Sunil's absence made his presence felt: Shirshendu

A long time friend of Gangopadhyay, litterateur Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay remembered the former Sahitya Academy chairman who passed away on 23 October last year, at a programme held in the book fair.

"Memories of the last year's book fair are still fresh. We met at the fair ground. He was so charged up... He loved the company of readers and young poets. But this time he is missing," Mukhopadhyay said.

He was speaking at the launch of an audio cd 'Sunil Sagore' in memory of the popular writer by famed elocutionist Bratati Bandyopadhyay.

Mukhopadhyay, who till this date missed calling up his friend several times in a week, said "Poets can never die. His Nillohit (a popular bohemian character on whom Gangopadhyay wrote a series) cannot die. Sunil and Nillohit will be ever alive in the minds and heart of young and old readers alike."

Elocutionist Bandyopadhyay said "Sunilda loved the company of poets, young artistes. He could not be a family man in the true sense, he was a bohemian and that was how it should have been. We had often discussed about bringing out on album. Sad that the album now becomes a tribute."

Besides his nine poems including Uttaradhikar, Hothat Neerar Janyo, Jadi Nirbason Dao, the album 'Sunil Sagore' has three short stories.

"He had one desire to write the Mahabharata in Bengali, in his own style. He was a voracious reader of classics and epics. His knack for research was clear from the period novel on Lalon Fakir. Sad that he could not complete Mahabharata in Bengali," Mukhopadhyay said at the programme on Saturday.