In a remarkable literary event, the School of Media and Communication at Adamas University hosted the accomplished author, Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, on September 4, 2023. Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, celebrated for her best-selling novels and insightful columns on gender and sexuality, engaged in a profound conversation with Ms. Moumita De Das, Assistant Professor, Adamas University, touching upon various facets of life, media, and personal experiences.
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| Poster of the book launch event [Photo Courtesy: Team Journapost] |
Sreemoyee Piu Kundu's journey to literary stardom is nothing short of inspirational. Before embarking on her full-time writing career, she worked as a Lifestyle journalist and dabbled in the field of Public Relations. Her debut novel, "Faraway Music" in 2013, marked the beginning of her remarkable literary career. Subsequent works, including "Sita's Curse" and the widely acclaimed "Status Single" (2018), showcased her ability to eloquently express female desires and the struggles of singlehood in a society that often equates validation with marriage and motherhood. Notably, "Status Single" gained international recognition, and the Audio Visual rights of the same has recently been signed by Viacom.
The engaging conversation between Sreemoyee Piu Kundu and Ms. Moumita De Das spanned diverse topics, transcending the boundaries of literature. Kicking off with a soulful musical performance by Ishika Dey, a student of SOMC, the dialogue commenced on an emotional note. Each of the songs sang by her referred to the different phases of Sreemoyee’s life which she mentions in her book, “Everything Changes”.
The first question posed by Ms De Das was referred from Anupam Roy's iconic song, "Amake Amar Moto Thakte Dao," from the film Autograph - "Do you think 'shob pele noshto jibon'?" (Do you think, ‘If you get everything in life it destroys you’ Do you agree?) prompted a profound response from Sreemoyee. She emphasized that “life is all about the things we don’t get and still having the courage to dream new dreams.” Her unconventional life journey, marked by broken dreams, shaped her unique perspective.
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| Ms. Sremoyee Piu Kundu with Ms. Moumita De Das [Photo Courtesy: Team Journapost] |
Mental Health and Resilience
Mental health emerged as a poignant topic during the discussion. Sreemoyee revealed that she was raised by a single mother after losing her father to schizophrenia and suicide at a young age. Writing imaginary letters to her late father served as her initial foray into the world of words. She stressed the importance of discussions on mental health and urged for a more sensitive vocabulary when addressing issues like suicide. She beautifully states suicide as the "cancer of the mind."
Both Sreemoyee and Ms. De Das shared personal experiences of being bullied and body-shamed during their school days. Sreemoyee credited her academic excellence and her sense of humor as shields against hurtful comments, highlighting the power of self-confidence.
Following her ‘family’s tradition’, she joined a well reputed college of the city where she faced ragging on her first day. However, her move to Jadavpur University provided the freedom to be herself and pursue her dreams. She admitted that she was quite popular in her college and was always a part of various fests and functions.
Relationships and Closure
The author boldly discussed the phases of her relationships, including a period of being in a violent and abusive one. Determined to escape, she relocated to Delhi for work. On the subject of closure in relationships, she stressed that true closure should come from within and should not be vested in others. She encouraged young women to maintain their individuality and “never become size zero in your relationships”. Sreemoyee, wonderfully stated a very important life lesson, “ Never shrink to make others comfortable”, which struck with a lot of people in the audience.
Status Single: Empowering Women
"Status Single," one of her most renowned works, began as a journalistic assignment. It features interviews with a diverse range of single females, including those who are separated, divorced, disabled, LGBTQ+, and single mothers. This work evolved into a recognized Facebook community and now has chapters in eight cities, uniting around 6,000 women. Sreemoyee emphasized the importance of empowering parents of single females who often face societal scrutiny. She says that the badge of founding this community is something which she wears very proudly.
Sreemoyee read an excerpt from Chapter 8, ‘No one gives a fuck’ of her recent book, “ Everything Changes”, sharing her early experiences as a journalist. She highlighted the challenges she faced as an young journalist. The academic validations, certificates and the medals which boosted her self confidence was suddenly devalued . Being as unfiltered as she could be, Sreemoyee stated that the media industry is not as glamorous and glitzy as it seems to be. Like many other work domains, this too is dominated by ‘big boys’ and the females are still breaking the glass ceilings.
When asked about her upcoming projects, Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, said that she recently completed writing an intergenerational family saga titled "All Are Rather Lies."
In a room filled with book enthusiasts, she encouraged the younger generation to read extensively, emphasizing that books are windows to the world.
The session concluded with Sreemoyee's poignant reflection: "Stories have the power to change life." The subsequent question-answer round involving faculty members and students marked the culmination of a truly insightful and inspiring event at Adamas University, where students had the privilege of witnessing a remarkable conversation with a multifaceted author, columnist, and community founder.
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| Students and Faculties of School of Media and Communication along with Ms. Kundu [Photo Courtesy: Team Journapost] |
Author:
Priyanka Ghosh
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