BOWBAZAR, 17 YEARS LATER

Manish Gaekwad returns once more to his childhood home and his mother, Rekha Bai, in his memoir Nautch Boy, a journey from the courtesan quarters of Kolkata to the world of cinema and writing

- PANKIL JHAJHRIA

Writing was breaking the shackles. Truth loitered over to hear me out," writes Manish Gaekwad in his new book Nautch Boy: A Memoir of My Life in the Kothas (Harper Collins).

Gaekwad grew up in Kolkata's crowded Bowbazar, an area that used to be known for its courtesans. Most of his childhood was spent surrounded by dancers, patrons, radios playing old Bollywood songs, and the heady scent of betel nuts. "Once a year, I returned home to the kotha in Bowbazar. An unpainted, neglected house, it stands as a cul-de-sac in Bandook Gully. Gun Lane - what a violent name for a place that fired sweet melodies," he writes.

He recalls returning home during vacations from his school in Darjeeling.

The book mainly revolves around Gaekwad's life in the kotha, and his mother. His mother, to whom the book is dedicated, was a distinguished performer in the city. "Mother was introduced to patrons as Kalkatta ki mashur dancer Rekha Bai," one of the chapters reads. "Calcutta's famous dancer. That helped build curiosity around her, even if no one had seen or heard of her."