Duryodhana appoints Dronacharya_as_commander-in chief

On the eleventh day morning, Karna visits the great Kaurava patriarch Bhishma lying on a bed of arrows to seek his blessings. Meanwhile in the Kaurava camp, Duryodhan is in a fix to select his new commander-in chief. After deliberation with his advisors and especially Karna, he appoints Dronacharya as the commander in chief to lead the Kaurava army in the battle. Dron, pleased by Duryodhan’s trust and honor, promises to capture Yudhistir alive and bring him to Duryodhan in chains.

Bhishma lying on a bed of arrows

Yudhistir and his brothers beg Bhishma for his life. Bhishma obliges by giving them the only strategy that can kill him. Arjun, with a heavy heart, follows his instructions. He uses Sikhandi as his shield and attacks Bhishma on the tenth day of the war. Bhishma stops fighting and allows his body to be riddled with Arjun’s arrows. Listen to this dramatic episode that marks a turning point in the Kurukshetra war.
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Bhishma in battle

On day nine of the Kurukshetra war, Bhishma unleashed his fury like never before. The Pandavas suffered severe losses and realized that if Bhishma continued his rampage in this form, nobody could prevent their defeat. Arjun, on whom the Pandavas depended the most, failed to restrain the ferocious old man. Yudhistir now has no other option but to ask from his grandfather the unthinkable gift – his life.

Ghatotkach

The Kurukshetra battle continues for the seventh and eighth day. Pandavas clearly have an upper hand. Bhishma, Drona, Kripacharya all try their best but Arjun, Bheem and the other Pandava warriors seem indomitable.  Iravan, son of Arjun, fights valiantly but falls in battle. Angered at the death of his cousin, Ghatotkach the demon son of Bheem, launches a ferocious attack and is about to annihilate the Kaurava army by the end of day eight.

Bhagadatta on his elephant on the Kurukshetra battlefield

As the great battle of Kurukshetra continues, both the Pandavas and the Kauravas suffer huge losses. Great warriors are killed. Thousands of soldiers lost their lives. Bhurisraba kills ten sons of Satyaki. Bhagadatta mounts his elephant and almost kills Bheem. Ghatotkach engage in a ferocious  battle with Bhagadatta. In the camp, Bhishma keeps trying to bring some sense into Duryodhan, while the blind King Dhritarashtra laments alone in the palace of Hastinapur.

Krishna attacks Bhishma

The Kurukshetra war rages on. Bheem was unstoppable on the second day. He wrecked havoc on the Kaurava army and none of the Kaurava generals succeeded in controlling him.  On the third day, Duryodhan was almost killed by Bheem. Duryodhan’s insults enraged Bhishma and he unleashed his fury on the battlefield like never before. Arjun failed to stop him. Noticing Arjun’s lack of will to fight Bhishma, Krishna himself jumped into the battlefield to kill Bhishma. Ashamed, Arjun pleaded Krishna to restrain himself and not break his promise. Krishna agreed. Then the Kaurava army witnessed the real prowess of Arjun as he went all out against the Kaurava army  with his super weapons and killed thousands of enemy soldiers.

Yudhistir and his brothers seek blessings from Bhisma.

After Krishna returns with Arjuna to the Panadava formation,  Yudhistir dismounts from his chariot and walks towards the Kaurava army to seek blessings from his gurus. Bhisma, Dron, Kripa, and Salya wish them victory. Then, with the blowing of the conch shells, the battle begins. The Pandavas and the Kauravas clash with all their might. Bhisma, Salya cause havoc in the Pandava enemy. The day ends in favor of the Kauravas with the Pandavas suffering severe losses including two of their top generals.

Arjun listens to the enlightening words from Krishna.

On the first day of the war, Krishna drives Arjuna’s chariot to the middle of the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Watching Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and many of his relatives and friends assembled on the Kaurava side as his opponent, Arjuna is struck by an overwhelming sense of grief and despair. How could he kill the people whom he had loved, respected and grew up with? Arjun felt his strength being sapped off his body. He puts down his bow and declines to fight. Krishna then enlightens and inspires Arjuna with great words of wisdom that is now known to the world as the Bhagabad Gita.

Listen to this great episode by clicking the player below.

Vyasa gives Sanjay the power of distant vision.

The huge armies of the Kauravas and the Pandavas assemble on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Bhisma vows to kill 10,000 Pandava soldiers a day. Arjun assures Yudhistir of victory. The Kaurava and the Pandava generals meet and decide on the rules of engagement. Rishi Vyasa visits Dhritarashtra and gives Sanjaya the special power of distant vision, enabling him to watch the battle from the palace of Hastinapur and narrate the details to the blind king. Just before the battle begins, Arjun asks Krishna to take his chariot to the middle of the battlefield so that he could see whom he’d have to kill in this battle.

Sikhandi, Amba, Bhisma

The war of Kurukshetra is imminent. The Kauravas and the Pandavas prepare to engage in the battlefield. The day before the war, the Kaurava generals meet to formulate their strategy. Bhisma, tells Duryodhan and his men, that although he is obliged to fight the war on behalf of the throne, he has some conditions of his own. And one of these conditions is that he’d never fight Sikhandi, the son of King Drupad. If Sikhandi ever attacked him, he’d put down his bow and accept whatever weapon SIkhandi hurls at him. Curious, Duryodhan asks why he’d impose such an odd condition. Bhishma then narrates the tale of Sikhandi and explains why he took such a vow. Click the link below and listen to the amazing tale of Sikhandi.

Karna and Kunti

With the war looming large, Kunti is scared for her sons. Although the Pandava brothers are strong and powerful, they are not invincible. The Kauravas have great warriors like Bhishma, Dron, Kripa and Karna, and with their combined might, they have the capability of destroying the Pandavas. And of all the Kaurava warriors, Karna is the most dangerous. With his superiors skills and a wide range of powerful weapons at his disposal, Karna alone can destroy hers sons, thought Kunti. Besides, Karna has made it his mission to kill Arjun. Kunti thought, the only way to stop Karna might be to reveal his true identity. Kunti decides to pay Karna a visit. To know the outcome of this meeting, listen to the episode by clicking the link below.

Karna and Krishna

After failing to negotiate a peace deal with the Kauravas, Krishna tries a different route. He knew, if by some means he could convince Karna to switch his allegiance to the Pandavas, Duryodhan would give up his ambition to win the battle and hence the throne of Hastinapur.  With this motive in mind, Krishna visits Karna and reveals Karna’s true identity.  Krishna then asks an overwhelmed Karna to join the Pandavas  and thus prevent the impending war. Karna is tempted but his loyalty to Duryodhan takes precedence in his decision making.

Duryodhana tries to imprison Krishna

Krishna arrives at the Hastinapur palace with his peace proposal. However, his reconciliatory words falls into deaf ears. Duryodhan ignores Krishna’s proposal and claims he has done nothing wrong. Dhritarashtra makes a feeble attempt to convince Duryodhan, but fails. Duryodhan and his brothers try to attack Krishna and imprison him. However, Duryodhan was not prepared for the shock he was about to experience.

Listen to this exciting episode by clicking the player below.

The Curious Case of a Casual Terrorist

Last fall, when I joined the Dramatist Guild Institute’s play writing workshop, I was told the objective of this class would be for each participant to write a first draft of a full length play. I was thinking what would be a good topic to write about. And then it dawned on me, the story of “The Curious Case of a Casual Terrorist” would be the perfect vehicle to try out. I have been following this bizarre story of an international salesman, who of his own will, fell into a trap set up by the law-enforcement to nab terrorists before they could act. The story, that unfolded in New Jersey about fifteen years ago, caused a huge media storm. The strangeness of this story made it a household topic of discussion, while the law enforcement touted it as their greatest success. I thought about the possibility of a play based on this true story right then, but couldn’t get to it. There were other issues too.  Finally,  at the end of the ten weeks workshop the play that evolved in its first draft form was not the true story itself, but a fictionalized drama highlighting the irony and absurdity of it all. The play, after its first draft, went through several rounds of revision. I had to make major changes even after the rehearsals began.  Although the central spine of the story remained unchanged.  I believe, a play is not a mere reporting of a story. It has to be more than that. It has to go inside the mind of the characters and explore their motives. The playwright, and subsequently the actors and the audience, needs to get a feel (if not understand) of what made the characters do what they did. Sub-stories are created, relationships established, and moment by moment a play takes place when it transcends beyond the original story. 

Some people classify this play as a political drama. But is it really? Lee Blessing, a famous playwright, once said, “I think all theater is political, it’s just that some plays are a little more conscious of it than others. It seems a curiously American point of view to think that there is a ‘private’ life that is completely divorceable from a ‘public’ one. Everything we eat is the product of a political system. The worth of our houses turns out to be a very volatile product of a political system.  The clothes on our back, the gas in our cars- it’s ubiquitous. Everything we do, think or say is done in the context of a political system. Political battles are fought in every sphere of our lives: cultural business, aesthetic, religious, filial, romantic – you name it. Even choosing to ignore politics completely is, at base, an intensely political decision.”
Having said that,  the so-called genre of “political play” are those which take a political stand and subscribe to some form of political agenda.  The Curious Case…” doesn’t do such a thing. It does not make a political statement, neither does it criticize any political belief or policy, either right or left.  Rather this play can be thought of as a court room drama, without the customary set of a court room. In this play, the audience performs the role of the jury. And before this jury, the actors present the case of “Basant Adnani” the alleged terrorist.  We want the audience to come in with an open mind, watch the play, and then decide if Basant Adnani is guilty or not-guilty. If you can leave your biases aside and participate in this process objectively using your common sense and your values as a compassionate human being,  I believe you’ll reach the correct verdict without much effort. 

See you at the theatre.

Krishna, the emissary

When Sanjay visited the Pandavas with the peace proposal from Dhritarashtra, Yudhistir  asked for only five villages for the five brothers. But Duryodhan denied. He said, he wouldn’t give the Pandavas even a spec of soil one could lift on a needle point. The Pandavas sought the help of their friend, philosopher and guide, Krishna.  Krishna agreed to give one last effort to broker a peace deal with the Kauravas. He decided to visit Hastinapur and try to talk some sense into Dhritarashtra and Duryodhan. But will he succeed in preventing the war? Listen to the rest by clicking the player below.

Sanjay negotiates with the Pandavas

The Kauravas and the Pandavas prepare for war while the diplomatic efforts to avoid it takes its own course. Dhritarashtra sends his trusted emissary Sanjay to dissuade the Pandavas from a bloody war. Yudhistir asks for five small villages for the five brothers. Duryodhan denies the request and declares. without a fight he wouldn’t give the Pandavas even a spec of land one could lift on a needle tip.

Listen to this dramatic episode by clicking the player below.

Duryodhan and Arjun seeks Krishna's support

After Abhimanyu and Uttara’s wedding, the Pandavas get busy planning to claim back their Kingdom. They knew, Duryodhan wouldn’t give back their due without a fight. They begin to seek alliances of powerful kings. To fight the Kauravas they need a large and strong army. Duryodhan doesn’t sit idle either. He doubles his efforts to reinforce his military might. Both the parties prepare to fight the ultimate battle which now seems inevitable.

Draupadi and the Pandavas

King Virat was ecstatic to know that his son Uttar has defeated the indomitable Kauravas and won back their cattle. But Yudhistir’s lack of enthusiasm and unabashed praise for the eunuch charioteer Brihannala enraged him. However, his rage turned to humility when he discovered that he has been hosting the mighty Pandavas in his castle for the last one year. Enthralled, he offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to Arjun’s son Abhimanyu. The Pandavs agreed.

While the marriage ceremony took place, Yudhistir was engrossed in another thought. As per the agreement with Duryodhan, the Pandavas have completed their twelve years in exile followed by one year in hiding. Now the time has come to claim back the throne of Indraprastha. The question remains, will Duryodhan keep his promise and give back their kingdom in peace? 

Uttara and Arjuna discovering the arms

Uttar takes Arjun (disguised as Brihannala) to fight the Kauravas and win back the cattle of King Virat. But witnessing the might of the Kauravas, Uttar panics. Brihannala takes Uttar to the Sami tree and fetches the Pandiva weapons hanging up in the high branches. Arjun then reveals his true identity and asks Uttar to drive the chariot and allow him to fight the Kauravas. What happens next is a fierce battle and the Kaurava titans get to taste the might of Arjun.

Listen to this exciting episode by clicking the player below.

Bheem punishes Susharma for attacking Virat's kingdom.

Emboldened by Keechak’s death the King of Trigartha, Susharma, with support from Duryodhan, attacks the Matsya Kingdom to steal Virat’s cattle. Yudhistir, Bheem, Nakul and Sahadev help Virat fight the Trigarta army.

While Virat is busy fighting Susharma,  the Kaurava army attack Virat’s Kingdom from the other end to rob his cows. No one is left in the palace to defend the Kingdom, except the young and inexperienced prince Uttar. Sairindhri advises the prince to take Brihannala as his charioteer.  Uttar has no other option but to use the eunuch’s help to fight the mighty Kaurava army led by the great warriors like Bhishma, Dron, Karna, Kripa and others.

Listen to this exciting tale by clicking the player below.

Bhim Killing Keechak

In the kingdom of Virat, the Panadvas have been spending their thirteenth year in exile. As per the contract, they had to live in disguise such that nobody could recognize them as the rulers of Indraprastha. Draupadi served the queen of Virat, Sudeshna, as her personal maid Sairindhri. But she couldn’t keep her beauty hidden from the lustful eyes of men in the palace. When Keechak, the arrogant and powerful brother of queen Sudeshna and the general of King Virat’s army, laid his eyes on Sairindhri, he couldn’t control himself.  He made an indecent proposal to Draupadi and when refused he reacted in the most brutal manner. Insulted and humiliated, Draupadi complained to Bheem, and Keechak had to pay for his insolent behavior with his life.

Pandavas in Virat Kingdom

The Pandavas complete their twelve years in exile. Now, as per the agreement, they have to go into hiding for the thirteenth year. It is quite a challenge since the entire Bharata knows the five gallant brothers and their beautiful wife Draupadi.  So they decide to disguise and take refuge in Matsya, the Kingdom of Virat. But how would they keep their identity a secret? Listen to this fascinating episode by clicking the player below.

Yudhistira and Yaksha

The  four Pandava brothers, Bheem, Arjun, Nakul and Sahadev die while trying to fetch water from a lake. When Yudhistir finds the lake, he meets a mysterious crane who claims to have killed his brothers. The crane challenges Yudhistir to answer his questions. If Yudhistir can give him satisfactory answers, his brothers live. Else they all die. Was Yudhistir able to revive his brothers? Listen to this exciting new episode of the Stories of Mahabharata.

Karna gives Indra his gift.

Karna was born with an armor that made him invincible to any weapons. Indra, to help his son Arjuna, wanted to strip Karna of his natural defense. Indra exploited Karna’s magnanimity and asked for the armor as a gift. Karna agreed, but not without a trade. Listen to this exciting episode by clicking the player below. Your comments and feedbacks are always welcome.

Savitri, Satyavan and Yama

The story of Savitri and Satyavan is one of the most popular tales of the Mahabharata. Savitri, a princess, marries Satyavan knowing that her husband had a short lifespan. As per Narada’s prediction, Satyavan dies one year after their marriage. But Savitri brings back Satyavan to life using her charm and erudition. Since then Savitri has become the epitome of an ideal and loving wife.

Listen to this fascinating story by clicking the player below.

Draupadi Jayadratha

Jayadratha, the husband of Duryodhan’s sister Duhshala, sees Draupadi in the Kamyaka forest and is enamoured by her divine beauty.  Unable to control his lust, Jayadratha tries to abduct her against her will. When the Pandavas come to know of this, they chase Jayadratha to teach him a lesson that he could never forget.

Rajar Chithi O Anyanyo

Plays find their life on stage. They also die on stage, just when the curtains come down. Still plays live on the pages of text. That’s how it gets transported to different parts of the world, to different readers and theater enthusiasts, to find another life on stage somewhere in front of a new set of audience. With this hope, to reach out to theater and drama enthusiasts around the world, a new collection of my plays have been published – “Rajar Chithi O Anyanya” by Pratibhas a well-known publisher of Kolkata.  The book is now available in USA from Amazon (click here) and in India from books stores where Bengali books are sold.

The book consists of seven of my plays, some new, some not so new. The play “Rajar Chithi”, which I wrote on the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary, is about an incident which stayed hidden in the pages of history  until I stumbled upon it by accident. Although the story depicted in the play is fictional, it is based on Rabindranath Tagore’s visit to San Francisco in 1916 and the failed attempt to assassinate him by the Indian nationalists. The play was staged in New Jersey and now it is in production in India.

The play “Palok” is about childcare issues in America. An eighteen month old child is removed from his parents by the Child Protective Services (CPS) in suspicion of child abuse and neglect.  The parents claim, that the child’s injury was caused by a minor fall, contradicts the medical diagnosis.  The couple seeks help from their friends in their time of distress.  The friends extend their helping hand to get back the child from CPS custody, but was this the help the parents were looking for? The play received huge acclaim from the audience and critics. Besides New Jersey, the play has also been staged in Bengali, English and Tamil in Chennai and Delhi. 

“Ekti Gnaye Thaki” is a popular play that tells the story of a brother and sister in USA. The play asks some pertinent questions about relationships. What makes a family? Who are our family members? What expectations do we have for our family? What are our demands? Do we all live in a village of strangers? The play above all, irrespective of its specificities of time and place, is a commentary on what it means to be a human being in relation to those we hold dear in our lives. Staged first in 2010, in different parts of the country, the play is being revived again due to popular demand.

“Banaprastha” tells the story of our eternal fight against taboos and ignorance. A senior Bengali virologist returns to India, after retiring from his medical practice of 35 years, to find peace, tranquility and solace amongst his family and old friends. But soon he discovers that his nemesis has followed him and he has nowhere to hide.

“Cassandra Othoba Hoyto Ekti Chairer Kahini” is a seriocomedy about our futile attempt to cling to our past and ignore our future.  The play tells the story of Shankar, a middle aged empty nester, who one day finds himself stuck to his old  chair.

“Beej o Brahma” is a small play that talks about gender inequality over the ages, especially in knowledge-based careers. “Muktir Khonje” is another small play about a seven-year-old boy and his visiting grandfather who tries to plan for an escape from his luxurious prison.

If you have not seen the plays, maybe reading them from the book would be a good substitute. If you have, then maybe the book would serve as a memento to remember and enjoy the play in a different form.

Lord Krishna saves the Pandavas from Durvasa

In this episode, we hear two enchanting stories from the Mahabharata. In the first story, Rishi Durvasa grants Mudgal an eternal life in heaven. But Mudgal declines the offer in search of eternal truth.

The second story is more exciting. Pleased with Duryodhan’s hospitality, Durvasa offers him a favor. Duryodhan asks Durvasa to pay the Pandavas a visit to embarrass them. But Lord Krishna comes to the rescue and saves the Pandavas from the wrath of Durvasa. Listen to these stories by clicking the player below or download them on your smart device from iTunes.

Cold Fusion

“Theater is an art form that makes us face our inner demons and helps us deal with them.”

The phenomenon of Cold Fusion came to the limelight in 1989 when Dr. Stanley Pons and Dr. Michael Fleischmann, two world-renowned scientists, announced they were able to create nuclear fusion at room temperature in their laboratory in the University of Utah.  This announcement caused a major stir in the scientific community since it promised unlimited energy at minimal cost. As per conventional wisdom, two positively charged particles repel each other. Hence, in order to fuse two nuclei of Deuterium (an isotope of Hydrogen) and generate fusion energy, one would have to subject them to extremely high temperature and pressure to force them to come close and fuse together to create a new atom (of Helium). For example, the heat generated by the Sun is a result of nuclear fusion caused by the extremely high temperature inside the Solar core.  Fusion at room temperature seemed like a pipe dream. The scientific community rolled up their sleeves and tried to reproduce the Pons-Fleischmann experiment in their labs. Unfortunately, most of them failed to reproduce the  results. An inquiry committee was formed under the leadership of Dr. Huizenga. After a thorough investigation, the committee criticized the research for its unconventional approach and came to the conclusion that claims made by the Cold Fusion proponents were unfounded and it defied our understanding of nuclear physics.  Some scientists debunked the research as pathological science, although few continued the work under different names and descriptions but with limited success.

This story of Cold Fusion research intrigued me as I followed it off and on since 1989.   The conflict between those in favor and those against has been chronicled in several books.  The story had all the ingredients of good drama. So why not a play about Cold Fusion? And that’s how the play was born. 

What is the play Cold Fusion about?

Many, who hear the title of my play Cold Fusion, think it must be about some esoteric scientific topic that only nuclear scientists could comprehend. Let me try to allay your fears. Yes, the play does talk about science since it takes place in a research institute and the characters are scientists, but it isn’t about science. Cold fusion is a play about hope, about dreams and most of all, about love. When we experience something different, something that defies our conventional wisdom, something that challenges our deep-rooted beliefs, we feel shocked. We feel horrified. We go into denial and stop being normal compassionate human beings. We fight tooth and nail to defend the status quo. In the process, we often hurt those whom we love the most.

I would like to thank Pinaki Datta for taking up the challenge to direct the play, and thanks to the cast and crew of the production for giving my words a life on stage. I hope those who come to watch the play would enjoy the performance and be intrigued by the story of Cold Fusion.

Duryodhan

Duryodhan’s attempt to humiliate the Pandavas went haywire. He got into a fight with the Gandharavas and was defeated and captured. The Pandava brothers fought the Gandharvas to rescue Duryodhan and his entourage. However, instead of being grateful, Duryodhan felt humiliated and belittled by the Pandavas. Suffering from extreme grief, Duryodhan decides to fast unto death. His friends try to dissuade him from being so harsh on himself, but he is adamant. But Duryodhan recovers from his depression and returns to Hastinapur. Karna renews his vow to destroy Pandavas.
Listen to this exciting episode by clicking the player below, or subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Arjuna battles with Chitra Sena to rescue Duryodhana

Duryodhan plans to visit the Pandavas during their exile and humiliate them. But he gets embroiled in a battle with the Gandharvas and is captured by the Gandharva King Chitrasena. At the request of their brother Yudhistir, Arjuna and Bheem fights the Gandharvas and rescues Duryodhan and his family. Humiliated by this magnanimous gesture of the Pandavas, Duryodhan returns to Hastinapur.

Listen to this episode which marks a turning point in the story of Mahabharata.

Rishi Kaushik and the Bird

When asked to talk about the virtues of a woman, Rishi Markandeya tells Yudhistira how a housewife advised Rishi Kaushik about the ways of life and led Kaushik to meet the butcher of Mithila to learn about Dharma. We also hear Draupadi advise Krishna’s wife Satyavama about how a woman should treat her husband and gain his loyalty.

Listen to the episode from the player below. You may also subscribe to the podcast, The Stories of Mahabharata.

Matsya saves Manu from the great deluge

Rishi Markandeya visits the Pandavas and tells them several stories from his vast experience. He narrates the story of the Matsya, Manu and the great deluge. He tells them about the celestial cycles of creation and destruction, and how the demons Madhu and Kaitava was slain by Lord Vishnu. Listen to these tales of Mahabharata in this exciting episode.

Arjuna Fights the Demons

Arjuna returns from Indra’s palace in the heavens back to his brothers and his wife Draupadi in the Gandhamadan mountains. He tells them the stories of his conquests against the Nibata Kabacha demons and the demonesses Paulam and Kalaka’s army.  Next  we hear the fascinating story of how the mighty prince Bheema was about to be devoured by King Nahusha in the form of a giant snake. Nahusha asks Yudhistira,  who is a true Brahmin? Only the right answer from Yudhistira would save Bheema’s life.

Listen to the enchanting episode with flying airships, incredible weapons and deep philosophical thoughts by clicking the player below.

And please don’t forget to share your thoughts.

Bheema meets Hanuman

Draupadi asks Bheema to fetch her the divine lotus.  Bheema, eager to please his wife, embarks on a journey to find the precious gift. On his way, he meets an old and frail little monkey. Little did he know, it was his brother the mighty lord Hanuman.

Listen to this delightful story which connects the two great epics of India, Ramayana, and Mahabharata.

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PARAMBRATA CHATTOPADHYAY

Parambrata Chattopadhyay is one of the busiest film actors in Bengal today. Noted as an actor of the alternative cinema, Parambrata has demonstrated his talent not only in Bengali films but also in the mainstream Hindi film industry. His performances in Kahani, Chotushkon, Apur Panchali, Kadambari and many others have made him a household name. Hailing from a family of filmmakers, film writers and critics, Parambrata is also a filmmaker. I got an opportunity to grab some time with him during his visit to New Jersey to screen one of his recent films, Kadambari. An engaging conversationalist, Parambrata discusses candidly his approach to cinema acting and filmmaking in this 20-minute long chat session. I hope you like it.

Suman Ghosh

The acclaimed filmmaker Suman Ghosh was in town. He was invited to New Jersey by Dhriti Bagchi (of Mrittika) to screen his recent film “Kadambari”. Based on the life of Kadambari Tagore, the wife of Jyotirindranath Tagore and sister-in-law of Rabindranath Tagore, the film presents one of the most intriguing stories of the Bengali cultural history.  I took this opportunity to chat with Suman about his filmmaking process, about his dual career (as an economics professor and a filmmaker) and some specifics about the film “Kadambari”. I hope you enjoy listening  to this not-too-long conversation.

Rshi Ashtavakra

The young Rishi Ashtavakra was born crooked at eight parts of his body. The deformity was caused because of his father’s curse. But later Ashtavakra saves his father from his ill fortune. Listen to this story and the stories of how lord Vishnu slays the demon Narakasura and later saves the earth by taking the form of a boar or a Varaha.

King Ushinara

In this episode of the Stories of Mahabharata, Rishi Lomasha tells the Pandavas two exciting stories. In the first story, he tells the story of Rishi Chyavan who regained his youth with the help of the celestial physicians the Ashwini Kumar twins. The second story narrates the tale of King Ushinara who was willing to give his body and life to save a little dove who took his refuge.

Listen to these intriguing stories by clicking the player below. Let us know how you like them.

Parashurama kills Kartavirya

According to the Hindu scriptures, Lord Vishnu appeared on earth nine times to purge the earth of evil (his 10th appearance is yet to happen). Parashurama was the sixth incarnation. In this episode, Rishi Lomasha tells the Pandavas the story of Parashurama and how he passed his father Rishi Jamadagni’s cruel test and later killed the evil King KartyaVirya who had a thousand arms. Parashurama later went on to cleanse the earth of the evil Kshatriyas for twenty-one times before retiring to his hermitage in the Mahendra Mountains.

Listen to this chilling podcast episode using the player below. You may also subscribe to the episodes on your smartphone or laptop from iTunes.

Bhagirath and Ganga

Rishi Lomapada tells Yudhistira and his entourage the tale of Bhagiratha and how he brought Ganga from the heavens to the earth and then led her to the oceans, thus forming the mighty river.

He then tells them the story of Rishwasringa and how he was seduced by a clever courtesan who brought the young Rishi to the Kingdom of Anga to help bring rains to the cursed land.

Listen to the episode below and don’t forget to give us your feedback.

Debshankar Haldar

Debshankar Haldar is undoubtedly the most sought after stage actor in Kolkata. As of now, Debshankar performs in 23 productions at the same time, a feat which no actor has ever been able to accomplish.  Considered to be the greatest stage actor of our times,  Debshankar received the Sangeet Natak Academy award for his superlative performances. Few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to have a candid conversation with this accomplished actor. He spoke about his acting and his process of character development. He also spoke about the current status of Bengali theater and shared his dreams and wishes.
If you are a theater lover, this interview would be a treat for you.

Enjoy!

Agastya drinks the ocean

After spending few years in the Kamyaka forest, the Pandavas embark on a grand pilgrimage to visit the various holy places around the country. and learn about their glorious legends. Rishi Lomasha volunteered to be their guide. On their first stop, they visit the Ashrama of Rishi Agastya. Lomasha tells them the stories of the strange miracles performed by Agastya.

Listen to this exciting episode, and don’t forget to give us your feedback.

Anindya Chatterjee

Few months ago, filmmaker Anindya Chatterjee was in the USA with his debut feature film “Open-Tee Bioscope”. He, along with his friend Saugata, was touring the country and screening the film a several venues where Bengalis flocked. For many Bengalis in their middle age, the nostalgic film recreates their teenage years spent in the lanes and bylanes of Kolkata. It chronicles a tumultuous year in the life of a teenage boy, a coming of age story that is familiar to many of us even if we didn’t grow up in Kolkata.  I got a chance to catch up with Anindya when he was visiting Washington D.C. to screen his film. He was kind enough to spend few minutes talking about his film and about his future plan. I hope you enjoy.

Urvashi curses Arjuna

Arjuna visits the heavens to acquire more weapons from his father Indra. Apart from acquiring the skills in using the divine weapons, Arjuna also begins taking lessons in music and dance from the Gandharva Guru Chitrasena.  There he meets the beautiful Apsara, Urvasi and Arjuna’s resolve gets tested once again.

Listen to this episode below and don’t forget to provide your feedback.

Kirata and Arjuna Story

Yudhistira realized that to conquer the Kauravas, he needs to have powerful weapons. He sends Arjuna on a quest to acquire divine and powerful weapons from the gods. Arjuna travels far and meets Lord Shiva in a strange circumstance. The pleased lord Shiva fulfils our heroes wish.

Listen to this special episode of the Vana Parva or the Forest Chapter of the Mahabharatas.

Krishna fights Salwa and his Vimana (airship) Sauvanagar

The Pandavas are now in exile in the forest. One day Krishna visits the Pandavas in the forest to express his solidarity.  He apologizes for not being able to attend the game of dice and stop this misfortune from befalling on the Pandavas. He then tells the Pandavs the story of how he destroyed King Salwa and his airship (Vimana) called Sauvanagar.  Later, Draupadi rebukes Yudhistira for his pacifism and challenges him to fight the Kauravas and win back their Kingdom.  Yudhistira tries to defend his stand, but he feels that time has come to change his course of action. 

Listen to this exciting episode below. Subscribe to our iTunes podcast for a seamless listening experience.

Sudipta Bhawmik and Avi Ziv

The other day, Avi and I sat together to chat about what goes on behind the scenes of “The Stories of Mahabharata”  podcast. We talked about how Avi goes about designing the sound for the podcast. And I spoke about the development process of each episode from the writer and performers point. Our objective was to connect to our listeners and to share our process with them. We hope you like it.

The Sun God and Yudhistira

The Pandavas go into exile as per the conditions of the game.  The Sun god gifts Yudhistira with the magic bowl to feed his followers. Upset by Vidura’s harsh comments Dhritarashtra banishes him. But he couldn’t live without him either. So he calls Vidura back to the palace. Rishi Maitreya visits Hastinapura and curses Duryodhana for his arrogance.

Listen to this episode which marks the beginning of the third chapter of the Mahabharata – The Vana Parva or The Forest Chapter.

A Scene from Anahuta Sandhya

Many years ago, I heard a strange story. I was told, that there was this Bengali man (in New York or New Jersey)  who had a weird hobby. Although I don’t know if one can call this a hobby. This man, whenever he went on a trip to Kolkata, would put an advertisement in the matrimonial section of the local Bengali daily looking for a bride for himself. He would then go to a selected number of respondents house to interview the potential bride, enjoy their hospitality and a sumptuous meal.  But his intention was not to marry the girls he saw, for he had a wife and family back here in USA. I struggled hard to comprehend his motive. It was difficult to imagine that this man, who lived in USA, would do this only to enjoy a free meal each evening.  Was this some kind of a perverted adventure?  What was he looking for? What drove him to do such a terrible thing?  Although I am not sure if this story was true at all, but it intrigued me nevertheless. I thought, there must be more to this story than what meets the eyes (or ears). And this thought was the seed for my latest play, “Anahuta Sandhya”.

No, “Anahuta Sandhya”  is not the same story.  It is a story of a man desperately looking for love and companionship.  It is a story of a daughter trying to find her father. It is a story of a woman trying to salvage her self-esteem and her trust in humanity. Each of the seven characters in the play desperately seek something that’d provide some meaning to their existence.  “Anahuta Sandhya” literally means, “An Uninvited Evening”.  But no evening waits for an invitation. They arrive in our life, whether we want them or not. We either try to enjoy the evening with our companions or just wait for it to progress towards the night.

The story of “Anahuta Sandhya” starts when on a lonely evening, uninvited strangers arrive at our protagonist Ashis Sen’s residence. Some are true strangers while some have become strangers over time. Just as one of the characters in the play say, “It’s easy to get acquainted, but to know someone may take ages,”  we often find that we are living amongst strangers.  The person whom we think we know might be someone quite different. And when that truth is revealed, we feel shocked. We feel vulnerable. Our world falls apart, and we try to cling to the fragile bonds of relationships that are created quite accidentally between strangers. Strangers who arrive uninvited into our lives.

As a director, I have tried to keep the presentation simple and straight forward. One can classify this play as another “drawing room drama”, but most secrets of our lives are often exposed in our drawing rooms. So instead of stylized stagecraft  and offbeat theatrical performances, I wanted to focus more on characterization and the subtextual nuances. Staying close to “realism”, my intention has been to highlight the “unreal” and “absurdity” of our lives that often resembles a dream or maybe a nightmare –  take your pick.

The cast of this play consists of a nice balance of experienced veteran thespians and relatively new actors. Many of ECTA’s regular audience are familiar with Subhodev Das and Soumendu Bhattacharya, both of whom are playing significant roles in the play. We also have Tinty Bose, Rana Ray, Navneet Goswami, Sreya Mukherjee and Sutapa Mukhopadhyay. The backstage is handled by an experienced bunch whom you typically see on stage – Sankar Ghoshal (stage), Abhijit Neogy (lights), Dwaipayan Mukherjee (sound), Aparajita Das (production), Kaushik Datta (SuperTitles) and Srijita Singh (stage). The entire team is trying their best to put up a good performance.

Like many of my previous plays, “Anahuta Sandhya”  has its own share of humor. Humor can often serve as an effective shield to camouflage the hidden pains. An intelligent theater goer peels through this layer of humor and absurdity to discover the underlying truth. And it is the job of the playwright, director and the actor to guide the audience through this game of discovery. I hope you join us in this fun game.

An Uninvited Evening

Although theater has survived over the ages, survived the onslaught of technology and competition from other media, it still needs support from the audience. So watch a live theater show and help this art form survive.

9.   Theater art is ephemeral. If you miss it, you may not get another chance. 

       A theater performance is born each day on the stage, and it dies on the stage. The next day, a new show is born. To catch this spontaneity, you must watch live theater. Video recordings of plays can only serve archival purpose, but it cannot replace live viewing.

8.   In theater, REAL people do REAL things on stage. No dummies, no CGI. Your experience is REAL and visceral. 

And you don’t need 3D glasses.

7.  Watching theater is an intellectual exercise.

Theater invigorates your imagination and refreshes your mind. Watching theater can be good for your brain.

6.   Theater is not controlled by big money and commercial interests.

Hence theater can often speak the inconvenient truth which is often necessary for our society.

5.    Watching theater boosts the local economy.

Have dinner at the local restaurant before or after the show. Discuss the performance with your friends and family over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.  

4.    Theater is a shared experience.

Watching a live performance with hundreds of members of the audience gives a sense of community and belonging. You laugh together, cry together. You are not alone.

