Exhilarating Autobiographical Memoirs of Ramendu Majumdar

 

Introduction: I have the pleasure of glancing over the exhilarating autobiographical memoirs of Ramendu Majumdar, noted Bangladeshi actor, stage director and theatre producer of repute,My Early Years,Life in East Pakistan, with profound reverence and obeisance. Prior to this autobiographical memoir, the author has written 30 books. Among all the other works by Majumdar, this one is the most exciting. Majumdar is a person with a multifaceted view spanning over quite long decades of time. The said autobiographical memoir depict first 30 years of his life.

Impact of the book: Basically, the memoirs were depicted in a chronological format in a popular Bengali fortnightly named Tarakaloke. The memoirs were all published from June 2003 to May 2004. Later on, it was published in a Bangla book format named Prothom Tirish. Anshuman Bhowmik, a noted theatre and cultural critic of Kolkata plus an Alumnus of Jadavpur University in its department of English Literature, performed the translation of Majumdar's work with ease and alacrity. The book will no doubt motivate modern young Bangladeshis which will mold their mind and temperament to new heights. In the same manner, the impact will be felt in the Indian cultural capital Kolkata and also the capital city New Delhi.

Content of the book: Apart from writing an autobiographical memoir, Ramendu Majumdar filled it up with interesting historical anecdotes that date back to Vedic Age between 1400 to 1000 BCE. What is more apt that the author states the rule of Emperor Samudragupta (335 to 375 CE) which sounds quite interesting for the readers of the country as well as for readers of neighboring India. The above historical data pertains to Lakshmipur district in which he was born in the year 1941 on August 9. His year and date of birth stands significant as he was born two days after the demise of poet and Nobel Laureate in literature Rabindranath Tagore.

It is for the cognizance of my elite online readers of Bangladesh and India; let's state other prominent books written by this legend. Such as,Bangladesh my Bangladesh (selected speeches and statements of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with editing by Ramendu Majumdar), Nirbachito Rachona, Pratham Tirish,Satabarshe Bangabandhu, BibidhoBhabna,Natok, Tatwo O Shilporup, Buddhijibir Bhabna O Onyanyo,The World of Theatre(edited along with MofidulHaq),The World of Theatre(My International Theatre Years), etc.

Early life of Ramendu Majumdar: Ramendu Majumdar was born in such a family which was purely of an unostentatious temperament. Father Kuntal Krishna Majumdar was an astute lawyer in those days which he inherited from Ramendu's grandfather Jadu Krishna Majumdar. His kakababu (younger paternal uncle) Nirmal Krishna Majumdar was also a prudent lawyer just like his elderly sibling Kuntal Krishna Majumdar in those days. However young Ramendu's mind was of a different type. Right from his younger days he was deeply inclined towards nature and mixing with common people which no doubt motivated him to interact with people of all sections of society which was in abundance in and around Lakshmipur. He was also adroit in cycling, swimming, and playing football, though sudden demise of Dadamani (eldest sibling) badly marred his mind from playing football. Later on, with the passage of time and environment, things turned for betterment. The influence of his father Kuntal Krishna, mother Leela and DadaRanendu (elderly second sibling) was extremely beneficial for Ramendu's growth in life. In fact, marrying his life partner Ms.Ferdausi Majumdar (pre-martially known as Ferdaus Ara Begum) was an added impetus. In the prime of his life, even after marrying Ferdausi Majumdar, he fell into a sort of discomfort with his families but later on his parents were forthcoming in their approach in welcoming young Ferdausi as bouma(daughter-in-law). It is since the year 1970 till date this charismatic pair is happily settled with their daughter Tropa, son-in-law Apon and granddaughter Atrayee. Also, his two sisters Dipali (Didi, meaning elder sister) and Ratna (Bon, meaning younger sister) are worth mentioning as he maintains cordiality with them.

Young Ramendu began his career with Bitopi, a noted advertising firm with which he was associated with for prolonged twenty years. He followed the same path just like Satyajit Ray and Dhritiman Chatterjee from India.In the midst of working with Bitopi, his craving for stage acting continued with confidence and gusto. Majumdar also formed a theatre group named Theatre.In the year 1993 Majumdar also founded a communication firm named Expressions Limited which is still in existence. Theatre has been Majumdar's lifelong passion which he is still carrying on with great exuberance. In the year 1981, RamenduMajumdar cofounded the Bangladesh Chapter of International Theatre Institute. It was in fact him who happened to be the worldwide president of the institute for six years.

Academic life of Ramendu Majumdar: Ramendu Majumdar was an Alumnus of Dhaka University (DU) with Masters in English Literature. He finished his primary education at his native village Lakshmipur. It was during his days at DU, he met young Ferdausi, who was then a student of the said academic institute of repute at Bangla Department. From then onwards, both were closely intimate with each other. This paved their ways to become noted stage personalities in later life along with being TV actors of repute. Apart from acting, both are proficient in elocution in both English and Bengali poetries.

