request here that if you see any mistakes in the post with reference to any word translation, please do let me know and I will correct it immediately.

Details about the book:

Anupam Roy On The Durga Puja Countdown: Courtesy Bengali Paper E-Bela

image source

(*the following appeared as a Bengali article in the paper EBela as part of Anupam Roy's column - Anupam Katha)

(for those readers who do not understand Bengali, yet love Anupam Roy's words, here's an attempted translation with as much as I could understand of the original Bengali version. Any mistakes are apologised for in advance)

The rain-soaked sombre skies shaded with blue smiles. The flowers giving off the holiday scent. The crowds on the streets, the excitement on the loudspeakers and the rolls-pakodas-phuchkas....all beginning the countdown to Durga Puja, in Anupam Roy's words...

Is it time already?

Where did so many people come from? What's happened to Gariahat? Is it already here? What month's this? But I barely saw any