A The Hindu cultural programme, Lit for Life Unplugged, brought singer Usha Uthup and historian Anand Puri together at Trincas on Park Street, Kolkata. The conversation was useful mainly as a cultural-history note: it linked a famous venue, a celebrated performer, and the making of urban memory.
What happened
The programme mixed personal memory with cultural history. Usha Uthup spoke about her long musical career, while Anand Puri connected Trincas with Kolkata’s last century through a forthcoming book. The event also drew attention to Usha Uthup’s memoir and biography work.
Background and earlier position
The visible continuation of the interview or profile recalls Usha Uthup returning to Madras in 1969 and later being invited to Park Street in then-Calcutta. It also recounts how she began singing on stage while accompanying her aunt to a nightclub in Madras. She chose Peggy Lee’s Fever and was struck by the audience’s applause.
Usha Uthup says she never expected to become known for singing Western pop while wearing a sari and bindi. She also reflects that music in Madras had no barriers of caste, colour, language, or gender. The fragment ends with her performing to a full house at Trincas.