3.   Study shows watching live theater enhance literary knowledge, tolerance and empathy.

A study conducted by University of Arkansas, Dept of Education Reform demonstrated that viewing the theatrical productions leads to enhanced knowledge of the plot, increased vocabulary, greater tolerance and improved ability to read the emotions of others.

2.   Theater makes us take a hard look at ourselves, our values, and our behavior.

It is said, that theater serves as a mirror.  It shows us what we are, and how we behave in situations. We see ourselves in theater. And as Aristotle had said, it leads us to experience catharsis to cleanse ourselves of our deep rooted feelings.

1. The audience is an integral part of the performance.

A live audience can affect the performance of a live theater in ways that you can’t even think of. So watch live theater, because it needs you.

The Pandavas going into exile

Duryodhana was not happy when Dhritarashtra returned the Pandavas their kingdom and all the wealth they had lost in the game of dice to Shakuni. So he and Shakuni came up with another plan. They invited Yudhistira back to Hastinapura and challenged him to play one last game of dice. But this time, the wager was different. It was proposed, whoever loses the game will have to go into exile in the forests for a period of twelve long years. After the twelve years of exile, they will have to stay in hiding for one more year. And in the thirteenth year, if anyone found them, they would have to go into exile for twelve more years.
But will Yudhistira accept this challenge knowing well that it was impossible to beat Shakuni in the game of dice? Or would he walk out to save himself and his brothers from this impending doom?

Listen to this exciting episode by clicking the link below.
You can also subscribe to the podcast on your smartphone or computer  from http://bhawmik.com/mahabharata.

This year’s featured young musicians are Vibhas Vatve ( student of Shree Kedar Naphde) on harmonium solo,
Aditya Phatak ( student of Pt.Samir Chatterjee) on tabla solo.
Debolina Mukherjee ( student of Shree
Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay) on Hindustani vocal and
Bharat Natyam presentation Dashavataram Presentation by Priyanka Chowdhury, Sonali Desai, Chandni Patel, Anagha Shrikumar, Raagini Kandaswamy, Shreya Krishnan, Shruti Prasanth
students of Guru Shrimathi Selvi Chandranathan.

Date: Sunday, March 22nd, 2015
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM
Venue:
Balaji Temple Auditorium (HTCS)
1075 Route 202/206, Bridgewater, NJ 08807
For Directions Visit: www.venkateswara.org
Admission: Non-Members: $15
RaagRang Members: $10
RSVP will be appreciated.
Email: raagrang07@gmail.com
Phone: 732-570-3332, 908-429-1120

Draupadi’s Insult

Yudhistira bets his wife Draupadi in the game of dice and loses her to the Kauravas. Dussasana drags Draupadi to the assembly hall in front of everybody. And there, the Panchal princess is subject to the cruelest humiliation while her husbands sit still with their eyes shut and heads hung low. The Kuru elders, Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and Dhritarashtra also sit and watch the inhuman behavior of their descendants without raising a single voice of protest.  Listen to this exciting episode to know what happens next.

You can also subscribe to the podcast in  iTunes at http://www.bhawmik.com/mahabharata

Don’t forget to share your comments.

The Game of Dice

The greatest mistake Yudhistira made in his life was to agree to play the game of dice with Duryodhana. He knew, the game wouldn’t be fair, but still he couldn’t refuse. His excuses were, that he couldn’t say no to his uncle Dhritarashtra, and also he would never retreat when challenged. But was that the real reason? Listen to this episode and be the judge.

Shakuni

Duryodhana’s envy of the Pandavas keeps consuming him. Moreover, he is humiliated by falling for the illusions of the grand palace Maya had built for them. But scheming Shakuni has a plan to rob Yudhishthira of his kingdom. Even the righteous emperor has a blind spot. Duryodhana and Shakuni work out their game plan to shred Yudhistira to pieces.

Listen to this exciting episode below:

The Slaying of Sishupala

Sishupala, the King of Chedi, was an invited guest to King Yudhistira’s Rajasuya sacrifice ceremony. He had accepted Yudhistira as his emperor. But when Yudhistira decided to offer Krishna his first worship as the most revered man present in the audience, Sishupala lost his cool. He had an old animosity with Krishna, and he lashed out at him with outrageous insults. Krishna tried to stay calm, but finally he couldn’t take it anymore. He summoned his Sudarshana Chakra and severed Sishupala’s head from his body in front of the assembled Kings and royalties.

Listen to this exciting and dramatic episode by clicking the play button below.

Bhima Slays Jarasandha

Jarasandha, the mighty King of Magadha, was feared by everybody, including the almighty Lord Krishna. Jarasandha planned to offer one hundred Kings as human sacrifice to his Lord. He had captured eighty-six of them and was in the process of capturing fourteen more to complete his mission. Krishna takes Bheema and Arjuna with him to Magadha to kill Jarasandha and release the captive kings.

After killing Jarasandha, the Pandava brothers begin their conquest of the land of Bharata to win the allegiance of the Kings.  Soon all the Pandavas eliminate all obstacles for the Rajasuya sacrifice and begin to prepare for the great ceremony.

Listen to this action filled episode by clicking the player below. Also join our facebook page for the latest updates. Subscribe to our iTunes podcast.

The Blazing Khandava Forest

Agni requests Arjuna and Krishna to help him burn down the Khandava forest for the flesh and fat of the animals in the forest would cure him of his loss of appetite. Arjuna and Krishna helps him, and a great fire rages through the forest killing all creatures who lived there. Krishna and Arjuna spared Maya Asura’s life, and to express his gratitude Maya builds a magnificent assembly hall for the Pandavas. Narada visits Indraprastha and advises Yudhistira to perform the Rajasuya Fire ceremony. But Krishna warns Yudishtira that he must kill the vicious king Jarasandha if he would like to succeed in his bid to become the emperor.

The image is a sculpture from Banteay Srei temple, in Cambodia. Arjuna and Krishna are seen on chariots on either side; Indra is atop his elephant Airavata in the sky; Numerous arrows in mid-air counter the downpour of rain; Different birds and animals are seen scattering; Takshaka’s wife and Aswasena are seen rising in the sky. Image and description taken from the jayarama.wordpress.com blog.
Listen to this exciting episode by clicking the player below.

Arjuna Abducts Subhadra

This is the thirteenth episode of the stories of Mahabharata. We have progressed quite a bit, but we have a long way to go. In this episode we hear couple of fascinating stories. In the first story, Arjuna rescues the five Apsaras from their curse. And in the second story, Ajuna falls in love with Krishna’s sister Subhadra, and at Krishna’s suggestion, he forcefully abducts Subhadra and finally marries her. Listen to the episode and let us know how you like it. Visit our Facebook page (facebook.com/MahabharataPodcast) and join the discussion.

Arjuna and Ulupi

Dhritarashtra offered Pandavas the land of Khandava, a barren and uninhabited piece of land, to set up their Kingdom. To everybody’s surprise, Yudhishtira accepts the offer. In Khandava, the Pandavas setup their capital in Indraprastha, a grand city build by Lord Indra himself.  Rishi Narada tells the Pandavas the story of Sunda and Upasunda and advises them to setup a rule among themselves regarding the companionship of Draupadi with her husbands. But Arjuna had to break the rule to avoid a crisis. And as his punishment Arjuna goes into exile for twelve long years where he encounters several other romantic adventures. Listen to this intriguing episode by clicking on the audio player below. The episode can also be heard on iTunes. And join our Facebook page to stay updated.

Dhritarashtra and Yudhistira

When the blind king Dritarashtra learned that the Pandavas have survived the fire in Varanavata and have gained a strong ally, King Drupada of Panchala by marrying his daughter Draupadi, he was in deep trouble. He had already declared Duryodhana to be the crown prince of Hastinapura. Now if the Pandavas come back to Hastinapura and demand the throne, what would he do? Listen to this exciting episode by clicking on the player below.

Binayak Bandopadhyay at the EBC Radio Studio

Recently, Binayak Bandopadhyay took few days off from his busy schedule as a fellow at the prestigious Iowa University International Writers Program (IWP) and visited us in New Jersey. I jumped on this opportunity and invited him to our EBC Drama Club to talk about his works – poetry and prose. Binayak, who is regarded as one of the most promising writers in Bengali language, is never tired of speaking about his favorite topic – literature. In this session, Binayak reads from his works (translated to English) and talks about his experience at the IWP in Iowa which has been attended earlier by stalwarts like Sunil Ganguly, Sankha Ghosh, Joy Goswami, Kabita Singha and others. Subrata Bhaumik, a local literary enthusiast also joined us at the studio and made the discussion even livelier. Listen to this episode and don’t hesitate to give us your comment.

Draupadi’s Marriage

After passing Drupad’s test, Arjuna wins Draupadi as his bride. But when the Pandavas arrive at their home, their mother Kunti asks them to do something that changes their lives for ever. Listen to this amazing episode below.

Arjuna attempts to hit the target while Krishna, Draupadi and Drupada watch.

Listen to another episode of the stories of Mahabharata. In this episode, we go to the city of Kampilya in Panchala, where the Pandavas attend the Swayavara of Draupadi, King Drupada’s daughter. There, Arjuna passes the most difficult test set for an archer and wins Draupadi as his bride. Listen to the podcast below. And don’t forget to join our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MahabharataPodcast.

The Flaming House of Varanabata

The stories of Mahabharata continues with this eighth episode – The Flaming house of Varanabata. With the advice from Shakuni, Duryodhana comes up with a devious plan to kill the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra sends the Pandavas to Varanabata to attend a festival. But the Pandavas escape the trap set for them and flee into the forest. There Bheema encounters the demons Hidimb and Hidimbaa. Listen to this exciting episode in the podcast below.

(Story told by Sudipta Bhawmik, Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Avi Ziv)

Drona takes his revenge on Drupada

The stories of Mahabharata are not only about kings and gods and demons. It is also a tale of ethics, morality and politics.  The needs and conflicts that drive each character are the same that drives us today. The great weapons teacher Drona Acharya was a Brahmin. A Brahmin was supposed to have the noblest of qualities and free of petty politics and trivialities of life. Their main purpose in life was to acquire wisdom and spread knowledge to their pupils.  But Drona, had his own axe to grind.  He became the royal weapons teacher of the Kuru princes with a single objective in mind. He wanted to take his revenge on Drupada, the King of Panchala, for the insult he had to tolerate in Drupada’s court. We also learn how the Kaurava brothers start planning for their next step to eliminate their arch rivals, the Pandavas.

Kunti and Karna

In this episode of the stories from Mahabharata, Drona arranges for a grand show where his students, the Kuru princes demonstrate their prowess with arms. Arjuna dazzles the audience by his prowess with a variety of arms and weapons. But suddenly Karna enters the arena and the story takes a dranstic turn which none could have expected. Listen to this episode on the player below, or by subscribing to this podcast on iTunes.

NABC 2014 Literary Seminar

প্রতি বছরের মতো, এবছরও ধুম ধাম করে উত্তর আমেরিকা বঙ্গ সম্মেলন অনুষ্ঠিত হলো ওর্লান্ডো শহরে। আর প্রতি বছরের মত, বাংলা সংস্কৃতির নানান পসরার সঙ্গে সঙ্গে বাংলা সাহিত্যও সামান্য একটু মুখ দেখাবার সুযোগ পেয়েছিল। গান, বাজনা, নাটক ইত্যাদি অনুষ্ঠান উপলক্ষে যত খরচ হয়েছে, বাংলা সাহিত্যের ক্ষেত্রে খরচ করা হয়েছে তার এক ক্ষুদ্র ভগ্নাংশ মাত্র। তবু একেবারে যে হারিয়ে যায়নি, তার জন্য বেশ কিছু অভিবাসী সাহিত্য প্রেমিকে ধন্যবাদ জানাতে হয়। এবছর, সাহিত্য সভার দায়িত্ব পরেছিল আমার উপর। বাজেট সীমিত, সুতরাং খুব ভাবনা চিন্তা করে এগোতে হয়েছিল। দেশের বিশিষ্ট সাহিত্যিকদের মধ্যে থেকে আমরা পেয়েছিলাম শ্রীজাত এবং বিনায়ক বন্দোপাধ্যায়কে। বিনায়ক এসেছিলেন দুকুল পত্রিকার সৌজন্যে। দেশ পত্রিকার সম্পাদক শ্রী হর্ষ দত্ত আসবেন বলেছিলেন, কিন্তু শেষে জানালেন অনিবার্য কারণ বশতঃ তিনি আসতে পারছেন না। তবে আমি ঠিক করেছিলাম দেশের (অর্থাৎ কলকাতার) সাহিত্যিকদের সঙ্গে, আমাদের কিছু অভিবাসী সাহিত্যিককে আমন্ত্রণ জানাব, যাতে দুদিনের অনুষ্ঠান করতে কোন অসুবিধে না হয়।

শনিবার আর রবিবার, দুদিনই সকাল বিকেল ছিল অনুষ্ঠান। শনিবার সকালে ছিল একটি আলোচনা সভা, অংশগ্রহন করেছিলেন, শ্রীজাত, বিনায়ক বন্দোপাধ্যায়, এবং আমাদের নিজেদের, আলোলিকা মুখোপাধ্যায়। আলোচনার বিষয় ছিল, “আমার কাছে কবিতা/গল্প কিভাবে আসে।” কোনো একটি অনুপ্রেরণা বা সুত্র থেকে একটি কবিতা বা গল্প লেখকের মন থেকে কিভাবে কলমের গোড়ায় নেমে আসে, সেই রহস্যের কিছুটা ইঙ্গিত পাওয়াই ছিল আমার উদ্দেশ্য। যদিও জানি প্রশ্নটার উত্তর দেওয়া খুবই কঠিন, কিন্তু নিজেকে প্রশ্ন না করলে তো উত্তর মিলবে না কোনদিনও। তাছাড়া সাধারণ পাঠকের কাছে এটা একটা চিরন্তন কৌতুহল। আমাদের অতিথি সাহিত্যিক দের জন্যই হোক বা, বিষয় বস্তুর আকর্ষণের কারণেই হোক, খুব শীঘ্রই ঘর ভরে গেল উদগ্রীব পাঠক শ্রোতার ভিড়ে। ইতিমধ্যে অনিন্দ চট্টোপাধ্যায় (চন্দ্রবিন্দু), শুভমিতা, অনুপম রায়, ইত্যাদি “সেলিব্রিটি” ঘরে এসে বসতেই, সভা পুরোপুরি জমে গেল। আলোলিকা-দি বললেন, অভিবাসী জীবন থেকেই তিনি খুঁজে পান তার গল্প সাহিত্যের উপাদান। কয়েকটি উদাহরণ দিয়ে বললেন কিভাবে সেই উপাদান থেকে তিনি নির্মান করেছেন তার গল্প। এরপর তরুণ কবি ও গদ্যকার বিনায়ক বললেন, যদিও তিনি খুব সঠিক ভাবে জানেন না কিভাবে কবিতা তার কাছে আসে, তবে এটুকু জানেন যে কবিতা যখন আসে, তখন আসে এক প্রবল বন্যার মত। সব কিছু ভাসিয়ে নিয়ে যায়। তাকে রোখা যায় না, লিখে ফেলা ছাড়া কোনো উপায় থাকে না। তুলনায়, গল্প উপন্যাস আসে অনেক সহজে। তবে বিনায়ক যখন বললেন, আজকের সামাজিক রাজনৈতিক পটভূমিকায় দাড়িয়ে সব বিষয় নিয়ে লেখা যায় না, তখন উপস্থিত অনেক পাঠক শ্রোতার ভ্রু কুঞ্চিত হতে লক্ষ্য করলাম। আশংকা করলাম প্রশ্ন উঠবে লেখকের দায়িত্ব প্রসঙ্গে, এবং তা এলো। বিনায়ক অবশ্য বললেন, যে লেখকের অবশ্যই সস্বাধীনতা রয়েছে যে কোন বিষয়ে লেখার, কিন্তু প্রকাশক সম্পাদক সেটা গ্রহণ করবেন কিনা সে বিষয়ে যথেষ্ট সন্দেহ রয়েছে। কিন্তু আলোচনার মধ্যে থেকে এটুকু স্পষ্ট হয়ে উঠলো, যে আজকের তরুণ লেখক তার সামাজিক এবং রাজনৈতিক গ্রহণ যোগ্যতা বিষয়ে অত্যন্ত সচেতন। এর পরের বক্তা ছিলেন শ্রীজাত। উনিও বিনায়কের সঙ্গে একমত হয়ে বললেন, কবিতা তার কাছে হঠাতই আসে, আর যখন আসে তখন বাস্তব জগত থেকে প্রায় বিচ্ছিন্ন হয়ে পড়েন তিনি। বহুবার গাড়ি চাপা পড়তে পড়তে বেঁচে গিয়েছেন, একবার একটা মৃদু টোকাও খেয়েছেন। তবে শ্রীজাত অকপটে স্বীকার করলেন, কবিতা কিভাবে আসে তার জানা নেই। তবে এটা ঠিক, কি লিখবেন, কিভাবে লিখবেন – তা সবটাই নির্ভর করে তার ইচ্ছার উপর। কবিতার নির্মান বা ক্রাফটিং নিয়ে উনি বেশি ভাবনা চিন্তা করেন না। যে ভাবে কবিতা তার কাছে ধরা দেয়, উনি সেভাবেই তাকে কাগজ-কলমে বন্দী করেন। আলোচনায় অন্যান্য প্রশ্নের মধ্যে একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ন প্রশ্ন করলেন অনিন্দ্য চট্টোপাধ্যায়। বললেন, “দেখা গেছে সম্পাদকের চাপে এবং নির্দিষ্ট সমেয়ের মধ্যে লেখা জমা দেবার তাড়ায়, অনেক সময় অসামান্য কিছু লেখার সৃষ্টি হয়েছে এবং তা অত্যন্ত জনপ্রিয় হয়েছে। বক্তা লেখকদের সে প্রসঙ্গে মতামত কি?” এবিষয়ে অবশ্য সকলেই মোটামুটি একমত হতে দেখা গেল। সময়ের চাপ, বা ডেডলাইন, গদ্যের ক্ষেত্রে যতটা সামলানো সম্ভব, পদ্যের ক্ষেত্রে নয়। কেউ বললেন, সময়ের চাপ যখন থাকে তখন বেশি ভাবনা চিন্তা করার সময় থাকে না। লেখককে সম্পূর্ণ নির্ভর করতে হয় তার অবচেতনের উপর। হয়ত সেই কারণেই সময়ের চাপ অনেক ভালো লেখা বার করে নিতে সক্ষম হয়। লেখার অনেক প্রায়োগিক বিষয় নিয়েও আলোচনা হলো, আমি আর সবিস্তারে সে বিষয়ে যাব না। তবে সভা শেষে সকলে বেশ তৃপ্ত মনেই অন্য অনুষ্ঠান দেখতে বেরিয়ে গেলেন।

Srijato, Sudipta, and Binayak

শনিবার বিকেলে ছিল কবিতা পাঠের আসর। কবিতা পড়লেন, সোমা মুখোপাধ্যায়, রুদ্রশঙ্কর, রাহুল রায়, স্বপ্না রায়, রিমি পতি, ভারতী চৌধুরী, তপতী দাস, তপতী ভট্টাচার্য, এবং অবশ্যই বিনায়ক বন্দোপাধ্যায় ও শ্রীজাত। উপচে পড়া ভিড় দেখে মনে হচ্ছিল, আর একটু বড় ঘর হলে বোধহয় ভালো হত। এক কবিতা প্রেমীর মতে, তার কাছে এই আসরই ছিল বঙ্গ সম্মেলনের শ্রেষ্ঠ অনুষ্ঠান। তাকে অসংখ্য ধন্যবাদ।

পরদিন, রবিবার সকালে ছিল আরেকটি আলোচনা সভা বা প্যানেল ডিসকাসন। বিষয় ছিল, “আন্তর্জাতিক প্রেক্ষাপটে বাংলা ভাষা ও সাহিত্যের প্রচার ও প্রসার।” বক্তা ছিলেন, ম্যাসাচুসেট্স থেকে রাহুল রায়, নর্থ ক্যারোলিনা থেকে অঞ্জলি ভট্টাচার্য্য, নিউ জার্সি থেকে আলোলিকা মুখোপাধ্যায়, ইংল্যান্ড থেকে ভারতী চৌধুরী, এবং সিনসিনাটি থেকে শর্বরী গুপ্ত। নিউ জার্সি থেকে প্রনয় চ্যাটার্জিরও অংশগ্রহন করার কথা ছিল, কিন্তু বিমান বিভ্রাটের জন্য আর এসে পৌঁছতে পারেননি। বক্তারা সকলেই দীর্ঘ দিন পবাসে বাংলা ভাষা ও সাহিত্যের চর্চা করে চলেছেন। নিজেরা লেখা লিখি ছাড়াও সাহিত্য পত্রিকা সম্পাদনা ও প্রকাশনা, সাহিত্য চক্র পরিচালনা ইত্যাদি করে চলেছেন। তাদের কাছে আমার প্রশ্ন ছিল, এই প্রবাস জীবনে তারা কোন তাগিদ থেকে বাংলার চর্চা করে চলেছেন, এবং সেই চর্চার ফসলটাই বা কি? বিশ্বের আঙ্গিনায় বাংলা সাহিত্যের অবস্থানটাই বা কোথায়? রাহুল রায় বললেন বোস্টন এবং নিউ-ইয়র্ক অঞ্চলে বাংলা সাহিত্যের চর্চার ইতিহাস। প্রসঙ্গক্রমে নিউ ইয়র্ক অবস্থিত বাংলা সংস্কৃতি সঙ্ঘ-র (বা Cultural Association of Bengal বা CAB) কথা উঠল। সংবাদ বিচিত্রা নামক পাক্ষিক পত্রিকার মাধ্যমে উত্তর আমেরিকার বাঙালির ঘরে ঘরে বাংলার সংবাদ এবং সাহিত্য পৌছে দেবার যে কাজ শুরু করেছিলেন শ্রী রনজিত দত্ত, তা আজও অব্যাহত। রাহুল বললেন যে আজ ম্যাসাচুসেট্স এ বাংলা সাহিত্যের চর্চা এক তুঙ্গে পৌঁছেছে, যার পেছনে রয়েছে একাধিক ব্যক্তির ঐকান্তিক প্রচেষ্টা। “লেখনি” পাঠচক্র এক অনবদ্য ভূমিকা পালন করে চলেছে। আশাবাদী রাহুল বললেন, উত্তর আমেরিকায় বাংলা ভাষা গৌরবের সঙ্গে বেঁচে রয়েছে এবং থাকবে।

শ্রীমতি আলোলিকা মুখোপাধ্যায়ও CAB’র প্রসঙ্গ তুললেন তার বক্তব্যে। এছাড়া, নিউ জার্সি এবং নিউ ইয়র্ক থেকে প্রকাশিত একাধিক পত্রিকার কথা বললেন, যার মধ্যে রয়েছে অতলান্তিক, সাংবাদিক, উদয়ন, কল্লোল সাহিত্য পত্রিকা, উড়ালপুল, আনন্দ সংবাদ এবং আনন্দলিপি। দীর্ঘদিন ধরে প্রকাশিত অন্তর্জাল পত্রিকা পরবাস-এর কথাও উল্লেখিত হল।  বললেন গায়াত্রি গামার্শ সাহিত্য পুরস্কারের কথা। উত্তর আমেরিকা থেকে বোধহয় এটাই একমাত্র বাংলা সাহিত্যের পুরস্কার। এই পুরস্কার কিন্তু শুধু উত্তর আমেরিকার লেখকদের জন্যই নয়। সারা পৃথিবীর বাংলা সাহিত্যের লেখকরা এই পুরস্কারের জন্য মনোনীত হতে পারেন।

অধ্যাপক কবি শ্রীমতি অঞ্জলি ভট্টাচার্য্য বললেন ওয়াশিংটন ডি সি, এবং নর্থ ক্যারোলিনায় প্রতিষ্ঠিত “গদ্য পদ্যের আসর-এর ” কথা। এই আসরের মাধ্যমে সাহিত্য চর্চা, ভাবনার আদান প্রদান ঘটিয়ে বাংলা সাহিত্যকে এদশে বাঁচিয়ে রাখার প্রয়াস চালিয়ে যাচ্ছেন তারা। কলকাতায় একটি সাখা খোলা হয়েছে। কলকাতা তথা পশ্চিমবঙ্গে প্রতিশ্রুতি সম্পন্ন ছাত্র ছাত্রীদের একটি বৃত্তি দেবার ব্যবস্থাও করেছে এই সংস্থা।

শ্রীমতি ভারতী চৌধুরী আমাদের জানালেন ইংল্যান্ডে বাংলা সাহিত্যের হাল হকিকত। জানালেন বিভিন্ন বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় গুলি কিভাবে বাংলা ভাষা প্রসারের কাজ করছে। তবে অনার কথা শুনে মনে হলো, ইংল্যান্ডে বাংলা ভাষার উপর বেশির ভাগ কাজ করছেন বাংলাদেশী অভিবাসীরাই।

আমাদের সর্ব শেষ বক্তা ছিলেন, দুকুল পত্রিকার সম্পাদক শর্বরী গুপ্ত। শর্বরী বললেন কেন তিনি এই পত্রিকা প্রকাশ করতে উদ্যোগী হলেন এবং কি কি সমস্যার মোকাবিলা তাকে করতে হয়। বললেন, ভালো লেখা পাওয়া একটা সমস্যা। বললেন, পত্রিকার মান বজায় রাখতে হলে, সব লেখা সব সময় ছাপা সম্ভব হয় না। কিন্তু অনেক অভিবাসী লেখক, তাদের লেখা মনোনীত না হলে ক্ষুব্ধ হন। এছাড়া পাঠক পাওয়া এবং পাঠক তৈরী করা একটি বড় সমস্যা। অর্থনৈতিক সমস্যা তো রয়েছেই। তবু সব কিছু অতিক্রম করে দুকুল এগিয়ে যেতে বদ্ধপরিকর। শ্রোতাদের সঙ্গে আলোচনায় উঠে এলো নানান প্রসঙ্গ। কেউ বললেন বাংলা ভাষা প্রসারের জন্য অভিবাসী বাংলাদেশীরা যতটা তৎপর, পশ্চিম বঙ্গের বাঙালিরা ততটা নন। তাদের পরবর্তী প্রজন্ম বাংলা ভাষার ব্যবহারে অনেক বেশি স্বচ্ছল এবং সাবলীল। তুলনায়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গের বাঙালি (দ্বিতীয়) প্রজন্মের সন্তানেরা ছোটবেলায় একটু আধটু বাংলা বললেও, পরে তা ভুলে যান। তাদের বাবা মাও সে বিষয়ে উদাসীন। উত্তরে একজন জানালেন যে পশ্চিম বঙ্গের বাঙালি প্রথমে ভারতীয়, তারপর বাঙালি। সুতরাং বাংলার প্রতি তার দায়বদ্ধতা তেমন জোরালো নয়। পরবর্তী প্রজন্মের কাছে বঙ্গ সাহিত্য পৌঁছে দেবার জন্য আরেকটি প্রস্তাব এলো। বাংলা হরফের বদলে যদি ইংরাজি বা রোমান হরফে আমরা বাংলা লিখি, তাহলে হয়ত অনেকেই তা পড়তে পারবে এবং বুঝতে পারবে। কম্পিউটার, ইন্টারনেট এবং স্মার্ট ফোনের যুগে আমরা প্রায়শই এই ভাবে বাংলায় আমদের মনের কথা প্রকাশ করি। অভ্র বা গুগল ব্যবহার করে আমরা এভাবেই লিখি। যেহেতু আমদের পরবর্তী প্রজন্মের ছেলে মেয়েরা বাংলা বুঝতে সক্ষম, কেবল বাংলা হরফ পড়তে তাদের বেশি সমস্যা, সুতরাং এভাবে তাদের কাছে বাংলা ভাষা পৌঁছে দেওয়া হয়ত কিছুটা সহজ হবে। পৃথিবীর অনেক ভাষাই রোমান হরফ ব্যবহার করে। সুতরাং বাংলা ভাষায় ব্যবহার করলে অসুবিধেটা কোথায়? অন্যান্য আরও অনেক বিষয়েই আলোচনা হলো, কিন্তু সল্প পরিসরে সব কিছু লেখা সম্ভব নয়। কিন্তু সভা শেষে এটা পরিস্কার বোঝা গেল, বাংলা ভাষা ফুরিয়ে যায়নি, সহজে যাবেও না।

Inauguration of NABC Literary Magazine

রবিবার বিকেলের শেষ অনুষ্ঠান ছিল অনু গল্পের আসর। শর্ত ছিল, পাঁচ মিনিট বা তার কম সময়ে স্বরচিত গল্প পাঠ করতে হবে। গল্প পড়লেন রাহুল রায়, স্বপ্না রায়, আলোলিকা মুখোপাধ্যায়, কৌশিক সেন, তপতী ভট্টাচার্য্য, নিলয় মুখার্জি, জয়ন্তী বন্দোপাধ্যায়, কিষান লাল চক্রবর্তী। আমারও সুযোগ হয়েছিল দুটি গল্প শোনাবার। শেষে বিনায়ক বন্দোপাধ্যায় শোনালেন একটি গল্প। গল্পটি তিনি লিখে আনেননি। আগের দিন সন্ধ্যাবেলায় মূল প্রেক্ষাগৃহে ঘটে যাওয়া একটি ছোট্ট ঘটনাকে (যার সাক্ষী আমিও ছিলাম) কেন্দ্র করে একটি চমত্কার গল্প শোনালেন তিনি। আমাদের প্রথম অধিবেশনের মূল প্রশ্নের উত্তর একটি জলজ্যান্ত উদাহরণের মাধ্যমে দিয়ে গেলেন প্রতিভাধর লেখক বিনায়ক।
অনুষ্ঠানের এক ফাঁকে বঙ্গ সম্মেলনে প্রকাশিত স্মরণ পত্রিকাটির আনুষ্ঠানিক উন্মোচন করলেন বিনায়ক বন্দোপাধ্যায়। পত্রিকাটি সম্পাদনা করেছেন আলোলিকা মুখোপাধ্যায়। দেশ বিদেশের বিশিষ্ট লেখকদের লেখায় সমৃদ্ধ কাগজটি পাঠকদের সমাদর পাবে বলে মনে করি।

চৌতিরিশতম উত্তর আমেরিকা বঙ্গ-সম্মেলনের অন্যান্য অনুষ্ঠান কেমন হয়েছে জানিনা, তবে যারা সাহিত্য অধিবেশনে এসেছিলেন, তারা যে আনন্দ পেয়েছেন সে বিষয়ে কোনো সন্দেহ নেই। আশা রাখি, আগামী বছর গুলিতে বঙ্গ সম্মেলনের উদ্যোক্তারা বাংলা সাহিত্য সভার ব্যাপারে আরও একটু যত্নশীল হবেন এবং বিনিয়োগের অঙ্কটা আর একটু বাড়াবেন।

Drona tests his students

In this episode, Guru Dronacharya arrives in Hastinapura and awes the Kuru princes with his skills. Bhishma retains him as the royal arms and weapons trainer for the Pandava and Kaurava brothers. Arjuna excels in archery. Ekalavya, a tribal boy, comes to Drona to learn from him. Drona refuses to accept him as a student. But Ekalavya masters the art of archery by practicing in front of a statue of Dronacharya for which he had to pay the ultimate guru dakshina.

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Srijato

Once again, the North America Bengali Conference (NABC) or Bongo Sammelan, is welcoming the Bengalis of the world to get together for a fun filled weekend.  This time, Orlando, Florida is hosting the NABC. Like previous years, star performers from overseas will be gracing the Hyatt Orlando stages to entertain the attendees from all over the country. I won’t get into those details since you can find all that information on NABC website. Rather, I’d like to talk to you about some of the events which receive less attention from the audience as well as the organizers. Events for which you’ll only find some sketchy details on the website, if any at all.

The first event I’d like to draw your attention to, is the Literary Seminar (as I am responsible in arranging this event). We all appreciate that literature is the primary cornerstone of any culture, and we, the Bengalis, are proud to have a great literary legacy. But in NABC these days, the literary events  happen quietly in one of the hidden meeting rooms. You’d be lucky if you can find the room. But interested people do find their way. A total of eight hours (over the two days) would be dedicated to the literary events which consists of seminars, panel discussion, poetry and prose reading sessions. This year, we have two accomplished poets from Kolkata, Srijato and Binayak Bandopadhyay.  They, along with some of our local authors, will talk about the creative process. How an inspiration gets transformed to a poem or prose, will be the topic of discussion. A panel discussion, featuring some of the most active people involved in promoting Bengali literature in USA and UK, will talk about their experiences and their challenges. We will also have poetry reading sessions, and a special Flash Fiction (or micro-story) session. So, please drop by and spend some quality time with Bengali literature. 

Binayak Bandopadhyay

The Film Festival does get some attention, but that depends on which stars are attending the sessions. Although most films can be watched sooner or later in DVDs or other formats,  but if the directors of these movies attend the screening, then the Q&A session can turn out to be exciting.

One of the key attractions of NABC is to meet old friends.  The reunions arranged for the major universities and colleges of Bengal can be a great event to meet old friends. But once again, you may have to invest some time to figure out the venues and schedule of the reunions which remains another neglected event.

The arts and exhibition is another low key event which stays under the radar for most people. But if you happen to land up to exhibit center, you may be pleasantly surprised to see not only the exhibits but also the love and care with which the entire show is presented.

Youth Seminars are another low profile event that most adult attendees hardly ever notice. Well, I am not asking you to actively participate, but you can encourage your children to join them. I hear, they are quite enjoyable events, and your children can not only have a great time, but also make new friends.

Classical music section is another one. This year we have some very talented and virtuoso performers will grace the stage. Ustad Saheed Parvez is recognized as one of the best Sitar players of our times. Sandipan Samajpati and Kumar Mukherjee are two very talented vocalists and they will be accompanied by none other than Pandit Ramesh Mishra on Sarengi.

So, if you are attending the 2014 NABC, please make it a point to attend these less celebrated but extremely important events. I know, you’ll be busy attending the shows of the guest performers like Chandrabindu, Rupankar Bagchi, Anupam Roy, Subhamita Bappi Lahiri and others. But if you find some spare time, attend these less popular shows and I can assure you that you’ll not repent.

Another request, please do attend the domestic performances. They work hard to put up a good show, and they deserve our encouragement.

Young Bheema fight with the Nagas

The stories of Mahabharata continues. The conflict between the Pandava brothers and the Kaurava brothers began at an early age.  In this episode we learn of the first attempt by the Kaurava brothers, primarily Duryodhona and Duhsashana, to eliminate their arch rival Bheema. The story gives us a glimpse of the extent to which the Kauravas could go to achieve their goals. Enjoy and do not forget to give your feedback.

(Note: You can also subscribe to this series (for free) as podcast on iTunes store or any other podcast aggregator. Just search for Mahabharata and Bhawmik.)

Pandu Hunts the Deer Couple.

The stories of Mahabharata continues. In this episode we learn about the birth of the Kuru princes, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. We also learn about the tragic death of King Pandu caused by a curse from the dying sage Kindama.

Audio engineering and sound design by Avi Ziv.

