Returning to their home away from home
Staff Correspondent
The fourth night of Bengal Classical Music Fest ’16 saw Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty on stage. During his interaction with the audience the musical maestro said, “We are from this land, and today two of my paternal uncles and my aunt are here at the festival for the first time. After so many years, we will finally be able to visit our ancestral home in Mymensingh.” On that night his uncles, Dinendra Kumar Goswami, Surajit Kumar Chakraborty and his aunt Minati Mukherjee sat through the enthralling performance of their nephew, after which he descended from the stage to pay his respects to them.
Abul Khair (L), Chairman, Bengal Foundation and Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty (5-R) with family members at the festival. Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
On April 1948, after the Partition of India, the Chakraborty family made their way to Kolkata from Mymensingh, where they remained. “When I close my eyes,” said Surajit, “I can still envision our family home as clearly as if I am right there.”
“I am simply spellbound by the performances tonight,” said Dinendra, “I am 85 years old, and my brother is 78, and with our ailments we are not able to travel as much as we would like. When I was healthier, I would visit my ancestral home every year. But now, thanks to my nephew Ajoy, I am visiting after 10 years.” The maestro’s aunt however, described this as her first visit: “This is my first time here, although I was born in Mymensingh, and I am looking forward to finally revisiting my roots.” Surajit Kumar Chakraborty expressed his love for Bangladesh saying, “Bangladesh is still my country, despite the division it went through during the Partition.”