Good food and good time goes hand in hand and what makes the time even better is good conversations. Sly Fox Gastro Club, the latest addition to the tech hub of the city that specializes in molecular gastronomy with a twist in the taste and presentation, hosted and afternoon of Poetry & Conversations today.
The afternoon witnessed eminent stalwarts from the city like Shri Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee, Smt. Dolly Basu, Smt. Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Shri Sunil Bhandari, Smt. Riya Roy and Shri Kanchan Datta recite poetry and reflect on peace. The owners Mr. Karan Chhawchharia and Mr. Rahul Dalmiya were also present on the occasion with an array of guests who enjoyed some delectable dishes straight from the chef’s kitchen.
The theme for the session was ‘Peace’ and the distinguished guests either recited poetries based on the theme. Interdisciplinary artist Shri Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee moderated the peace forum and also read out from the writings of Suheir Hammad and Rabindranath Tagore. Theatre thespians Smt. Dolly Basu read from Khalil Gibran’s works while Anushua Majumder recited a poem by Maya Angelou. 49 Greys, a satirical piece, written by Shuktara Lal and performed by Smt. Nivedita Bhattacharjee, focuses on the societal pressures which demand that women look youthful to remain attractive way into middle age, while men can afford to age gracefully and still be considered desirable. Shri Sunil Bhandari’s poetry covered personal stories from the battlefield. Whilst one was a heart rending cry of a teenage girl surviving deprivation, rape and murder in the war zone, another was a little girl’s monologue to her doll and her father, as they faced bombing and death. His last poem was a poignant story of a father who receives his son’s body from a battleground, and his regret that he could not save his son from falling, as he was shot by the enemy. Sunil’s work is a moving testimony to the futility, and cost, of every war. Shri Kanchan Datta read an excerpt for the book ‘At home in the world’ written by Thich Nhat Hand, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist. The piece was on the role of compassion in bringing peace in the chaotic world.
