Mukherjee Musings

Ernest Hemingway said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Reading the poetry of Subhadip Mukherjee in his book ‘ ছেঁড়া চিন্তার Scribbles’ (Offtrack Publishers, co-authored by Dr. Kausik Ghosh), I am convinced that he is bleeding. And that’s good news. Subhadip is a nagorik kobiyal. His poems hold mirror to the stifling urban life with its rat race, with its mindless pursuit of  materialistic ambitions, and with its consumerism. নাগরিক ব্যস্ততা নানা জটিলতা... দাশু বারবার কিস্তিমাত He mocks the same judgemental urban society right in his introduction when he says: যদি তাকে চিনে থাকো যদি তাকে জেনে থাকো Boss, বেশী . মিশোনা তার সাথে সামান্য নেশা হবে ... তুমিও " খারাপ " হবে দেরি হবে রোজ রাত্তিরে Subhadip’s poems paint love in its myriad hues – from extreme euphoria to brooding despondency. Subhadip depicts the unadulterated purity of love when he says: তুই ক্লাস নাইনৈর খাতার...

I finished reading Antara Banerjee’s book ‘The Goddess in Flesh’ a few days back. I usually allow myself some time before I write about my perspective on a book to check how much of the book stays with me, to check if the book is still relevant for me, and if there are images from the narrative that refuse to leave me.   ‘The Goddess in Flesh’ scores on all fronts. The book has three stories - ‘Vama’, ‘Possessed’ and ‘The Forbidden Threshold’. The stories are about women – women shunned by society, women made hapless victims of archaic societal norms, women being treated dispassionately as objects of physical and at times, spiritual gratification. Antara is a painter herself and as you turn the pages of this book, what strikes you immediately are the visuals she weaves with her lucid storytelling. You walk with a little girl along dusty, sun-baked roads in search of her sister who has been brutally sacrificed at the altar of the goddess after having been abducted from a...

Go Air in-flight magazine Absolute India Tabloid The Free Press Journal The Indian Express The Hindustan Times The Hindu - 2 The Hindu (1) In the Shadows of Death completes 5 months and I thought it would be worthwhile to summarize the media mentions for my work. I can't thank enough the respected reviewers who have been insightful, looking beyond the obvious elements of thrill and suspense and commenting on the dynamics of human relationships in contemporary urban India that I made humble efforts to portray through my work. The media response has been truly inspirational, and  I hope as I chase my dreams, you will be with me in my journey, motivating me, inspiring me, and helping me with your feedback so that I can further hone my craft.   The Times of India: Set in the city of Kolkata, "In The Shadows of Death: A Detective Agni Mitra Thriller" is a fast paced potboiler which hooks you and keeps you glued to the plot from the very beg...

I strongly believe that an author of popular fiction, trying primarily to entertain, also has a great social responsibility. The work of an author, in my view, should be socially relevant and should hold mirror to the changing times and lifestyle of the people his work is meant for. In the garb of a thriller, In the Shadows of Death deals with a number of issues - fragility of marriages, corporate scandals, insecurities in a relationship driving an individual to the edge - each potentially leading to passionate debates, diverse perspectives and interpretations. I have been acutely conscious of the same all along. As an author, I consider it my responsibility to present my point of view, and share my thoughts with readers and reviewers. Firstly, I would like to draw attention to the portrayal of the modern day urban man and woman in the story. While there are female characters in the story who make certain personal choices and the resulting indiscretions lead to their ...