Ashishda was an enigmatic personality. He had always been extremely passionate about the vast treasures of the rich cultural heritage of India which he always endeavored to depict through various art forms like films, music, recitation and theatrics. Ashisda was totally enamored with Tagore’s works which he studied tirelessly and developed a deep understanding of his writings.

Ashisda had an illustrious career in the field of films and theatrics. At a very young age he excelled not only in acting but in direction too. He became associated with Dakshinee, a well known institution for Tagore songs where he was given charge of the Drama division. Tagore plays directed by him were overwhelmingly appreciated and received rave reviews. He went on to become a committee member and finally the President of the esteemed institution.

He took up direction and production of documentary films as a profession. He excelled in this field too earning numerous awards and the President’s Gold Medal (Swarna) for best film for his films “The Flame Burns Bright” (on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose) and “Kamala Nehru”.

Around 1982 he shifted base to Delhi and stayed with Sanjoy Sarkar in his residence. Knowing his background, Sanjoy and Apurba Mukherjee had continuous interactions with him with regard to forming a cultural association for staging Bengali cultural programmes on a larger scale with emphasis on Tagore works. The result was the formation of “Uttarayan” (name proposed by Ashisda) in 1983, and its first venture, Tagore’s “Phalguni” directed by him and staged in Kamani Auditorium was an instant success.

Ashisda thereafter staged many successful productions including “Balmiki Pratibha”, “Shraban Gatha”, “Kshudita Pashan” etc. …… the list is endless. He was instrumental in making Uttarayan a true platform for performing arts.

Ashisda passed away in April 2012, leaving a big void in the organization.