The twelfth edition of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2021 held a mesmerizing session “Calcutta to Canada: Background and Foreground” with the acclaimed Indian Canadian Actress Lisa Ray who connected from British Columbia. Eminent Author, Journalist & Columnist Sandip Roy moderated the session.
Speaking at the session Lisa Ray discussed her connection and wonderful experience in Kolkata, the city of joy. Despite of the fact that her upbringing in suburbs of Canada, she felt very much at home and engrossed with the spirit of Kolkata. During her conversation she praised Bengali culture, attire, food, heritage and language. She expressed her love for listening Bengali language. She mentioned about her experience of growing up under the guidance of her mother, a superwoman who balanced her household work and followed her passion at the same time.
Lisa spoke about her passion for reading, her book “Close to the Bone: A Memoir” and its prime message to the reader about the possibilities of embracing alternative ways of being in the world.She spoke about embracing the darker sides, the unknown in life. She mentioned that the fundamental force behind her decision to write her book was her dream of becoming a writer, with an aim to put forth herself in her writings. She also added that her childhood days in Kolkata, heritage and culture of the city helped her to discover herself.She provided her insight on life and talked about the ways to deal with unprecedented situations.
Concluding the session, she was seen reminiscing and sharing her past experiences in Kolkata like walking around College Street, Presidency College with her father. She mentioned about her favourite restaurants in Kolkata. She talked about her beautiful memories with her wonderful friends in Kolkata.
(By Pratyusha Mukherjee)
Bengali