‘Across Borders’: my debut book’s launch.
On receiving the blessings, with having the opportunity to read from my debut book, in October 2013, along with veteran actor Barun Chanda, whose birthday it is today.
A very Happy Birthday Barun da! 
How can I ever thank you enough for all the support…
When I had met veteran actor Victor Banerjee at his house, with my debut book, Across Borders — over an hours discussion, in which he asked me a number of questions like an interview, on my inspirations and my career of two decades, he had asked me, “Who’s going to read from it at the release…I will be away in Dehradun.”
I had crisply replied, “I am”.
“No you’re not going to read” he said promptly, “ask your husband to read.”
“He won’t, no way,” I replied, laughing, “he doesn’t even read from his own book at launches, so how mine?”
“But you’re not going to read…I’m telling you… find someone…also let me see…”
“Why, I can manage on my own…I have no choice anyways…” I insisted, before seeking his blessings along with photos of his receiving my book with the backdrop of Rabindranath Tagore’s portrait in his study.
“Authors, especially debut ones don’t do justice in reading their own words” he stated, “There is already the anxiety of how your words will be received…I have read Naipaul’s early books at the release events internationally and of others too…only much later they read their own…let me see what I can do…you know Barun?”
On the one hand, with a sense of assurance that someone so erudite as him, took me seriously as an author, I was driving back to Salt Lake, an hour from his home in Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Kolkata. But with deflated confidence as a speaker, as I had been a trainer for many years of my working life. When my phone rang. Struggling with the steering and the mobile phone, I took the call anyways, as I saw his name flashing on my screen.
“I have informed Barun, he will read” Victor Banerjee informed me crisply, “just go over to his place with the book, today or soon, so he can read the book before the event.”
So I came back home, then with my senior executive search practise, I ran a thorough Google scan on Barun Chanda and learned he had also been a professor of English at St Xavier’s in addition to his advertising career and being Satyajit Ray’s actor.
I telephoned Barun da, and after a brief chat he asked me to come and meet him at home. When I met him at the door, imposing against the frame, I was overwhelmed by his personality and his easy charm. Easily one of the most handsome, well preserved man I had met, not to mention his baritone and erudite charm, in his mid sixties at the time.
After his reading the book, I went to meet him a second time and he referred to me by the name of the character Sanjana. He knew exactly, that was the narrator.
“The ending is devilishly clever” he grinned.
He then insisted I would read along with him at the launch.
“But Victor Banerjee insisted I should not read” I protested.
“No, we are going to read together…you will read along with me. I have already decided on the excerpts…the audience will relate to us. But importantly you will gain exposure and confidence.”
“Would you like to risk my fumbling beside you…” I asserted.
“Don’t worry, I will be there so just be yourself.”
Then the day before the event he said “we will read the part with the uncle and his mistress. It will be interesting.”
“No, no Barun da I cannot, I will not feel comfortable reading a bedroom scene to so many senior people.”
“This is the only way you will gain confidence in your own words.”
He was right…though you can see in the YouTube link how I’m almost fumbling and stuttering…my sister calling it my worst reading ever…the experience that day and many others God has kindly bestowed me with, makes me confident to write anything I please and then read to anyone who cares to listen.
Sharing in the YouTube link below, my reading from my debut book, along with Barun Chanda:
https://youtu.be/F4EWpRKkyZA?si=00MSFLkuQbTCHYoI
This is in context to the event covered
here in the old fashioned way: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAfxCsc6bXZC1y3S4HQISvqIa3TP2V209&si=9X4HoBkbBumiiAVe
