Have you ever been to a book reading do?

Or whatever it is called. I went for one. Amit Chaudhuri visited our campus last week. I (ignorant as I am) had never heard of him before and went to this event only because Krithika needed company.

As we walked down, Krithika explained that he is a very renowned Bong English writer who lives in England. To my surprise, it was held in a meeting room with a crowd of 50 people at the most. There was some kind of fusion music being played in the background.

People who arrived early got to take home a book. I made a mental note to reach early if I am ever to attend one of these again. As we sat there waiting for Amit (if I may), I could not help notice that most of the attendees were women. And I bet your bottom dollar (one of the phrases he used later on) that 5 out of the 10 women sitting in the front row were Bengalis. They sat there with a silent pride. Some of them looked the literary kind and laughed at some funny literary references made during the book reading which felt more like an interview to me.

So this guy walks in after about 10 minutes, wearing a scholarly jacket and some grey hair. First impression - boring. Then the interviewer who had the general appearance of a TV host started with the introduction and it was quite impressive. Oxford, many awards, rave reviews by famous writers, musician (the fusion song that was played at the beginning was from his album called – This is not Fusion), was in the panel of judges for, hold your breath – Man Booker international prize.

The initial 30 minutes, Amit stuttered and stammered like an engine coming to life. Nevertheless was a joy to listen to from beginning to end. He read passages from his novels – very poetic. Came across as a humble and genuine person. He has compiled an anthology of modern work of Indian writers – many translated from all the different languages. I need to look that up and check who all are featured in it. He joked that despite immense criticism for not including some of the major writers, he would still not include them. Salute to that, that man knows what he is doing.

Finally, I like to believe I’m not judgmental though I am a critic. But I have this nagging feeling that I approved(!) of him only because I haven’t read any of his books. Anyways I am excited. This is the first time I have seen a real writer.