The Bengali cultural firmament has no dearth of stellar figures—I always think of Rabindranath Tagore as the affectionate paterfamilias of modern Bengali literature—but I have felt a particular kinship with you.

Perhaps this was because I was deeply attracted to your work at a time when you were living. Somehow that made you a more intimate presence.

Of course, there is so much to like about you. A world-class filmmaker, juvenile story-teller, composer, typographer, illustrator, graphic artist, you had a keen intellect and an avid curiosity, with a formidable command of both English and Bengali—you were a true renaissance man.