‘The room by the window was Baba’s favourite’: Doel Majumdar

The renowned Bangla author, Samaresh Majumdar, passed away on May 8th, 2023. His readers in both Bangladesh and West Bengal are still mourning the death of the beloved writer, who left behind countless books written throughout his life, many of which garnered widespread popularity. Kalpurush-Kalbela-Uttaradhikar, Satkahon, Garbhodharini—his readers continue to hold tremendous love for his novels.

The last rites of the renowned writer, beloved by readers in both Bengals, was held yesterday. Prior to that, his body was taken from the hospital to his Shyambazar residence, from where it was taken directly to Nimtala Crematorium.

His elder daughter, Doel Majumdar, spoke to The Daily Star from Kolkata. I had asked her about the house where the author had resided for so long—which room had been the writer's favourite?

In response, Doel Majumdar said, "The room by the window on the third storey was Baba's favourite. It was very dear to him. Baba would look out onto the world outside from that room. But that is merely a memory now. He came back home for the last time today, and left it behind forever, on the path to eternity."

"Everyone, please pray for Baba. May his soul rest in peace," Doel Majumdar added.

I asked her when the author usually did his writing. 

"Baba liked to reserve his mornings for writing," she said, "He wrote in the mornings, and he wrote with regularity. It was like a routine for him to finish the day's writing on time."

"What was the last piece he had written?"

"The last of his written works was published in Anandabazar."

Translated from the Bangla by Amreeta Lethe Chowdhury