Jayanta Mukhopadhyay
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 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.
Deepak Deb
8.10.1960–6.23.2021
Off-Kendrik mourns the passing of one of their own, Deepak Deb. He was a deeply compassionate and loving human being who loved celebrating life with friends and family. A passionate and progressive voice in the community, Deepak chose theater and philanthropy to express his life principles and philosophy. This brought him closer to Off-Kendrik, of which he had been an active member for the last four years.
At Off-Kendrik, Deepak was involved in a variety of performances: theater, storytelling and workshops. He won acclaim with his performances in “Rajeshbabur Ontordhyan” (adaptation of Satyajit Ray’s short story Khagom), “Dui Hujurer Goppo” (Chandan Sen) and his own creation of a street play, “Khelure”, reflecting the turbulence of contemporary Indian politics. He was an active storyteller, participating in Off-Kendrik’s show “Voices,” story-slam and Boston LitCrawl festival. Within the group, Deepak took a keen interest in helping members with voice and accent training and promoting poems and poets from marginalized communities.
Deepak’s pride in his Bengali roots was strong. He keenly supported every cultural effort that grew from the community. Since moving to Massachusetts in the late 1990s, he was embedded in community performing arts through theater, audio plays, and recitation. Deepak was a well-known and much-loved face on the local stage, bringing classics as well as new literary works to life. Some of his notable performances include Anjan Datta’s audioplay “Priyo Bandhu”, Badal Sarkar’s “Ballavpurer Rupkatha”, and Girish Karnad’s “Hayavadhana” (in English) to name just a few. He rendered his voice to numerous ‘alekhyos’ during community and charity events.
Deepak was a champion for several humanitarian causes. He founded an NGO, “We for Hope”, that led several social efforts in Kolkata, established an eye hospital in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Kolkata, and set up a vocational school to help underserved children develop technical skills. He has also been a strong advocate for corporate giving and has worked through his company to develop corporate matching programs.
Deepak’s warmth, generosity, and positive attitude have touched the lives of many. His words, deeds, and memories will be in our hearts forever.
Deepak is survived by his wife Krishna Deb, son Sayon Deb, daughter-in-law Kerry Flett, brother Dilip Deb, sister Bani Chowdhury, and other family and friends.