Interesting aspect of Ramendu Majumdar's life: Ramendu Majumdar in his prolonged innings of eighty years and above came in contact with luminaries like Kabir Chowdhury, Munier Chowdhury, Abdullah Al Mamun, and various other luminaries associated in this field. Apart from his penchant for theatre, Ramendu always possesses revolutionary bent of mind. He was also associated with 'Bikhshubda Shilpi Sangram Parishad' whose president was Hassan Hafizur Rahman. Other members of the group were Quamrul Hassan, Zahir Raihan, Syed Hasan Imam, and various other cultural personalities who were involved in the Liberation Struggle for the Independence of Bangladesh. Majumdar was so thoughtful about the plight of the entire Bengalee nation which is why he jumped into the foray of Liberation Struggles when there was total political turmoil thereby the entire nation was in total disarray. Ramendu thus became deeply involved into political and social culture of independent Bangladesh that opened new avenues towards country's development. This mental grooming he received from life casted deep impact upon him which later on ushered in an aura of a reputed stage actor, and apart from his association in the world of advertising.

Emphasize upon national integration: Ramendu Majumdar played prolific roles in ushering of national integration in Bangladesh. According to him, 'human beings should not be evaluated on the basis of religion rather on the basis of humanitarian approach'. That is the reason he has been instrumental in imbibing Dhaka, Kolkata, and New Delhi despite political bifurcations. He is very close and cordial with Kolkata and New Delhi. I still vividly remember him acting in a play named 'Miraj Fakirer Ma' written by Abdullah Al Mamun. The play was staged at a theatre hall of South Kolkata named Madhushudan Mancha. The audiences present on the occasion became deeply emotional during the play. His direction of 'Chilekothar Sepai' was of a unique and extraordinary pattern. Apart from the above auditorium, he also performed in other theatre halls of South and North Kolkata. In this manner, he distinctly expressed feelings of oneness among citizens of Kolkata and Dhaka.

Ramendu Majumdar has witnessed two major riots in his life, such as Noakhali riots of 1946 and Dhaka riots of 1964. During the former he was fortunate to have witnessed Mahatma Gandhi, Satish Chandra Das Gupta, Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee, Nirmal Bose, Manu Gandhi, Ava Gandhi, Sarat Chandra Bose, Dr.Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Shaheed Suhrawardy and various other luminaries of those days. About the latter, Majumdar came into contact with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was gracious enough to rehabilitate him and his entire families at 32, Dhanmondi, Dhaka. One glaring instance noticeable is that Majumdar did not lose his self-morale and dignity despite coming into contact with the above political luminary but kept it at its low ebb.That is why he is still well revered by people from all quarters.

Honors upon Ramendu Majumdar: Ramendu Majumdar has been bestowed with multiple awards. Government of Bangladesh conferred upon him with Ekushey Padak in the year 2009. He also received Life Time Achievement Award from Advertising Club and honorary fellowship from Bangla Academy, Dhaka.

Sorrowful parts of Ramendu's life: Sorrow and despondency are part and parcel of life. Ramendu Majumdar's family was also bereaved at the untimely and tragic demise of Dadamani (Diptendu). Diptendu's life was lost in the midst of playing football. Despite the sincerest efforts of attending doctors, his life could not be saved. The families could not accept this untimely demise of Dadamani but later on everything became acceptable with the blessings of The Superpower.

Views of Ramendu Majumdar: Some questions were put upon Ramendu Majumdar with the objective to generate his feelings about theatre. As he stated at the beginning, despite the impediments, stage acting does have an impact to uplift the societies of Bangladesh and India to new horizon. Through regular stage shows, our problems are earthed out then only we are able to trace out probable solutions.

About literary cultures among Bengalis of Bangladesh and India, we find intermingling of societies of both the nations. Literature represents culture, society, thoughts, and values of each nation around the globe. However, this differs from nation to nation.

As per evaluation of present generations of both India and Bangladesh are concerned, there are some basic problems ingrained among them. Modern generations, excepting few are not concerned about their roots; rather they are more influenced by Western civilization and culture. However, in the rural areas, the younger generations respect their tradition, culture, and values.

Conclusion: Sorrow in life is nothing but spadework towards success. Ramendu Majumdar's eventful life is a glaring example in this regard. The memoirs are nothing but the life of a true artist but also it should be rated as social history. Finally, I wish the book a grand success and hope the second part of the book to launch soon. Along with this anecdote, the 'Theatre' magazine, edited by him, sounds productive. Finally, Mr. Jashim Uddin of Kathaprokash should deserve kudos for his herculean efforts for publishing the exhilarating life story of this great thespian.


Sujayendra Das is a Columnist of Kolkata.