Arpita mourns the demise of macha king Atanu Sarkar

Atanu Sarkar, one of the most iconic macha show organisers in Bengal, breathed his last on Thursday. He was 58. He was admitted to a city hospital in March for an operation and his health deteriorated rapidly after that. He is survived by his wife, son and mother. While his family is mourning his demise, his old associate, Arpita, is still in shock.
“I did my first show in 2002 and ever since I have only worked with him. I continued for five to six years and then took a break. I got back again in this year. He constantly encouraged me to start doing shows. He used to tell me, ekta duto show koro, kintu koro,” she recalled.
For Arpita, Atanu was much more than just a show organiser. “He was a part of our family. Bumbada (Prosenjit Chatterjee) and I have a long relationship with him. There was no party hosted by Bumbada in which he was not on the guest list,” she admitted.
Arpita also expressed her regards for this man. “There are two reasons why I respected this man so much. First, one needs to understand that anyone, who does macha shows, does it for money. From star performers and musicians to technicians and other people related to the shows — no one ever had to do a second follow up with Atanuda with regards to the payment. He was one of the most meticulous persons I have met. Second, his benevolence has touched every single person who worked with him. From financial help to emotional support, he was there for everyone in distress,” she recalled.
According to Arpita, Atanu’s patience was his strength. “Konodin matha gorom korte dekhini. Macha shows are extremely taxing and demanding for both artistes and organisers. He was super calm and handled everything so easily. He knew how to maintain relationships,” the actress signed off.