Jogesh Dutta

When India awoke to a ‘new dawn’ on 15 August 1947, a 15-year-old boy, his parents and five siblings found themselves on a platform at Calcutta’s Sealdah railway station.

Penniless refugees from East Pakistan, the family, like lakhs of others, faced a dark future; soon an orphan at the mercy of distant relatives, he washed dishes at a tea stall, was a grocer’s assistant and worked at a construction site before finding his true calling.

While his inspiration was Charlie Chaplin, Jogesh keenly observed young couples snatching a few private moments on the banks of a lake in the city and started imitating them, much to the delight of his friends and associates.

Initially a comic and an actor, Jogesh was a founder-member of Sundaram and acted in two early plays: Pather Panchali and Mrityur Chokhe Jol[2] (1959) by Manoj Mitra.

Jogesh reappeared after his final show on stage, dressed in white shirt and trousers, and laid his wig and costume on the floor.