Author Nabaneeta Dev Sen reminiscences her association with Suchitra Bhattacharya

Suchitra Bhattacharya has passed away. A day has gone by since and I still cannot manage to believe the incredible news.

Suchitra was young and a lively soul. Tonight, I am remembering how even a few years back she used to dance in our private Soi meetings along with Mandar (Mukhopadhyay), Chitra and others.

Suchitra was full of life and joy. A successful professional woman, a professional writer who had the courage and confidence to give up her secure government job to dedicate herself totally to writing. I have a lot of respect for her taking her writing self so seriously. Most women who write, do not, including myself. I admire her for her courage, and her wisdom.

Suchitra first came to meet me when her first novel, Rai Kishori, came out in a little magazine called Gangotri. That was in the '80s. Later, she became active in Soi, our forum for creative women.

She and Bani Basu have been vice-presidents of Soi since its inception in 2000. She was a regular at our monthly private gatherings where apart from reading literary pieces, we felt free to chat, sing and dance. This is where sometimes Suchitra and Mandar would get up and start dancing to a song, so energetic and relaxed was she.

Bani, Suchitra and I have all taken turns in sitting and selling books at the Soi stall at Calcutta Book Fair.

It was after she broke her right arm at the inauguration of a book shop in March 2014 that she became irregular at Soi. The complications required her arm to be operated on several times. She was very depressed at that stage.

I remember the pictures she sent of herself with her arm all bandaged, on WhatsApp. She overcame this, started writing with her left hand on the computer and slowly got back her power to write.

Films like Dahan, Ramdhanu, Ichche and Aleek Sukh may have brought her closer to the people, but there are novels like Kancher Dewal or Kachher Manush that made her immensely popular. She leaves behind a void in Bengali literature.

Suchitra was a politically conscious person but reflected no party politics in her writings. Vocal and courageous, she spoke out her mind openly, against any thing she considered wrong. She criticised the Left Front when they were in power and pointed out the flaws of the current regime. How many of us have the guts to do that?

The sad silencing of the fearless voice is a major loss. We shall miss you, Suchitra!

Nabaneeta Dev Sen is the president of Soi, a forum for creative women