Bhishma abducts Amba, Ambika and Ambalika

After a long hiatus, we bring to you the fully produced version of the episode 2 of the Stories of Mahabharata Series – Amba’s Plight. In this episode, he learn how Bhisma abducts the three princesses of Kashi, Amba, Ambika and Ambalika by force and brings them to Hastinapur to get them married to his brother Vichitravirya.  Amba declines to marry Vichitravirya. Vichitravirya marries Ambika and Ambalika but dies without leaving an heir. Satyavati then invokes the practice of Niyoga and asks Vyasa to give the Kuru dynasty an heir. Listen to this crucial and exciting episode and share your thoughts with us.

Noti Binodini

I grew up in a small campus town where entertainment options were quite limited.  We did have some limited opportunities to watch cinema during the weekends, but that was rare. So we all waited for the Jatra companies to visit our town after the Puja’s with their exciting performances. Months before the show, monochrome or dual tone lithographic posters printed on thin paper covered the walls, lamp posts, even tree trunks all around the town. Publicists of the show organizers announced the details of the upcoming Jatra festival using a battery powered portable PA system mounted on a cycle rickshaw and threw dozens of colorful handbills in the air.  Weeks before the festival,  walls made of corrugated tin enclosed a large football (soccer) field. The top covered with tarp supported by wooden poles. Inside, in the center of the field, was a square stage built on wooden platforms where the actors performed.  The actors entered and exited through a ramp leading from the dressing rooms to the stage. On either side of the stage, at a slightly lower level,  sat the musicians who played live music with harmonium, trumpet, cymbals, tabla, dholak, flute etc. The contents of the plays ranged from mythological to historical to social issues.  The show used to start sometime around 8 pm, sometimes even later. We all arrived as early as possible to grab the seat closest to the stage to get a good view of the action and the actors. The seat, of course, was on the ground covered with tarpaulin. Those were the cheapest seats. The more expensive upperclass seats were nothing but steel folding chairs placed far from the stage. We, the kids, never liked those seats.  We sat there for hours as the ground started to fill up. Vendors skillfully weaved through the seated people with a variety of snack offerings – peanuts, jhaalmuri, chanchur etc. Suddenly, we’d see the musicians entering the stage and taking their seats on the two sides of the stage.  The crowd would stir in anticipation. When the first bell rang, the musicians would start to tune their instruments. The loud cacophony that ensued was good enough to prepare the crowd for the next event. In the meantime, one of the Jatra company person would come out to distribute the program or playbill, which was nothing but a yellow piece of paper listing the characters followed by the sequence of scenes, the place where the scene takes place and the characters in those scenes.  Since the stage had no sets, scenery or props (except for one chair), the playbill served as a guide to inform when and where a scene was taking place. When the second bell rang, the musicians would begin their opening concert and at the conclusion of which entered the dancers with the opening “item” number.

The Jatra, however, attracted quite a few powerful actors of the time. I have had the good fortune of watching the performances of famous actors like Diju Bhawal, Swapan Kumar, Arun Dasgupta, Bina Dasgupta, Shantigopal and many others. Sometimes, the Jatra producers would try to introduce some special features to attract the people. Like one time, one company announced that they would be presenting, for the first time in the history of Jatra, a completely Technicolor show (sompurno rongin jatra pala). I was very curious to see what they exactly meant by a “Technicolor Jatra Pala,” because I never knew that the Jatra palas we have been watching all these years were in black and white.  When the show started,  I realized why they made such a claim. The show used a bunch of theatrical flood lights of multiple colors being focussed on the actors on stage in random sequence. The use of colored lights was of course a first, since in most other Jatra shows, they’d use a simple white or amber light  good enough to keep the actors visible.

Ramkrishna

However, the Jatra I remember most, was Natya Company’s classic production – Noti Binodini. Although I saw this play in a proscenium theatre (Open Air Theatre stage in IIT Kharagpur) and not on a typical Jatra stage, still I’d say that it was one of the most memorable Jatra’s of my life. The play, written by Brojendra Kumar Dey, had the right combination of all the melodramatic elements to keep the audience engaged.

The Jatra Noti Binodini is about the sacrifice of a sex worker turned actress Binodini Dashi, a protege of the famous playwright and director Girish Chandra Ghosh. The play depicts the time of the Bengal renaissance when Bengali Theatre, along with other forms of art, literature and culture, was going through a major change. Those days,  a woman to act on stage, in front of hundreds of men, was considered to be disgraceful and unacceptable to the society. Hence all female characters on stage used to be performed by men. To make theatre more realistic, Girish Ghosh and some of his contemporaries  introduced women actresses on professional stage by hiring and training the sex workers of the city. The story depicts how Binodini was not only marginalized  by the society due to her birth, but also how she was exploited by the theatre establishment who wanted to use her to ensure their existence. Finally it was the great reformist Hindu saint, Ramakrishna Paramahansa, who showed her the path to salvation.

After a long time, the New Jersey theater lovers will be able to enjoy Jatra in their own neighborhood. The Jatra pala “Noti Binodini” will be staged at the Bharat Sevashram Sangha premises on Saturday July 14th  at 8:30pm. Few years back, the play Noti Bindodini was staged in New Jersey by a visiting theatre company from Kolkata led by the then Indian central minister Mr. Ajit Panja. However, the play was renamed as “Ramakrishna,” most likely to satisfy the minister as he played the title role. The play was staged in a standard proscenium theater and it hardly had the ambiance of Jatra. The Bharat Sevashram Sangha production, I am told, would bring back the feel of the traditional Jatra with a stage open on three sides. Live musicians would play the tunes and songs sung live by the actors themselves.  The performers include a bunch of talented local actors who are giving their best to present something new to the community. The show is directed by Aparajita Das and the music is directed by Partha Sarathi Mukherjee.

If you are a Jatra lover like me, then you’d not like to miss this one time opportunity. I am eagerly waiting for the first bell to ring and the concert to begin. Hope to see you there.

Suman Mukhopadhyay

Recently Suman Mukhopadhyay was in town. He had come to New York to attend the screening of his latest film “Sesher Kabita” (The Last Poem) which is yet to release commercially. Mriitika of New Jersey (a non profit organization dedicated to the promotion of Indian culture and heritage in USA), led by Dhriti Bagchi, arranged for a screening of the film at the Marlboro Library. The show started at 5:45pm on a weekday afternoon (Monday to be precise), but the film managed to attract a full house. I went to the film with lot of apprehension.  Making a film from a classic text, and that too one written by Rabindranath Tagore, is no easy task.  “Sesher Kabita” is one of the most read novels of Tagore and each of us have created in us our own mental movie of this romantic text. And this movie often conflicts with the one projected on the screen. But for me, the film was a pleasant surprise. Suman managed to capture the romanticism in a beautifully orchestrated series or images and moments that keeps you glued to the seat just to enjoy the poetry being projected.

Later, during the Q&A, Suman informed us that the film was commissioned to him by the Government of India to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th anniversary in 2011. He also answered several question on the film, most of which dealt with the artistic choices he had to make in order to make the film. Later that evening, I had  the opportunity to sit with him one on one and talk about his inspiration for creating art, be it theatre or a film. Listen to the recording of the conversation given below or download the podcast on your mobile device and listen at your leisure. I am sure, all film and theatre lovers will find his views quite inspiring.

Mahabharata – Vyasa the story teller and Ganesha the scribe

I think I am not exaggerating when I say that the Mahabharata is the greatest story ever told.  The story of the Kuru dynasty has inspired and enlivened not only the Indians for generations, but the entire humanity. Writers, performers, story tellers, have over the ages,  told us the story several times in different forms. Still it remains ever fresh to us. However, the western world has largely ignored this great epic.  Except for Peter Brook’s theatrical attempt (which was later modified to a television miniseries), I am not aware of any other major attempt. The text of the Mahabharata has been translated to English by many writers, but still they failed to excite the western performers.

Recently, as a part of the EBC Radio Drama Club, I have embarked upon a project to retell the stories of the Mahabharata in my own humble way in English. I hope you, and especially our children, listen to these stories and like them.  If you like them, then join us on the radio (EBC Radio -1170AM in New Jersey, or http://ebcmusic.com, or on your smartphone EBC Radio app) or listen to the recordings here or on iTunes Podcast store (free) on nynjbengali.com channel. This episode (1) was recorded directly from the live broadcast.

Ganga, Devabrata and Shantanu

The first episode of the Stories of Mahabharata podcast series has been missing for a long time. The episode was not added because it did not have the production quality that we have been striving for. After a long break, we finally found some time to rerecord this episode and mix the vocal track with sound effects and music to make it at par with the rest of the episodes. We hope you like it.

This episode tells the story of the beginnings of the great saga told by Rishi Vyasa and written by lord Ganesha. The story begins with the narrative of King Shantanu’s marriage with Ganga and the birth of Devabrata. Later we learn how prince Devabrata becomes the great Bhishma because of his “Bhisham” or profound vow – a vow which kickstarts the story of the Mahabharata and the destiny of the Kuru dynasty.

Palok

Over the years, I have tried to capture the conflicts and struggles of our expatriate lives in America through my plays. And one of the greatest struggles we face is to rear our children in this foreign land. In many of my plays,  the relationship (and conflicts) between parents with their children has come up in various forms – sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. In “Ron” it was the conflict of ideals and loyalty between the two generations. In “Satyameva” the longing for parenthood of a lonely father was the key issue. In “Taconic Parkway” the struggle to cope with the loss of a teenage daughter created the drama.  In “Cassandra…” the empty nesters hope and wish to get back to their child drove the play. However, the issue of parenting in its most primitive sense was never explored before until “Palok”.  The challenges of rearing a child during the early formative years is the most trying period for any parent. It tests their patience, their resolve and their sense of responsibility to the maximum, especially in a country where you don’t have the support system of your immediate family.  And during those difficult moments, they sometimes lose control of their senses and do things to their children which borders on “criminal” behavior.

Some  may argue that the term “criminal” may be a bit harsh. Sometimes, disciplining a child becomes a necessity and timely intervention can be beneficial to a child who otherwise might have taken the wrong course. But what is the difference between disciplining a child and abusing him? We come from a country where  physical abuse in the name of disciplining a child, is an accepted norm. In schools, caning a mischievous child was quite common. Maybe it still is, especially in suburbs and villages.  Nobody bats an eyelid when a young child laborer gets beaten black and blue for committing a minor offense.  Children in India hardly have any rights. Hence violating their rights does not sound “illegal” or “criminal” at all. But that is not the case in all countries. These days, when we are no longer bound by geographical boundaries, when we easily transfer from one culture to the other, one nation to the other, we should also try to adopt the legal rights and privileges the country offers to its citizens.

In recent times, several incidents of expatriate Indian parents losing their child’s custody to foreign governments have been reported in the media. Most of these reports tend to portray the parents to be the victims of an unjust and unfair legal system. They tend to ignore the reason behind such an action by the local child protective agency.  They argue that a parent has the right to treat their child in whatever manner they feel is right. Sometimes ignorance also contributes to this problem. Many a new parent are not aware of the delicate physiology of their child and don’t know how to properly handle them. But ignorance is not an excuse. If a child is hurt, intentionally or unintentionally, the responsible party is tried and held accountable.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that the government agency is always right. Several cases of corruption and false accusation has been reported against these agencies. Sometimes these agencies are not sensitive to the cultural differences, especially in families of new immigrants. But we fail to appreciate  that the laws in this country dictate, that  if there exists the slightest possibility of child abuse, protecting the child is of the highest priority. Such a system can surely result in false alarms and unfair treatment of the adult caregivers. But it is a necessary evil that we must accept to protect the child.

The play “Palok” explores this delicate issue of child care and parental responsibility through a story that is well known to many of us. The choices the characters make in the play, may not be what most parents in their situation would make, but I hope their conflicts and tribulations raise enough questions and try to seek an acceptable solution to this complex problem instead of blaming anybody.

Chandan Sen

Recently, at the EBC Radio Drama Club show, I had the opportunity to chat with the noted theatre personality of Kolkata, Chandan Sen.  Chandan Sen is quite well known to the theatre loving Bengali crowd of North America. He has not only directed and performed in plays in USA, but he has also been involved as a technical consultant to several North America Bengali Conferences. In this conversation Chandan talks about how he got into theatre, his views about the current status of theatre in West Bengal and many other things. I hope you enjoy the discussion.

ফেসবুকের মাধ্যমে জানতে পারলাম স্টার থিয়েটারে জি-বাংলা নাট্য উত্সবের আয়োজন করেছে। । বাছা বাছা কয়েকটি নাটক মঞ্চস্থ হবে সেই উত্সবে। অনুষ্ঠানসূচীতে দেখলাম সোহন বন্দোপাধ্যায়ের “যদিদং” নাটকটিও রয়েছে। “যদিদং” নাটকটি সম্পর্কে অনেক শুনেছি, পড়েছি। তাই অনেকদিন ধরেই ইচ্ছে ছিল নাটকটি দেখার। সুতরাং সুযোগ ছাড়লাম না, বারাসাত থেকে গাড়ি নিয়ে যথা সময়ে পৌঁছে গেলাম ঐতিহাসিক স্টার থিয়েটারে। ভয় ছিল টিকিট পাবো কিনা, কারণ শুনেছিলাম নাটকটি খুবই জনপ্রিয়তা লাভ করেছে। কিন্তু হলে গিয়ে দেখি সাকুল্যে জনা পঞ্চাশেক দর্শক, তার মধ্যে বেশ কিছু নিমন্ত্রিত। মাত্র চল্লিশ টাকা প্রবেশমূল্য, তাও দর্শক নেই। পরে শুনলাম এই উত্সবের যথেষ্ট প্রচার হয়নি, তাই কলকাতার বেশির ভাগ থিয়েটার প্রেমী দর্শক জানেনই না, এত সুলভে নাটক দেখার সুযোগ করে দিয়েছে জি-বাংলা।

“যদিদং” -কে হয়ত একটি আধুনিক প্রহসন বলা যেতে পারে, সুরিয়ালিস্ট কমেডিও বলা যেতে পারে। বিবাহ নামক প্রতিষ্ঠানটিকে যে সময়ে আমরা ক্রমাগত চ্যালেঞ্জ করে চলেছি, আঘাতের পর আঘাত করে তাকে ধুলিস্যাত করে ফেলতে চাইছি, ঠিক সেই সময়ে দাড়িয়েই সোহনের এই নাটক আমাদের শেখায় যে, বিবাহিত জীবন কেবল মাত্র এক আইনি বন্ধন নয়, সামাজিক রীতি নয়, আরও বেশি কিছু। এমন কিছু, যা ইচ্ছে করলেই ছিড়ে ফেলা যায় না, কোর্টের ডিক্রি অনুসারে ভাগ করা যায় না, কেটে ভাগাভাগি করা যায় না। সেই কিছু-র নাম হয়ত ভালবাসা, হয়ত সমঝোতা, হয়ত সহনশীলতা, কিম্বা হয়ত স্রেফ “মনুর মা”!

আমার এক প্রিয়জন একটা কথা বলতেন, “বিয়ের আগে যে মনোরমা, বিয়ের কিছুদিন বাদেই সে হয়ে যায় মনোর মা!” কিন্তু সেই “মনোর মা” বা “মনুর মা”-রাই যে সংসার টিকিয়ে রাখার প্রধান উপাদান, সেটা আমরা অনেক সময়েই ভুলে যাই। যদিদং নাটকের দুই চরিত্র, এক তরুণ দম্পতি (সোহন বন্দোপাধ্যায় ও মৌসুমী সেনগুপ্ত), সেই কথাটাই ভুলে গিয়েছিল। সাত বছর বিবাহিত জীবন কাটাবার পর তারা স্থির করে আর এই ভাবে থাকা তাদের পক্ষে সম্ভব নয়। তাদের সমস্থ স্থাবর সম্পত্তি তারা সমান দুই ভাগে ভাগ করে নেয়। চেয়ার টেবিল, আসবাব, ফ্রিজ – সমস্ত কিছুই করাত দিয়ে কেটে দু টুকরো করে ভাগ করে নেয়। ঘরের মধ্যে রেখা টেনে দুজনের জায়গা সমান করে আলাদা করে নেয়। কিন্তু তার পরেও তাদের মনে হয়, কিছু একটা রয়ে যাচ্ছে যা তারা কিছুতেই ভাগ করতে পারছে না। তাই তারা ধরে বেঁধে নিয়ে আসে এক নকল উকিল পঞ্চানন সাঁতরা-কে (দেবসঙ্কর হালদার), যিনি আবার পার্ট টাইম তান্ত্রিক-এর প্রক্সিও দিয়ে থাকেন। কিন্তু পঞ্চানন-বাবুর কাছে এর কোনো আইনি সমাধান বা তান্ত্রিক জড়ি-বুটি নেই। তার কেবল রয়েছে মনুর-মা, যে তার জন্য বিউলি ডাল আর ধনে পাতার বড়া রেঁধে অপেক্ষা করে থাকে। আর শেষ মেষ এই মনুর-মাই পারেন এই যুযুধান দম্পতিকে ফের মিলিয়ে দিতে, যদিও সেই কাজের জন্য তাকে এক বারও মঞ্চে আসতে হয় না।
আজকের আধুনিকা শিক্ষিতা নারী এই নাটক দেখে হয়ত প্রতিবাদ করতে পারেন, ঘরে বসে স্বামীর জন্য বিউলি ডাল আর ধনে পাতার বড়া রাঁধতে রাজি নাও হতে পারেন। কিন্তু এখানেই হবে ভুল, কারণ “মনুর মা” তো কোন রক্ত মাংসের মানুষ নয়, “মনুর মা” একটি abstract concept ! একটা ভাবনা, যা স্বামী স্ত্রী দুজনের মনেই বাস করে, যাকে ভাগ করা যায় না। যদিদং দেখে আমি অন্ততঃ এই টুকুই বুঝেছি। এবং আমার বোঝাটা যদি ঠিক হয়ে থাকে, তাহলে বলব নাট্যকার নির্দেশক সোহন বন্দোপাধ্যায় সেই কাজে সম্পূর্ণ সার্থক। আর এই কঠিন বিষয় বস্তুকে তিনি পেশ করেছেন অসাধারণ হিউমার-এর মোড়কে।

অভিনয়ে দেবশঙ্কর আবার প্রমান করলেন, তিনি একাই একশ। প্রায় গোটা নাটক টাকে তিনিই বয়ে নিয়ে গেলেন। অবশ্য নাট্যকার তাকে যথেষ্ট সাহায্য করেছেন। তুলনায় অন্য চরিত্র দুজনের প্রতি হয়ত একটু অবহেলাই করেছেন। তাদের দাম্পত্য সংকটটা খুব একটা জোরালো হয়ে প্রস্ফুটিত হলো না। কেবলই অহং বোধ, ইগো, অথবা আপোষহীনতাই কি কোনো দম্পতিকে বিচ্ছেদের দোরগোড়ায় নিয়ে যেতে পারে? আর কোন কারণ, কোনো অপ্রতিরোধ্য চাপ কি থাকতে পারে না? তাদের একটা গল্পও তো থাকতে পারে?

স্বল্প চরিত্রের নাটক কখনো কখনো নির্দেশককে একটু সমস্যায় ফেলে। স্টেজ কম্পোজিশনে বৈচিত্র আনা অনেক সময় কঠিন হয়ে পরে। যদিদং নাটকে চরিত্র সংখ্যা মাত্র তিন, এবং তারা সব সময় মঞ্চে থাকেন। সমস্যা আরো গভীর হয় যখন গল্পের খাতিরে তারা মঞ্চে কেবল সীমিত অঞ্চলের মধ্যে থাকতে বাধ্য হন। ফলে দীর্ঘ ১০০ মিনিটের নাটকে, মঞ্চের ছবিটা প্রায় একই থেকে যায়, যা দৃশ্যত একটু ক্লান্তিকর ঠেকে বৈকি। সংলাপ, অভিনয়, সঙ্গীত, এ সবই ব্যবহার করা হয়েছে এই বাধা কে অতিক্রম করতে, কিন্তু এতো আর শ্রুতি নাটক নয়। দর্শক তো নাটক “দেখতেই” এসেছেন। মঞ্চ নিয়ে আর একটু ভাবনা চিন্তা করার সুযোগ ছিল। যেমন, কাটা ফ্রিজ, আসবাব, ইত্যাদির ছোট ছোট ছবির মালা না করে, যদি প্রমান সাইজের কাট আউট ব্যবহার করা হত, খুব একটা মন্দ হত না। অভিনেতারা সেগুলি ব্যবহার করে মঞ্চে কিছুটা বৈচিত্র আনতে পারতেন। আর একটা কথা – আধ খানা চেয়ার কিন্তু দাঁড়িয়ে থাকতে পারে না, ঠিক যেমন ভেঙ্গে যাওয়া সংসারে একা স্বামী বা স্ত্রী জীবনের ভার বহন করতে পারে না।

নট-রঙ্গ ও সোহন কে ধন্যবাদ একটি ভালো প্রযোজনা উপহার দেবার জন্য। পরবর্তী প্রযোজনা “মন মানুষের” জন্য সাগ্রহে অপেক্ষা করে রইলাম।

ECTA team at the EBC Radio Studios

Recently, the ECTA Theatre team gathered together at the EBC Radio studios to talk about their upcoming  theatre production “Palok” or “The Protector” (to be staged at the Edison Valley Playhouse, in Edison NJ on April 5 and 6). Using the play as a spring board, the discussion soon veered off to the different issues and challenges of parenting in the United States, especially if the parents are of Indian or Asian origin. Any modern society imposes some strict rules on parenting, primarily to prevent child abuse. However, the thin line between disciplining a child and abusing, is quite blurry especially to an Asian eye. We Asian parents are accused of being too pushy, to harsh and strict on our children. Sometimes our lack of patience in letting a child correct himself, results in outright abuse in the eyes of Western Law. At times, we go to the other extreme and neglect our child, by not taking care of their well being, leaving them home alone for long hours etc. etc. We are often not aware of the child protective laws in this country and treat our children the way we were treated back home during our childhood. The play “Palok”  (which means the rearer or the protector) deals with these topics and the team, joined by some enthusiastic callers, got into a heated discussion that I am sure you will enjoy. And after you listen to this discussion (click the player below), you may even be interested in coming to watch the show.

নাটক, নির্দেশনা: ব্রাত্য বসু

প্রযোজনা: কালিন্দী ব্রাত্যজন

দুপুরে ব্রিগেডে তৃণমূলের জনসভা। বিকেলে মধুসূদন মঞ্চে “সিনেমার মতো”! এই ভাবেই আজকের দিনের অন্যতম নাট্য ব্যক্তিত্ব ব্রাত্য বসু তার রাজনৈতিক-প্রশাসনিক  দায়িত্বর সঙ্গে সঙ্গে নাট্য চর্চা চালিয়ে যাচ্ছেন।  আমি অবশ্য ব্রিগেডের পথ মাড়াই নি, মধুসূদন মঞ্চেই পৌছে গিয়েছিলাম সময়মত। ঢাকুরিয়া ক্রিকেট ক্লাবের আমন্ত্রিত শো ছিল সেদিন। প্রাথমিক কিছু বক্তৃতা, পুষ্প স্তবক, সম্মাননা জ্ঞাপন ইত্যাদি অনুষ্ঠানের পর শুরু হল নাটক।

অল্প কোথায় বলতে  গেলে, “সিনেমার মতো” একটি ঝকঝকে স্মার্ট প্রযোজনা। বাংলা চলচ্চিত্র শিল্পের উত্থান  পতনের ইতিহাসের সঙ্গে সঙ্গে  একটি পরিবার ও তার সদস্যদের ভাঙা গড়ার কাহিনী এই নাটক। নাটকের মাধ্যমে বাংলা সিনেমাকে ধরা, এবং তারই মধ্যে মানবিক সম্পর্কের টানা পোড়েনের এই মেলবন্ধন, এটা একটা নতুন ব্যাপার বটেই। আর  নাট্যকার ব্রাত্য অত্যন্ত কৌশলের সঙ্গে বুনেছেন এই দুই কাহিনী।  বাংলা চলচ্চিত্রের স্বর্ণযুগের এক নায়িকা (অনুসূয়া), যার গুণমুগ্ধ বর্তমান স্বামী (পীযুষ) তার স্ত্রীর জীবন নিয়ে এক ডকুমেন্টারি তৈরিতে ব্যস্ত,  ছোট ছেলে স্বপ্ন দেখে নতুন যুগের সিনেমা তৈরী করার, আর  মদ্যপ জ্যেষ্ঠ পুত্র তার শৈশব-কৈশোরের স্মৃতি আর এক মিথ্যেকে  আঁকড়ে ধরে বেঁচে থাকার ব্যর্থ চেষ্টা চালিয়ে যায়।  নাটক দেখতে দেখতে অনিবার্য ভাবে মনে পড়ে যায় আর্থার মিলারের “ডেথ অফ এ সেল্স ম্যান” এর কথা – দুই ভাই, এবং তাদের পিতা –  কৌলিন্যের অহংকার, আশা-প্রত্যাশা, স্বপ্ন – দুঃস্বপ্ন, অনাচার-ব্যভিচার, বিশ্বাস-বিশ্বাসহীনতা,  সাফল্য-ব্যর্থতার গল্প। কিন্তু এ নাটক “ডেথ অফ এ সেল্স ম্যান” নয়, কারণ এখানে পিতা পুত্রের ব্যর্থতায়  নিজেকে শেষ করেন না।  এই নাটকে  পুত্র  পিতার ব্যর্থতার গ্লানি সহ্য করতে পারে না।   তাই উইলি লোম্যানের মতই নিজেকে শেষ করে ফেলতে বাধ্য হয়।  প্রধানত চরিত্রগুলির স্মৃতিচারণার মাধমেই নাট্যকার গল্প বলেন, সুতরাং এই নাটককে এক  হিসেবে  “মেমরি প্লে” হিসেবে চিহ্নিত করা যেতে পারে। কিন্তু এই স্মৃতি চারণা যখন বাংলা সিনেমার ইতিহাস বিবৃত করতে ব্যস্ত হয়ে পড়ে, তখন তা  ক্লান্তিকর ঠেকে  বৈকি। থিয়েটার দেখতে এসে  দর্শক সিনেমার ইতিহাসের ক্লাসে ছাত্র হয়ে বসে থাকতে রাজি নাও হতে পারেন। এই বক্তৃতা গুলি যদি একটু সংক্ষিপ্ত করা যেত, তাহলে নাটকের সময় কিছুটা কমত, আরো আঁটসাঁট হত প্রযোজনা।

অভিনয় সকলেরই বেশ  ভালো। অনুসূয়া, পীযুষ দক্ষ্য অভিনেতা এবং এই নাটকেও তার প্রমান রেখেছেন তারা। পৌলমী তার চরিত্রে যথাযত, বিশেষ কিছু তার করারও  ছিল না।   মুখ্য চরিত্রে ব্রাত্য বসুর অভিনয় বিশেষ ভাবে উল্লেখ যোগ্য। নিজের রাজনৈতিক অবস্থান নিয়ে এক ফাঁকে একটু মশকরাও করেছেন ব্রাত্য।  মুম্বাই ফেরত বড় ভাই যখন ছোট ভাইকে বলে, “এই ভাই, তুই কি আজকাল তৃনমূল করছিস নাকি ভাই?” তখন দর্শক না হেসে পারেন না।

দৃশ্যান্তরে জনপ্রিয় বাংলা সিনেমার গানের দৃশ্যের প্রক্ষেপণ একটু ভিন্ন স্বাদ উপহার দেয় ঠিকই , কিন্তু  তা মূল নাটককে কোনো ভাবে ঋদ্ধ করে বলে আমার মনে হয় না। মঞ্চ পরিকল্পনায় যথেষ্ঠ মুন্সিয়ানার পরিচয় রয়েছে। কিন্তু মধুসূদন মঞ্চের বৃহত পরিসরে, তা একটু ছোট বলেই মনে হয়েছে।  প্রচুর স্পেস আসে পাশে নষ্ট হয়েছে, যা ছোট মঞ্চে হয়ত মনে হবে না।

পরিশেষে বলব, ব্রাত্য যে তার  রাজনৈতিক জীবনের ব্যস্ততার মধ্যে থেকেও থিয়েটার করে চলেছেন, তার জন্য তাকে ধন্যবাদ ও  অভিনন্দন।

প্রথম যে নাটকটি নিয়ে আলোচনা করব সেটি হল উজ্জ্বল চট্টোপাধ্যায় রচিত “রম কম” !

নির্দেশনা: ফাল্গুনী চট্টোপাধ্যায়।  প্রযোজনা: লোককৃষ্টি

“রম কম” দেখতে গিয়েছিলাম কোন রকম প্ল্যান না করেই। সন্ধ্যে বেলা হঠাত কিছুটা সময় পেয়ে, কাছেই মধুসূদন মঞ্চে পৌঁছে গিয়েছিলাম। গিয়ে দেখি, “রম কম” নাটকের প্রথম মঞ্চায়ন সেদিন। মূল চরিত্রে অভিনয় করেছেন দেবশংকর  হালদার। এক নিঃসঙ্গ, অবসেসিভ কমপালসিভ লেখক (ও নাট্যকার) এবং সংসারের নির্মমতার শিকার এক বিধবা যুবতীর পরস্পরের কাছে আসার নাটক। সুতরাং “রম কম” নামটি হয়ত রোমান্টিক কমেডিকেই ইঙ্গিত করে। ছিমছাম সাদা মাটা প্রেডিক্টেবল গল্প। নাটকে দেবশংকর  দর্শকের প্রত্যাশা অনুযায়ী অভিনয় করেছেন। নাটকের শেষে নির্দেশক জানালেন, দেবশংকর এই মুহুর্তে ২২ টি নাটকে অভিনয় করছেন। ভাবা যায় না। এই নাটকে দেবশংকর  আরেকটি নতুন দক্ষতার পরিচয় দিয়েছেন – ভেন্ত্রিলোকুইজ্ম! একটি পুতুল কুকুরের সঙ্গে দেবশংকরের কথোপকথন এই নাটকে একটু ভিন্ন স্বাদ এনে দিয়েছে নিঃসন্দেহে, যদিও এই ব্যাপারটার কতটা প্রয়োজন ছিল, তা নিয়ে তর্ক উঠতে পারে। এই নাটকে আরেকটা ঘটনাও ঘটেছে – দেবশংকর  গান গেয়েছেন, এই নাকি প্রথম। যদিও এই ব্যাপারে অনেকের দ্বিমত রয়েছে।  নায়িকার চরিত্রে (মোনালিসা?) যথাযত। তবে একটা খটকা রয়ে গেছে। কলকাতার কোনো রেস্তোরায় আমি মহিলা পরিবেশিকা (বা ওয়েট্রেস) দেখিনি। তবে আমি সব রেস্তোরায় যাইনি। আপনারা কি কেউ দেখেছেন? আর অত বড় চশমা পরার কি দরকার ছিল? শুধু চোখ নয়, মুখের অনেকটাই ঢাকা পরে গেছে ভারী ফ্রেমের আড়ালে।

মোটামুটি, অভিনয়ের গুণে, নাটকটি দেখা কালীন বেশ আনন্দ পেয়েছি। প্রযোজনায় বেশ কিছু হৃদয়গ্রাহী মুহূর্তও গড়ে উঠেছে। কিন্তু গোটা নাটকটা মনে খুব একটা দাগ কেটেছে, তা বলতে পারব না। তবে নাট্যকারের করুণ অবস্থার কথা, যা উজ্জ্বল বাবু তার প্রতাগনিস্টের মুখ দিয়ে বলিয়েছেন, আমি তার সঙ্গে সম্পুর্ন একমত !

Can you please tell me which platform?

My four year old granddaughter, Tia and I were going up in our 14^th floor apartment in a building in New York. She was counting 1, 2, 3, 4…. the ascending numbers in elevator display panel. She noticed something missing and says, “Look Grandpa, there is a mistake; there is no number 13 after 12”.  A man in his mid-fifties, resident of the building was in the elevator; he grinned silently listening to Tia. “What is funny about the mistake?” Tia was puzzled. I patted her shoulder and said “Yes, it is a mistake; I will tell the building manager to fix it”.

When we came to 14^th floor, she ran out to hug her grandma and forgot about missing 13. I was proud for her but I was uneasy; I was not honest. I knew the building manager would not make any changes; it was a deliberate decision not to have a 13^th floor in the building. It is a belief of Christianity that number 13 is an unlucky number. Many hotels do not have 13^th floor, many airlines do not keep 13^th row seats and many people believe that Friday the 13^th is the unlucky day. The unsuccessful journey of Apollo 13 to moon has bolstered the belief of “13” of the believers. I live in a building which made its floor numbers with a superstitious belief. It is an irony that there is a 13^th floor in the building which is named 14^th and many people live in there.

Before coming to America I knew that unlike Hindu beliefs, Americans do not have any non-auspicious month for marriage; they can marry in any time of any month. Hindus believe in Shubha Lagna (auspicious time period) for tying the knots; sometimes, the couple need to wait for months just to avoid their parent’s wedding months which believed to be the non-auspicious time for wedding.

The evolution has made the animals to mate and give births when the survival conditions for the new born are favorable. Contrarily, only the human species are made to mate and reproduce anytime of the year. I wonder why the Hindus restrict their marriages for certain time of the year. It has been a ritual practice of hundreds of years. Has it anything to do with the better survival of the new born in certain time of the year or it is just a belief to glorify the marriage having certain restrictions and rituals?

Regarding Shubha Lagna, one of my friends, Sudesh has a difficulty. He is a Hindu priest in New York. He follows the strict religious scripture and Hindu rituals. His trouble is what to follow, USA time zone or Indian time zone which runs ten hours ahead. I wonder how relevant is Sudesh’s dilemma about the auspicious time where the Hindu religion is full of dichotomies; in one hand, the religious teachers believe in infiniteness of universe where is no beginning and no end of the spiritual life and other hand, the Hindu priests believe for a finite moment of time which they consider better than other.

Though people can marry in USA any day, still they have many superstitious beliefs which I was not aware of before coming in America. One of them is wishing God Bless You. First time I heard ‘God bless you’ from Chuck after a sneeze. Chuck was a coworker in the drug store. I was new in the country and curious to know. I questioned Chuck. He looked at me with a surprise; perhaps it was the first time anyone had questioned him which did for many years. He just laughed and said, “Young man, it is a custom here, don’t you know that?”

Really I didn’t know; later I knew that the phrase “May God Bless You” started from the time of Bubonic Plague in Rome, 590 AD when Gregory-I was the Pope.  In hopes of fighting off the disease, the Pope ordered continuous prayer. At the time, sneezing was thought to be an early symptom of the plague. The blessing (“God bless you!”) became a common effort to halt the disease. The last case of plague was seen in Europe in 19^th Century but “God Bless you” is still going on. A Christian belief that chuck and many others have accepted as a social ritual.

I had a pharmacy in the Bronx and most of the customers were the Spanish speaking Roman Catholics from Latin America and Caribbean Islands; while they took allopathic medicines, they had the trust in Botanica Remedies, mythical and folklore medicines of generations. Botanicas carry oils, incense, perfumes, scented sprays, religious candles and statuary, amulets, and other products which are regarded as magical and have extraordinary healing power for treating arthritis, asthma, hair loss, menstrual pain and diabetes. Latinos trust the mythical medicines blindly and spend large amount in the Botanicas.

The use of herbal medicines has been common in India also with misleading beliefs; the most harmful assumption is the herbal medicines are safer. Many opportunists take advantage of the belief. The Babas mix the religious teachings with remedies for ailments through the Television Channels. They have a sinister motive to push a brand of herbal products for serious diseases. This practice is unproven and often dangerous like the Botanica Remedy.

