It is with profound sorrow that Off-Kendrik shares the loss of one of our dearest members, Jayanta Mukhopadhyay. His imaginative ideas and passion made him the heartbeat of many of our initiatives. Jayanta started with us as part of the ensemble cast for “Boro Holo Ja”. It was the beginning of numerous stellar roles that he brought to life on stage in productions such as “Dui Hujurer Goppo” and “Sasmal LLP” (a Satyajit Ray adaptation) and many others. Apart from acting, Jayanta also brought his directorial skills and song-writing talent to many Off-Kendrick productions. His vision created “Naksha”, an experimental series of skits that introduced many of our current Off-Kendrik family into our group. He directed productions such as Aleek Rasta and co-wrote the script; he wrote a Satyajit Ray adaptation, Sasmal LLP. He was a prolific songwriter and composer; he wrote and composed for a street theater: Khelure” and in recomposed songs for shows like “Lokkhoner Shaktishel”. He was a multi-talented personality who rendered background scores and designed light for numerous productions for Off-Kendrik. Jayanta was ubiquitous in not only supporting plays or behind the scenes, but also in handling ticketing and website management.

Jayanta’s foremost impact on Off-Kendrik was conceiving the South Asian America Theater (SAATh) Festival that brought together a true multilingual South Asian Theater experience from all across the USA. This was Jayanta’s passion project, which he took to great heights through his vision and dedication. This festival became Off-Kendrik’s flagship event, highly respected by the North-American Indian theater community. 2026 will be the fifth year of SAATh. It will be near-impossible to envision a SAATh festival without Jayanta, but we owe it to him to keep the flag flying in his honor.

Jayanta’s personality and ever-smiling demeanor drew all our members to him, looking for advice and critique on their performances and other contributions, and he was ever-
present with helpful advice and suggestions. His insight was not restricted to theatre alone – his quick wit, quirky humor, and sharp insight made him a reliable and entertaining source on topics ranging from politics, movies, literature, music, and so
many more. His wife Mahua and sons Maitrayan and Reetahan embraced his philosophy and were a constant presence and support at Off-Kendrik events. We will greatly miss his presence, a source of joy and inspiration for our entire community.