Avijit Sarkar is a Mathematician and IT Guru who has artistry running through his veins.
Musician, singer, composer music teacher, puppeteer, painter and now a published writer, I sat down with him at the launch of his collection of stories, A Turn Of Events, to ask him how he is able to achieve all this.
A modest smile puckers around his lips. "My life has been spent chasing dreams…. drenched, of course, in creativity,” says Sarkar.
Eschewing commercial aspirations, Sarkar has ensured that part of the profits from the sales of A Turn of Events will go toward Cancer research.
The first copy of the book was auctioned for a handsome price of $6,100. So far Avijit has collected $13,000 for cancer research from the first day of book sales at the launch.
The book launch itself was just that- a book launch without any self-glorification.
Behind every successful man there is a woman… or two…In Avijit’s case he has the support of four women!
Avijit's wife Dr Pallu, daughter Anaita and two little granddaughters who all came along to launch the collection of stories about the Indian diaspora in Australia.
The genre of his stories all concern the social issues engulfing migrants.
Some have the character of a thriller, others bear a supernatural element and perhaps most significantly some revolve around the growing incidence of domestic violence among the Indian migrant community in Australia.
The latter is a subject on which many of our Indo-Anglican writers have touched upon with a poignant tale or two.
According to Sarkar, “What you create should not be exclusive for a few…it should be for everyone. Simplicity is the key.”
Art never lies dormant and probably neither does the true artist.
Upon being asked about his future projects, the extensiveness of Sarkar’s response leaves me gobsmacked as he explains he is currently working on: "A collection of humorous short stories ‘The Misadventures of Ram Dumfarht and Other Tales’ (nearly completed); a second collection of 12 social short stories; a collection of my short essays on 20 topics; and a long novel - a futuristic story set in 2067, ‘The Star and the Crescent.'"
In addition to this he is also moving into illustrating, with a set of 12 illustrations for a book to be published in India "Oh! Hark!" by Dr. Santosh Bakaya as well as designing his first illustrated children's book.
Congratulations Avijit! You are a truly indefatigable artist. More strength to all your art forms.