In one hand, the Indian scientists send the probes in the space to gather information from red planet Mars; on the other hand, educated people including the doctors of India wear gemstones to get special effects from same Mars. This is a paradoxical phenomenon, coexistence of the superstitions and scientific truths, side by side. This is a strange the unity of opposites.

The Indian Diasporas in USA are college educated and exposed to the modern marvels of science; sadly, they still believe in the bizarre dogmas of backward classes; one of them is a pharmacist friend of mine, Vimal. He has been a research scientist in Schering Pharmaceuticals. He also went to Bridgewater Hindu Temple for seeking blessing after breaking a coconut for his new car.

Hindus, particularly from South India, have the practice of breaking the dry coconuts at the start of new businesses or driving new tractors or cars; even Indian Navy breaks coconuts before commissioning the naval ships. The planets and moons run in their own fixed orbits all the time, without an exception; how there could be an auspicious moment in the perpetual movement! An explanation was given by scholar Rahul Sanskritayana that an intelligent group of people had observed the total time of the movement of earth around the sun and converted that time span in days, hours, and seconds. They observed the eclipses and the journey of sun to southern hemisphere and they had conceptualized the ‘auspicious moments’ for the start of the important activities. Some people still follow that concept today, Vimal was one of them.

Even in USA, people do not have any clear understanding between Astrology and Astronomy; instead of Astronomy they assume Astrology as science. Astrology is based on presumption of location of planets which has started few millenniums ago from Mesopotamia (Iraq) before the time of Galileo when the knowledge of planetary system was not clear; the astrologers believe in imaginary objects Rahu and Ketu in the calculations for making the astrological forecasts. Unfortunately, important decisions, weddings, journeys and signing business deals are done based on Astrology. The superstitious leaders of many countries put off important decisions for getting a favorable Astrology moment.

Atul was one who depended on astrology when he had financial problem. He had lost a fortune for not able to deliver a large consignment of designer garments on time to a giant retail company in US because of the September 11^th havoc. All US ports were shut down immediate after the attack and all the ships were kept outside the US coastline for weeks. A new regulation required all the shipment had to be inspected and certified before entering the dock. That process needed over a month and he had to pay extra demurrage charges. By the time the consignment delivery date had passed and the buyer refused to accept the shipment. Atul could not do anything legally, there was no waiver clause.

He rented a warehouse to store the container-full expensive designer garments. Coincidently, his financial situation went from bad to worse because the stock market went in the tank after the terror attack. He became a collateral victim of an attack.

That was not all for him; he had more troubles that were waiting for him! One of his cousins advised him to get an astrological advice from the head priest of Narayanji Temple in Chicago. They became so desperate they decided to go to Chicago. After doing few astrological analyses, Swamiji advised them few corrective measures to come out from the bad-sight of the planets. Atul had to get a Neela (Blue Sapphire) gemstone to get protection from the planet Saturn and Sheela had to wear a Pukhraj (Yellow Sapphire) gemstone to get the favorable effects from Brihaspati, the planet Jupiter. The gemstones were obtained from Gundappa Cauvery, a store owned by a Brahmin astrological stone-merchant in Bangalore. Then they went to go to Banaras to take a bath in Ganges before putting on the blessed stones on their fingers.

Swamiji performed “Seven days Katha”, an unending religious chanting of lord in their home in New Jersey for seven days with his five entourages Hundreds friends and devotees came  for Katha. The host had to arrange everything for the Katha performers including their travel and food.

When Atul did not get any result for six months, he went to see Swamiji in Chicago. Swamiji told that the Vastu, the positioning and the placement of rooms of the house were not correct; their fate would not improve as long as they live in the same house.

 Atul and Sheela became brokenhearted to leave the house. It was a fire-sale; they had to leave the house in a hurry to get out from the harmful effects of Vastu. Atul’s situation did not improve after moving in an inexpensive Vastu-compliant apartment. First they lost money for the terrorist attack, second time for following the advice of the Swamiji and finally they lost the house for believing Vastu.  Atul and Sheela were not the only persons who had suffered by September 11^th incident and sought divine help being desperate.

Samir and I had started a restaurant business on Lexington and 48 Street, in the Radisson Hotel building. The main business of the restaurant was to serve the hotel tourists who came with travel packages. The fate of the restaurant was doomed because of September 11^th attack in New York. The tourists stopped traveling to USA by air; the business turned so bad that we had hard time to keep the place running. We were miserable and desperate to do anything. Samir’s father told him to go to Tirupati Temple to get blessings. I told him that was an irrational hope and would be just waste of money.

People make more wrong decisions when they are desperate and vulnerable. Samir went to Tirupati anyway and offered his hair as sacrificial ritual.  Samir got his full hair back in couple of months but the business did not; we lost the restaurant in couple of weeks after he came back from his pilgrimage and did not talk about Tirupati since then.

Now Tia does not tell me about missing number 13”; perhaps she is used to it now. My two years old granddaughter, Lilly will tell me the same thing what Tia had told me soon, “Look grandpa, here is a mistake! There is no number 13”.  That day will not be another passing day for me; I will tell her that I live in a building having a superstitious belief. It was easy to divert the attention of a four years old child but not easy for a conscious mind of a grown up man anymore.

Perhaps that conscious mind of social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy had fought relentlessly to stop Sati Prathaa, the burning of widows alive along with their dead husbands which were the custom of the orthodox Hindus! Perhaps that conscious and crying soul of social reformer Iswar ChandraVidya Sagar  made him motivated to legalize remarrying of Hindu widows which was not permitted in Hindus Religion too! Perhaps, the conscious minds of Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi encouraged them to redefine a new paradigm of social injustice to untouchables of Hindu Caste system. Perhaps that conscious minds of India heard the plea of Shah Banu Begam  against theMuslim Sharia law for getting the justified alimony for her and all Muslim divorcees.

In the land of great reformers, still the social reformers are killed today.  Dr. Narendra Dhabolkar, a physician and a social activist in Maharashtra had to give his life in 2013 to fight against the superstitions, witchcraft and black magic in India.  The police investigation found that the powerful clique of astrological stone merchants was behind the assassination.

I will preach my granddaughters to “Question Everything” even not getting the answer all the times. I will join them to demand number 13 after 12 in all the places in the world; number 13^th is just a number, nothing to do with luck; our daughter, their mother was born on 13^th which was great day for all of us

Banijye Basate Lakshmi

In 2006 ECTA (known as Ethnomedia then), our theatre group, staged our play “Ron” to a packed Rabindra Sadan audience. The experience was overwhelming as well as humbling at the same time. It was for the first time, we were telling our story of immigrant life to the Kolkata theatre audience.  This encouraged us to do another show the following year of “Satyameva”. The audience loved it too. Ashok Mukhopadhyay of Theatre Workshop picked up the play and produced it as part of their repertoire. Since then, it has been a long time we staged any of our later plays in Kolkata. The sheer logistics and economics of the endeavor held us back.

Now once again, ECTA is back in Kolkata with one of its latest productions – “Banijye Basate Lakhsmi” to be staged at the Sujata Sadan theatre (7 Hazra Road, Kolkata) at 6:00pm.  The play is presented in Kolkata by SEPA and Theatrics (two organizations dedicated to promote education and culture through performing arts) on the occasion of the inauguration of their print and web magazine.

“Banijye Basate Lakshmi” is a one person play written and performed by yours truly and directed by Sankar Ghoshal. A humorous but poignant tale about a man’s conflict in deciding his objective in life, has touched the heart of each and every person who watched this one-person show. It has been staged few times in New Jersey and in Chicago and has received rave reviews. I hope our friends in Kolkata like it as much.

Tickets (Rs 80.00) can be reserved by calling the following numbers: 9007807831, 9007540974

Half Hearted

Few weeks ago, I went to see a play at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York. But it was not one of the typical off-broadway productions that you expect to see at such a venue. It was one of the well known modern plays of India, “Adhe Adhure” by Mohan Rakesh. The play was, of course, staged in English as “Half Hearted” and had a very short run of four shows. But the cast and the crew put in all their heart and soul to present a wonderful production which touched the audience. After the play, I invited the production team to join me at the EBC Radio studios and have a chat about their dreams, visions and their passion for South Asian theatre. Here is a recording of my conversation with Samir Lal, Dipanjan Chatterjee, Prince Vaghani and Akshay.

A Dance Floor in Kolkata

As I entered Some Place Else, a discotheque at The Park Hotel in Calcutta, I actually felt like I was indeed in some place else. Deafening music and alcohol flowing, the youthful revelers were in a boisterous mood. Specially what caught my eyes is the attire of the female members of the crowd and the minimal urge to cover the body parts. That’s what I realized, really jolted me a little. After all, it was not a place for me to be visiting, neither did I belong there. I was not only long past being a member of the twenty something generation, but I was quite unprepared for the the leap that Calcutta youth have taken. The reason for this intrusion was, getting my friend’s daughter home from a late night party. Indeed, her father was supposed to pick up her on his way home from the airport; his plane got delayed and I was called upon to do him a favor.

 I am quite aware of the fact that the things have changed faster than I could keep up with; young people are different now, they act differently, they dress differently, their definition of propriety has a globalized norm. But when I visit Calcutta I am transported to the world I grew up in, the world before the advent of the internet and deluge of social media; our real world was what we felt and experienced and not the virtual world in the cloud.
I was not surprised or shocked at the scene inside the discotheque, far from it; but given the fact that it was Calcutta, my existentialist self was just a little slow in setting in. After a transcontinental leap and a few decades in between, I have never consciously tried to fill in the gap. I admit, it is purely my shortcoming that I have not made an attempt to familiarize myself with the realm of generation-X of today.
Of course, it’s all a matter of perception; it was a mild jolt because the scene was in Calcutta, far removed from the Calcutta at large and its economic reality even today. In the middle of privations and decay all around this little isle of gaiety looked almost unreal.
Here in America I guess our children dress or act the same way, I do not know for sure though, because I am not a witness to the recreational part of their lives. What I am a part of is our social life here which is totally contained in a cocoon of the people transported from Calcutta, includes a group of relatively younger late comers in the later part of the last century. They are the younger (relatively speaking) and colorful half of our social gatherings here. Having said that, the scene and the behavior of the crowd in my sojourn to Some Place Else, the discotheque, per se, should not have been unfamiliar to me, if only the players are different. They happen to fall in the category of forty something.
The dresses they wear cause a bit of cultural shock in the eyes of the beholder. Let’s face it, Hi-rise jegging, Skinny kick jeans with Lace tunic tank are not very enhancing on a near middle aged woman. But it is understandable. All these global fashion spread by the internet social media and the TV serials evoke two different desires in two different sections of the female population; a twenty year old wants to be with the trend of their generation; the ones with forty or fifty decades under their belts are desperately trying to catch up on their lost years. My heart goes out for the latter.
Body is all about proportion, and fashion is all about dressing those proportions and in some instances hiding the flaws to look their very best. This is unarguably an admirable goal if achieved successfully. Though sometimes that is easily said than done. Dresses that look good on a teenage body, misfires on an older wannabe or a foot long earring looks smashing on a slender neck serial actress but may be a bit out of synch for a woman on whom age has left the mark of extra chin.

On the other hand, when it comes to the subject of the conventional Indian attire and the desire to make it hip, attempt is directed at making it more revealing and nonconformist. In the world of women attire, nothing better has been invented than a saree in taking care of a richly endowed body. But I am afraid the great promise of a saree is not being fully realized by a large number of Bengali women, as I observe them at New-year eve parties and weddings. Take for example the fashionistas who take their clue from the TV serials where the key to more fashion is exposure of more skin. Problem is how do you manage what is under that skin. An upper body covering garment, also known as a blouse, worn with a saree was designed to take care of such eventuality. But blouse as we have always known it, is already an endangered species thanks again to the serial dramas on TV. A piece of clothing which you can call a garment on your upper body, not an austere narrow strip of linen, is not a definition of fashion any more. It never ceases to be a sartorial puzzle; how the piece which is still called a blouse is held together without any back support architecturally.
So my advise is: If a saree does not help you beautifying your proportions go for a dress with a faux wrap and wear it with a leggie under a hi rise boot. And of course there is always a fashionable Hi-lo maxi with the waist line a little lower than your waist. Sometimes concealing is more attractive than revealing. No one will dare call you old fashioned or question your place with the X-generation.

Madhu Rye

Madhu Rye is one of the most celebrated Gujarati playwrights and author of our times. His plays have been staged all around the Gujarati speaking world and has also been made into films. On a crisp fall afternoon at the EBC Radio studios, I had the opportunity to chat with him about his plays, his love for theatre and many other topics of mutual interest. Listen to the podcast below to get a glimpse of this invigorating personality. And if you are a Gujarati speaking person, then you’ll also like his reading of a short play. Enjoy!

Durga

দেখতে দেখতে পুজো এসে  গেল। গত সপ্তাহে মহালয়ার রেশ কাটতে না কাটতেই পুজোর তোরজোর। নিউজার্সি তে আজকাল বেশ কয়েকটি মহালয়ার অনুষ্ঠান হয়ে থাকে। তাদের মধ্যে সবচেয়ে জনপ্রিয় আনন্দমন্দিরের মহিষাসুর মর্দিনী গীতি আলেখ্য, এবং ভারত সেবাশ্রম এ অনুষ্ঠিত দেবী আবাহন। আনন্দ মন্দিরএর অনুষ্ঠানের এবছর দশ বছর পূর্তি হলো।  প্রতি বছরের মত, এবারেরও অরুণ ভৌমিকের পরিচালনায় জড়ো হয়েছিলেন  নিউ জার্সির বেশ কিছু প্রথিতযশা শিল্পী। সেই সঙ্গে, রবিবারের  ভোর  রাত্রে বিছানা ছেড়ে, সেজে গুজে মন্দিরে এসে হাজীর  হয়েছিলেন প্রায় শ দুয়েক শ্রোতা। তার আগের ভোরে, সেই শিল্পী এবং শ্রোতাদের অনেকেই হাজীর ছিলেন ভারত সেবাশ্রমে। নিতান্ত প্রানের টান না থাকলে, এরকম পর পর দুই রাত্রি জেগে দেবীকে আবাহন জানাতে খুব বেশি লোক উত্সাহিত হবেন না। আসলে বাণী কুমার, পঙ্কজ মল্লিক , বীরেন্দ্রকৃষ্ণ ভদ্রের মহিষাসুর মর্দিনীর সুর না শুনলে অনেক বাঙালির মনেই পুজো পুজো ভাব আসে না।  তাই নিউজার্সির আকাশে বাতাসে বেজে উঠেছে আলোক মঞ্জি। আগামী কাল থেকে পুজো।

কিন্তু এবার পুজোয় কি করব, সেটা ভাবতে গিয়েই একটু খটকা লাগলো। গান বাজনা শুনব, নাটক নাচ দেখব, বন্ধু বান্ধবদের সঙ্গে আড্ডা দেব, খাওয়া দাওয়া করব, সবই ঠিক আছে! কিন্তু এসব তো  প্রতি বছরই করে আসছি। এবার কি অন্য কিছু করা যায় না? পুজো মন্ডপের কোন একটা কোনে বা ঘরে বসে, সাহিত্য পাঠ, সাহিত্য চর্চা করলে কেমন হয়? পুজো সংখ্যা থেকে কোন গল্প পড়া হল, কিম্বা কবিতা পাঠ করা হল – কেমন হবে তাহলে ব্যাপারটা?  সবাইকে আসতে হবে  এমন কোন কথা নেই। কিম্বা,  কয়েকটা তাসের টেবিল পেতে দিলে কেমন হয়? একটা ক্যারাম বোর্ড?  দাবা বোর্ড থাকলেও ক্ষতি নেই।  একটা অঘোষিত ফ্যাশন শো হয়ে যাক না? সবাই তো সেজে গুজেই আসবেন, কিন্তু কিছু গুপ্ত বিচারক মিলে যদি কোন সুন্দরীকে পুজোর সেরা বলে ঘোষণা করেন, তাহলে কেমন হয়? অন্যেরা কি খুব রাগ করবেন?  পুজো মন্ডপ থেকে নিশ্চিত ভাবে অসংখ্য পোস্টিং হবে ফেস বুকে, টুইটারে! প্রজেক্টরের মাধ্যমে বড় পর্দায় কিছু বাছাই পোস্ট দেখালে কেমন হয়? কেবল #njpujo ব্যবহার করতে ভুলবেন না।

এখন আমি তো অনেক কিছুই বললাম, এবার আপনারা কিছু বলুন? আপনারা পুজোয় এবার কি করতে চান? মতামত শোনার অপেক্ষায় রইলাম।

Farley Richmond

Dr. Farley Richmond is regarded as one of the leading experts on traditional Indian performing arts and theatre in the western world. Throughout his career, Dr. Richmond has explored the theatrical arts of India, and South Asia, and has directed and staged many productions of Indian plays in USA. Dr. Richmond is the DIrector and Professor of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.  Recently he was in New Jersey to direct Girish Karnad’s play Hayavadana at the South Asian Theatre Festival hosted by Epic Actor’s Workshop. I grabbed this opportunity and invited him to join us for a chat at the EBC Drama Club where he discussed about various aspects of Indian theatre and his love for India. Enjoy the recording by clicking the player below.

Palok at the South Asian Theatre Festival

এপিক একটার্স ওয়ার্কশপের ২৫ বছর পূর্তি উপলক্ষে  আগামী ২৭, ২৮ এবং ২৯ সেপ্টেম্বর ২০১৩, নিউব্রান্সুইক  নিউজার্সির ক্রসরোডস  থিয়েটারে অনুষ্ঠিত হবে অষ্টম দক্ষিন এশীয় নাট্য উত্সব। তিন দিন ব্যাপী এই অনুষ্ঠানে মঞ্চস্থ হবে সাতটি নাটক। থাকবে গার্গী মুখোপাধ্যায় রচিত ও পরিচালিত  আমাদের পরবর্তী প্রজন্মের শিল্পীদের অভিনীত নাটক ““আওয়ার ভয়েসেস”, মোহন আগাশে নির্দেশিত হিন্দি নাটক “নেভার মাইন্ড”, সুদীপ্ত ভৌমিক রচিত নির্দেশিত বাংলা নাটক “পালক”, সুদীপ্ত চট্টোপাধ্যায় অভিনীত “নানা রঙের দিন”, গিরিশ কারনাড রচিত ফারলি রিচমন্ড পরিচালিত “হয়বদন”, চন্দন সেন রচিত মেঘনাদ ভট্টাচার্য নির্দেশিত “দুই হুজুরের গপ্পো”! এছাড়া উদ্বোধনী অনুষ্ঠানে থাকবে এপিকের ২৫ বছরের এই যাত্রা পথের উপর অলকেশ দত্তরায় রচিত ও ইন্দ্রনীল মুখোপাধ্যায় নির্দেশিত  একটি নাট্যালেখ্য ।    থাকবে নাট্যালোচনা, যাতে অংশগ্রহন করবেন দেশ বিদেশের বিশিষ্ট নাট্য ব্যক্তিত্ব । এছাড়া থাকবে ধৃতি বাগচী পরিকল্পিত এপিকের ২৫ বছরের ইতিহাসের উপর একটি মনোজ্ঞ  প্রদর্শনী।  

এপিক একটার্স ওয়ার্কশপের দীর্ঘ পঁচিশ বছরের এই যাত্রায় আপনাদের সহযোগিতাই ছিল আমাদের একমাত্র পাথেয়। আশা রাখি, অন্যান্য বছরের মত,  এবারও আপনাদের উপস্থিতি ও সক্রিয় সহযোগিতা দিয়ে এই নাট্য  উত্সবকে সাফল্য মন্ডিত করে তুলবে।  বিশদ বিবরণের জন্য দেখুন http://2013.satf.us/ .

অনুষ্ঠানসুচি:

২৭ সেপ্টেম্বর, সন্ধ্যা ৭:৩০ :

উদ্বোধনী অনুষ্ঠান – “এ জার্নি অফ 25 ইয়ার্স “

       – গ্রন্থনা অলকেশ দত্তরায়, নির্দেশনা ইন্দ্রনীল মুখোপাধ্যায়, সঙ্গীত পার্থ সারথী মুখোপাধ্যায়

নাটক – “আওয়ার ভয়েসেস”

      – নাটক রচনা ও নির্দেশনা  গার্গী মুখোপাধ্যায়

নাট্য আলোচনা

     – অংশ গ্রহণ করবেন বিশিষ্ট নাট্য ব্যক্তিত্তগণ

প্রদর্শনী উদ্বোধন – এপিকের যাত্রা

২৮ সেপ্টেম্বর, বিকেল ৪:০০ :

হিন্দি নাটক – “নেভার মাইন্ড”

     – রচনা বিবেক বেলে, নির্দেশনা মোহন আগাশে

বাংলা নাটক – “পালক”

     – রচনা ও নির্দেশনা সুদীপ্ত ভৌমিক

বাংলা নাটক – “নানা রঙের দিন”

     – রচনা অজিতেশ বন্দোপাধ্যায়, নির্দেশনা সুদীপ্ত চট্টোপাধ্যায়

২৯ সেপ্টেম্বর, দুপুর ২:০০ :

ইংরেজি নাটক – “হয়বদন”

     – রচনা গিরিশ কারনাড, নির্দেশনা ফার্লি রিচমন্ড

বাংলা নাটক – “দুই হুজুরের গপ্পো”

    – রচনা চন্দন সেন, নির্দেশনা মেঘনাদ ভট্টাচার্য

Durga

Once again, the time of the year for all Bengalis around the globe has arrived. There is a nip in the air,  the sky seems to have a brighter shade of blue with white clouds drifting casually, the leaves catching on that orange tint, and we know that Durga Puja is here in New Jersey. The Bengali clubs around the Garden State has geared up to welcome Maa Durga with the usual fervor, and here I am back again to give you a brief preview of the festivities being arranged for you. Read, think, budget, and then click on the registration link of the Puja of your choice. 

Like in the previous years, Maa Durga and her entourage is making her first stop in New Jersey on October 5th at the at the Parsippany High School, Parsippany, NJ where Indian Community Center of Garden State (ICC-GS) will be celebrating their Puja (on 5th and 6th Sept). Every year ICC Durga Puja Puja offers a solemn but homely atmosphere accompanied by sumptuous food, lots of fun and lively entertainment for all ages.  The cultural program at ICC GS looks quite exciting.  On the first evening, the lineup includes:

• “Mahishashur Mardini’ – Dance recital performed by Rumeli Dutta Majumdar of Kolkata
• Shruti Natok – “Paka Dekha” by Keshab and Jaya Chatterjee
• Dance performance by Nilanjana Banerjee of RDM – Rhythms of Dance and Music
• Dance performance Debolina Sanyal and her group
• Musical Extravaganza by Robi o Nobin from Kolkata, featuring Soumitra Ray and Robin Lai of Bhoomi

• Bengali and Hindi Songs  by Tapasi Seal
• Miscellaneous programs by ICC junior and adult members
• Rabindranath Tagore’s “ShaapMochon” presented by ‘Tathiai‘ (Parichay) group from CT

The registration fee is quite reasonable, $130 per family, $75 per individual. So if you are looking for a homely and “not so crowded” Puja celebrations, ICC-GS may your destination of choice.

Kallol of New Jersey will be celebrating their Puja from Friday Oct 11 to Sunday Oct 13 at their usual venue,  the  Ukranian Church and Cultural Center at  135 Davidson Avenue, Somerset, NJ.  Kallol has announced an impressive line-up of guest artistes as well as domestic performances for the three evenings.  On Friday evening, the popular Bengali singer Rupankar Bagchi will grace the stage. Saturday performers include,  young and talented Hindustani Classical vocalist Sandipan Samajpati, semiclassical and modern songs by Nirmalya Roy and Suchismita Das. And on Sunday, Sa-Re-Ga-Ma 2013 champion Jashraj Joshi with his Lambada band will rock the stage. Local performances will include, children’s drama “Cyberella” written and directed by Aparajita Das, adults drama Sunil Ganguly’s “Raja or Rani” directed by Nupur Lahiri, dance choreography by Sunrita Mitra and many others. Kallol has also announced their dinner menu for the three days.
Friday: Khichuri, Mixed Vegitable (Labra), Beguni, Mango Chutney, Mishti (Sweets)
Saturday: Bengali Pulau, Cholar Daal, Enchorer Dalna, Kosha Mangsho (Goat Meat Bengali Style), Pineapple Chutney, Mishti (Sweets)
Sunday:  Veg Pulau, Alu Gobi, Chole Masala, Egg Curry, Tomato Chutney, Mishti (Sweets)

Kallol registration fee schedule is quite complicated, since they offer a wide range of permutations and combinations – members, non-members, students, daily, season, below 12, between 12 – 18 yrs, above 18 etc. So to give you an idea, if you are not a Kallol member and you want to attend the Puja on all three days with your 14 year old son and 11 year old daughter, it will cost you $250.  But if you are a member, it will cost you $200. If you want to ensure your seat amongst the first few reserved rows, you need to be a Donor or a Patron and need to spend $300+ (the math gets a bit fuzzy here).

The other major Durga Puja festival in New Jersey is organized by Garden State Cultural Association (GSCA). GSCA will be celebrating their Puja on October 12th and 13th at the Plainfield High School, 950 Park Avenue, Plainfield, NJ. The highlights of GSCA’s cultural program includes:
Saturday: Manjari School of Performing Arts,  Kalamandir Dance Company and vocal music by Jayati Chakraborty from Kolkata.
Sunday:   Art N Beat, Performance by GSCA (Production of GSCA), Rhythms of Dance and Music (Nilanjana), Rajdeep Chatterjee and Jonita Gandhi.

As per the tradition, GSCA also offers sumptuous dinner on both evenings. The registration scheme is simpler – 2 adults and 2 children (less than 17 yrs) will cost you $210 at the gate, but you’ll receive significant discount for registering early.

The other Durga Pujas in this region are celebrated by Anandamandir and Bharat Sevashram Sangha, following the traditional Bengali calendar.  These Puja’s pay more attention to the Puja than the cultural entertainment programs, although both have some programs in the evenings mostly by local talents.  Dinner is served on all evenings but it is typically a simple vegetarian fare. So if you want to pay your tribute to Ma Durga in a traditional temple like setting, Anandamandir  or Bharatsevashram Sangha may be your choice. However, parking can be an issue at both the venues due to recent constructions.

I hope you all have a great Durga Puja. Enjoy all the sights and sounds the festivals have to offer and hope and pray for better times ahead.

Dr. Mohan Agashe

Dr. Mohan Agashe is regarded as one of the best character actors of Indian stage and screen.  Currently he is visiting USA to direct a play for Epic Actor’s Workshop at the Eighth South Asian Theatre Festival to be held at the Crossroads Theatre in New Brusnwick New Jersey (see calendar on the side bar). I grabbed this opportunity to invite him at our EBC Drama Club to share with us his experience in Theatre and Film. He talks about his childhood days, his experience with Vijay Tendulkar’s Ghasiram Kotwal, about Satyajit Ray, Utpal Dutt, Film and Television Institute of India and many other things.   Click the player below to listen to this exciting conversation with Dr. Mohan Agashe.

Dipan Ray and Amol Palekar

New Jersey has many things to be proud of – the Jersey shores, the Atlantic City Boardwalk,  the Meadowlands, the Pine Barrens – the list is quite long. Now you can add to that list, the South Asian Theatre Festival organized by  Epic Actors Workshop, a theatre and performing arts organization of New Jersey. Over the last seven years, South Asian Theatre Festival of New Jersey has established itself as an unique event that we all look forward to. A festival dedicated to celebrate South Asian  theatre is not a common occurrence in this part of the world. Showcasing the rich and diverse theatre of South Asia to the greater American audience is no small feat. It requires vision, a great deal of motivation, and a huge amount of resources,  for which the host organization Epic Actors Workshop and its leader Dr. Dipan Ray deserves a huge applause from us all theatre lovers.  This year Epic Actors Workshop celebrates it’s twenty fifth anniversary by hosting the eighth South Asian Theatre festival at the Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick New Jersey on Sept 27th, 28th and 29th with a gala presentation of eight plays.

The festival opens on Friday, Sept 27th at 7:30pm with an audio visual presentation depicting the twenty five years of Epic Actors Workshop. The show is conceived and scripted by Alokesh Dutta Roy and directed by Indranil Mukherjee. This show will be followed by “Our Voices”,  a play written and directed by Gargi Mukherjee and advised by Ricardo Khan, is about South Asian youth being caught between cultures, not being able to identify with any, or preferring one over the other, resulting in huge conflicts within the home and outside and ultimately getting trapped in a very confused state of being. This play attempts to give the South Asian youth a voice, whereby they can share their innermost struggles, thoughts and feelings and consequently find a platform to exchange ideas, collaborate with others toward the common goal of gaining a clearer understanding of who they are and how to celebrate their differences.  A panel discussion and unveiling of an exhibition depicting twenty five years of Epic’s journey is also scheduled for the evening.

Mohan Agashe

On Saturday, Sept 28th, the doors open at 4:00pm with a Hindi play, “Never Mind”, directed by Dr. Mohan Agashe. This play by Vivek Bele unfolds the budding romance between two unique and interesting people: Ninad, a successful marketing manager constantly experimenting with his brilliant business ideas, and Smita, a creative art designer curiously fascinated by animals. Both characters bring to this relationship their unique foibles and eccentricities. Beyond all, Smita is stuck in her fear and hesitates to take the first step to experience love despite Ninad’s futile attempts to impress her. But love conquers all and their minds conspire to bring them together!

The next play of the evening will be our group ECTA’s latest production “Palok” or “The Protector”. This bilingual (Bengali-English) play  (written and directed by yours truly) deftly tests the perennial boundaries and uncertainties of parental authority and influence. How valid is the debate that parenting is only a biological consequence and doesn’t necessitate more; what does it take to be a parent? When do a parent’s rights and responsibilities begin and when do they trespass on the rights of the individual? Every generation poses these difficult questions and each modulates it as there are no easy answers to fit or please all. An eighteen month old child is removed from his parents by the Child Protective Services (CPS) in suspicion of child abuse and neglect.  The parents claim, that the child’s injury was caused by a minor fall, contradicts the medical diagnosis.  The couple seeks help from their friends in their time of distress.  The friends extend their helping hand to get back the child from CPS custody, but was this the help the parents were looking for?

The last play of the evening, “Nana Ronger Din”, is an adaptation in Bengali from Anton Chekov’s play “Swan Song”.  Anton Chekhov wrote Swan Song in 1887. It was one of his early plays, written before the masterpieces he went on to create for the Moscow Art Theatre.  Ajitesh Banerjee, the great Bengali thespian and playwright, adapted this little play into Bengali in the 1970s and made it a legendary production in the history of Bengali theatre. The old Russian actor in Chekhov’s play becomes Rajani Chatterjee, a once-famous actor (now relic) of the Bengali commercial stage. Following an evening performance of Shahjahan, unbeknownst to everyone, Rajani-babu falls asleep in a drunken blur in one of the dressing rooms. When he awakens, the theatre is dark and empty. He falls quickly into saddened monologue that he speaks to Kalinath, the old prompter, who is homeless and secretly sleeps in the theatre. While charting out the tragic tale of his own life, Rajani-babu pronounces a scathing judgment on the fake moralities and hypocrisies of society, as the night wears on….

On Sunday, Sept 29th, the theatre opens with Girish Karnad’s classic play “Hayavadana” (in English) directed by Farley Richmond. Although written and produced over twenty years ago, Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana continues to delight and entertain audiences the world over even today. Based on myths and folk tales the main story is simple, witty, and insightful. At the heart of the plot is a love triangle like no Bollywood film ever imagined. Two devoted male friends are in love with the same charming woman. She is attracted to each of them but for very different reasons. As the play unfolds we wonder just who will win and who is destined to loose her affections? In the second act the woman discovers to her surprise that her choice has changed and that what she thought she was getting in no longer the man she wanted him to be. To conclude the story all three have learned and grown even if they find no satisfactory remedy for the choices they made. The main plot is derived from Thomas Mann’s novella, The Transposed Heads. Mann adapted the story from the Kathasaritsagara, an ancient collection of Sanskrit tales. Karnad discovered Mann’s work while studying at Oxford and saw its potentials for a play. He brackets the love triangle with a folk tale concerning a man who bemoans the fact that he is incomplete. When we meet the man during the final moments of the play his dilemma has been resolved but not in a way that he expected it to be. An opening prayer to Lord Ganesh aptly ties together both stories.

The festival concludes with  “Dui Huzurer Gappo” (The story of two masters) directed by

Meghnad Bhattacharya

Meghnad Bhattacharya. Adapted in Bengali from tales written by Russian satirist Mikhail Saltikav Schedrin, this play entertainingly elaborates on the dignity of Man’s work and the idealist principle that abstinence from work is a repugnant crime. Wit and humor cleverly reveal the perils of a greedy, modern bureaucracy despite the simple philosophy shared by the locals that the bounty of the Land is everyone’s equal right.

A festival like this is a rare event in America and I’d like to encourage you all to come and support this endeavor. I can promise you, you’ll not regret it.

See you at the Crossroads Theatre on Sep 27, 28, 29.

Anton Chekov

Anton Chekov has been on of the most celebrated playwrights and short story writers of the modern times.  Konstantin Stanislavsky and his Moscow Art Theatre brought Chekov in front of the western audience at a time when Chekov was almost about to give up writing plays. Four of his most famous plays, “The Seagull”, “Uncle Vanya”, “Three Sisters” and “Cherry Orchard”, were all produced and staged by Moscow Art Theatre.  Since then Chekov’s plays have been performed all around the world in multiple languages. In Kolkata, Chekov was made popular by the famous theater group “Nandikar”, and more specifically by Ajitesh Bandopadhyay.  “Swan Song”, one of Chekov’s popular plays, is a touching portrayal of a sixty eight year old stage actor who laments the loss of his youthful days and the apathy of his audience.   Swan Song [1887] was one of his early plays featuring two characters: Vasili Svietlovidoff, a 68 year old comic actor and Nikita Ivanich, who is an even older man, the theater’s prompter. Following a benefit evening in his honor, unbeknownst to everyone, the comic actor Svetlovidov falls asleep in a drunken blur. When he awakens, the theater is dark and empty. He falls quickly into saddened monologue..

The play was also adapted by Ajitesh Bandopadhyay in Bengali as “Nana Ranger Din” and there is hardly any actor who hasn’t attempted this piece in his life. Couple of weeks ago, we did a broadcast of “The Swan Song” on EBC Radio on our EBC Drama Club show. The performers include Dwaipan Mukherjee as Nikita the prompter, and myself as Vasili the actor. The translation is by Marian Fell. Enjoy.

