Author Soma Bose is no stranger to writing narratives that uphold and celebrate marginalised voices. Her first two publications, Frenny and Other Women You Have Met, and I’ve Had Enough of You are both books in which the writer has actively chosen to take a stand for the unsung — they are both reflections on the sheer richness and intensity of relationships women share with the people around them, a thought somewhat mirrored in her latest work, The Garden of White Roses.
The latter is written in the epistolary format and is a meditation on the author’s life — people who shaped her early years, the places that influenced her life, and the many relationships that have sustained her through her days. Rich in vibrant, almost poetic imagery and the innocence that is wont to accompany the golden mist of consciousness shrouding our memories of childhood, The Garden of White Roses is far from your conventional memoir — it is letter and lament, praise and pride all rolled into one.
A discussion on and reading of the book was conducted at The Creative Arts Academy in Kalighat on August 13, organised by Phreedom4Ever and featuring violinist Sandipan Ganguly and interdisciplinary artiste Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee, in conversation with the author. Bose walked the audience through the thought and inspiration behind the book, sharing how the epistolary form allowed her to capture intimate emotions and silences that ordinary narration might have missed. Several themes were touched upon, including the significance of familial relationships, the role domestic help plays in our lives and upbringing, and all the people we tend to forget — mothers and grandmothers — who strive and toil hard all their days and whose efforts almost always go unnoticed. The session, fittingly called ‘Talking About the Unsung’, also touched upon the resilience of women, the unacknowledged emotional labour within households, and the way memory and writing can offer them the dignity and remembrance they are so often denied.
The evening was heightened by readings of the book, done by Chatterjee, and Ganguly’s gorgeous playing of the violin, which transported the audience back to Tagore with his renditions of Tumi robe nirobe and Purano shei diner kotha.
“In today’s fast-paced age, where people don’t have time to read, I want my writing to remain as simple as possible,” Bose said when we asked her about the philosophy that shapes her writing style. “Readers should not feel they have to spend too much time or effort on my work. Too often, people start a book and then leave it midway, and the interest fades away. I want my words to be different — simple enough to go straight to the heart. You can read them, carry them within yourself, and return to them whenever you wish — in two days or even in two years — and still feel happy with that experience. That is my main objective: for everyone to be able to read and remember my work easily. My book should remain in people’s hearts. I want my work to touch the soul.”
Bose also shared the story behind the title — The Garden of White Roses is heavily inspired by her childhood days spent in Jabalpur. The rose gardens of Jabalpur she had spent many an hour in stand out vividly for her, even now. “I have so many memories of Jabalpur. As a child, I used to play in and around the house, where they had a small kitchen set. In those days, we had tiny utensils and even a little toy mixer. We would spend the whole day pretending to cook, mixing things in it, making up different kinds of food items. It was an entire day’s affair.
"Afterwards, I would go to my aunt’s house. I didn’t know anyone there at first, but my aunt would say, ‘Go to so-and-so’s house, you will be staying there for a long time.’ So I spent whole days outside home busy with little tasks, before returning to my own. In the evenings, I would accompany my uncle to his club. Every month, there would be a show, and I would sit there, relax, watch a film, and enjoy the atmosphere. To get there, we had to cross a small valley, which in itself felt like a small adventure.
"It became a routine — mornings in the garden of the club, afternoons with play and imagination, evenings with films and family. That rhythm of life was so simple, yet so fulfilling. They are beautiful memories, full of fun and innocence, and whenever I think back to that rose garden in Jabalpur, all of it comes alive for me again,” Bose recalled when asked about the origins of the book’s evocative title.
The session wrapped up with a tear glistening in more than an eye or two, especially because of Chatterjee’s marvellous readings, the subject matter of Bose’s letters, and Ganguly’s prowess on the violin — less a formal launch and more a shared experience of memory and meaning, leaving those present with a lingering sense of warmth and reflection that echoed long after the evening drew to a close. “The evening was a runway of memories for me as I celebrated the unsung in my life. My mother is one of those who remains the backbone of who I am today. She loved being away from the limelight in our family, doing her chores, and passed on her values to my art and life. Soma’s letters to her mother are a constant reminder of people who build us and influence our core,” Chatterjee said after the session.
“Events related to the arts are becoming fewer and fewer in Calcutta these days, largely because of financial and sponsorship issues. Still, people like us, who genuinely want to support creative arts in the city, try to contribute with the limited means we have. So whenever we get the opportunity to be involved in cerebral events like this, we don’t think twice. That’s what we hope to keep doing, and Phreedom4Ever will continue to support such initiatives. We endeavor to bring more such events to the city, and I will try my best to do whatever I can to keep the arts alive,” added Chaity Ghosh, founder, Phreedom4Ever.