Life beyond office files

Then,inside the BDO office at Kanksa block in Burdwan district,three people were rehearsing a play scene. While two of them played ghosts,one of them became a fake hermit. It was a scene from the play Simulgarer Harek Kando,based on a children’s novel by eminent novelist Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay,’Chayamoy’.

The play was to be staged by the employees of Kanksa BDO office in Burdwan district under the leadership of its young and energetic BDO Santanu Basu,a playwright,and also an M Sc from Jadavpur university who had stood first in the WBCS examination. Basu is now the additional private secretary of the West Bengal Chief Minister.

Basu is keen to imbibe bonhomie among his staff members. He encourages them to indulge in cultural pursuits in order to overcome the drudgery and boredom associated with government jobs.

And that is why when he was BDO at Kanksa from 2005 to 2008,he had written a play,directed it and also taken apart in it.

“While the rehearsal continued,sometimes it stretched to 2 in late night and yet the staff members did not grumble, leave aside asking for extra money. Sometimes,I sat beside a peon and chatted with him. But it did not matter as we were all artistes then,’’ Basu says while sitting in his office at Writers’ Building. The play was also staged at Girish Mancha in Kolkata as part of Natya Mela 2008,held by West Bengal government.

Earlier,when he was BDO Madarihat in Jalpaiguri district,Basu shot a documentary film on Totos and involved his staff members in it. Later,he organised Jaldapara tourism festival,that was totally his idea.

Moreover,Basu has written the play ‘Reality’ which is based on the agony of child artistes taking part in reality shows on TV. He has also made two other documentary films other than the Totos. One of these films is on the NREGS and the another is on the Birhor community.

Basu who stays at Sahapur in Alipur with wife Jayati,an Odissi dance exponent,took his initial training in stagecraft and film-making from Chitrabani Studio in south Kolkata which he frequented during his college and university days. He also learnt a lot from legendary playwright late Ramaprasad Banik.

“I believe in life beyond my office and will not allow my job to stifle my creativity. I know I will be able to give 100 per cent to my office if I am able to pursue my cultural activities,’’ says the young officer.

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