A Bengali friend asked rhetorically “Why do you think quite a few, a significant proportion at that, of our daughters are marrying outside the Bengali community and indeed majority of them preferring white Americans?” He thought he had an answer too, “They have concluded, observing their Bengali fathers I think that the Bengali men are opinionated, argumentative, obstinate, dominating and positively not romantic.”
Well that may be a strong sweeping statement, not based on any poll data or census study; but searching for causality, it is possibly safe bet to make an intuitive conjecture on the subject. I could see through the point my friend was trying to make. Our children have the luxury of wider perspective and many options, as opposed to the situation in our left behind homeland. And they do compare and choose. As such the women in general have a proclivity to make comparisons when judging their own state of affairs; children normally become the favorite targets: they are often told that the kids of their mothers’ friends are better achievers. And what may remain unspoken and is not far from their minds is that the husbands too leave much to be desired in the way they come out to be.
What is true for our daughters could be true for our wives too, but unfortunately for them the die is cast. They do not have much choices left. Other consideration for leaving the older group out in my discussion is that after four decades of life together a different dynamics come to play, acceptance looks like the order of the day. Besides, narcissism and sense of women power are not the same today as they used to be in seventies. Tolerance, acceptance and accommodation were a part of life then. And after all, here we are discussing our daughters born and brought up in USA and their generation from India in an attempt to understand why even the younger “Bengali” men may have come up short in their eyes and the conclusion that the Bengali men have had no change. Unfortunately, most of our native sons are victims of this generalized branding of Bengali men.
The older ones (by that I mean the early immigrant wives), those had been married before their husbands immigrated, went through a different genre of match making. Predominant considerations were economic, cultural, academic and social status, a negotiated or a courtship (love) marriage regardless. In any event, husband’s location in America was not an overriding factor. The picture changed in 90’s when the flood gate of H1B visas opened. The immigrant young men sensed their power and their value enhancement in the matrimonial market back home. It was their opportunity to marry up. And they did marry up much beyond what they would expect, if their prospective wives did not have the lure of moving to America. I will not sit in judgment on their decision; it is for them to determine whether they have won out or lost.
While it is true that girls are not marrying anyone from their fathers’ generation, as they look at the younger bunch from India they are still not hugely impressed and reassured. My friend (the same one, when asked whether I can identify him for this article, declined) continued, “Have you noticed how even the younger Bengali men who came to this country in nineties and later, behave in events like Pujas or in a dinner party? They promptly discard their wives at the door and dash to where other men are.” I agreed, that is not a normal way of socializing for a young couple in this country. Our children (who are born and raised here) will stay with their spouses and in the company of each other. But I question, who discards whom. May also be true that the wife does not like her husband enough to be seen with. For those who married up, it is their turn now, to be looked down upon.

Let’s face it!  All Bengali men are really not Uttam Kumar both in looks or from the point of view of romantic disposition. They are sartorially challenged (indeed very poorly attired) and they do not take care of their protruding bellies as much as they are expected by their women. The complaint by the Bengali women in general that they are not appreciated by their husbands for their good looks and other virtues as often as expected does not help either. Despite all the claims of gender equality, it is not surprising that these young women congregate in a dinner party or other events, only with other women. Don’t blame them. That is where they are complimented profusely for their sarees, dresses and their looks. Of course between them the appreciation is mutual, it is promptly returned. That’s Freudian way of making up what is otherwise missing at home.

Speaking of romantic content of the relationship: In ancient society and traditionally even to this day, man has been the hunter gatherer. In addition to the need for feeding the family, hunting (or acquiring wealth) is a symbol and a demonstration of power, specially to keep the woman at awe and admiring. Through the ages the traditional power equation has changed, now a woman wants to be admired too by her counterpart. She wants open proclamation of admiration and wants to be told how much the man loves her, not to speak of presents and flowers on birthdays. An occasional candle light dinner at home is desired. But regrettably, the romantic expression of a Bengali man is limited to listening to Rabindrasangeet and watching an old Suchitra-Uttam movie in company with his wife. That is not considered adequate by our native daughters.
I wondered if there is a way of validating my observation. I thought of someone who could be a reliably good single source of survey. Someone I have known since she was born after her father immigrated about the same time I did. She (Name withheld for the sake of her privacy) is a professor, teaching Contemporary Sociology in a mid-western university. I called her and presented her with the question my friend posed. There was a long silence at the end of the line and then she spoke “My father is the greatest dad in the whole world and it still holds true.” That I had to agree with, because I was a witness to her growing up, her extraordinary accomplishment and the love and support she got form her father, a Bengali friend of mine. “When I was growing up” she continued “I always wanted to marry some one in my father’s image and I did as you know, Kaku.” She married a Bengali immigrant colleague in the same university and divorced after eighteen months.
“Would you mind if I ask what happened?” She put me at ease as she replied that I was completely within my rights to ask her this question. “When we begun our life together I started to have a lurking feelings that culturally we were not compatible. Apparently, we were equal and had equal rights. I do not know whether he was obstinate, opinionated, argumentative and all that like your friend said the Bengali men are but he definitely behaved like he was more equal than I was.” Was that all the reasons for leaving him? There were other issues; “You know Kaku, sociologically speaking a couple can not live all by themselves, they have to live in a community. After I got married my social life went in to a dump; he made sure that our social mixing is all with the Bengali friends; that’s not my ilk. And you know how you raised your daughters Kaku? To have a mind of their own and have something to talk about beyond the saree they are going to wear at the next meet!”
I had the last question. How about her father, was he arrogant, obstinate, opinionated and all that? “Could be” she said “Well, probably, but don’t forget both my parents are the products of same environment and what I remember, my mother did not complain.”
There was a pause, when I thought I heard a brief sigh and then she said, “But we do.”

Satyameva
A play in Bengali written by Sudipta Bhawmik
Directed by Indranil Mukherjee
Cast: Sudipta Bhawmik, Pinaki Datta
Satyameva

Sanjoy, a young software professional, has arrived in the “land of opportunity” for just over six months and works for a software body shopping company “InterSoft” owned and operated by Bill (a Bengali American living in the States for over thirty years.) On the day of the play Bill fires Sanjoy and asks him to go back to India. Sanjoy, however, is not happy with this decision and refuses to oblige. He informs Bill that he is not going to return to India under any circumstances. He states that returning to India is synonymous to signing a death warrant for himself. He cannot subject himself to such a grave risk. And to justify himself, and to win his ultimate motive, he has to make a choice between truth or deceit.
Produced by ECTA Inc.

This is the other Bengali convention I am writing about. Not many know that it exists, but it has lived for  last fifteen years, hail and hearty.

The event is organized by Mid America Bengali Association (MABA), a loosely held central body of many regional Bengali clubs from Louisville,  Chicago, Birmingham, Atlanta among other cities. No one owns a franchise and it is made obvious by the apparent absence of claims of ownership by the organizing leaders of the convention.

The fifteenth Bangamela, this year was held in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 19,20 and 21, 2013. The venue, Holiday Inn at the airport area is a reasonably large facility with 275 rooms and a 600 capacity arena for performing arts and another 200+ capacity hall. He hotel rooms and other amenities were upscale and the rates negotiated by the organizers were moderate at $89.00 per night.  There are one or two other hotels in the area as well. Close to 550 people attended this year, each paying $65.00 for advance registration and $75.00 for the late comers. The good news, I am told, is that the revenue has exceeded their expenses. In addition, there were a few sponsors and patrons from Calcutta, three real estate companies and the daily Pratidin included. As to the consideration of cost containment and staying within the budget, “We do not go after only the big name” said one organizer “we attempt to make an evaluation of quality and value when we engage the overseas artists and try not to go overboard.” The working members are from different cities scattered all over the region; when asked about problems in coordinating and its cost impact, replied another organizer; “we manage most work by telephone and video conferencing, which saves on travel and hotel costs.”

Upon arriving at the hotel what struck me was that there was  no body running around wearing huge badges and halo of self importance.  The people of MABA were approachable and what was more, eager to help. It gave me a real homey, intimate and relaxed feeling.

The event started  on Friday, July 19 with a simple lamp lighting ceremony, followed by a few introductions and speeches. The program line up was adequate, clean and of satisfactory entertainment value. And remarkably un-ostentatious. There were no business forum, no health clinic, no art exhibits of questionable  relevance and no Bollywood mega-star.  Overseas artist roster was impressive and included Raghav Chatterjee, Aditi Mohsin, Lakhandas Baul, Anjan Datta, Kamalini Mukherjee and a few others. There were also programs sourced domestically, many of them were of high standard. An Odissi number by Nilanjana Banerjee of New Jersey and a Sruti Natok by Rajarshee and Sayanhika Bhattachrya of Dallas, deserve special mention as crowd pleasing.

The programs were conducted professionally and generally on schedule. Masters of ceremony conducting the programs were up to their job; one of them Soma Mukhopadhyay was excellent by any standard, soft spoken, fluent and restrained. The programs were somewhat marred by the attempts of the Calcutta artists to sell their CD’s on stage. But one in bad taste in particular, was the hard-sell by one of their own, who seemed like a core official of the convention and his wife. They too had a programing slot as a local group, but  the  amateurish performance did not hold out much promise for the quality of their recorded music.

It is true that in conduct of such events the financial support from the overseas sponsors  helps.  But they do it with their own interest in mind; the exposure here possibly also helps them to market their product. They rightfully deserve thanks but not gratitude.  But the organizers of the various conferences here in the United States sometimes lose this perspective and  go out of their way to please the overseas sponsors, bordering obeisance. The same mind frame was in display at the Bangamela. The overseas representatives had a field day on the stage, walking in and out of the stage as they pleased.

The appeal of the Bangamela 2013 was its disciplined management and intimate ambiance;  one contributing factor was arguably the size of attendance. That point of view raises a reasonable question about other Bengali conventions which more often than not inevitably end in chaos and confusion. Is it the typical lack of Bengali managerial skill,generally speaking?  Are they attempting to bite more than they can swallow?

I wish Bangamela of MABA does not get afflicted with delusion of grandeur; stays within a manageable proportion and continue to offer a weekend of Bengali convention, entertaining, enjoyable and hassle free.

Du Kool Magazine

It is well known that Bengalis have a weakness for literary magazines. Although I am not sure how much of this weakness can be attributed to their thirst for literature versus their thirst to see their name in print, but I am quite sure that if someone accounted for  the huge number of Bengali magazines that are published around the world, the number would surely find a spot in the Guinness book of world records. There hardly exists any Bengali who has not been involved with the publication of a magazine in their lifetime.  These magazines, also known as little magazines,  often serve as the launching pad for many a literary stalwart.  They challenge the establishment of big publishing houses and their glossy publications and offer their readers an alternative to the beaten path.  They represent the dreams and aspirations of the Bengali youth. Unfortunately, most of these magazines are short lived and they whither away after few issues.   In this country too, I have come across many such Bengali magazines which offered the readers a taste of their culture in print or in electronic form. Unfortunately they too did not last long.   The primary reasons for their untimely death are lack of funds,  lack of focus and lack of business acumen.

Recently another Bengali magazine has surfaced from Ohio, named Du-Kool, which roughly translates to, “two banks” of a river. The name suggests that the magazine would like to serve as a bridge between the Bengalis of the east and the west. If you leaf through the pages, you’ll find that a good balance of writers from the east and the west well justifies the claim. But the mission of the magazine is more than just serving as a link. It wants to be the key literary platform for the global Bengali. It wants to connect the Bengalis all around the world and become a truly “Bengali” magazine rather than a magazine from Bengal.

The full color, glossy heavy stock appearance of the magazine may initially give you the impression of a Durga Puja souvenir, but once you glance through some of the pages, you’ll realize that this is not an amateur effort at all. The layout, the organization, the illustrations, all demonstrate that a great deal of thought and planning goes into each issue. The magazine contains all the typical sections one would expect. A serialized novel, couple of short stories, poems, essays on interesting topics like teen issues or college admissions,  interviews of well known personalities, Bengali recipes, glamor shots of models in colorful sarees, etc.  A section in English caters to our second generation kids who would like to get involved. The stories, poems, essays are all of very high quality and contributed by some of the major names of Bengali literature.    The editorial team of Prabir Das and Sarbari Gupta seems to be very picky about what they publish.

But the main challenge of such a magazine is to find a way to sustain itself. It not only requires a dedicated and focussed team of individuals who would be willing contribute a significant portion of their time to the cause, but also a steady source of funds to keep the engine running. The logistics involved in soliciting articles and stories, screening them, printing, distribution – all takes a huge amount of time and money. Currently Du-Kool seems to be mostly funded by annual subscription and few advertisements. This along with the high mailing cost makes the annual subscription fee to be quite steep. The publication team is working on this issue and promises to bring down the cost of subscription once they can work out the mailing issues and get their advertisement department up and running. The team is also launching an electronic e-Reader version of the magazine which can be subscribed at significantly lower cost.

But whatever strategy the Du-Kool editors and publishers may come up with, a magazine cannot survive without the support of its writers and readers. I’d like to request all global Bengali writers to send your works to Du-Kool. Du-Kool even pays a token honorarium to the author for each work they publish. Not too many magazines do that these days. And to the readers of quality Bengali literature, I’d like to request you to support this effort by becoming a subscriber of Du-Kool. By subscribing you are not only giving yourself an opportunity to read good work in Bengali, but also contributing to this effort of keeping Bengali language and literature alive and prospering in this world.  We can at least do this much for our mother tongue. The website of Du-Kool is http://du-kool.com.

Soumendu and Arpana Bhattacharya on EBC Radio

Those of you who missed our EBC Drama Club show on June 29th, 2013, don’t feel bad anymore. Here is the podcast of the show made available to you courtesy of EBC Radio and this blog. As I mentioned earlier you can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (on iPhone, iPod or Android phones, or computers). Just search for “NY NJ Bengali” and you’ll find it.

This week we had an invigorating chat with one of the most talented couples in New Jersey, Soumendu Bhattacharya and Arpana Bhattacharya. We talked about many different issues about their life on stage and how theater enriched them over the years. Soumendu and Arpana performed some clips from the plays they have acted earlier, like Sacrifice, Bhopal and Hayavadana. Listen to the podcast below and next time do not forget to tune in to 1170 AM at 12:00 noon on 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturdays of the month. Please give your feedback in the comments section below.

Musical Chair at NABC

North America Bengali Conferences (NABC) have started to develop the same look and feel irrespective of where it is held. This year, the MTCC convention center in Toronto Canada looked no different than the Baltimore Convention Center of 2011 or the Atlantic City Convention center of 2010. Although this year the organizers have cut down on the decor part significantly, the stages are not like the dazzling spectacles of the previous years, and you can hardly see cut outs, paintings and signs strewn around the place. But as far as the pandemonium goes, the feel was exactly the same. On the opening evening (Friday) hardly any of the organizers were seen around. Maybe they were all busy getting ready for the play. No shuttles were provided to transport the guests from their hotels (as promised) and the trek down from the area hotels to the convention center was not at all pleasant in the rain with all the construction going around. Hence I missed the opening ceremony. After another bout of struggle at the registration booth, when I entered the Raja Rammohan Mancha, deja-vu struck again. The overseas performers, whom we have been listening to over the past few years, were once again singing the “Olden Golden” Bengali songs of the sixties and seventies with the obligatory nostalgo-romantic narrations in between. Little while later, I slipped into the vendor area – and the same Gold Jewellers, the sari stalls, Zee Bangla, Muktadhara, and Biswas stalls. I hung around for a while at the DuKool stall to support the cause of the magazine and in the process met few old friends. Some of them were complaining that food coupons have been sold out (which incidentally must be purchased apriori from three stories above) and they were frantically looking for food. The next event (of my interest) was the play “Dildar” presented by the organizing group and directed by Meghnaad Bhattacharya. The play was presented in a style which is not very prevalent in modern theatre, but the cast seemed to have worked hard to present a good show. Kaushiki Chakrabarty’s classical rendering was wonderful as usual although she could have skipped the gimmicks in her semi classical renditions.

The second day was no different either, although the shuttle services seemed to have resumed their services. The highlight of this day was, as far as I am concerned, meeting some of my old friends from the TCS days in Delhi and Kolkata. I also bumped into many other friends and family members from different parts of the continent. Had some great “adda” sessions, and made some new friends. That evening Kallol of New Jersey presented their play “Musical Chair”, an all women play (well almost) on the main Raja Rammohan Roy stage. I had a special interest in this play, since I happened to be the writer.  All I can say is that the Kallol team should be praised for having the courage to put up this play in NABC. A controversial and layered play like “Musical Chair” is not the kind you’d expect to see on a stage where entertainment is the priority. The subtext of the play gets diluted in a sea of people who are waiting for the next overseas entertainer to come on stage.  Nevertheless, the team tried their best under the given circumstances and the feedback from the few serious theater lovers seemed to be mixed.  The other attraction of the evening was the star studded play from Kolkata, “E Aboron”, directed by Dulal Lahiri. The play had all the right ingredients of an entertaining theatre – popular film stars like Locket Chatterjee, Saheb Chatterjee, stage actors like Meghnad Bhattacharya and Dulal Lahiri, song, dance,   melodrama  and a good story line. The audience loved it.

Meghnad Bhattacharya

On Sunday, I spent most of my time in the Literary Seminar room. The day opened with a panel discussion on women writers in Bengali literature. The panelists included writers from Bangladesh and West Bengal.  The next session featured Parvati Baul who explained the nuances of Baul life and philosophy with an audio visual presentation. This was followed by an hour long lecture by Meghnad Bhattacharya on Bengali Theatre which was not only engaging but also extremely insightful. The session concluded with a panel discussion in memory of Sunil Ganguly. Several close friends and acquaintances (like Kanti Hore, Alolika Mukherjee, Tridib Chattopadhyay and others) of Sunil shared their experiences and fond memories with their beloved writer and friend.  The literary seminar has always been the most neglected and least attended sessions of any NABC, but it always happens to be the most enriching experience. Kudos to Lalima Sarkar for pulling this off in such a shoe-string budget.

The final event of the day was a mesmerizing performance by Shreya Ghoshal. She is undoubtedly the most talented singers of her generation, and her pleasant “girl-next-door” demeanor made her the darling of NABC. The long wait (for more than 3 hours for some people) was worth it.  But do we really need someone like her for NABC? The huge expense is not the only issue here. The immense logistical arrangement required for a concert of this stature is not NABC’s cup of tea as it has been made evident time and again. It requires a completely different kind of setup and professionalism, and that is not what one can expect at NABC. Hence future NABC organizers should think twice before hosting a performer like Shreya.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Sharad Sathe and Shriram Devre

Sharad Sathe, a playwright and director of Marathi Theatre in New Jersey , was at the EBC Radio studio on June 1, 2013 as my guest to the EBC Drama Club show. He was accompanied by one of his actors, Sreeram Devre. We had an long chat on Marathi Theatre, its history, its evolution and the state of Mararthi Theatre in New Jersey and North America in general. Sharad talked about his inspiration in translating and adapting western plays for the Marathi stage and the challenges he had to face in staging Marathi Theatre in USA. During the conversation, he and Sreeram also read few snippets from some of his plays. But before we started the conversation, we remembered the recently departed  film maker Rituparno Ghosh by listening to a clip from his film “The Last Lear” where Amitabh Bachhan recites from the play “King Lear” by William Shakespeare.  The audio podcast of the entire conversation is given below.

Bengali Babu Holding Hookah

Dear Sudipta,
A few weeks ago, I attended and enjoyed your one-act monologue play Banijye Basate Lakhhi, a script about Bengali absence, by and large from the world of business and commerce. It may not have had much dramatic impact on audience because of its format and contents- probably it was not intended to; but enlivened by your natural and easy acting, was interesting indeed and set the Bengali viewers on to soul searching. In that aspect it was quite effective. The subject of your play is topical and in that respect my comments although late in coming, may not have timed out or turned stale. You touched on the maladies that inflict us, discouraging us from launching a venture, aversion to risk taking, reluctance to work hard, and absence of desire to set our spirit free. All these are so very true and have triggered some thoughts in my mind.
No matter what we do in our professional lives, the primary objective of most of us is to earn a living; assuring us that there will be an adequate remuneration guaranteeing a survival in whatever we pursue. Bengalis are not sure that a business plan meets that need, because such images are few in our homes or in our surroundings; in other words examples and role models are rare, if any. I think this mind set has a relatively recent historical background to it.
The British settled in Calcutta and its vicinity and ran their administration, and trade and commerce from there. . They needed an army of bureaucrats as much as they needed a military one to rule. They found a fertile ground in Bengal and in Bengali psyche.
They created schools and universities to train the cadre. The Bengalis, mostly the Hindu Bengalis joined in force. For us, the British were more civil and better masters than the Muslim rulers of that time and that working for them was an easier way to make a living than the other options available. Our rulers created a whole army of clerks and middle order supervisors. The Bengali middle class joined the force in droves and spread over other parts of India, particularly the neighboring states and northern part of the country. And that created a vacuum in Bengal in manufacturing and trading sector and opened up the domain to people from other states, Rajasthan, for example. The new entrepreneurs from outside the state also found a mighty pen wielding work force ready to serve a new batch of masters.
In addition, from among those who served them subserviently and faithfully the British created a new class of mini-lords to do their dirty work of keeping the masses on leash. They gave this selected group the ownership of land, power to collect revenues and also titles and salutations to go with it. Zemindary system was already in existance from Mogul times; the British finessed it and created a class of aristocracy dependent on them. Actually they were the moneyed group of potential investors. But these affluent landowners chose not to invest in mundane enterprises like cotton mills, jute mills or steel mills; those tasks were left to people from Rajasthan, instead they spent it on building palaces, trips to Europe, jewelries as well as patronage of arts and culture. Bengali entrepreneurship never took off the ground.
In your play you spoke about the risk element of business. In order to take a risk one has to have faith that things are more likely to come out favorably than not. With faith, comes religiosity, a belief in supernatural power. By no account the Bengalis can be accused of abundance of religious faith. In our heart we do not really believe with certainty that someone is there to save us from the pitfall and that entity will do your bidding in exchange of five varieties of fruits offering; therefore we are reluctant to take a chance. We Bengalis probably do not believe that a huge edifice like a Birla temple at Gariahat Road can wash away our perceived sins acquired from the contemporary business practices of mixing stone chips with rice or cheating on taxes or killing babies by marketing spurious drugs, That is no way to hint that the Bengalis are overly ethical or conscientious; just that they are not sure of the fall back positions or an exit strategy in case anything goes wrong.
Your narrative makes sense, just look around us. This country we now live in has the most favorable environment in the world for free enterprise and it is really many fold times easier to start and succeed in a business here compared to other places. Our compatriots from other regions of India have taken advantage of this much more than we Bengalis have. Sadly we have carried our bugs of business-averse genes to a new world where environment is favorable for us to have shaken off our old propensity and started anew.
Talking of propensity; is Bengali mind too analytical? Is the Bengali institution of “Adda” which is endless analysis, discourse and inconclusive argument about nothing is a manifestation of our risk-averse nature, of not being able to make a decision and then avoid an action? Another aspect of this conundrum is perhaps our obsessive love of culture; a softer side of human mind, which makes us dreamers and the dreams have no consequences, no risk attached.
Am I blaming over-feeding on culture, spending too much of our time in poetries, songs, dances and dramas and our self-professed intellectual bend of mind for our reluctance to come down from the cloud nine and face the real harsh world? I will be less than honest if I say that this thought does not cross my mind.
Keep on doing good work, Sudipta.
Amitavada

Vishwamohan Bhatt

Mrittika, Inc. – A South Asian Center for Language and Heritage will celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of its founding with a musical program on Sunday, May 19, 2013 4:00pm-8:00pm at the auditorium of the Marlboro Middle School located at 355 County Route 520 in Marlboro, New Jersey.

The highlight of the program will be Indian classical and fusion music performance by the Grammy award winner musician, Pandit Viswamohan Bhatt. The maestro is going to play his enchanting Mohan Veena (modified slide guitar) for us. It would be a privilege for us and especially our next generation to see him in person and hear him perform on this unique instrument. Pandit Bhatt will be accompanied on tabla by the Tabla wizard, Pandit Subhen Chatterjee.Time permitting, there may be a Q&A session with the celebrity artists.The feature performance will be preceded by music created by three rising stars of the local Indian classical music scene, who would pay tribute to Panditji through their own musical talents: Abhik Mukherjee on Sitar, Jay Gandhi on Flute and Shivalik Ghoshal on Tabla.

The entire program will have a ceremonial opening with an INAUGURAL, where after a brief lighting ceremony, the Mrittika Language school students and guest youth artists will sing Tagore songs(Rabindrasangeet) celebrating the annual seasonal changes. It will be followed by the viewing of a short documentary on the history of Mrittika.

The program will run from 4 PM to 8 PM with two brief intermissions, during which the audience may examine a couple of stalls and buy light refreshment from a food vendor.

About Mrittika:

MRITTIKA began as Bengali Language and Heritage Center, a language school that was founded in 1989, and incorporated in 1991. One of its primary functions, ever since inception, has been to teach students Bengali-the fifth largest spoken language in the world. The organization formally changed its name to “MRITTIKA, Inc. – A South Asian Center for Language and Heritage” in 1996. Since its founding, MRITTIKA has taught Bengali to some 100+students, ranging in age from 4 to 24years. Classes at three levels — Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced — are taught without pay by Dhriti Bagchi and volunteers from the immigrant Bengali community. Students are charged a nominal sum every academic year to buy supplies and teaching materials. The school currently holds two sessions on alternate weekends in two branches-One session is held at MRITTIKA’s office at 10 Dartmoor Drive in Manalapan, NJ. And the other at the Ananda Mandir-the first Bengali Community Center cum Mandir in NJ. At 269 Cedar Grove Lane in Franklin Township, to cover a larger radius.

MRITTIKA has continued to grow in recent years as a center for cultural heritage. In that capacity, it educates its students in cultural matters through a variety of means, for example dramas, recitations, topical discussions, folklores, storytelling, music, dance, rhythmic exercises, puppetry, and audiovisual materials such as slides, films and documentaries. MRITTIKA stages student productions of dramas and puppet shows in local schools, libraries and museums. MRITTIKA was invited to Brampton, Ontario, Canada to participate in their International Festival, “CARABRAM.” There, MRITTIKA presented an Exhibition on the Dying Art Forms and Puppets of India, organized a workshop on puppetry, and sponsored a creative dance composition by one of our ex-students. MRITTIKA views these activities as an integral part of its mission to teach language and heritage to its student body and bring awareness into the mainstream.

Finally, MRITTIKA carries out its cultural instructions through the medium of arts and artworks, especially those related to native forms of artistic expression in South Asia. MRITTIKA aims to make its students familiar with folk art forms of the Indian subcontinent, such as narrative scroll painting, decorative floor painting called “alpana,” and the making of terra cotta and “shola” (pith) art objects. In pursuit of this goal, students actively participate in creative art forms, and their output, along with original artifacts sometimes brought from India, are combined in exhibitions that MRITTIKA puts up from time to time in schools and libraries.

Kulraaj Anand

“Voice is something that not only an actor needs to develop, anybody who wants to communicate effectively must learn how to develop and use his or her voice”, says Kulraaj Anand, the popular host of EBC Radio. In this episode of EBC drama club, I chat with Kulraaj who talks about how one can go about developing their voice and why. He also demonstrates voice exercises and presents an improvisational piece for the audience. Enjoy the show.

Note: You may subscribe to this and other podcasts through itunes for free.

The winners of 2011 awards were Gouri Datta of Massachusetts (for her creative writings in Bengali) and Tathagata Ghosh of New Jersey (for his creative writings in English). In 2012, the awards were given to Eva Khashnobish of Delhi, India (Bengali) and Bakul Banerjee of Illinois (English) and Kooheli Chatterji (English).

Authors who have published creative writings in periodicals (and websites) published in North America are encouraged to submit nominations per the guidelines given below. Third-party nominations are welcome but concurrence of the nominated authors must be obtained in advance.

An author may nominate himself/herself — or may be nominated by third parties. The nomination must be supported by photocopies of two (and only two) essays, poems, short stories or plays published in North America-based Bengali or English magazines. The two supporting publications can be of the same type or of different types (e.g.., one poem and one short story). Unpublished works of literature will not be accepted. Full publication references must be submitted for the articles submitted with each nomination. Articles published in magazines outside of North America will not be considered.

Nominated authors must be 18 years or older. Each of their published articles (prose or poems), submitted with their nominations, should be relatively short (no more than 5 or 6 printed pages in length).

Nominations should include short biographies of the authors. Judging, however, will be based primarily on the two supporting publications. Judges’ decisions will be final.

Members of the Awards & Recognition Subcommittee and the judges cannot submit nominations for themselves nor can they be nominated by third parties.

Deadline for nominations (with supporting documents) for the 2013 awards: July 31, 2013. Awards will be announced and presented in the Fall of 2013.

Please send nominations (with supporting documents) to
Debajyoti Chatterji
77 Mackenzie Lane South
Denville, NJ 07834

In case of questions, please email Debajyoti Chatterji (debsmee572@gmail.com) or
Guru Chakravarty (guruchakravarty@yahoo.com).

Featured musicians are :

Raag Rang Concert

Pt Barun Kumar Pal – Hansa Veena, a modified slide guitar
Ragas, Talas and compositions created by Ravi Shankar; rendered by one of the senior-most disciples of Ravi Shankar. Hansa Veena is the only instrument named and launched by Ravi Shankar. He will accompanied on the tabla by Samir Chatterjee.

Samir Chatterjee – Tabla Solo
A frequent accompanist of Ravi Shankar, Samir Chatterjee will offer us a unique experience of the music of tabla – an obvious, yet new creative approach to one of the most popular percussion of the world. He will be accompanied by Shree Kedar Naphade on the harmonium.

Shree Indradeep Ghosh – violin
Groomed by Pt. V. G. Jog and Smt. Sisirkana Dhar Chowdhury as an exponent of the Seni-Maihar gharana, Indradeep has cut a niche for himself in the world of Indian music through his unique blend of the raga and tala to a wholesome experience of music. Indradeep will be accompanied on tabla by Shree Amod Dandawate.

Amod Dandawate has been primarily trained in the Farrukhabad style under the discipleship of Pt. Samir Chatterjee. He was initiated into Tabla by his father Dr. Vasantrao Dandawate at a very young age but started his serious pursuit of the art form only after completing his bachelors degree in Engineering. He received initial guidance and encouragement from Shafaat Khan while performing as an accompanist and then spent some time taking lessons from Ust. Zakir Hussain. Having settled in New Jersey since 1997 he has been receiving advanced training from Pt. Samir Chatterjee.

Concert will start with Pt Ravi Shankar’s compositions presented by talented music students from the community.

Admission: $15.00 for raag-rang members and students. $20.00 for non-members.
There will be food for purchase in the church lobby.
RSVP will be appreciated.
Contact details– raagrang07@gmail.com

Man of The Heart

In the second part of the conversation, Sudipto talks about the impact of colonialism on Lalon Phokir’s philosophy and music, about his working relationship with director Sumon Mukhopadhyay and his future projects. Please listen to the first part of the conversation from our previous post. A brief biography of Sudipto Chatterjee is also given there.

Man of The Heart

During our second broadcast of the EBC Radio Club on EBC Radio, we had a long telephone chat with Sudipto Chatterjee, a distinguished theatre person who teaches Drama at the Loughborough University in UK. In this part of the show, Sudipto talks about how he conceived and planned his highly acclaimed one person docudrama, “Man of the Heart”, which was directed by Sumon Mukhopadhyay.  The podcast of the first part of the show is given below.

Following is a brief biography of Sudipto Chatterjee:

With a PhD in Performance Studies from New York University, Sudipto is a scholar/playwright/performer/director from Calcutta, India. His book on nineteenth century Bengali theatre history, The Colonial Staged, was published in 2007 by Seagull Publishers (Calcutta, London and New York). His academic work has been published in several international anthologies as well as journals like The Drama Review, Theatre Survey and Theater Journal. The author of sixteen plays in Bengali and English, he has directed several plays including Nuraldeen’s Lifetime (by Syed Shamsul Haq) in New York and Calcutta, Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana, Badal Sircar’s Bhoma and J. M. Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World (all in Boston) and its Bengali adaptation Birpurus (in Calcutta). His first anthology of Bengali plays, Abhiropan, was published in 2005. In 2006, he directed Manjula Padmanabhan’s Harvest at the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, University of California Berkeley, where he was an Assistant Professor. Chatterjee has also made two documentaries, one of them, Free To Sing, on the singer-songmaker and politician Kabir Suman. After several years in the USA, Chatterjee is currently Senior Lecturer of Drama at the Department of English & Drama in Loughborough University, UK. He is currently working on two new plays, Othello’s Occupation and Chisel. In 2009, he directed Ibsen’s Peer Gynt and Iranian playwright, Bahram Beyzaei’s Death of Yazdgerd in 2010. Along with Suman Mukhopadhyay, Chatterjee launched the Man of the Heart Project, a performance-cum-research undertaking on the life and work of Lalon Shah Phokir, in 2005 at the University of California, Berkeley. Since then, the project has toured the USA and various European venues. In 2011-12, Chatterjee received the “Interweaving Performance Cultures” Fellowship from the Free University of Berlin, which enabled him to develop the Man of the Heart Project further (www.lalon.org). In 2013, Man of the Heart tours India.

Satinath Mukhopadhyay

Now enjoy the second part of Satyameva, performed by Satinath Mukhopadhyay and written by Sudipta Bhawmik.

Satinath Mukhopadhyay

Couple of years ago Satinath Mukhopadhyay, the famous radio artiste read my play “Satyameva” on one of the FM radio channels in Kolkata. The play was read in two parts. Here is the podcast of the first part.

Satyameva is one of my more popular plays. This play was first produced by ECTA in Kolkata at the Sujata Sadan and was performed on stage by Sankar Ghoshal and Indranil Mukherjee. Later in USA the play was staged again and this time Pinaki Datta and I was on the stage. In Kolkata the play was produced by Theater Workshop and directed by Ashok Mukhopadhyay and was performed by Ashok  Mukhopadyay and Krishnagati Chattopadhyay. Theater Workshop produced the play as “Jodiyo Golpo”. I’ll post the second part soon.

We plan to continue this show every other week. The show will not only feature radio dramas, but also story readings, discussions, reviews and previews of local theatre, interviews with actors/directors/producers etc.  If you have any comments or suggestions  please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Part 1: (Opening remarks, World Theater Day, Play Reading by Nupur Lahiri)

Part 2: (Call-in, Story reading by Sudipta Bhawmik)

Dance Pe Chance

Our theater group ECTA is known to our audience as creators of serious theater – theater which makes us think, makes us to introspect and makes us a bit more engaged with our fellow members of the community. This however does not mean we don’t like to have fun. Over the years, many of our audience members have  requested us to produce a full blown comedy that would cause a laugh riot in the theater. And we listened. So this year we are staging not one, but two comedies that will make you laugh like you have never laughed before – “Dance Pe Chance” and “Banijye Basate Lakshmi”.

“Dance Pe Chance”, directed by Aparajita Das, is an out and out satirical comedy where we make fun of ourselves and our popular culture. The play is a parody on the craze of ‘Reality Shows’, where the lure of becoming an overnight celebrity becomes stronger than the urge to create good art.  Few wannabe dancers of our community decide to participate in a dance competition to be judged by one of the biggest celebrity stars of Bollywood and Tollywood cinema.  The play created a sensation at the 2012 North America Bengali Conference in Las Vegas where the entire Jersey Boys Auditorium rolled in laughter for the entire sixty minutes. Since then we have had numerous requests to stage this play in New Jersey, and finally on April 20th and 21st, the Jersey Bengalis will also have the opportunity to enjoy this fun show.

