Navamalati Neog Chakraborty’s book launch at ICCR
The evening at the Navamalati Neog Chakraborty‘s book launch at ICCR felt more like a homecoming than an event. Pallabi Nandy watched through tears as saplings were shared—a poetic reminder that, like her verses, nature is the ultimate healer for us all.
I still can’t quite believe how quickly the evening slipped away on 14th March at the ICCR Library. One moment I was clutching my notes, heart hammering like a schoolgirl’s, and the next we were all standing in a circle, saplings in hand, laughing through tears. I had the honour of coordinating (along with three other lovely coordinators, Rituparna Khan, Priyanka and Monica) the launch of Navamalati Neog Chakraborty Ma’am’s two books – Love Me Most When My Leaves Do Wither and The Mahabharata: Between Love and Retaliation. It felt less like an event and more like home coming.
Priyanka opened the floor with a warm welcome and Ma’am chanted the Ganesh mantra in her quiet, steady voice. Both of them set the mood for the evening. It didn’t feel formal, it felt sacred. I kept stealing glances at Ma’am, while Rituparna Khan called the panelists, Mr. Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay and Mr. Rajorshi Patranabis, to launch the first book, Love Me Most When My Leaves Do Wither. Their detailed discussion on the collection of poems moved us to think deeply about how skilfully the poet has observed human resilience, silence and their inner journey and has transformed these observations into verses, intricately weaving hope among them.
When my segment was about to begin, my hands shook as I was overwhelmed. It felt surreal that I was in the presence of such eminent personalities whom I had to introduce, to chair the panel for the launch of the second book, The Mahabharata: Between Love and Retaliation. Dr. Sanjukta Dasgupta, Madhu Sriwastav and Navamalati Ma’am’s daughter, Navanita Varadpande compelled us through their discussion, to dive deep into the narratives of the characters of Mahabharata, their moral dilemmas, exploring the events of the original text seamlessly blended in the contemporary context. Her poems echoed the voices of each of her characters.
All the speakers of the panels were felicitated by the poet herself with gifts that she had curated herself, along with one sapling for each of them. Her words rang in my ears as I took to the dais, reiterating them. “Let us go back to our roots, the mountains, the greens”, she had said before the event, while she was explaining the felicitation details. The saplings were not only a gift but the sweetest of gestures, insisting that in these trying times, only nature has the power to heal us, heal the world. The gifts, especially the saplings, were as pure as her soul.
Next was the time for the poetry readings, and something inside me just melted. Monica coordinated the 1st segment, Priyanka the second, and I coordinated the third segment—those quiet, resilient voices of Namrota, Ratna, Dhee, and Anindita, as they read out a poem from Ma’am’s book, Love Me Most When My Leaves Do Wither. Ma’am’s son-in-law, Mr. Khushal Varadpande, was sweetly sporting to read a poem from the book to celebrate the launch. And then came our coordinators’ presentation. When it was my turn to read “The Song That You Did Not Sing,” I swear the room disappeared. Only the new bride, hearing her unshed tears and unspoken sky, remained. My hands trembled but the words came pouring out of me. We all had rehearsed it, yet at that moment the words felt alive.
At the end, Ma’am stood up to thank us. That evening wasn’t about two book launches. It was about four daughters (because that’s how Navamalati ma’am has always made us feel) holding her hand and saying, “Your words matter. Your courage matters. We are here.” Some evenings stay with you, growing quietly, like the saplings we carried home.
What's Your Reaction?
