Bratya Basu had a deep influence on my life as a teacher: Raajhorshee De

Students getting inspired from their teachers to follow a certain life path is nothing new. From times immemorial, a special connection between guru and shishya has been celebrated. On Teacher's Day today, film director Raajhorshee De reminisced about the times he spent learning from his mentor theatre personality and minister, Bratya Basu. The association has been long and Raajhorshee developed a keen interest in theatre and the creative arts because of Bratya, he admitted.

"I met Bratyada way back in 1996. I was in high school then and he urged me to join his theatre group, Ganakrishti. While working there I learnt a lot. Later due to his political commitments, many groups barred him from doing theatre. That is when some friends and I created Bratyajon. We started with zero bank balance and soon made a name with the first play, Rudhhasangeet, written by Bratyada. He has had a deep influence in my life. The fact that I always wanted to be a playwright first, more than a film director, was because of him and his work. He inspired me philosophically, personally and politically. He has a great teacher instinct and showed me the path to fulfillment in my work," said Raajhorshee.

The film director attributed his work on television, his knack for script writing and his awards and accolades to Bratya's presence since early on in his life. He wants his teacher to find out time from his busy schedule and keep on passing his knowledge to many more eager students.