Gagan Goswami

In “Banijye Basate Lakshmi”, Gagan Goswami, the famous motivational speaker examines the age old question, why Bengalis can never succeed in business. In his recently authored book, ” Ka -e- Kenabecha “, Goswami claims that to do business, a Bengali need to know only the first letter of the Bengali consonants. Today, he has been invited to talk to the audience and inspire them into doing business and build business empires. What follows is a colorful journey through the life of a Bengali entrepreneur and his search for an answer to the most important question of life – why? The play, directed by Sankar Ghoshal, was first staged at the 2012 GSCA Saraswati Puja where the speaker kept the audience spell bound for ninety long minutes through his captivating life story. He made them laugh, he made them cry, he made them think.

The plays are undoubtedly comedies, but as we all know, comedies are nothing but another way, a funnier way, to look deep into ourselves and discover thruths that we could never fathom otherwise.

The plays will be staged at the Edison Valley Playhouse (2196 Oak Tree Road, Edison, NJ) on Saturday April 20 at 6:00pm, and on Sunday April 21 at 4:00pm. Each day wil feature both the plays with an intermission in between. Tickets are $20.00 per person, per day.

Featuring:

– Megha Nair & Ariaki Dandawate Hindustani Vocal Duet
– Duet Presentation of Kathak & Kuchipudi by Young Artists of
Kalamandir of New Jersey and Nritya Madhavi School of Dance
– Vijay Narayan– Carnatic Vocal
– Harini Rajshekar– Carnatic Violin
Venue:
Balaji Temple Auditorium (HTCS)
1075 Route 202/206, Bridgewater, NJ 08807
For Directions Visit: www.venkateswara.org

Admission:
Non-Members: $15 (Kids below 10 Years: $7)
Raag-Rang Members: $10 (Kids below 10 Years: $5)
RSVP will be appreciated.
Email: raagrang07@gmail.com Or Phone:908-429-1120

Saraswati

February is the month of Saraswati Puja and most of us have many sweet memories of this day. Although Saraswati Puja celebrates learning, education and the arts, the spring weather adds that extra zing of romance to the air on this special day. No wonder Saraswati Puja and Valentine’s day go hand in hand.

This year New Jersey will be celebrating Saraswati Puja at different venues and different dates through out the month. Somerset Bengali Association (SBA) will be celebrating their Puja on  Saturday February 9th at the Bridgewater Raritan Middle school, 425 Foothill Road, Bridgewater. Although the weather forecast doesn’t look too promising, the organizers are going ahead full steam to present a gala event spanning the entire day. SBA’s claim to fame is the food they serve during lunch and dinner. This year too they promise a sumptuous feast as well as a great entertainment show featuring local and invited artistes. On the same day, NJPA will be celebrating their Puja at the Community Presbyterian Church, 57 Sandhill Road, Kendall Park. Their puja will feature a variety of entertainment programs including a drama by Nupur Lahiri, Rabindrasangeet by Suparna Guha and many others. 

Ananda Mandir will be celebrating Saraswati Puja on Friday, 15th February, as per the lunar calendar and so will Bharat Sevashram Sangha.  On Saturday, the 16th of February, Garden State Cultural Association (GSCA) will be celebrating their Saraswati Puja at the Woodrow Wilson Middle School, 50 Woodrow Wilson Drive, Edison. Their entertainment  program will feature a hilarious play “Moner Boney” (written by yours truly) directed by Aparajita Das, along with other dance and musical presentations. And it goes without saying, dinner will be served.

ICC Garden State will be celebrating this year’s Saraswati Puja on February 23rd, 2013 at the Randolph Senior Community Center located at 30 Calais Road, Randolph (next to the Randolph Public Library).   Additional details may be found at their website – www.icc-gs.org.

Nandikar Theater Festival

During my last visit to Kolkata, I was lucky enough to catch the Nandikar National Theatre Festival which over the years have evolved to be one of the major theatre festivals of India. During the festival, the Academy of Fine Arts compound livens up like no other time. This time Nandikar Festival was dedicated to the memory of the famous writer Sunil Gangopadhyay, playwright Mohit Chattopadhyay, and the great musician Pandit Ravi Shankar, all of whom we lost in the year 2012.  Huge posters bearing photographs and quotes from these masters decorated the path from the gate to the  theatre entrance. It was indeed a fitting tribute to these great men. Rudraprasad Sengupta, the seventy eight year old thespian and the director and president of Nandikar, claims that this festival is the festival of all theatre lovers of Kolkata. Nandikar only provides the labor.

Rudraprasad and Swatilekha at the Nandikar Theater Festival

From December 16 to 25th, a total of nineteen plays were staged this year. The plays came from all over the country as well as from Bangladesh. I managed to see quite a few, but not always the plays I wanted to.  On the very first day, I landed up at the festival venue quite early and got myself a ticket for the matinee show. The Academy compound was teeming with theatre aficionados and I got to meet few of them. Arumoy Banerjee from Doordarshan was there with his camera crew. Anandalal, the noted theatre critic was there, so was Bijoy Lakshmi Burman, Ashok Vishwanathan and many others.  People were buzzing about how wonderful the opening play that morning was. “Romeo Juliet and Seven Clowns”, a Hindi play by CEVA Drama Rep. Co., Chandigarh, apparently won the hearts of all those who came early that morning. I had the ticket for the afternoon staging of “Ram Sanjivan Ki Prema Katha”, another Hindi play by D for Drama, Mumbai. The play was about a young man named Ram Sanjivan who comes from a village to study at a city University, gets involved with politics and then falls madly in love with a beautiful girl student and loses his mind. The play did not impress me at all and I was kind of disappointed with my luck. The opening ceremony was supposed to be held next, but I had to leave to attend another business.

Chiring Chiring - an Oriya Play at the Festival

The next play I saw at the festival was on the 23rd of December. Earlier I had heard of the play “Tathagata”, the last play written by Mohit Chattopadhyay and produced by Rangapat of Kolkata. So I was quite curious to see this play. Tathagata, as the name suggests, is a biopic on the life of Gautam Buddha. However the three hour long play covered the later half of his life,  after he achieved his enlightenment and became Buddha. The problem with most biopics are that they show only the highlights of a long life and hence often lack the continuity between the episodes. Besides, when the central character does not traverse a character arc driven by conflicts, the drama tends to sag and lose its tension. “Tathagata”, although was a well executed play with gorgeous stage sets and costumes, but the lack of drama  made the play seem to be too long.

As I was leaving the theatre after watching “Tathagata”, I met Panchu-da (Panchu Roy). He suggested that I should watch the next play too, a Oriya play named “Chring Chring” directed by Subodh Pattanayak. He said, Subodh has been doing wonderful work and I should not miss it. Since I had nothing to do that afternoon, I stayed back. Panchu-da even managed to get a complimentary ticket for me. The play had an wonderful ensemble cast who told the story of a bird couple who was bullied by a raven. The play told this allegorical story in a form which I felt would have more suited in an outdoor setting, rather than in a proscenium stage.  The folk form used in the play was suitable for a more open space. The actors studied animal and bird behavior quite well and the subtle differences between the species were remarkably well established.

Rudraprasad as Yayati in Madhabi

I was back again at the festival on the final day to see Nandikar’s acclaimed production, “Madhabi”. The show was sold out weeks ago, hence I had to ask my good friend Debshankar (Haldar)to  help me in getting a ticket and he was kind enough to get one for me. “Madhabi” was indeed an excellent production. The play, written by Bhism Shahni, was directed by Swatilekha Sengupta.  Based on a story from the Mahabharata, the play is about Yayati’s daughter Madhabi and her beloved Galab, a disciple of Rishi Vishwamitra. The play questions the age old tradition of our Indian system of using women only as a commodity to be used by men to achieve their selfish goals. Hence Madhabi had to give up her love and her identity to satisfy the wishes of her father, her lover and her innumerable husbands just because she was bound by the duty of being an woman. The cast included Rudraprasad Sengupta, Sohinee Sengupta, Debshankar Haldar, Partha Pratim Deb, and many others. The wonderful music composed by Swatilekha Sengupta and rendered by Mayukh-Mainak and Partha Pratim Deb was another asset of this production.

At the end of the festival Rudraprasad Sengupta gave us a detailed account of the work that went into organizing the festival as well as the detailed financial account.  The bottom line highlighted a huge loss after accounting for all the income and expenditure. It is a pity that a theatre festival of this magnitude hardly receives any major corporate sponsors. In the coming years I hope more sponsors rally up behind Nandikar and evolve this festival from a National Festival to an International Theatre Festival.

Can you please tell me which platform?

Many years ago, when I used to work in Kolkata, I used to commute regularly between Howrah and Kharagpur. The drill was something like this. After reaching Howrah station and buying my ticket, I walked down to the extreme left end of the station.  By then a large crowd has already assembled at a strategic location from where one can see the electronic display as well as reach any of the potential platforms where the train is expected to arrive which is almost impossible to predict. Suddenly the huge crowd starts moving in a massive frenzy. This usually means that the electronic board has displayed the desired information. Travelling light is extremely important, since in that tsunami, it is extremely important that you do not disturb the stream line motion. A huge luggage, or a slow moving elderly can create a massive turbulence.  And then when the train arrived, one needs to prepare himself for the next battle – to get onboard and then to get a seat.

But after a gap of almost 25 years, those horrific memories were slowly fading away. Since those days, whenever I went to Kharagpur from Kolkata, it was either on an express train with reserved seats or by road.  But this time, I thought why not venture the local train once again. After all, things must have improved in all these years. We hear so much about India’s growth and prosperity and of the wonderful work done by our Railway Ministers like Lallu Prasad Yadav, the management wizard or Mamata Banerjee, the wizard of change. My first surprise was at the ticket counter.  First of all there was hardly any line which I attributed to the fact that it was quite early in the morning for casual passengers who purchase one way tickets.  But the train fare from Howrah to Kharagpur was a shocker. It was only nineteen (19) rupees. I couldn’t believe myself. During the last 25 years, most things in India has appreciated almost 4 time (if not more), but the train fare (second class local) has hardly moved. I congratulated the ministers for making this possible and keeping the general commuters happy.

I started to walk towards the extreme left strategic location. As I walked I found several changes around the station. Comfortable seating areas for the passengers and huge electronic display boards were something which did not exist in the late eighties. However I could not find my train anywhere in the list. I figured it would be useless to wait in front of the central display board since by the time the train is displayed, it will be too late for me to reach the platform and get myself a place to sit. So I followed my instinct and moved towards the strategic location.

As expected a large crowd was already waiting there. From this vantage point one could clearly see the electronic display boards on at least three platforms, all of which were almost equidistant. I kept waiting patiently, but as the departure time of my Medinipur local was coming close, I felt a bit nervous. Am I waiting at the right place? Maybe things have changed over the years? Maybe the local trains all have their designated platforms. On my way to this spot I had even checked with the enquiry booth, but the guy behind the glass window had no answer for me. A young man was standing next to me watching vaguely at the display boards with a kind of dispassionate look. He must be a regular commuter, I thought. So I asked him, “Are you also waiting for the Medinipur Local?” He nodded affirmatively. I felt a bit relieved. As I waited, the loud speakers kept on announcing arrivals and departures of all kinds of  trains, express, local, passenger, duranto, shatabdi etc. etc. Suddenly I heard the guy next to me muttering to himself. I soon realized he was just thinking aloud while trying to predict the potential platform where our train might arrive, “Well platform 13 is taken… they said Ranchi Express is coming on 12… Amta local on 14… hmmm… If they put it in 17 or 18 then God save us..” I was trying to figure out what he is talking about? Platform 17, 18? Where are they? He pointed to the left, “The new station…” What? My understanding was that the new Howrah station was supposed to be only for long distance trains of the South Eastern Railway section. How can they allocate those platforms to local trains? If such a thing happens, how are we supposed to go to that station? Isn’t it in a separate building? While I was thinking all this, the loud speakers blurted out, “Medinipur local to depart from platform number 17….” The guy next to me grinned which only meant, “See, I said so!” By then the huge mass of people have started to move to the left. This was something completely new to me. So I thought it would be best to follow the crowd and hence  joined the mass movement. The huge mass gradually funneled into two (2) escalators which carried them to a four story high overbridge. The crowd moved in a single streamline motion and then poured down onto the platform number 17 just as our Medinipur local rolled in. I managed to plant myself on the platform along with the crowd as the train stopped right in front of us. Immediately the crowd divided itself into multiple groups with each group in front of a door as the passengers on the train started to pour out through the doors like flood waters through a broken dam. I couldn’t figure out what was the reason for their rush, but I soon understood. As the seemingly endless stream of disembarking passengers started to trickle down, the upstream frenzy began. And as the passengers started to storm in through the wide doors, one poor young man, who delayed his disembarking process due to some unknown reason, was raised off his feet and taken back inside the compartment by the incoming tsunami along with a barrage of insults (from both sides). By this time my adrenalin pumps are in full throttle and I turned my biological clock back by 25 years. I joined the melee and kicked and elbowed my way into the compartment and quickly lodged myself on to the first empty seat I found in front of me. Oh, what a feeling of accomplishment! It was as if I have won a war to get the most prized possession. Soon the compartment filled up. The unfortunate failures were all standing around us the winners, who although kept a stoic face outside, but inside we smiled smugly.  And as the train blew its horn and rolled out of the station, I realized, some things haven’t changed a bit. I felt, I am home at last.

Kolkata Airport

That’s what I am going to find out very soon. On Monday (Dec 10, 2012) morning when my flight lands on the tarmac of Netaji Subhash Chandra International airport, I will possibly see the new terminal building from the window, but will still use the old one. I understand it will still be a few more months before the terminal opens to the travelers. It’s okay with me, as long as it does not become yet another unfulfilled promise. After the new government took over the reigns of West Bengal, like many other Bengalis, I too hoped to see change sweeping over Kolkata and West Bengal like wild fire. But the indications I get from the news media and from my friends social network posts, I am a bit sceptic these days. I understand that it takes time to change things that have settled in over the years. But one and half years is not too small either. Two years ago when I was in Kolkata, I saw hope glittering in the eyes of the people. They were eager to welcome the new leaders in the hope of a better system. They said, “We are going to throw out the old and bring in the new. Only then things will change for the better.” This time when I visit them, I’d like to hear from them how do they feel now? Do they feel that things are changing for the better or are they the same?

I am not a resident of Kolkata or Bengal. I visit Kolkata once in two years and that too for a short period. Most of my time is spent visiting family and friends, taking care of  property and related domestic chores. The rest of the time I spend watching theater or other cultural events and festivals.  All I want is that my time is spent efficiently. I just stay grateful if I don’t lose a day because of a strike, or if I do not waste time stuck in traffic due to a political procession.  So, I really cannot complain if my personal objectives during my stay are met. But nothing prevents me from hoping to see a better Kolkata. Hence I look forward to this visit. I plan to see many new plays. Want to visit College Street, Park Street and many other   happening places. I plan to visit Kharagpur, Shantiniketan, Siliguri and Coochbehar. And hopefully I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Stay tuned. I’ll try to post updates at regular intervals and share my thoughts about the change that is taking place in Bengal.

I arrived at the theater at around 6:00 pm. My cast and crew members were still stuck in rush hour traffic on their way to the theatre. And I felt like the entire world’s population of butterflies were fluttering inside my stomach. I started a pot of coffee and tried to calm down a bit. Why am I worried? The cast is well prepared. Last night’s tech rehearsals went quiet smoothly. Few glitches here and there should be fixed by now. Things should be fine, I tried to console myself. But what about the audience? Will they come? A theatre is incomplete without an audience. If they don’t come, all this effort is futile. I tried to build up some courage and asked our box office manager Chris. “Well, so far we have..”  she stopped abruptly and started to count the reservation sheet once again.”We have around seventy five so far. But we need to leave six seats for video recording. So we may have to add the third row….”

“Great! That’s a good problem to have. I can live with it.”  I was relieved.  Dwaipayan, our light guy was already in his booth. I spent some time with him tweaking the lights. Dawn, our stage manager, was getting the props ready. I went over the props with her one more time just to make sure everything is in place.  The actors started showing up in the dressing room. Since I was supposed to be their make up artist, I thought I should get busy now.  I grabbed the first actor I met and asked him to sit in front of the mirror. Staying busy is the best way to reduce stress, I figured.

As the play progressed, I stood near the rear entrance nervously watching the actors on stage. In the dark theater I also watched the audience and tried to feel how they react to the moments on stage. Do they like it? Is the play working?  Only when the lights faded out at the end of the first scene and the audience broke into a loud applause, I started to feel at ease. Well, the show must be going well, I thought.

At the end of the play, when the theater doors opened, I saw the faces of the audience members. They walked out almost in a trance. Some still had tears in their eyes. I guess they were still trying to recover from the cathartic experience they have been through.  The producers of the show arranged for a wine and cheese reception for the opening night audience.  And in that informal setting the audience started to open up their hearts in praise.  Some told me that they’ll come back again with their sons and daughters. I couldn’t have asked for more.  It was indeed an opening night I’ll remember for quite some time.

P.S. Few days later Bill Seeselberg, our producer, sends me this email he received from one of the opening night audience members.

That was a Sunday afternoon not long after I came to this country; I was traveling to Kansas City on a Sunday to attend a conference in our corporate head quarter with my boss and a few other co-workers.  Although the road to the airport had light traffic, I missed the flight.  I panicked at first, but then realized that no harm had been caused.  The meeting was for Monday morning and I had the whole night to make up for the delay. Those were the days when Pan-Am and TWA were still flying; you could change your flights without paying a penalty or even could transfer your flight to another airline. I rebooked in a flight touching St.Louis, Missouri in between and reached my destination later in the evening. Other than my boss, Stanley Simon no one noticed that I had been missing.  He seemed visibly upset. I offered some kind of excuse and he in turn did not make any attempt to hide his incredulity.

I really did not have an explanation to offer, except my genetic predisposition of not being on time and did not expect him to understand my Bengaliness and condone it. I could not tell him that we Bengalis think that the time is flexible and expandable; a given time in my punctuality concept is more like a range within which I am expected to keep it.

Habitually we not only not keep the time but at times miss the window of the range also. A Calcutta wedding is a case to the point.  People will walk in any time till late night with the knowledge that the food would be there. Food is apparently the primary incentive for most people and the host understands. The host is nowhere to be seen receiving and does not even attempt to acknowledge and greet the guests.  They come, eat and then they leave making no attempt to announce their presence.

After the flight incident I made a mental note to be on time, at least on official business. But my resolve cracked after a couple years and it happened to be with the same boss. This time we had a rendezvous set at Newark, New Jersey railroad station for an early morning train trip to Philadelphia. I was late again. Stanley did not exhibit any annoyance and greeted me with a smile. I was pleased to note that he knew me by then. I did not apologize. First, I did not want to embarrass him by apologizing and then apologies do not naturally come to a Bengali particularly for a minor infraction as tardiness. We did find a solution however. He took a train from Long Island to get to Newark, so we decided to drive to Philadelphia in my car. While in the car he explained to me in a very friendly way that in this country being late is rude and deemed as an affront to the host. It is not so much what we would accomplish in our appointed meeting, but irritating the person receiving us is not a good way to start or nurture a relationship.

For the second time I promised myself never to be late on any occasion, at least where an American colleague or friend was involved. And I generally have been keeping it.  I realized that in this society 7 o’clock means seven not seven thirty. And now that the airlines tickets are not refundable and exchangeable only with a stiff penalty I have never missed a plane in recent days. To my credit, I have always been early at Broadway shows and that is after the first time I arrived late. Have you ever been late to a Broadway show or an opera? Tough luck, you will not be able to get in before the intermission, until then they will let you hibernate in a holding area with the performance on a TV screen.

But when it comes to dealing with local events the attitude of our Bengali audience is otherwise. At Sudipta Bhawmik’s play in New Jersey you can loiter in any time you want in the middle of the play, uncaring of the hundred other people watching in a compact auditorium and distracting the actors on the stage; after all they are all mostly our Bengali brethren.

Our proclivity for failing to be on time is most pronounced when it comes to our regular weekend dinner parties. I confess that on my part I take some liberty as well with my Bengali hosts. At dinner invitations, not arriving on time is habitual to us, as I figure a flexible time between seven and nine is quite an acceptable norm, inconvenience of the host notwithstanding. To my relief I find that no one really cares and I am not the only latecomer.

After having missed a plane and a surface transport (a train) I thought the possibility of such serious missteps was left behind, until after many years’ lapse, I almost managed to miss a cruise ship. Well, calling it a ship is a bit of hyperbole, it was really a boat trip of about 200 people. I was late for the boat sailing time and called my friend who was the host, expecting, being a Bengali he would empathize. When I arrived the boat was still in anchor waiting for my arrival at the jetty. Did I have any remorse? Not really, all the people in the boat were after all Bengalis and I found out that I was not the only one arriving late.

I realize, I have a problem and I am giving serious thoughts on how to alleviate it. The California company 23andme offers a ray of hope. You can spit in a tube and send it for scanning a million different points of your genome-a person’s genetic code. While tipping you off to potential decease risks it can also point out to the potential disposition of your traits. It is just possible that it can identify my DNA, predisposed to the habitual and compulsive Bengali lateness and may even suggest a cure. For a meager $299.00 charge per test it is worth a shot.

Sankhadeep, Ujjaini and Shiladitya

The first day of Kallol Durga Puja 2012 concluded just couple of hours ago. This is a unique feature of Kallol, to celebrate Durga Puja for three days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Not too many Bengali clubs of North America can boast of this feature. It is more homely and informal in nature and the crowd is manageable. People walked in leisurely, picked up their passes and parking tickets and strolled into the hall while greeting friends on their way.  Pretty ladies dressed in designer saris busy complementing each other and posing in front of eager camera men,  men in colorful kurtas hanging around with tea and cigarrettes,  and children in cute dresses running around the hall made the festive mood just perfect.  

After a sumptuous dinner of Khichdi, Labra, Alu-bhaja, Chutney and Langcha, the entertainment programme started with a dance recital by students of Mitra Purakayastha. This was followed by a music and dance presentation by talents of our next generation who were picked after a rigorous auditioning process. Shankhadeep Chakrabarty (accompanied by Shiladitya Bhawmik on Tabla and Ujjaini Ghosh on Harmonium) presented three popular semiclassical numbers. Trina Sanyal and Anisha Ghosh presented western vocals followed by a dance recital by Ishita Bhattacharya. The concluding event was a gala performance by Arnab Chakrabarty.

No Bengali festival is complete without shopping. The hall was surrounded by sari and jewelry stalls, Bengali snack stall by local restaurant Calcutta affair, books and CDs by Muktadhara and many others.

Tomorrow (Saturday) the festivities will include a hilarious play “Tulkalam” directed by Arunansu Dasgupta, a childrens drama, and a musical performance by Sadhna Sargam.

So tuned in for further updates.

Ron Postcard

After a gap of more than six years, my play Ron is being staged again in New Jersey. Although this time it is produced by a mainstream American community theater company, Edison Valley Playhouse, a question may naturally arise – why now? The Iraq war, which forms the background of the play, is officially over.  America  still does have a presence in Afganistan, but its size is nowhere comparable to that in Iraq during the peak of the war, and withdrawal from Afganistan is almost imminent. America’s primary enemy, Al-Queda has been all but destroyed. Bin Laden is dead.  Although the possibility of another war is not out of question, the American people are not going through the  same levels of stress as they were during the Iraq war. Under these circumstances, is Ron still relevant?

Before analyzing the relevancy of the play, let’s trace the path of Ron over the past few years. After our (ECTA)  final show in 2007, Ron has been staged in USA by several theater groups, in multiple languages, in California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Florida and just recently (Sept 2012) in Chicago and has received rave reviews and complements. This kind of tells us that Ron still strikes a chord in the heart of its audience.  I guess, the primary reason for this is, Ron is really not about the war in Iraq or any specific war for that matter. It is more about our internal wars with our own demons, the wars we keep fighting each and every day.

Ron tells the story of an immigrant Bengali family and their friends. As immigrants to this land of opportunity, most of us have a relatively affluent life style.  But how much of an American have we become? Outside our professional life, we hardly associate with the American life around us.  We may have acquired American citizenship or permanent residentship, but we failed to  blend into the melting pot. We hardly watch a baseball game or a football game. Rather we still love to watch cricket online or on pay-per-view satellite channels, read Anandabazar Patrika online daily, watch ETV Bangla or Tara Muzik channels. We spend our weekends at Bengali parties and enjoy “Panthar Mangsho” and “Luchi”. Our children have also devised ways to deal with us. When they speak with us in English they use an accent that is familiar to our ears and when they talk to their American friends they immediately switch to one that’s familiar to them.  But as they grow up and start to make their own decisions,  things start to change.  And more often than we want,  their decisions and actions conflict with our values. We want to stick to ours and they want to stick to theirs. But doesn’t it sound familiar? Hasn’t this been the case for generations, irrespective of geographical boundaries?  So when, in the play, Ron challenges his father saying, “Didn’t you do the same? I understand Grandpa and Grandma were not happy when you decided to come to this country and stay back. But they accepted to lose their son, didn’t they?” Animesh has no answer to defend himself.  And this is where the play starts to become relevant and universal.  Bibhas Chakrabarty, the celebrated theater personality of Bengal, pointed out this universality of Ron when he saw this production at the Ganakrishti Natyotsav in 2006 in Kolkata.

But generation gap is not the only issue in Ron. It’s only one of the components of the conflicts that we go through in our life of voluntary exile. And the most important is the conflict between our split loyalty, our split values. When Surajit, the journalist from Kolkata, attacks Animesh and his friends with piercing queries and challenges them to confront their beliefs, things start to fall apart as the characters have no other option than to expose their inner demons.

As the play progresses, the audience undergoes a cathartic experience which they soon realize has little to do with war in Iraq. Rather it makes them realize that their inner battles are far more violent, far more dangerous.  And the only way to win is to face them boldly – like a soldier in a battlefield.

Ron: The Play

After a long gap of more than six years,  the internationally acclaimed play “Ron” is coming to NJ Stage once again. This time in English. The play, produced by Edison Valley Playhouse, will make its Tri-State premiere on Nov 9, 2012 and will have limited run till Nov 24th for 7 shows only. Show times are at 8:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2:00pm on Sunday Nov 18th. Tickets are $15.00 each ($12 for seniors and students).

The play is written and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik, and produced by Bill Seesselberg.

The cast includes, Amitabh Chowdhury, Sankar Ghoshal, Nupur Lahiri, Apurva Bhalerao, Roni Mazumdar, Subhodev Das and Vidula Mungekar.

For more details keep an eye on this page. If you are on Facebook, you may want to join the page “Ron The Play” for regular updates regarding interesting aspects of the play.

NJISACF 2012 will be held at the Big Cinemas in Edison New Jersey from October 5 to 7, 2012. This year the festival will kick off with Mangesh Hadawale’s film “Dekh Indian Circus” to be presented by the hit film maker Imitiaz Ali. The following two days will show case some of the best of contemporary and classic South Asian cinema including a selection of children’s films. Visit njisacf.org website for details.

Here is a sneak peek into what to expect at the major Pujos of New Jersey.

Kallol of New Jersey will be celebrating their Pujo from Friday October19th to Sunday October 21st at the Urkranian Cultural and Community Center, 135 Davidson Ave., Somerset, NJ. On Friday evening, the Kallol Pujo auditorium will dance to the melodies of Arnab Charkrabarty, a talented young playback artist who, in 2008, received the  championship award for Sony Entertainment TVs K for Kishore contest from the legendary singer Asha Bhonsle. He has also sung for many popular Bollywood movies and television ad jingles.  On Saturday, the well known playback singer Sadhna Sargam will take the stage along with Srijoy. Sadhana Sargam is one of the few singers equally recognized and successful in both classical and light music fields. She has won several awards throughout her career including the Indian national award for best female playback singer in 2002 for a Tamil song “Pattu Solli” from the movie Azhagi, composed by Ilayaraja.   On Saturday, we’ll also have the good fortune of listening to Rajyashree Ghosh, a classical vocalist of excellent calibre. She has the special distinction of being equally adept at both Raga Music (Kheyal) as well as the lighter semi-classical genres such as Thumri, Dadra, Bhajan, Nazrulgeeti, Bengali Tappa and Puratani Songs.Following its age old tradition, Kallol will also stage a Bengali drama on Saturday evening, a hilarious play titled “Tulkalam” written By Debaki Bandopadhay. The play ( a stage version of the popular Hindi film Golmaal featuring Utpal Dutt and Amol Palekar) is directed by the veteran actor/director Arunansu Dasgupta and will feature many familiar and new faces of our community.  Sunday evening will feature the famous Sarod maestro of our generation, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar – a worthy disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He will be accompanied on Tabla by another very talented musician, Subhankar Banerjee.  The grand finale on the 2012 Durga Puja celebrations will with an electrifying concert by the undisputed Disco King of India, Bappi Lahiri.

The other major club, Garden State Cultural Association (GSCA) will be celebrating their Pujo on Saturday October 20th and Sunday October 21st at the Plainfield High School. GSCA, like previous years, have arranged for us an impressive lineup of artists. On Saturday evening, Hidayat Hussain Khan, son of the legendary Sitar maestro Ustad Bilayet Khan, will be presenting a fusion performance. This will be followed by a vocal performance by Lopamudra Mitra. On Sunday, well known actress (and Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly) Debashree Roy and her troupe will be staging a Jatra Pala. Although I am presuming that this will be staged on the proscenium theater of Plainfield High School Auditorium, but nonetheless it will be an spectacle that the audience will sure remember for a long time. GSCA will also present few local programs presented by talented local performers.

This year we have a new organization Utsov celebrating Durga Puja in New Jersey for the first time. Utsov will hold their celebrations at the Piscataway High School on October 20th and 21st. The key feature of this Pujo is that they have no admission fees, although voluntary donations are welcome. Unlike the other major community Pujos, the attendees of Utsov Durga Pujo will have to purchase their food (snacks and dinner) at the premises served by a local caterer. The entertainment program, to be held on Saturday evening, will include Saswata Sanyal with his innovative renderings of Tagore songs, Aakash Deep with his  modern Bengali songs, creative dance presentation from Nritya Creation Academy of Dance, plus many more local talents. We welcome the new Pujo and hope that it will add more color to our Pujo celebrations in New Jersey.

Anandamandir will be starting their festivities with their traditional Mahishashura Mardini or Mahalaya program, live at 5:00am on October 14th.  On 22nd October, the day of Mahashtami, Anandamandir will feature classical and semi-classical vocal music by Sanjukta Biswas.

ICC GS (Indian Community Center of Garden State) will be celebrating their Durga Puja on October 27 and 28th at the Mt. Olive Middle School, 160 Wolfe Road, Budd Lake, NJ 07828. The entertainment program will include Tagore’s dance drama Shyama and playback singers and performers from Mumbai and Kolkata.

I am yet to get information about the other Bengali clubs and organizations and their Pujos. As soon as I get them, I’ll update the post with their cultural program information.

Wish you all a Happy Durga Puja.

Algos International of Kolkata India presents Bangamancha 2012. Bangamancha’2012 is an effort to bring together a package of entertainment to the NRI Bengalis, in the form of New Bengali Movies (World Premiere ) and  high energy performance by Anupam Roy and Raghab Chattopadhyay.

http://nynjbengali.com/events/tarpan/

Lost in Translation:

Language is arguably the important, if not most important component of culture because much of it is conveyed orally or in writing. It is impossible to understand the nuances and deep meaning of a culture without knowing its language and knowing it well. Language is more than just a means of communication. It influences senses and understanding of arts, culture and even our thought process. How children actually learn a language is not clear. Most linguists believe that they do by listening and trying to communicate with adults.

But what are the adults doing to steer our children to our language?  We mostly do not communicate with them in the language of the culture we are trying to induct them into. Indeed the language the parents and the children mostly use is infrequently Bengali.

True, we are not in their home but we overhear the telephone conversation between them, the first generation parents and the second generation children, often and it is all in English. Only Bengali expression that you hear is “Baba” interspersed in between sentences. (Baba is a word used affectionately to address the children, English synonyms being ‘my baby’ or ‘sweetie’) They sure love their children very much, but their professed love for the culture does not go far enough to cause the children discomfiture by suggesting that they speak in Bengali with their parents.

The case is not much rosier with subsequent group of first generation immigrants, who have arrived in nineties during dot-com era. They do not want to have anything to do with Bengali art and culture. They are into Bollywood and in order to cultivate their patronage Banga Sammelan, the most ballyhooed Bengali annual event dedicated to the promotion of Bengali Culture in North America assigns most of its resources and direct most of the effort in sponsoring Hindi movie songs and dances.

The personal circumstances of this “Johnny came lately” first generation are not friendly for their native language either. Majority of them got married after they had moved to this country at which time they earned the sobriquet, NRI, emboldening their parents back home to find a suitable but upscale match who as a general rule had an English medium schooling. This younger first generation have children in their teens, tweens or just past the childhood.   Even back home the women they are married to, preferred conversing in English with their friends and peers.   For this batch of mothers to speak Bengali with their American born children would be an anathema to them. (Author’s views are formed out of very unscientific survey based on observation and inquiries.)

So, who is teaching our children the language of our culture?

Not their schools, not the TV and unfortunately not their parents.

(Only possibility of redemption may be in Sudipta’s plays, which have all Bengali dialogue, if only Sudipta (our own playwright) produces them abundantly and if only you can make your offspring go there.)

For the children of our America born second generation, the prospect is dimmer. Their parents do not communicate with each other in Bengali. Besides, most marriages are outside our Bengali community and the household medium of communication is English, unavoidably. The children of the first generation who came in early seventies at least heard Bengali being spoken at home between the parents. Unfortunately, it is not so with the next generation.

So, how does the future of Bengali art and culture look like, in America?

I say, not very promising.

Date-13th October. Time-3-30 pm to 6-30 pm.
Venue- Bharat Sevasram Sangha– New Temple Basement.
Donation– $10.00 for Raag-Rang members and $15.00 for non-members.
Contact Details: raagrang07@gmail.com

Dominance of American Culture.

Down in the mall between fast food joints and stores selling sportswear and sneakers, a group of young people huddle in clam-diggers or cargo shorts (Short pants extending below knee) and Nike sneakers with ears plugged in I-phone playing latest Justin Bieber song, watching young women passing by in DKNY and Yankees base ball hat, latte in one hand, conversing animatedly in English.

This is a common scene in a mall in America; except the mall referred to is not in America; the place is a mall in Calcutta. If you go to any mall in Calcutta this scene repeats itself everywhere. This is the age of pervasive dominance of American culture. With globalization of trade and business has come global Americanization of culture.

In our case, actually living in America, we have a formidable job, doubled up, if we want to evade it and shelter our children from it. Our children, the so-called second generation live this culture, breathe this culture and thrive in this culture. Are we serious when we expect our children to develop an appreciation and love for Bengali culture of their parents? The dominant culture achieves its dominance by controlling social institutions, such as communication, educational institution, artistic expression, law, political process and business. As their parents and guardians we have no power to affect and influence these cultural avalanche and create an environment conducive to a culture, which is distant and alien to them.

The advent and daily ascendancy of Internet, Facebook and Twitter dominate the flow of information and subsequently the behavior of the children almost all over the world. It is impossible to escape the black hole of technology and basically all that which our children have easy access to, is western in character. Our cultural heritage is fundamentally different. China can close their doors and windows, control the Internet access in their country but it can’t be done for the Chinese children or Indian Children who live in America. Can we realistically steer our children away from it?

Next time I want to discuss about the most significant part of the culture content, the language. Tune in if you will..

