An artist has to do something else for livelihood

Sajal Ahmed is a poet, editor, filmmaker, and the publisher of the renowned publication house 'Kobi'. Besides being a stalwart in Bengali literature, he has also authored poetry, essays, fiction, and books on cinema. He has fostered a readership community in Bangladesh and Kolkata around his publications. Kamrul Ahsan and Mahfuz Sardar of Views Bangladesh engaged in a discussion with Sajal Ahmed regarding his writing, publishing endeavors, and the ongoing book fair.

Views Bangladesh: Greetings from Views Bangladesh. How many books have been published by your publication 'Kobi' so far?
Sajal Ahmed: We started the publication 'Kobi' in 2011. Initially, 'Kobi' was a little magazine, and I have been involved with the little magazine movement since childhood. Our first publication was a magazine called 'Somoy', then we thought of creating a magazine solely dedicated to poetry because 'Somoy' magazine usually did not publish without special issues, so young poets couldn't find a place there. Then we regularly published the 'Kobi' magazine for a long time. At one point, we felt the need for books by young poets to be published. That's when we transformed the 'Kobi' magazine into a publishing house. Initially, our desire was to publish essential books that had been previously published but were now unavailable in the market. So, we first published a book by poet Binay Majumdar. Binay Majumdar used to write in little magazines. We published his famous book 'Firey Esho Chhaka', which was well-received. Then we published some more of his books. We published books by the renowned poet Krishnachandra Majumdar of Khulna, then we published 'Daulatpurer Itihas' by Khagendranath Basu, which was released almost 100 years later.
Then we came up with 'Prthammamudran', which means that some famous Bengali books were first published. We brought out Sukumar Roy's 'Abol Tabol', 'Pagladasu', 'Hazbaral'. Many of us know that no book by Sukumar Ray was published during his lifetime. When he went abroad on a scholarship to study printing and publication, he didn't complete it and returned. And he felt the need for one of his books to be published. At that time, the 'Sandesh' magazine was regularly published, so he prepared a dummy manuscript of 'Abol Tabol'; however, he passed away shortly after. Later, his son Satyajit Ray discovered this book and many editions were published, but we brought back the first edition. Like Satyajit Ray's book 'Bishoy Chalachchitra', the first edition was very beautiful, and we have republished it beautifully. 'Kobi' is not actually a popular mainstream publication.

Views Bangladesh: Why are you working in this way?
Sajal Ahmed: We are doing this out of a sense of responsibility. A publication doesn't just mean selling books or having readers buy many books; our goal is to cultivate readers and any book from our publication can be chosen.

Views Bangladesh: What is the cost involved in producing these timeless books?
Sajal Ahmed: It wasn't an easy path because the audience for such books is limited, but they are gradually being produced. We believe that our readers will gradually learn to read good books. For example, most of Humayun Ahmed's readers do not read any other books; he has created his own readers. Again, whoever reads Binay Majumdar will read another five books by other poets. Therefore, we have to create good readers, and creating readers is our main task.

Views Bangladesh: How many books have been published from your publication so far?
Sajal Ahmed: So far, we have published approximately 450 books. Among them, about 200 books have been reprinted. We are publishing books by young authors, compiling collections, and more.

Views Bangladesh: We have noticed that you have been very careful in publishing some timeless Bengali books from both Bengals. Here, there is a big financial risk involved.
Sajal Ahmed: We have a craving for old Bengali books. I mean, books of good Bengali literature; but there is the reality of royalties, copyrights, many books have been published and there is no opportunity to publish those books anymore; but those books whose copyrights are not there like our three Banophool Bandyopadhyay's achievements, Manik and Tarakshankar. We first took their books. Then we published books by Rabindranath, Jibanananda Das. Like Rabindranath's 'Shesher Kobita', this is actually read by readers of all classes all the time; but we have done the edition of this book in such a way that it becomes eye-catching. By combining cover design, typesetting, and printing, we have produced such a production that you will keep it in your bedroom and you will be able to tour with it. We have made a list of 100 timeless books, of which 25 have been released, and three more will be released in this book fair, and by arranging how much these books are eye-catching and appreciative, you will understand.

Views Bangladesh: You have been very meticulous in publishing books related to cinema, including those of Satyajit Ray. Later, there is a desire to work on other topics related to cinema.
Sajal Ahmed: Among the books on cinema, we first published books by Purnendu Patri, who is a director, screenwriter, and poet simultaneously. He also has some remarkable research works. We started with his 'Kothapokathon' and after years of approval, we have made two more books with him. We are now working on a series related to cinema. The series is named 'Dhrupadi Chalochitro Granthamala'. We are working with world-famous filmmakers for this series. Three books of this series will be released at this book fair. For example, Gadhar, Trufo, Satyajit, Mrinal, Ritwik, Hitchcock are coming. We have also included three people from our country, Tareque Masud, Alamgir Kabir, and Jahir Rayhan.

Views Bangladesh: What do you think has created a readership group for you over the years?
Sajal Ahmed: Yes, to some extent, a readership group has been created. We are organizing book fairs worldwide, but we have created a good readership group in Kolkata, where sales are good, and also some readers have been cultivated in Bangladesh. We have reached out to optimistic young readers. Alongside the content, due to our design, cover, cover concept, and printing quality, we have been able to appeal to our readers. And due to our own printing arrangements, we can maintain the quality of printing.

Views Bangladesh: What kind of marketing strategies are you employing in the book market?
Sajal Ahmed: We are attempting marketing through digital platforms such as Facebook pages, video content, and our own website. And our online sales are doing well.

Views Bangladesh: From what we understand, you're a filmmaker, poet, and entrepreneur, but where is your main focus?
Sajal Ahmed: When I was in the ninth grade, I launched a little magazine called 'Samoy'. In the tenth grade, my first book of poems was published. I always wanted to be a poet throughout my life. Then I ventured into drama and filmmaking. I actually want to remain within the realm of art, but in life, an artist sometimes has to do something else out of necessity.

Views Bangladesh: How many books have you published so far?
Sajal Ahmed: I have published five books of poetry and edited around 16 books. Among them, one notable editing is the partition of Bengal in selected stories, which is now a supportive text in nearly 16 universities in both Bengals.

Views Bangladesh: What are your comments on the overall organization of the book fair?
Sajal Ahmed: Compared to previous years, this year's organization seems a bit more chaotic. There are issues with the overcrowded environment and the bathroom facilities. I don't understand why, in our country's main event and such a lively place, we don't engage an experienced architect or an artist to design the book fair! However, Enamul Kabir Nirjhar made two attempts to create a distinctive identity for the fair.

Views Bangladesh: Thank you.
Sajal Ahmed: Thank you too.