Remembering Mou Roychowdhury: A life of inspiration, influence & grace

KOLKATA: How do you know someone is deeply cherished, even when they are no longer with us? It’s evident when thousands remember and celebrate her. It’s evident when they honour the way she inspired, influenced and empowered countless lives. Her poetry and songs continue to resonate, her words still serve as a beacon of inspiration. Mou Roychowdhury, co-chairperson of Techno India Group, passed away on May 7, but on Thursday, she was celebrated by admirers, family and friends from all walks of life. She is survived by her son Debdut and her husband Satyam Roychowdhury, the Founder and Managing Director of the Techno India Group and Chancellor of Sister Nivedita University.

From ministers, politicians across party lines, bureaucrats to educators, doctors, musicians, elocutionists, actors, journalists and industrialists, Roychowdhury touched countless lives in profound ways. All of them gathered at Biswa Bangla Milan Mela Auditorium to celebrate her short but illustrious life. Poems and songs, especially Rabindra Sangeet, were her lifeblood and on Thursday, renowned singers like Jayati Chakraborty and Shaheb Chatterjee paid tribute to her through music. Popular author Pracheta Gupta honoured her remarkable gift for wordplay. Other musicians like Srikanta Acharya, Saikat Mitra and Swagatalaxmi Dasgupta were present among many. Also, her friends from across the world gathered in Kolkata on Thursday to celebrate Roychowdhury.

Veteran filmmaker Gautam Ghose recalled how Roychowdhury was overjoyed when ‘Sankhachil’ won the National Award. As one of the producers of the Bengali film, she proudly received the award from Pranab Mukherjee. “We first met in Baltimore. She was always full of life. After ‘Sankhachil’, she wanted to collaborate with me again. Now, she is no more but she will continue to live through her works,” said Ghose.

“My voice is choked. I can’t believe I will ever sing in memory of Mou di. We spent so many days singing together, and she even cooked for me,” said Jayati Chakraborty. Dr BD Mukherjee, who was not only her doctor but also considered her a family member, reminisced about their father-daughter relationship. “As a father, can I say anything at the moment regarding my daughter? This is the toughest day of my life,” he said in her remembrance.

Roychowdhury also served on the Governing Body of Sister Nivedita University and as Director, Aajkal Publishers Pvt Ltd.