Kalamandir Dance Company, a contemporary Indian Dance company from Central New Jersey, is proud to present the second year of The Mosaic Dance Festival, an exchange of Indian culture with international movement. This showcase features international dance styles set to South Asian rhythms and music while South Asian performers will move to Western musical arrangements. Last year’s festival was a huge success with two standing room only shows. This year’s festival will be held on Saturday, September 8 th, 2012 at 2:00pm and 6:00pm at The FUNKtion Dance Complex (4260 US HWY 1, Suite 6, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852).

The Bengalees are culture aficionados, big time. We live culture, breathe culture and drink culture to the point of intoxication. No doubt the Bengalees have a richer cultural heritage when compared to the other Indian language speakers. We have Rabi Thakur, don’t we? In our evaluation, this one man is luminous enough to overshadow all other Indian cultural icons put together. And that is basically our passage to the glory and at times reason for disdain for other Indian cultures.

This brings us to the question: Does only the past glory of the gone by era make us cultured? Presently living a cultured life is somewhat different. It refers to an appreciation of literature, music, art and food and it is a full range of human behavioral pattern, all in the present term, as English Anthropologist Edward Taylor wrote:

“Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, law, morals, custom and any other capabilities acquired by men as a member of the society.”

Of course the culture of an individual or a society is also manifested in attitude towards others and a value system. Though the classic definition of culture does not include religion, it has a role no doubt. But the religious component of culture phenomenon is outside the scope of this article.

Usually two classes of culture practitioners exist. There are those who create, perform and broadcast/showcase their talents and there are those who support and promote. Amongst latter are the club and cultural organization officials. In our expat society there is also a third kind who is invested in the “culturization” of the second generation and generations that will follow. The following discussion is about the challenges they may face.

Guides are in short supply.

All of us can be cultured or aspire to be one in conventional sense, as defined by Taylor, in the area of literature, arts, music etc. But realistically not all human beings are. That’s fine, we can live with that and our personal cultural life will go on. Danger lurks when individuals with little knowledge and appreciation of the culture self appoint themselves to the task of leading our cultural lives, specially that of our children and possibly in the process lead the young children up the garden path to nowhere. Education of children requires competent teachers; just providing them a space to congregate is not enough for culture promotion. In the absence of the social and cultural infrastructure that is available in Indian environment back home, the responsibility of leading the second generation culturally is bestowed on the first generation. The question is: Is the section of the first generation which has taken upon themselves the responsibility to introduce our cultural heritage to the young children have the wherewithal to take on the burden?

Awareness of culture requires cultivation of our faculties and our intellect. Usually, it can be achieved through reading and/or practicing. Those of us who moved here in early seventies soon after we went through our university education when a lot of us had no

time to devote in learning about our heritage and culture. Loosely speaking, post formal education is the opportune period people devote time in enriching themselves about culture and knowledge of heritage. By no means I am suggesting that we are not informed and educated enough about our culture and heritage by choice or because of lack of intellect. We invested the period when mind is agile and receptive, in America making money, acquiring cars and houses. After we have made money, acquired cars and houses we thought that now was the time to jump atop the culture bandwagon. But the train has already left the station.

Citing an example will be relevant here. We are very proud of our culture and heritage, and Rabindranath in particular but how many of us have read Rabindranath , the man who is the center of gravity of Bengali culture, the core of the Bengali intellect and the soul of Bengali mind even seven decades after his death? The problem was that vast majority of culturally aspiring immigrant Bengalees did not take the time-off to read Rabindranath. And still have no time and desire.

I want to continue with my thoughts and musings in future postings. If the gentle reader finds I am on to something, please log in next week again.

NABC 2012 Opening Ceremony (Photo: Ranajoy Ghoshal)

I had earlier promised to give daily updates on the NABC proceedings from Las Vegas, but I couldn’t and I apologize for that. First of all, I did not have any internet connection from the hotel and secondly, I was too busy to find some time to sit down and type few words. But here I am, reporting all the three days from my perspective which was quite narrow due to my pre-occupation with the literary seminar events. Nevertheless, I would not refrain from giving my opinion about the proceedings. However, before I start writing, let me put forth a disclaimer. My opinions and criticisms (if any) are targeted only to the general organization and event management as a whole and should not be considered as personal. I know, that most people who worked for NABC (committee members, conveners, volunteers etc.) did their jobs for the love of it and for the sake of the community and I applaud their efforts.  Without their tireless efforts an event of this magnitude would never have been possible. So thanks to all of them.

Day 0: Thursday Evening

As I walked into the hotel at around 11:30pm (Pacific) and approached the registration desk, I saw a long line of Bengalis waiting to collect their room keys. As I waited in the line, I noticed the people quite happy and eager to enjoy the convention. Little later I saw a scruffy looking Rupankar Bagchi (the famous singer from Kolkata) walking to the reception desk and complaining about something. Whatever the response was from the counter didn’t seem to make him happy. He went back shaking in head which only demonstrated his deep frustration. Well, NABC is in session, I thought.

After collecting the keys, as I proceeded towards the elevators, I met one of the committee members frantically looking for the artistes to call them for dinner. He explained to me the crisis situation. The artists had gone for a day tour to the Grand Canyon and were late in arriving at the hotel for their dinner. Unfortunately the Paris hotel cared less for the visiting dignitaries and closed their dining hall and kitchen sharply on time. The guests were obviously upset as nobody was waiting for them with their dinner. The NABC organizers scrambled to order some food from the adjoining restaurants and managed to feed the guests, although it was a bit late.

Day 1: Friday

NABC Time Zone

NABC opens today at 5:00pm. But my events, that is the literary seminars, start from Saturday. But I needed to contact my guests from Kolkata, the acclaimed short story writer  Swapnomoy Chakraborti, poet Bithi Chattopadyay, and journalist Gautam Bhattacharya. I proceeded to the breakfast room where all the guests were supposed to come for their breakfast. I met Swapnompy and Bithi and discussed my plans with them. Gautam Bhattacharya also arrived. He proposed, he’d talk about “Sourav Ganguly and a Bengali journalist’s dilemma”, an exciting topic indeed. Swapnomoy decided to talk about how a story is created from apparently simple day to day events. He named his talk “Golper Green Room.”  Bithi said, she’d talk about “Influence of Expatriate Writers on Bengali Literature.”

The organizers had told me that famous journalists Suman Chattopadhyay and Ranjan Bandopadhyay will be attending the NABC and I can include them in the seminar if I’d like.  But I could not track them till later that afternoon. I explained to them about the seminar and invited them to talk about any topic they’d like. They both accepted the offer. Ranjon Bandopadhyay said he’d read from his latest book, “Kadambarir Suicide Note.”

At 11:00am, all the dignitaries and conveners were asked to attend an orientation lecture by Kajal Sarkar (CAB Pres) where he explained all the logistics involved in this entire event. Issues related to programming, hospitality and all other potential snafus were discussed and the guests were made aware of the do’s and don’ts! The guests were made aware of the Hotel protocols and their time schedules, especially regarding dinner timings.

The opening ceremony started at 5:00pm sharp. I was quite impressed with the punctuality, and thought maybe finally we are going to witness a well run NABC. Sukalyan Bhattacharya and his team of dancers from 8 different US and Canadian cities rocked the stage with a colorful dance extravaganza which was breathtaking to say the least. A giant African elephant paraded amongst the audience with Sukalyan dancing with her. Writer Swapnomoy, who was sitting with me,  was ecstatic.  He was surprised to see how a bunch of American born kids could produce such a magnificient show. However this ecstatic feeling did not last long, and as a long series of lectures by dignitaries and organizers started, time lost its meaning. Hon’ble Ambassador Smt. Nirupama Rao spoke with the help of her iPad. Hon’ble Chief Minister Smt. Mamata Banerjee spoke via a recorded video, and so did CAB Pres. Kajal Sarkar. Hon’ble Finance Minister of WB, Amit Mitra gave a spirited speech and challenged the NRB’s to join the march towards development along with their motherland Bengal.

The dinner served that night was really delicious though – Mooger Dal, Begun Bhaja, Kumror Chhokka, Kosha Mangsho, Payesh etc. and the quality was really unexpected.

Na Hanyate (Photo: Ranajoy Ghoshal)

I watched few shows that night. A classical instrumental by Suman Laha (playing a guitar modified to a Beena) with Pt. Abhijit Banerjee on tabla. But the poor sound quality made the concert quite dull. Kallol of New Jersey’s dance production of “Na Hanyate”, choreographed by Sunrita Mitra was very good.  The Rabindrasangeet rendition by Saswata Sanyal was good too, but I personally do not prefer to listen to such songs being performed with a background track. It kind of sounds too mechanical, too karaoke like.

The exhibition room featured an excellent collection by Dhriti Bagchi show casing the handicrafts of Bengal. The depiction of the life of Swami Vivekananda through Krishnanagar clay dolls was just superb.

The rest of the evening was spent meeting friends and having general adda with golden drinks!

Day 2: Saturday

Swapnamoy and Gautam at Literary Seminar

After a quick breakfast, I went to attend the IIT Kharagpur reunion where the discussion primarily focused on the new admission process proposed by Kapil Sibal. After about an hour I rushed to the Gold Ballroom in the Bally’s hotel to get started with the literary seminar.   My guest writers arrived on time along with the other attendees, except for Suman Chattopadhyay and Ranjan Bandhopadhyay. We started the seminar without them.  The first session was a panel discussion with the three guest writers talking about the topics I mentioned earlier. Surprisingly, the attendance was quite good, given the fact that we had no “star” writers in our panel. The Q&A part got quite interesting and discussions covered not only Sourav and Bengali literature, but also the effect of social media tools like Twitter, Facebook etc. on Bengali culture as well as the representation of the Bengali diaspora in Bengali literature.

Literary Seminar Audience

This year, as the literary seminar convener, I had sent out an open invitation to all NABC attendees to read their literary works (poetry, prose etc.).  The response was very good indeed. I had asked each participant to send me the piece they’d like to present. Although some veteran writers had some mild objection to this process, but finally they all accepted. After all, they have been sending their works to magazines and journals and are quite accustomed to the editorial process.  My primary objective was to give the opportunity to as many writer as time would permit and fortunately I was able to do so. It’s rare we get the opportunity to listen to the works of others who write in Bengali in different parts of this country. Sharing with each other, comparing notes, feedback and comments from fellow writers are extremely important. That’s what my motivation for this event has been all along.

Before the next session started at 3:00pm, I took a quick peek at the “Sesher Kobita” being performed by Tollywood stars as an audio play.  Unfortunately, the play could not hold me to my seat for long and I won’t go into the details. All I would like to say is, maybe we should not waste our precious stage time with these stars, rather we should have them exclusively for photo shoots  with the attendees. Maybe we should build some exclusive areas, like movie sets,  reminiscent of the movies they starred in, and let the attendees take photos with their favorite stars in those settings. I think this idea should be explored further.

The afternoon session of the literary seminar started with poetry readings by Bithi Chattopadhyay. This was followed by readings by several domestic writers including me. I read a piece from one of my recent monologues, “Banijye Basate Lakshmi”.  The session was chaired by Arundhuti Sarkhel from Massachusetts.

NABC 2012 Award Ceremony

One of the key events of the evening was the CAB awards distribution. Every year, during NABC, CAB presents “Distinguished Service Awards” to few individuals who has helped promote Bengali language and culture in the USA. This year the awards went to Prabir Saha (posthumously),  Dr. Vinod Das,  Rumi Bagchi Bhawal and yours truly. I am deeply honored to CAB and the selection committee for considering me worthy of the award. I accepted the award on behalf of all those who worked with me on or behind the stage to sustain quality Bengali theater in USA.

This event was followed by the long awaited play “Byomkesh” produced by Bratyojon and directed by Bratya Basu. I had high hopes for this play, but unfortunately it didn’t quite meet my expectation. The play was marred with technical issues and audio problems (lapel mic turned on and off at wrong times, delays and echoes, ambient noise etc. etc. ). The play was put up on the main stage in Paris Ballroom which was designed for a different purpose. The colorful backdrop of the stage went against the dark plot of the play.  Plays should have been staged at the Paris Theater (where Jersey Boys perform) which is more suitable for drama shows. However, I’d guess, it was the audience capacity what the organizers had in mind. This event was followed by a musical performance by Rupam Islam who sang some of his songs accompanied by track. But the time provided was not at all adequate for this great performer.

The final event at the Paris Ballroom that night featured Sangeet Martyand Pandit Jasraj singing Hindustani classical vocal with tabla accompaniment by Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. The concert was indeed phenomenal and showed that age can never be an issue for a well trained artist.

Day 3: Sunday

The literary seminar this morning was scheduled in a much smaller room in Paris hotel, in the same area where the main events took place. However, this did not attract any additional people to the seminar. In fact the numbers were even less than that of Saturday. The proceedings started with readings of short stories by Swapnamoy Chakrabarti. Swapnamoy read some of his micro stories, each of which took no more than 2 minutes to read. But they were just amazing. I have not read or heard stories like this after Banaphool. He ended his session with a regular sized story about “Theme Pujo” published couple of years ago in Sarodiya Bartaman. Gautam Bhattacharya also read a piece about “Steffi Graf’s House” from his book. Other North America based writers also read their work.

Dance Pe Chance (Photo: Ranajoy Ghoshal)

At the end of the session I rushed to the Paris Theater where Kallol of New Jersey’s play “Dance Pe Chance” was scheduled to start. Since I wrote this play I had some back stage privileges where I learnt that the play has been delayed by about 40minutes. When the time approached I wished luck to the team and came back to take my seat in the audience. But soon the emcee came out and announced that the play will be delayed further by 30 minutes due to the mandatory lunch break for the crew members. My grape vine source told me that the delay will be in fact for 45 mins. We walked out of the theater and tried to kill some time in the trade fair area. However, most of the stalls were selling saris and jewelry and was of very little interest to me. I browsed through some books at the Muktadhara stall (who also had a saree stall), and then after 40 mins or so, walked back to the theater. The play started 15 more minutes later.   As I was involved with the development of the play, I was having as much strage fright as the actors, although I was just a member of the audience. But within a minute after the first dialogue was spoken, the crowd broke out in riotous laughter. And it continued through out the play. I wiped the sweat off my brows and relaxed to enjoy the play along with the others. The cast and crew of the play really did a great job and the audience appreciation after the play showed.

Anusha Mani and Shankar Mahadevan

In the meantime, audience in the Paris Ballroom were enjoying Kavitha Krishnamurthy’s wonderful vocal performance. When I entered the stage, she was performing some of her popular Bollywood numbers including those from the hit film Devdas. Soon after, the closing ceremony started with a colorful dance presentation by the Bay Area dancers, accompanied by Las Vegas Cirque de-Soleil performers and the Blue Man Group drummers. The choreography was well designed and very well executed. After this show, the audience members were asked to vacate the Ballroom for two hours to allow the star of the show Shankar Mahadevan’s light and sound check.  The break was good for those who wanted to have their dinner and for some last minute shopping.

Shankar Mahadevan’s started the show with a Ganesh Vandana and then switched over to more lilting numbers. I consider Shankar Mahadevan as one of the best playback singers of India at the moment, and he did live up to the expectation, although his voice did  sound a bit tired. He was well accompanied by Anusha Mani.

Overall Comments

Overall, NABC 2012 was just like any other NABC in the recent times, with similar problems, issues and bright spots. However, even at the risk of becoming a bit unpopular, let me ask this question. Is this the NABC we want?  NABC today has reached a size which is quite beyond the handling capacity of a group of amateurs. If we have to keep NABC of this magnitude,  we should be thinking of handing this over to some professional event management company. If that is not possible (mostly because of financial reasons), maybe we should consider if we need such a huge extravaganza. Maybe we could do without big budget performers like Shankar Mahadevan. Maybe our Kolkata based performers are good enough for us. Maybe we should focus more on our domestic performances. Some think that such a downsized NABC would not attract attendees. But again, we may have to think if we need such a big attendance!  If our primary motive is to promote and nurture Bengali culture, then that’s what we should focus on. I am not against entertainment, but we should not forget what NABC stands for.  And whatever we do, we should try to execute well. End of the day, It is quality that matters, not quantity.

Looking forward to a great NABC 2013 in Toronto.

Nevertheless, Bengalis have started to arrive at the Las Vegas McCarran Airport days before the start of the convention. Facebook newsfeeds have started to clutter the screen with Vegas photo uploads. Some of the performers and celebrities are also in town. Poet Bithi Chatterjee reported from Paris (hotel) – she is well in mood to pen down some Vegas poems. Swapnomoy Chakraborti, the celebrated short story writer, have landed by now and is liket getting inundated with story ideas.

And just like other years, some spoil sport disgruntled CAB life member is trying to stir up some controversy by sending out nasty emails. But I don’t think Bengalis are paying too much attention and are looking forward to have a good time in the Sin City!

I am also getting ready to board my flight with lot of expectations. I hope to meet many old friends and make more new friends. That’s what this conference is about. I wish all the performing teams, specially the domestic performers, all the best. Please do attend them and support their shows. I also hope you attend the literary seminar sessions and listen to the stories our Bengali friends around the world have to tell.

And if you are not attending NABC 2012, stay tuned my friends, I’ll try to post updates everyday from Vegas. Wish me luck.

NABC Exhibition

June and July of every year seems to the season for Indian regional conferences held all around USA.  These conferences, mostly based on regional languages of India, are typically  held during the July 4th weekend and celebrated along with the American independence day.  North America Bengali Conference (NABC) also known as Banga-Sammelan, used to be the only such cultural conference held in major North American cities to celebrate Bengali arts and culture. But these days, multiple such Bengali conferences are held around the same time. Besides NABC, we now have Bangamela and Regional Bengali Conference. Last couple of years we have also seen the famous Ananda Bazar Patrika (ABP) group hosting a Bengali festival of their own, in the same model as NABC and others.  This list of course excludes similar such conferences held by Bangladeshi Americans.  While this gives the ever growing Bengali population in America ample options to chose which festival to attend, it kind of dilutes the original motivation behind these conferences – to provide a platform to the expat Bengali to showcase their talents. In reality, these conferences have turned out to be commercial ventures targeted to attract the consumers of pop culture and entertainment. Well, to be fair, the organizers do throw in a couple of classical music performers, or a literary seminar, or arts and crafts exhibition, but these events are neglected both by the audience as well as the organizers.  Unless the audience demands for such events, why would the organizers feel obligated? 

Let’s take a look at the line-ups for these major Bengali conferences. Bangamela 2012, to be held during July 13 to 14 in Washington DC, will  feature singers like Subhamita Banerjee, Saheb Chatterjee, Rezwana Choudhury Banya, Ferdous Ara and many others. Sahid Parvez on Sitar, Debajyoti Bose on Sarod will grace the  classical music stage. Nandikar, the famous Bengali theater group from Kolkata will stage their latest play with Debshankar Haldar, Sohinee Sengupta, Rudraprasad Sengupta and Swatilekha Sengupta. The event will also feature a one act drama competition with participants from the surrounding states.

Regional Bengali Conference will be held at the North Atlanta Trade Center, Norcross, GA from June 29th to July 1st. The artists include Saheb Chatterjee, Abhijit Bhattacharya, Srikanto Acharya, Indranil Sen, Tanushree Shankar, Ujjaini and others. It will also feature a film festival which will be inaugurated by Sandip Ray.

NABC 2012, which is still the largest of the Bengali conferences, will be held  in Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas,  also known as the playground of America, is a popular tourist destination especially for its spectacular hotels and casinos. It is one of the topmost vacation spots in the country and features all sorts of entertainment that one can enjoy.  Las Vegas was chosen most likely to attract people from all around USA, especially from the West Coast. Although the summer heat in Las Vegas may inhibit outdoor activities during the day, but most likely it will keep the Bengali audience indoors tied to their seats in the air conditioned auditoriums. NABC 2012 had initially announced a long list of celebrity artists. However the final list (till date), although not as attractive, is still quite impressive. Shankar Mahadevan along with the trio Shankar-Ehshan-Loy, Kavita Krishnamurty, Rupam Islam. Somlata, Sriradha Bandopadhyay, Abhradeep, Fossil, Lakshman Das Baul, Rezwana Choudhury Banya and many others will dazzle the music scene.     Bratyojon will be staging their new play Byomkesh, directed by Bratya Basu. Film and theater stars from Kolkata will be staging Shesher Kobita (although it is not clear who the actors are). The classical music section includes Pandit Jasraj, Ustad Asish Khan, Pt. Swapan Choudhury, Abhijit Banerjee, Shubhangi Sakhalkar and Suman Laha. The literary seminar will feature novelist and short story writer Swapnomoy Chakraborti, poet Bithi Chattopadhyay and journalist Gautam Bhattacharya. Dancers like Sutapa Talukdar, Sukalyan Bhattacharya will sizzle the stage. NABC will also feature arts and crafts exhibition, film festival, business meetings, college reunions, and many other events to keep you and your family engaged. But one of the most significant activity will be the events presented by the domestic performers, who will feature some of their best talents and shows. So if you are attending NABC 2012, I’d like to request you to please attend the domestic shows. These events are what NABC was founded for, and they need our full support. You’ll get to see the celebrity performers at many other events, but it is a rare opportunity to get to witness our friends and neighbors from different states and cities who come all the way to share their artistic expressions with you.  Please don’t miss them.

Sorry son!. Your brother has already fulfilled our family hypergamy quota. No more openings left.

Mike Steward loved to share my Indian lunch and I did not mind spending a part of my lunch break with him occasionally. Mike had a sense of humor and a ready wit. He mostly did the talking and he talked about his family often. His mother’s idiosyncratic personality was the butt of his jokes.  He made no bones about his blue-collar background. His father was an electrician in an auto assembly plant in New Jersey and his mother was an aide in a local Knights of Columbus house. And according to Mike the so-called lower middle class American families have so many old-fashioned ideas and quirks that their worldview some times sounds hilarious. I enjoyed tales about his family, their sometimes-strange relationships, strange and at times funny to me.

One morning as soon as I walked into the office he came straight to my desk. “Big news” he said excitedly “My sister is marrying an Indian guy. And my mother said yes. I will tell you everything later” I of course, was a little intrigued and curious. Mike was of Italian descent. To his mother the world was all about “us” and “them;” It was quite understandable if she was a little leery about getting into the situation.

So, I thought, indeed this was big news. I could not wait to find out what really happened.

The story unfolded over lunch. When his sister, who was a social services assistant in a hospital, disclosed that she was in love with a doctor who happened to be an Indian, her mother went ballistic.  How could her daughter, a pure bred European, marry a person of color?  How can her daughter get into a third world alien culture?  Most of all, what would her family think? She could not bear the ignominy and face her family and friends. “It has never happened in my family” Mike’s mother said. She put her foot down; she would not let her own daughter pollute the bloodline of the family. “Over my dead body,” she announced.

“And then what happened, how come your sister is still marrying an Indian guy?” I inquired.

“I enter the scene,” Mike said. “ I asked my mother could you ever imagine Ma, in your wildest dream that your daughter would be marrying a doctor? “ In his and his mother’s immediate family no one had gone to college.  Mike attended a vocational school for drafting; his sister was a high school graduate. “I had to convince my mother that her daughter was marrying real up and her social standing amongst her relatives would only increase,” he said. His mother acquiesced, albeit reluctantly.

Mike doubted that it was a matter of altruism on his sister’s part either; knowing his sister and her upbringing; he suspected her decision to be simply a matter of climbing up:

“Hypergamy” is the word, which means marrying up. The term is used to mean the inclination of female’s to marry a man higher in status, education and wealth.  There is an evolutionary bias in woman to go for a better and stronger hunter-gatherer and provider and possibly better genes for the children.

All these happened thirty years ago when I was working at General Electric.

Fast-forward:  Twenty years.

Venue: Calcutta, and this time all players belonged to the same race.

My cousin’s only daughter was a very desirable marriage worthy girl by Bengali standards.  Upper middle class with a reasonably wealthy father, she was fair complexioned, good looking and had a graduate degree in English from the University of Jadavpur; a girl seeking a suitable match could not be any better.  Her parents were in the lookout for a groom, a doctor or an engineer as a minimum.  There were many prospective suitors from an insertion in the local newspaper, Ananda Bazar Patrika. To the dismay of her parents the daughter chose someone who only had an undergraduate degree from a run of the mill college. But, something made him stand out: he was a N.R.I. He worked in information technology (read: programming, an entry level coding skill) and lived in America on a temporary H1B visa, which in all likelihood will be changed to a permanent status.  Parents saw some risks there, but for my cousin’s daughter the promise of American life outweighed the risk. My cousin and her husband were disappointed and did everything in their power to dissuade her. Also, they did not consider their prospective son-in-law whose father was some kind of government official in Burdawan to be up to their social and cultural status. They were vehemently against the proposal, but the daughter prevailed. The family thought she was actually marrying down (Hypogamy as opposed to Hypergamy); like Mike’s mother did.

.

The original definitions of the words Hypergamy and Hypogamy need revision in today’s world.  After decades of the feminist movement the perception of women power has shifted.  Women are not the only ones looking for security and upgrading of social status in marriage. Men also want to marry up as in the case of   the H1B groom’s. Marrying up and marrying down are two sides of the same coin. What one side considers a Hypergamy, to other side it may be Hypogamy or may be not. In reality marriage by choice is always an act of Hypergamy from the participants’ point of view; although the considerations are different in each case. To some it is perception of racial superiority; to others it is social climbing and to some as in the case of my cousin’s daughter it is moving to a better life offered by America. To the parents it is a class-divide be it racial or social.

In spite of all the liberalization of value system and feminist movement the concept and the consideration of class still exist in real life. I would not condemn Mike’s mother as bigoted and ignorant; racial bias is a reality all over the world; the Indian equivalent of casteism. Interracial marriage may not be a big deal today but miscegenation was illegal in some states in the United States no more than fifty years ago. Barriers still linger today. Marrying a non-white is still considered an act of marrying down in larger Euro-centric white society.

Indeed, I do not see Bengali parents jumping for joy if their children marry a Caucasian person.  Marrying outside one’s own tribe always involves crossing a threshold.  But the same parents are often more accepting of a Caucasian son or daughter-in-law than they would be of son or daughter-in-law of another Non-Indian race. In the back of their mind their children are actually marrying up racially when they marry a white.  Don’t be ashamed if you are one of them; this is the way the colonial era colored our values. In the postindustrial-revolution era Europe dictated standards of ethics, aesthetics and culture and it still does particularly in the once colonized societies as ours. The fact is, we still look up to them.  For us whose skin color ranges from dark brown to swarthy, fair complexion is the yardstick for prettiness. When our average height is 5’5”, tallness defines handsomeness. Our standard is based on how others look but what we are not.

So you could not honestly disagree with Mike’s mother if she believed that for her daughter marrying an Indian man would be case of Hypogamy or marrying down.

So why do so many Caucasian men and women choose darker skinned Bengali spouses?  It is plausible that for them the dark-skinned partner of choice has a better education, better resources and better potential, and also promises a better life; they are seemingly driven by the age-old consideration of hypergamy.

But breaking the class barriers, social or racial has its benefits.

My cousin’s daughter now lives in America, in a big house and drives a BMW.

I have no knowledge of how Mike’s sister has fared, but consider the case of Antonia Edvige Albina Maino (a.k.a. Sonia Gandhi), a white Italian woman. A one-time restaurant waitress and the daughter of a brick worker, she married so up as to catapult her to the position of the supreme ruler of the largest democracy in the world.

Cartoon by Sudipta Bhawmik

Cassandra or Maybe a Chair's Tale

Three months of gruelling rehearsals are over. Now comes the show time. This week, the cast and crew of “Cassandra or Maybe a Chair’s Tale” have been working in building the sets, transporting the furniture and props, setting up the lights and measuring their steps on the stage. Most theater groups like ours do not have the opportunity to rehearse extensively on the stage. We rehearse at one place and perform in another.  We then need to scale our moves to the new environment and in three dimensions – length, breadth and height.  And then on the show day, we put on our make-up and costumes, and get ready to step onto the stage under the limelight in front of a expectant audience – an audience who does not care how hard you have worked or what sacrifices you have made to reach to this stage. They expect perfection and they want to hear no excuses.  They want to be entertained, they want to get their moneys worth. And for this, all components of this complex machinery, of which the audience is also an integral part,  should work in perfect harmony. Only then, theater is created – art happens in front of our eyes, and we feel enriched – the audience as well as the performers. That’s why we toil for days and nights to create art.

This weekend, the cast and crew of “Cassandra…” will give their best to create theater – to create art.  I welcome you to come to Edison Valley Playhouse this weekend and join us to become a part of this exciting process.

It’s showtime folks!

For details, visit ECTA Website.

Cassandra or Maybe a Chair's Tale

That’s the name of my new play when translated to English from Bengali.  So what’s the connection between Cassandra and a Chair’s Tale, you may ask! But I’ll have to disappoint you here, because I’d like you – the audience – to figure that out on June 9th and 10th, 2012. What I can tell you, is what motivated me to write this play. Or in other words, why I wrote this play.

I am kind of a person, whom some one may consider to be a pack-rat.  I  find it hard to throw away stuff.  I tend to keep old and apparently useless stuff with the hope that maybe someday they’ll be of some use. Old magazines, gadgets, electronic components, furnitures – I have  them all.  My storage spaces in and around the house keep filling up with many such paraphernalia that I hardly use anymore. I find it difficult to throw away a perfectly functional chair just because it has gone out of fashion or has some nicks and cuts here and there. But I have also come to realize that I am not alone. There are many people like me who also develop a strong bond with their possessions. To throw away a piece of equipment that has served them for years, is like letting go a dear family member. 

But why do we think this way? Is it because of our middle class upbringing where any object, that was acquired with hard earned money, stayed home forever? Or is it that we associate these objects with the good times we enjoyed with it, and feel that throwing them out now is a kind of betrayal?  Or maybe, we feel ourselves safer and more secure in the comfort of our old possessions. Maybe deep inside we have this feeling, that as long as we have these dear old friends with us,  we can always live in our happy past – a past that we want to be our present – a present that will protect us from our future.   Over the years, as we grow old, we lose our parents, guardians, friends – all those people who have been shielding us from the unknown, helped us deal with the unpleasant reality of life.  And now we have arrived at this juncture in our life where we are forced to look into our future and prepare ourselves to deal with it alone. And we can very well see our future, we very well know what’s coming our way – but we deny it. We don’t believe in our own clairvoyance. We tend to sit tight in our old little chair and hope that everything is going to be fine and dandy – just like it was when the chair first came into our home.

But was this all playing inside me when I started to write this play? I don’t really know.  I don’t think any writer conjures up all these justifications before writing. They start writing with, maybe, a “what if…” conjecture. What if one day this guy who had this old little chair…      but I am sorry, I can’t say any further.   You got to see it, to believe it! Trust me, I am not Cassandra!

Cassandra or Maybe a Chair's Tale

Producing a play involves a lot of work. But the most important job is to set up a team of cast and crew members who would take the production from conception to stage.  The team should be in love with the project, and only then a successful production can happen.  When the audience sees a play unfold in front of their eyes –  with the actors performing in perfect rhythm, the lights and sounds all playing together in perfect harmony,  the emotions and feelings on stage touch your hearts – it becomes difficult to appreciate how much hard work has gone into developing this final product. A ninety minute play to an audience member means ninety days of toil and labor for a dedicated team of performers.  Most of the performers who commit themselves to such an arduous task, are not professionals. Theatre does not provide them their daily bread.  Even in professional theater, most performers have another day job that helps them pay their bills. And in community theater like ours, getting paid is not only out of the question, rather in most cases the team members have to spend from their pockets to meet their incidental expenses. Then why do they do this? Why do they go through this enormous amount of personal sacrifice  just to be on the stage for ninety minutes or so?  And then everybody doesn’t go up on the stage either. They keep the cogs of the production running from behind the stage. What is their motivation?

The only answer to this difficult question is – love for the art.  Without love and passion to create theater – to create characters – to tell stories   , one cannot bear the pain that comes with the process of creation.  They don’t do it for money, or fame, or popularity.  Yes, a little bit of appreciation is welcome – but that’s not the driving force here. Creativity has its own rewards and we need to respect that.

Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to have the company of many such dedicated and like-minded team members whose love for the art was the only reason why we could keep on producing theatre year after year.   I’ll always remember them and salute them from the bottom of my heart.

Here is a small video in which the cast and crew members of our new play “Cassandra…” share their thoughts about this production.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54adJNoivbk]

No, No, He is not the actor. He is the prompter. The problem is, he doesn't want to stay behind the curtain.

Prompting in theatre is now a dying art. Most theatre productions hardly use prompters these days. The actors are expected to memorize their lines before they even think of getting up on stage. But not too long ago, prompters were an essential part of any theatre. Two prompters would sit on two sides of the stage, hiding behind the wings and in a soft voice read the lines for the actors. The level of their voice should be such that it should be audible only to the actors on stage and not to the audience.   This requires special skills. Also, for the actors, they need know how to perform with constant prompting going on from the sides. Hence prompters also need to rehearse with the actors. One of the greatest virtues a prompter should possess is to be selfless and not to look for audience appreciation. The actors collect all the accolades and applause, while the prompter need to stay satisfied with an occasional thank you from the actor. That too if he is lucky.  Most of the time a prompter would have memorized all the lines of all characters and can possibly perform better on stage if given a chance.

But for the prompter, many actors wouldn’t have reached their pinnacle of fame and fortune. I have seen many famous actors who wouldn’t say a single line on stage without the help from prompters.  In USA, when theatre productions come from India with star studded cast, the prompters are left behind to cut costs. Local actors volunteer to prompt  these famous stars of the easter years.  But sometimes, unfortunately, age catches on to these senior actors and their hearing loses its sharpness. And this often results in a tragic situation on stage. The prompter yells at the top of their voice from behind the wings, while the actors echo them. This results in a cacophony that the audience needs to suffer.

But I guess, these days prompters are also demanding their rights to be recognized. Few years ago, we were invited to perform our play by one of the north American organizations.  Before our play, the organizers themselves were scheduled to perform a play. From back stage we noticed that they had elaborate sets on stage. And behind each structure, there was a person with a copy of the script in their hands. On inquiring we were told that the director didn’t want to depend only on two prompters on the sides, but also wanted to place few of them strategically on stage such that his actors have access to the lines from any point on stage.  I didn’t have the opportunity to witness the final result, but one of the actors confessed that the play was cut short by about half an hour due to missed lines. But the director was indeed grateful to his team of prompters. Their names were printed in big bold fonts on their commemorative brochure along with the actors.

1. The Free Dictionary by FARLEX:  This dictionary app not only gives you meanings of

The Free Dictionary

english words that you are looking for but it also includes a Thesaurus. When you open the app, it shows you a “word of the day” and an “article of the day”. So if you are looking to improve your vocabulary, open the app few times a day and keep browsing.

2. TED : TED.com is one of my favorite websites where I get to watch and listen to truly  inspiring lectures. The TED app is an elegant way to enjoy these videos on your iPhone when you have some free time. Try to use this in a WiFi enabled area to reduce your data usage.

3. Dropbox:  One major problem with iPhones is that it does not allow you to store or back up your data (pictures, document, video etc.) in a external storage like an SD card.  The iCloud feature does provide some off line storage facility but there is some limit. Dropbox can help you extend your external cloud storage to save your data. You can get a limited amount (2GB) at start but if you invite your friends to join then you get more bonus free space. So please use the link to get yourself an account and help me get some more free space. Box.net is also another similar app.

