

A poet has a bit of him in every piece of poetry he writes, even if it is a so called ‘custom-made poetry.’ After all, our film songs are written to fit pre-conceived situations. Even within that water-tight requirement, the poet sprinkles bits of himself, like squeezing lemon juice on a delightful spread. Inconspicuously the juice dissolves into the song but look a little closer and he’s there, sparkling. If we just listen to Shailendra’s songs, we can trace that sweet and tangy Shailendra, embedded in his poetry. Amla Shailendra Mazumdar, the daughter of ‘Kaviraj’ Shailendra in conversation with Antara of Silhouette Magazine dives deep into his amazing repertoire of songs and a treasure chest of memories to understand the person behind the poet – a loving tribute to the legendary poet-lyricist on his birth anniversary.