“Hazaaron khwahishen aisi ke har khwahish pe dam nikle
Bohat niklay mere armaan, lekin phir bhi kam nikle"
Sujoy’s eyes shone, as Ghalib’s eternal lyrics made their way from his soul to his lips.
It was a pleasure to get to know the man who harbors a thousand desires. And, Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee is a man on a mission, set to fulfill them all, one desire a time. Sujoy is an acclaimed elocutionist and an interdisciplinary artist. I met him at his soulful recital and musical performances in Vancouver this October, where he mesmerized the audience with his rendition of Raktokorobi, among many other Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, English, and Urdu poetry. Sujoy is in the middle of a whirlwind tour of the west, flying from one concert to another when I grabbed the chance to hear from the suave man.
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Picture Credits: Amit R.J[/caption]
“At dawn of man, many words of inspiration” - Toba Beta
The beginning of Sujoy’s journey is a familiar one. A graduate from South Point High school, an Economics graduate from the prestigious Calcutta University, an MBA graduate with a cushy job - he already had it going for him. But, unlike many others, he refused to settle at that.
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Prayer Hall, Santiniketan[/caption]
“There's always a moment that separates the past from the future, and that moment is now.” ― Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel
“I was always interested in arts and I never knew that I would pursue this as my calling. Precisely in 2003, when I returned to Kolkata after leaving a fat-pay job in Delhi and lost my father, my world kind of crumbled down. I also had a serious neurological disease and I had to be on medication and almost out of job for a year”, recollects the versatile performing artist.
His mother took him to Shantiniketan, the art haven, for solace, and it is probably Tagore’s blessings that germinated the artist in him.
“Tagore's oeuvre of works have always fascinated me and my first tryst with arts had to be through him.”
But, little did he know that one of his most popular avatars will be that of a spoken word artist. Legends, like Bijoylakshmi Barman and Biplab Dasgupta, encouraged him to pursue audio-theater with passion.
In his own words, “Audio theater is a very challenging art form and can never go out of fashion because stories never die, words do.”
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The poster of the feature film, Belasheshe[/caption]
“To educate the intelligence is to expand the horizon of its wants and desires” - James Rusell Lowell
When a person devotes his entire consciousness to art, it is hard to box him into a single form, of course. Sujoy has ventured far and wide from elocution - and is very aptly known as an interdisciplinary artist. Sujoy has dabbled in theater, music, and movies - besides still holding a post as an Integrated Marketing Communications professor. Sujoy’s acting skills are also being noticed by the Bengali Film industry and he is excited to take up opportunities. For now, he is busy working on a couple of scripts and his ultimate interest is in film direction.
“The presence you create is the presence you command.” ― Paul Bamikole
Sujoy’s background in Business Management is an asset in driving his career. “I don't need a manager to market my work or strategize my portfolio. In fact, we don't have agents for interdisciplinary artists in India and that still calls for a paradigm shift”, ruminates the artist. He also wishes that the government and the entertainment industry, at large, would be more supportive of out-of-the-box endeavors and performers, acknowledging the power of art forms other than cinema, in creating impact.
“I want to do an arts festival in India on erotica and I know there would be no takers”, Sujoy states with slight disappointment.
“Each of us has a unique part to play in the healing of the world.” ― Marianne Williamson
This talented multi-dimensional artist is connected to his roots, loves teaching and learning in the process.
His message to everyone scared to listen to their inner calling is crisp and direct, “Please wake up and smell the coffee, dahlings. You need to take charge of your life and art. Leave your signature behind and if possible a legacy.”
Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee is a person who broke every box he was ever put into - building his stairway to success with the best ingredients from each.
Blank Slate Chronicles thanks Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee for his time and wishes him all the very best in his varied adventures.
Do you have any comments or questions for Sujoy? Leave a reply or write to us at editor@blankslatechronicles.com.