Kabori steals the show on the last day at Ekushey Book Fair

Legendary actress Sarah Begum Kabori, who introduced her memoirs to legions of her fans, was clearly in the limelight at the Ekushey Book Fair on the final day of the fair.

The 'sweet damsel’ of Bangla cinema spent several hours at the stall of the bdnews24 publishing limited (bpl), the publisher of the memoirs ‘Smriti Tuku Thaak’, on Tuesday.

Fans of all ages thronged the stall on Tuesday when they heard about the presence of their favourite idol who dominated silver screen in the 1960s and 1970s.

They took snapshots with the screen icon, exchanged pleasantries with her and got their newly bought copies of her book signed by her.

“My daughter told me that Kabori would be at the bpl stall. So, I wasted no time and rushed here. Getting her autograph is a dream come true,” homemaker Rasheda Begum said.

A teacher of Bengali literature of Banani Bidya Niketan school, Romen Roy, did what he couldn't all these years. “I used to go to cinema halls to watch her movie. Today I managed to talk to her. I can’t express my feelings in words.”

Many of the young visitors had not watched her movies but they came to buy her book, autographed by her, for their parents.

“I bought it for my father yesterday. Today, I bought one for my father-in-law,” said one visitor.

Drama activist Ramendu Majumder had a long conversation with the actress turned-politician-turned teacher.

He asked Kabori to autograph a copy of her book for his daughter, television actress Tropa Majumder.

Rifat Munmun, who is in charge of the Bengali Language Institute of Independent University, was beaming with the book in hand.  She was accompanied by a Hong Kong national Aung Chan, who is a student of the institute.

Aung said she was happy to be here and would tell her friends about the legendary actress back home.

Another bibliophile came to buy the memoirs for his teacher who now lives in New Zealand.

A physician with 30 years in the profession told bdnews24.com that he would watch a film starring Kabori again and again when he was a student. “I am feeling happy that I have bought the book,” he added.

Dhaka University students Tama and Swarna were elated like many others who were present at the bpl stall.

Editor-in-Chief of bdnews24.com Toufique Imrose Khalidi, arts.bdnews24.com Editor poet Mohammad Nurul Huda and Noakhali Science and Technology University Vice-Chancellor Dr M Wahiduzzaman were among others present at the ‘evening adda’ with the actress.

Poet Nurul Huda filled the air with his unmistakable sense of humour while Kabori was being mobbed by the readers and fans.

Leaving the bpl stall, she went to the Writers' Club stall to be the toast of the writers and poets gathered there.

"Now we have got another one; Kabori will be our next president," one of them joked, pointing to Nurul Huda, the current president of the club.

Kabori left the place, her infectious smile endearing her to the crowd.

Seeing poet Nirmalendu Goon, she stopped at the TSC to have a chat with him. The enthusiastic readers, overjoyed to have them together, scrambled to take their pictures.

At the preface of Kabori's memoirs, poet Goon wrote: “While going through the manuscript of the memoirs of the legendary actress Kabori; I was struck by the thought that I was reading the autobiography of a poet.”

Tribute to Language martyrs

Kabori took time off to speak to bdnews24.com. She said she had written the memoirs in haste to be able to pay her respects to the Language Movement heroes by getting the book published in time for the Amar Ekushey Book Fair.

"I had to leave out much in the book due to the haste. But my main objective was to present the book in the month dedicated to our language at the Ekushey fair. I wrote the book to pay respects to the martyrs of Ekushey. I will consider it worthwhile if my words reach out from my heart to those of others," she said.

"Many will simply say nothing on Rafique, Shafique, Jabbar has been written in the book. But I have paid my respects to them through my writings. They are in my heart, blood. They are immortal in our minds," she said.

The actress said her family and fans had been requesting her to publish the memoirs for long. But she could not make up her mind. Her column was published in a national daily but it 'could not satisfy me'.

"No one else can express my own feelings, emotions, anger, sorrows and pains better than I. I tell you one thing - I am very much moody as a person. I become very ordinary with the change of time, space and people, and sometimes extraordinary," she said.

"I fight with myself, compete with myself; put myself in my own dock, asking myself 'Could I have not done this or this?' Then I think again, Maybe I should have and could have'."

She expressed her gratitude to bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi for inspiring her to write the memoirs.

"Toufique Bhai asked me one day to start writing. It was he who introduced me to bpl. He said I would not have to write continuously. There is no hypocrisy in him. I have seen honesty in him," she said.

She noted, "I was always close to the audience. This time a new joy and a new feather have been added. How much I have succeeded and how much I have failed is not the way my thoughts go. But I always feel a need to do better....If only I had some more time.

"Having pieced together all the memories of my life, I ask myself, 'Why didn't I write about those who create art, who feel the urge within to work?' Regrets always remain," she said.

She hoped the viewers of her movies will discover her anew in her memoirs.