Kolkata to get Soumitra Chatterjee foundation with online archives for fans

Stalwarts such as Soumitra Chatterjee live on. And helping people hold on to his memories and work, some artistes in Bengal and his family have come together to establish Soumitra Chatterjee Foundation. Recently, a city art gallery witnessed a precursor to what the legend's many followers will be privy to in the coming years.

"It's an important job to help in the research and learning about the great personality that he was. He was not only an actor but the greatest of intellectuals of his generation. He was a poet, a thespian, a painter and a thinker. Ten years down the line if someone wants to learn more about his life and work, they should be able to. As a community, we tend to forget people easily after their death. A quick swaran sabha and tribute are all that matters. This foundation will keep the legend alive," said actor Kaushik Sen, who is a part of the process.

Apart from him, painter

Jogen Chowdhury

and actor Debshankar Haldar are also involved in the work. Soumitra Chatterjee's daughter,

Poulomi Bose

, and wife, Deepa Chatterjee, are also part of the plan. "We are looking to complete the work soon. The legal and administrative formalities are in progress. A space to build an office has been provided to us. We plan to hold a memorial lecture once every year. The process will speed up once Poulomi gets well," said Kaushik.

There will be a scope for online archives too since not everyone will be able to visit the foundation. "I am recovering from COVID-19 and won't be able to speak at length now about the initiative because of my weakness," said Poulomi.

The inauguration had on display some of Soumitra Chatterjee's unseen paintings, his articles and scripts, letters fans wrote to him, his film stills and things he used in his daily life. It intrigued contemporary actors such as

Shaheb Chattopadhyay

, who was present at the event. "It was a fulfilling experience for me. Knowing the person behind the actor and getting to know all the aspects to his personality was great. This foundation when completed will be a must for all Soumitra Chatterjee followers," said Shaheb.