OFF-KENDRIK
 An experimental theater group in New England

Remembering Deepak Deb: Thespian and Philanthropist

8/10/1960 - 6/23/2021

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Off-Kendrik mourns the passing of one of their own, Deepak Deb.  He was a deeply compassionate and loving human being who loved celebrating life with friends and family. A passionate and progressive voice in the community, Deepak chose theater and philanthropy to express his life principles and philosophy.  This brought him closer to Off-Kendrik, of which he had been an active member for the last four years. 

 

At Off-Kendrik, Deepak was involved in a variety of performances: theater, storytelling and workshops.  He won acclaim with his performances in “Rajeshbabur Ontordhyan” (adaptation of Satyajit Ray’s short story Khagom), “Dui Hujurer Goppo” (Chandan Sen) and his own creation of a street play, “Khelure”, reflecting the turbulence of contemporary Indian politics.  He was an active storyteller, participating in Off-Kendrik’s show “Voices”, story-slam and Boston LitCrawl festival.  Within the group, Deepak took a keen interest in helping members with voice and accent training and promoting poems and poets from marginalized communities.

 

Deepak’s pride in his Bengali roots was strong. He keenly supported every cultural effort that grew from the community. Since moving to Massachusetts in the late 1990s, he was embedded in community performing arts through theater, audio plays, and recitation. Deepak was a well-known and much-loved face on the local stage, bringing classics as well as new literary works to life.  Some of his notable performances include Anjan Datta’s  audioplay “Priyo Bandhu”, Badal Sarkar’s “Ballavpurer Rupkatha”, and Girish Karnad’s “Hayavadhana” (in English) to name just a few. He rendered his voice to numerous ‘alekhyos’ during community and charity events.

 

Deepak was a champion for several humanitarian causes. He founded an NGO, “We for Hope”, that led several social efforts in Kolkata, established an eye hospital in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Kolkata, and set up a vocational school to help underserved children develop technical skills.  He has also been a strong advocate for corporate giving and has worked through his company to develop corporate matching programs.

 

Deepak’s warmth, generosity, and positive attitude have touched the lives of many. His words, deeds, and memories will be in our hearts forever.

 

Deepak is survived by his wife Krishna Deb, son Sayon Deb, daughter-in-law Kerry Flett, brother Dilip Deb, sister Bani Chowdhury, and other family and friends.