TED

4.  Gasbuddy :  In these days when gas prices are shooting through the roof, an app which tells where to find the cheapest gas station is a great boon. Gasbuddy does just that. It uses your current location and gives list of gas stations and their prices. The data is obtained through crowd sourcing and you can also update gas prices if you see a changed price.

5. Genius Scan : This cute app has come in handy several times since I installed it on my phone. If you need to scan a document and send to somebody by email, you no longer need to take the document to a scanner. All you need to do is open this app, shoot a picture of the document, make some adjustments (scaling etc) and send a pdf or jpeg scanned copy via email. It’s that simple.  I can promise you, you’ll love this app.

In future posts, I’ll feature few more apps I like. In the meantime, if you have any free app that you would like to share, drop a note.

Basanta Koomar Roy's Publicity Brochure

Sudipta Bhawmik

In 1910, a young Bengali student from Calcutta arrived at the University of Wisconsin to complete his BA degree. His name was Basanta Koomar Roy.  In those days, coming to America for higher education was a growing trend.  Rabindranath Tagore pioneered the trend by sending his son Rathindranath to USA for studying agriculture for he felt that “It is better to be a farmer from Illinois than to be a gentleman from Oxford!” Basanta Koomar being an ardent fan of Rabindranath, was most likely inspired to come to America for the same reasons. He later mentioned (in his publicity brochure),   “… by receiving an American education he would be able to serve his Motherland more efficiently.”  And although he did not go back to India, he did serve his Motherland handsomely.  Basanta Koomar took up journalism with a mission to bring India closer to America.  During the early part of the twentieth century, information about India came to America filtered by the British media. The nationalist uprisings in India, the literary and cultural renaissance taking place in Bengal was hardly noticed in America. Basanta Koomar took upon the duty to inform the Americans about India. He wrote in almost all major American publications about  British misrule and atrocities in India,  about the art and culture of India, as well other social, political and cultural issues.  However, the pinnacle of his career came when he published the first ever English biography of Tagore, “Rabindranath Tagore – The man and his poetry” in 1915, less than two years after Rabindranath was awarded the Nobel prize. But Basanta was writing about Rabindranath for quite some time then, and the book was essentially a compilation of his earlier articles. His first article on Tagore was published in the July issue of “The Open Court” in 1913, well before the Nobel prize announcement.  According to Sujit Kumar Mukherjee, the noted Tagore researcher, Basanta Koomar Roy was one of the three people primarily responsible in making Rabindranath well known to the West. The other two being W. B. Yeats and Ezra Pound.   Basanta Koomar’s biography of Tagore was a huge success and it was more popular than several other biographies that were published during the post Nobel prize era. The critics liked it mostly because it was written by a fellow Bengali who read Tagore in his mother tongue and not his translations.  His articles and translations  on Tagore were in high demand. He toured around the country lecturing about Rabindranath and his works.

But apparently, Rabindranath  was not at all happy with Basanta Koomar Roy.  It seems some of his admirers in America had informed him that Basanta Koomar was freely translating and publishing Tagore’s works  without his permission and making money.  He was also informed that Basanta Koomar was  spreading all kinds of misinformation and lies about him.    However, till date nobody has been able to find any such article by Basanta Koomar that spoke ill of Rabindranath. Unfortunately, Rabindranath did not make any attempts to verify the allegations. Rather he was so upset that he wanted to return his biography by Basanta Koomar without ever reading it.

But after 1916, Basanta Koomar seems to have stopped writing about Tagore for reasons that we can only speculate about. He became more active with the Indian nationalist movement and was working closely with Taraknath Das, Lala Lajpat Rai and others. During that time, the American immigration authorities (under the influence of British agents) were actively pursuing deportation of  Indian immigrant laborers. Basanta Koomar along with his colleagues (Taraknath Das, Agnes Smedley and others) fought against the Immigration authorities in US courts and freed these Indian immigrants held in detention.   He was an active member of the Friends of Freedom for India, and the editor of the India News service. He kept on writing about the social, political and economic issues in India. But those articles hardly mentioned about Tagore.  He also later translated and published  Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Anandamath. He was also an actor and had acted at the Neighborhood Playhouse in “Salut Au Mond”, a play based on Walt Whitman’s poetry.

Although Basanta Koomar stopped writing and lecturing about Tagore, but from Tagore’s biography (by Prasanta Chandra Paul) and other sources, we know that Basanta Koomar did not sever his relationship with Tagore. Basanta met Rabindranath during his later US trips and even arranged for his lecture.  Rabindranath too seems to have received him quite pleasantly during these meetings. In one letter (during Tagore’s 1916-17 US trip)  Rabindranath’s secretary Pearson wrote to his son  Rathindranath about his meeting with Basanta Koomar, “… your father is always very magnanimous to him.”

Today, Basanta Koomar Roy is a forgotten name. He is only known to a handful of people of this generation. But as an Indian American, I feel that we have been unjust to this man.  Basanta Koomar may not have always  followed the journalistic norms (although that’s a topic for a separate debate), but his contributions were significant. The recognition we have as Indians to the American people, we owe quite a bit of it to people like Basanta Koomar Roy, who was possibly the first Indian American Journalist.

Basanta Koomar Roy died in New York in 1949.

My play “The Last Flames” is an homage to this predecessor of ours, as much as it is to the  great poet Rabindranath Tagore.

“The Last Flames”

April 15, 2012; 3:00pm and 5:30pm

Fahs Theater,
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton
50 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton, NJ 08540
Written and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik
Cast: Sankar Ghoshal, Keka Sirkar, Abhijit Neogy
Music: Akaash Deep;
Sound: Dwaipayan Mukherjee, Lights: Subhodev Das
Admission: $15.00
(The event is free for active ECTA Members )

Synopsis: Basanta Koomar Roy, an expatriate journalist from India, has been credited by Tagore researchers as a key person (besides W. B Yeats and Ezra Pound) responsible for popularizing Rabindranath Tagore in USA. But Roy fell from his idol’s grace for reasons that torment many a biographer and journalist even today. “The Last Flames” attempts to re-examine the relationship between Roy and Tagore through a fictional encounter and gives us a peek at the human side of the great Poet’s personality. Samar, a young trainee journalist, comes to interview Basanta Koomar Roy at his apartment in New York city, sometime in 1948. Basanta is excited to share his experience as an Indian nationalist freedom fighter in USA. But Samar tells him that he is interested in knowing about his experience with Rabindranath Tagore, since he was the first to write Tagore’s biography in English for the American people. Basanta refuses to talk about his Gurudev until Samar uses his ultimate weapon that opens the flood gates of memories and emotions of this old admirer of Tagore.

The following obituary of Basanta Koomar Roy was published in The New York Times on June 8, 1949: Basanta Koomar Roy, Indian author and free-lance journalist, who had lived in this country for many years, died on Sunday in St. Luke’s Hospital after a brief illness. His home was at 116 West Eightieth Sreet. Born in Orissa Province, India, and a member of the Brahmin caste, Mr. Roy came to the United States around 1910 and studied at the University of Wisconsin, from which he was graduated and where he was later an extension lecturer. He was instrumental in arranging a lecture at the university in 1916 by the great Indian poet, the late Rabindranath Tagore. Mr. Roy was long a writer and speaker for Indian freedom and has been active in the Friends of Freedom for India. He was the author of a biography of Mr. Tagore and of “Dawn over India”, a book telling of the Indian underground movement against British rule.

Admission: $15.00

Contact: kaudata@yahoo.com

(The event is free for active ECTA Members )

Recently ECTA presented a one man show, “Banijye Basate Lakshmi”, a play written and performed by Sudipta Bhawmik, and directed by Sankar Ghoshal. Gagan Goswami, a motivational speaker, talks to his audience and inspires them to be successful in business. In a ninety minute long speech, Gagan chronicles his colorful journey as a Bengali entrepreneur seeking the answer to the most important question of one’s life – Why?

Recently I watched this wonderful TED talk by Alain de Botton. He was talking about atheism, but unlike many other more radical atheists, he did not reject religion altogether. His philosophy is that, there is a class of people who do not really believe in the existence of god or gods, but they like the other aspects of religion like the rituals, the music, the literature, the art, the myths. Alain says that these aspects of religion, the more popular aspects which enrich us in many positive ways, we don’t have to reject them. I don’t want to go into the details of his talk, you can watch the video and listen for yourself, but this concept which Alain calls Atheism 2.0 rang a bell in me.
I love to attend our Durga Puja festivals, love to hear the mythological stories associated with Durga and Mahishasur although I don’t believe they really exist. I love to listen to the sonorous chanting of the “Chandi” or listen to the ecstatic Kirtan music and feel elated. I love Shyama Sangeet, I like to watch plays and listen to stories of Hindu mythology and the epics, although I don’t feel compelled to believe them as historical truth. And I believe, I am not alone. Many of us who have been sitting on the fence of religion, wondering which side to land on, now have this third option – Atheism 2.0. We refuse to be indoctrinated by religion, refuse to believe that ours is the best and for that matter any religion to be better than any other. But we gladly accept the goodies that these religions offers us and thus enrich ourselves with those aspects.
I would like to know what others think about this.

Best Student Film: Aadmi Ki Aurat Aur Anya Kahaniya (Directed by Amit Dutta and produced by FTII, Pune)
Best Production by a Woman: Sunanda Shetty for Desire Of a Woman
Best Background Score: Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Desire of a Woman)
Best Documentary (feature length): Inshallah Football directed by Ashvin Kumar
Critic’s Choice Award (for a film): Flying Fish directed by Sanjeewa Pushapkumara
Outstanding Debut Feature ( both male & female): Meherjaan directed by Rubaiyat Hossain, produced by Ashique Mustafa
Best Actor (Male): Rajat Kapoor (I am 24) and Adil Hussain (GANGOR)
Best Actor (Female): Priyanka Bose (Gangor) and Humaima Malik (Bol)
Best Directorial Debut By a Woman: Anjali Menon for Lucky Red Seeds
Best Director (feature): Shoaib Mansoor (Bol), Italo Spinelli (Gangor)
Best Director (Female): Rubaiyat Hossain (Meherjaan)
Best Feature: Gangor directed by Italo Spinelli, produced by Niravana Entertainments and Bibi Films (Italy)

As a dress, a saree does have certain uniqueness. It is the only garment in the world which fits one size all! Even Dishdasha for Arab men , Abaya worn by Arab women or Burqua of South Asian Muslim women, all basically shapeless coveralls resembling a drape more than a clothing, have to be tailored to size. A saree on the other hand does not require cutting, formatting, not a stitch of a single thread. A saree is also the greatest and most effective camouflage ever, especially for laterally challenged.
Once when I invited my friend Richie and his wife to a dinner, he declined because his wife Doris had been on a diet and slimming down regime for two weeks so that she can shape up and fit in a nice dress to attend an impending wedding. Tongue in cheek, I suggested that Doris could wear a saree for the wedding that would save her from starvation for two weeks. Throw an unmanageably long wrap around you and then other appurtenances of female beauty, which is your body, are effectively hidden from public eyes.
But you pay a price; your vanity and your pride are undermined. Your beauty, your grace and your elegance that either the nature has endowed you with or you have cultivated so assiduously over the years are taken out of view for anyone to see and appreciate. The piece of fabric around you gets all the attention. You feel good when other women come to you and express their admiration for your saree. Not a word about how nice you look in that saree and or how elegant you are. The admiring woman may even break your heart if and when she adds “I have an exact similar piece which I am yet to wear.” That effectively deflates whatever ego you have had satisfied when the saree was praised.
Of course there are other reasons for why you are ignored and the dress you are wearing gets all the attention instead; appreciating another woman may not come naturally to a woman in our self-conscious Bengali society. Compliments generally come from a woman and almost never from a man. The concept may sound like contrary to evolutionary common sense which conjectures that the purpose women strive to look good is to attract potential mates of the opposite sex. The truth in our Bengali diasporas is that women dress to impress each other. That often is partly a result of environment in which we socialize and the way we are. Whether in a party or a social event or in a Puja the women folks congregate in a close cluster and men are segregated which gives the men scant opportunity to look at the women, get friendly and say a word of appreciation.
Bringing men into the picture can add some sense and sensibility to the mad world of saree acquisition. If men were the target for getting noticed there would not be the need for buying so many of them. Men have shorter sartorial memories. It is unlikely for a man to remember if that piece of apparel has already been worn once before. It is close to a blasphemy to a Bengalee saree wearing woman to be told that a saree has already been worn once before albeit by the same person. Women can and will easily point out the repeat use of your dress, length of the intervening period regardless. Even if they do not tell you in that many words, wearer will instantly know from the knowing look of the observers that she has been caught red-handed. Men may also have a nice word for you, and that is likely to be honest. Truth is men have a discerning eye for compatibility of the dress and the person putting it on. The women surprisingly have a strange skill of only looking at the saree without even noticing the person wearing it and an incredibly long memory span for sarees. Unfortunately you meet the same and repeat bunch of people wherever you go dressed up, in our close-knit Bengali society. And there is always someone to remember your saree, even if it is not so remarkable a piece.
The fallout from the addiction is wider. Expenses on saree account have a profound impact on the cost of our social lives. In our burgeoning society we have a closeness in order to function and flourish socially and we do have vigorous and frequent interactions with our friends and acquaintances, which we cannot do without. Formal occasions like wedding, birthdays and casual ones like a weekend dinners, demand gifts. Cost for two persons attending, works out to $200-$300.00 (unless of course you are close to the host) in a wedding; $100.00 for a birthday (For a Sunday lunch at Akbar or similar not so lustrous places, $60.00 should do for two guests) and there are anniversaries, annaprasans, you name it. In a routine dinner party you can get away with a $16-20.00 bottle of wine. Now comes the collateral cost. Add to each of the above the cost of single-wear saree (between $200-250,) a blouse (guessing the value of a blouse is tricky. A blouse may be pricey, but sometimes, judging from the amount of cloth material that are used in a blouse in modern fashion, it is not unrealistic to appraise that it may cost little or nothing) and occasional matching costume jewelry (between $50 and $100.00.) Attending Puja is not cheap either these days; organizers will shut the door on you unless you pay a high entry fee in advance and do not forget to account for the fresh purchase of one or two sarees from those luring saree stalls at the Puja place.
Now, please do the math!
One has to wonder, even considering the single wear scenario, when and where all the sarees are actually worn. Admittedly, our community here has more get-togethers, more occasions than others on a yearly basis but the sarees most likely outnumber the opportunities to wear them. In practice it is just impossible to wear all of them within a reasonable period of time before it becomes old and out of fashion. The momentary infatuation, bordering insanity that overtook the buyers senses had passed or in hold till another irresistible piece overwhelms. The pieces in storage left unused would probably be not worth wearing and showing off. One has to suspect that quite a few of them stay in closet unused, ultimately finding their way to the storage in the garage.
Of course I am not proposing this as a generalized truth dictum for all the saree wearing women all over the world, I am focusing on the behavior of a certain class of Bengalee women in our midst, who in their obsessive saree fetish have lost somewhere a sense of proportion.

The process of pre-registration, that caused lot of heart burns few years ago, seems to be well accepted by now. The process is also quite streamlined if you are internet savvy. This year Kallol formally introduced pre-registration of daily passes. I have been asking about this for quite some time, and I am happy to see the committee members introduce this feature. The system of retaining reserved seats for the high-paying registrants (read donors, patrons etc) with white tags, still seem to cause quite a bit of dissatisfaction amongst the traditionalists. One cause for concern is, that in this hall, even with the best audio system, only the first few rows can listen to the sound with some degree of clarity. The rows in the back can only hear a cacophony of reverberations mixed with constant chattering of the socialites. Hence anybody who wants to seriously listen to what’s being performed on stage, need to stay within the first few rows – a large portion of  which were reserved for the white tag holders. Hence  it was no surprise when artistes like Anindyo Chatterjee and Purbayan Chatterjee found the rows in front sparsely populated and had to request the audience to move up to those exclusive seats. I understand that those who contribute more financially, need to be given some incentives or rewards. But the Kallol execs should also understand that there are many who may not be contributing as much financially but are giving a lot of physical effort and their time voluntarily for the success of this event. They also deserve to be treated in better ways. I have heard complaints that some such people were rudely asked to get off the white tag seats just because they wanted to seriously watch a program they love but were wearing an orange tag badge.

Kallol also tried, to some limited degree, to enforce the policy of no seat blocking with shawls and other objects.  It has been an old practice of throwing a shawl or some other object on the seats early in the day and stake a claim during the high profile programs.  Some times they do not even come back during the show while people who would like to watch it are prevented from sitting on those seats. Kallol committee members this year were quite strict about this and have fought quite a few nasty battles to recover those protected seats for their guests. But until we try to co-operate with them and try to understand that this is a community event and every body deserves a seat , we cannot get rid of this menace.

The food service was excellent and I haven’t heard much complaints. The lines were well managed and the food quality was very good.

The entertainment program was quite good, especially the local artistes (kids and adults) did a fantastic job.  Of the visiting artistes, Pt. Anindyo Chatterjee and Purbayan Chatterjee were excellent.  Nachiketa disappointed us by singing fewer songs than expected. He should have sung few more songs and waste less time in  breaks. Tarun Chatterjee’s play “Kabar”, although a very powerful play, was certainly not appropriate for the venue. The play also seemed to be not very well prepared, although Tarun Chatterjee’s performance was above par. Aparna Sen and “You and I” program was one of the key attractions of this event, but it failed to impress me. Ms. Sen is an excellent screen actor and a superb film maker, but her reading did not do justice to those love letters and their writers. To bring a letter to life on stage just through reading demands a different kind of skill which very few posses. The music by Soumyajit and Sourendra had no synergy with the letters except for the theme “love”. Soumyajit and Sourendra are both well trained and talented musicians, but I don’t know why they had to mix multiple songs for no reason. For example, I have no clue why he felt compelled to switch to Manna Dey’s “Lolita” from the famous Mand rendering of “Kesaria Balama…” ! Why couldn’t they perform each song as they were meant to be performed. Gimmicks can potentially impress some people, but for many it can be a source of annoyance.

Overall, the festival was quite enjoyable and I thank all the organizing committee members and volunteers for giving us a very pleasant weekend of Durga Puja celebrations.

Souvik Ganguly, a freshman at Bridgewater Raritan High School said – “For me, Durga Pujo is one of my favorite times of the year because I get to see all my friends and forget about school for a weekend.”

Aishik Mukherjee, a Montgomery High School junior, responds – “During Durga Puja, I have more freedom to do the things I loved as a kid, such as running around outside. I also enjoy some of the performances during the Pujo. Last year, I was watching this one short film that my brother was in about learning how to read and write Bengali, and I was the tech man when it was being shown. I was surprised at how interesting the film was.”

Rishav Ghosh, a seventh grader says, “My favorite parts of Durga are being able to hang out with my friends for a few days as well as participating in some plays with them.”

And finally Omkar, a Bridgewater Raritan High School Sophomore, says – “My favorite part of Durga Pujo is definitely seeing my close friends and hanging out with them for a full weekend. I also enjoy some of the kids’ performances, as they can be fun to watch. The festive ambiance of the whole event just ties everything together and makes it a bit more enjoyable.”

So if we take these four kids to be a random sample of our community children, then it seems their view of Durga Puja is not entirely different from that of ours. The religious part of the festival may not excite them a lot (neither does it excite all the adults), but I think they got the real essence of the Puja festival – to meet friends and have a good time together.

Garden State Cultural Association, GSCA, will be celebrating their Puja on Oct 1 and 2 at the Plainfield High School. Theit cultural events include dance recital by Mitra Purkayastha’s troupe and
a hilarious Bengali play “Eta Byaktigoto”, written and  directed by Soumendu Bhattacharya along with
Songs by Pratibha Singh & Soumen Nandi (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009 finalists) on Saturday evening. On Sunday, the events include “Surer Biswayane Rabindranath, a GSCA musical production followed by Monomoy Bhattacharya (Kolkata) concert of modern Bengali Songs.

Anandamandir will be celabrating their Durga Puja from October 2 to 6 as per the Bengali calendar and so will Bharat Sevashram Sangha. However, at this time I do not have any information regarding their cultural programs.

Like cultural programs, food is an integral part of any Durga Puja celebration in New Jersey. All the organizers promise to have scrumptious dinner on all evenings during the Pujas.  “Panthar Mansho” (goat meat) will be the key attraction at all the community Puja’s except at the Anandamandir and Bharat Sevashram Sangha temples.

I hope that you all will have a great Durga Puja and enjoy the festival to the fullest.

We do it with good intentions. We feel that it would be irreverent of us to address the middle aged gentleman we just met as “Arunabho” or “Satyen”. Addressing them by their first name is next to impossible. So we need to make a quick judgment call and decide what relationship we would like to establish with this new friend. Based on the looks, if the gentleman or lady seem to be close to our age, we try to make them our elder brother (Dada) or sister (Didi). If they seem to be middle aged, then “Kaku” or (Uncle) seems to be appropriate for men, and “Mashi” (Aunt) for women. For women, a subtle transition from “Mashi” to “Mashi-ma” can occur but one needs to be quite careful with that judgement. Often it so happens, that if it is a couple we meet, we call the husband “Kaku” (paternal uncle) and the wife “Mashi” (maternal aunt) – an almost absurd (although not impossible) relationship. When we meet a couple, “Kaku/Kakima” or “Mashima/Meshomoshai” is a better bet. It is odd though that the relations, “Mama” (maternal uncle) or “Pishi” (paternal aunt) are not used very often for such acquaintances. If you are ever doubtful about your social status in this relationship scale, I suggest you walk down the pavement in Gariahat Kolkata. The hawkers and roadside vendors will give you a perfect judgment about your age. Many ladies have experienced their development from “Didi” to “Boudi” to “Mashi” to Mashi-ma” to “Thakuma” from these experts.

When I was younger, I too used these relational attributes to show my respect to my seniors. But as I am growing older, I have realized that it may no longer be appropriate to assume anybody as my “Kaku” or “Mashi”, maybe not even “Dada” or “Didi”. The realization becomes stronger when someone whom I know to be my contemporary, or even older than me, addresses me as “Dada”. Some people just cannot see themselves as older than anybody else and this often cause a lot of heartache for many. Few days ago a young lady at my place was visibly upset when a middle aged friend of mine called her “Aunty”!

Personally, I have tried to keep myself detached from such trivial issues claiming it really doesn’t matter to me how someone addresses me. But recently when some twenty something was struggling to decide whether to call me “Kaku”, “Jethu” or “Mesho-moshai”, I had strong feeling that it is high time we change this system.

I agree, we may not feel comfortable to address our seniors by their first names. We may also feel a bit awkward to listen to a young boy half my age, calling me by my first name. Although it is quite common in this country to use first names, but we still feel uncomfortable to use them within our community. Hindi speaking people have resolved this issue by adding a suffix “ji” to any name – Sudipta-ji, Sutapa-ji etc. It is almost like using Mr. or Mrs. to ones name to show your respect, although Mr. and Mrs. works with last names only. Not too long ago, Bengalis too used the suffix (sometimes even as a prefix) “Babu” with male names and “Debi” with female names, to show their respect. Sudipta-babu, or Mrinalini-debi was used amongst the urban elites. But somehow, over the years, “Babu” and “Debi” has lost their gravity and today many feel insulted if they are addressed as a Babu or Debi. So, what can be the solution?

The best solution would be to use our names – just as they are. Names are given to identify a person, to address a person. We all have names. So lets use them. Why do we have to make somebody my “Dada” when I am not sure if he is older than me? Why should I accept someone calling me “Mesho-moshai” when I know that I never had a “Shyalika” or sister-in-law? Let’s drop this pretense of being a nephew or a niece and call Subhashis as Subhashis, Ajit as Ajit, Shanti as Shanti.

But if this sounds too radical, I am willing to accept a compromise. Just like the suffix “-ji”, lets use “-da” for men and “-di” for women as a sign of respect, irrespective of their age. You may call Subhashis as Subhashis-da, Ajit as Ajit-da, Krishna as Krishna-di. Remember, this “-da” or “-di” is not the same as “Dada” or “Didi” and they imply no familial relationship. Besides we have been using these suffixes for quite some time and it maybe easier for us to adopt. It will resolve many complicated issues and awkward situations that Bengali naming conventions have put us into. No longer will young Sucharita feel guilty in calling her boy friend Subir as Subir-da. Now Subir can also call her Sucharita-di, until they cross the boundaries of Bengali social formalities.

A few years ago at the annual Durga Puja, the organizing club published a booklet for the benefit of the generation born and raised here, explaining the significance and meaning of the festival and its various events on different days. Rightly so, the narration started with Mahalaya, the new moon day preceding the Puja. Mahalaya is actually a day when Hindus, typically Bengali Hindus pay homage to the ancestors, culminating in Sharodiya Durga Puja six days later. Indeed, it is a Hindu practice to invoke the blessings of the ancestors before any solemn occasion, be it a wedding or an Annaprasan. But that was not what the author of the little booklet wrote in his explanation of Durga Puja for our children. Mahalaya, according to his narrative was the day on which Calcutta radio broadcast an audio musical, Mahishasurmardini. And that was all, what Mahalaya meant!

It was an ignorant and a weird way of explaining a significant Bengali institution to our children. It was like saying July fourth was all about fireworks. Hindu customs and religion are a little more involved and nuanced than of other major religions of the world. Its philosophies, theories and practices are not all explained and enunciated in a single book. Acquiring ultimate knowledge of our religion is just not memorizing one single book of scripture. As a result the Hindus, I think are a bit doubtful, if not confused about sources and meanings of our numerous and sometimes complex texts and edicts. So I do not accuse anyone of ignorance or lack of clarity about Mahalaya or Kali Puja or Kalpataru Utsav, a few amongst typical occasions very much confined to Bengalees. Many amongst us have no clue about historical and mythical background of even Durga puja, the mother of all Bengalee festivals. Of course you are guilty of no major crime either if you do not know all about our heritage, unless of course we desire to teach it to our “second generation.” Thus, we have to be very careful in the kind of epistemic inheritance we are providing for our next generation.

In our desire to make very “cultured” Bengalees out of our children, the word that is kicked around frequently is heritage. Heritage is something that we inherit by our birth and which flows from being born out of certain parameters and culture of our parents and society. The larger question here is-are we the so-called first generation quite aware of our heritage? We first need to educate us on our heritage if we want to pass it to our children. Unless you own it how can you bestow it on others?

I suspect not many of us have read Rabindranath, Sarat Chandra or Bankim Chandra in any depth; not many of us are aware of the work and lives of Sri Chaitnya, Sri Ramakrishna or Ram Mohan Roy. What is Bengali heritage without their legacy? How can we be aware of our heritage without the knowledge of the Bengali Renaissance of the nineteenth century? Let’s ask an honest question: how much do we know about the period of great awakening and reform which is unique in the history of all regional Indian cultures.

I want to emphasize that this is not an all embracing assessment of or an expression of general disappointment about us that is the first generation here in the United States. There are members in our community who can really teach us about our culture and our heritage. Yet, I want to stress on the critical learning of our generation (the first generation) which may be a more universal concern.

Let’s get to know our literature, our culture and our religion, in other words our total heritage before we exert big effort and throw in big money for the expressed goal of bringing our heritage to the second generation.

Let’s start with the meaning of Mahalaya.

Hindustani Classical Vocal by Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik with Pandit Sameer Chatterjee on Tabla and Kedar Naphade on Harmonium

ablaphilia: A Presentation of the four stages of life through vocal and instrumental music, composed and conducted by Pandit Sameer Chatterjee

and

“Ekti Gnaye Thaki” a play in Bengali (with English supertitles) written and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik, and produced by ECTA

What makes a family? Who are our family members?
Who is our brother and who is our sister?
What expectations do we have for our family? What are our demands?
Do we all live in a village of strangers?

…Villagers: Sankar, Lili, Subhodev, Aparajita, Dwaipayan, Sudipta, Abhijit
Music: Samya Goswami

“Ekti Gnaye Thaki” is the story of Ranjana and her brother, Rajat, reuniting after fourteen years. Rajat immigrates to the US with his family after Ranjana sponsors their green cards. The reunion is marked by its usual excitement followed by nostal-gia for their hometown Gobindapur they both left behind. Rajat becomes a critical link for Ranjana to relive her past, while Ranjana helps him come to terms with his decision to abandon his familiar world in Gobindapur. Ranjana is also ill and Rajat’s presence offers a long awaited emollient. As the brother and the sister often slip into the past, the rest of the characters are excited at the prospects of their future in the US, especially Rajat’s son, Rajib. Life gradually settles down and a quotidian harmony evolves. Yet from the beginning, the play occasionally and quite subliminally alludes to an underlying subplot that threatens the apparent calm between the two families. Eventually, through a set of related incidents, the undisclosed piece – a rather disconcerting one – is revealed. The disclosure tears apart the growing assurance of the families’ suburban life, and more importantly, sets in motion a drift into the past that interrogates those relationships that were deemed normal. Though this interrogation fractures a happy picture, however, it is through this fracture, we are invited to revisit something more important – the attachment between human be-ings. The play above all, irrespective of its specificities of time and place, is a commentary on what it means to be a human being in relation to those we hold dear in our lives.

Tickets are $75.00, $40, $25, student with ID $15.00 Dinner is included. For more information, please call Ashram at 732-422-8880, email: bssnj@hotmail.com

San Francisco Examiner of 6th October 1916 reported, “Word of a plot to assasinate Sir Rabindranath Tagore, Hindu poet and Nobel Prize winner, reached the police yesterday and let to extraordinary precautions to guard him in his apartment at the Palace Hotel and at the Columbia Theatre where he lectured in the afternoon.” Several other newspapers also carried the story. Allegations were pointing towards the Indian revolutionary organization Ghadar, then operating in the USA, primarily based on the writings of the then Ghadar leader Ramchandra. Ramchandra however denied the allegation. Rabindranath himself did not believe that his countrymen could even think of doing something like this. He did not cancel any of his assignments and sent a signed statement to the Los Angeles Examiner on 7th October 1916 saying, “I have cancelled no engagements and I came to Santa Barabara by the train which had been arranged for me by my manager. As for a plot to assassinate me, I have the fullest confidence in the sanity of my countrymen and shall fulfill my engagements without the help of police protection. I take this opportunity to emphatically assert that I do not believe there was a plot to assassinate me, though I had to submit to the farce of being guarded by the police, from which I hope to be relieved for the rest of my visit to this country.”

In 1933 the Calcutta Statesman published a report from an anonymous ex Ghadar party activist who had returned after living in USA for many years and it said, “When Dr. Tagore visited the United States during the war, the party actually deputed two of its members to murder the poet at the hotel in San Francisco where he was staying. The two men fell out in the lobby of the hotel as there was a difference of opinion between them as to whether Dr. Tagore should be murdered, and thus the plot was disclosed. The motive for the attempted murder was that the party regarded Dr. Tagore as an agent of the British Government.”

Responding to a query by Ramananda Chattopadhyay on this news article, Rabindranath gave a more detailed account regarding how he was protected by the police during those few days but he reiterated his trust on his countrymen. But this time he did mention that his speeches on Nationalism were not well received by some Indians in the audience and he did feel a strong sense of antagonism towards him. However, the fact remains that it can never be said for certain as to whether such a heinous plot was ever conceived or not.

The story that is told in the play “Rajar Chithi” is based on the above incident but it should not be considered as history in any way. It is a  work of pure fiction based on historical references. The characters are fictitious, but they are inspired by real characters of the period who were involved in the Nationalist movement. The inspiration for the character of Mary comes from several American woman of that time who actively helped the Indian freedom struggle. The play may seem to be a departure from the kind of plays we produce in ECTA, that is “to tell our stories through theater.” But to me, it is still “our story” – it is the story of our predecessors in this country who struggled not only for their survival, but also for the freedom of their homeland.

The play does not try to pass any judgement on the policies and beliefs of the nationalist freedom fighters of India, or on the philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore regarding nationalism and universal humanism. The play only tries to depict the eternal conflict between indoctrinated dogma and conscience, between organized beliefs and common sense, between our brain and our heart – a conflict that is as relevant today as it was during the early part of the twentieth century or even earlier. And in this process the play makes us think once again about the great genius that was Rabindranath Tagore in a new light.

Bibliography:
1. Sikhs, Swamis, Students, and Spies – The India Lobby in the United States, 1900-1946 : Harold A Gould
2. Tagore and USA : Dr. Panchanan Saha
3. Rabindranath Tagore – The Myriad Minded Man : Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson
4. Life and Letters of A Revolutionary in Exile : Tapan K Mukherjee
5. Rabindranath Tagore in America : Stephen N Hay
6. A Passage to America : Sujit Mukherjee
7. Nationalism – Rabindranath Tagore
8. Cast and Outcast – Dhan Gopal Mukherjee
9. Daughter of the Earth – Agnes Smedley
10. Letters to a Friend: Rabindranath Tagore’s Letters to C.F. Andrews – Rabindranath Tagore
11. http://gadar.homestead.com/GadarHist.html – Gadar Heritage Foundation
12. Selected Letters of Rabindranath Tagore – Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson

My first experience with Badal Sircar was when I was a child. In our campus (I grew up in IIT Kharagpur campus) the faculty, staff and students often staged plays and I think it was with “Boro Pishima” I first experienced theatre and it changed my life in many ways forever. Later I saw “Solution X” where my mother also participated in one of the lead characters. Few years later, when I was in high school, I went to see a student’s production (TDS _- Technology Dramatic Society) and was shaken to the core to see “Michhil” performed. It was an experience that I could never have expected. For the first time I realized that theater does not require a stage, does not require any expensive sets, any lights or any sophisticated sounds. All it needs are performers and an audience. And in most cases, the barrier between a performer and audience faded away – they became one whole theatrical entity.  I also learned the term “Third Theatre”. The apparent simplicity of these production made me think, can theatre be so easy?  My friends and I started to produce Badal Sircar, “Michhil”, “Bhoma” and others. We even started performing regular proscenium kind of plays in third theatre form.

After I joined IIT as a student, my involvement with TDS became more strong. Badal Sircar was the rage those days. Several groups were performing Badal Sircar – “Spartacus”, “Bhoma”, “Sukhopathya Bharoter Itihas”, “Hatta Malar Opare” and not to mention his proscenium plays like “Jodi Ar ek Baar”, “Baaki Itihas”, “Pagla Ghora”, “Ballabhpurer Rupkatha”, “Ebong Indrajit” – we couldn’t have enough of Badal Sircar. One of our seniors was a regular performer in Badal Sircar’s group Satabdi, and he often would bring fresh new plays to the campus.

Badal-da himself often came to the campus. Sometimes with his group Satabdi to perform, sometimes to conduct workshops with the students. I still remember the experience of watching “Spartacus” performed by Satabdi on our Basketball court. It was then I realized how far our productions have been from their true potential. And then when I joined Badal-da’s workshop (conducted on our open air theatre stage), I realized how wrong I was in thinking that his productions were easy to perform. How much one needs to train himself, train his mind and body to not only perform, but also to become an integral part of theater. While working with us on some of the  trust games during the workshop he mentioned, “The key aspect in theatre is to have complete trust on your co-performer. You should be able to take the greatest risk, either physical or emotional, fully trusting  that your co-performers are there to support you. Until you develop that relationship with your team mates, you can never give your 100% to theatre.” This lesson stuck with me all along. I realized, that this is not only true for theater, but also for each and every aspect of our life, our family, our work, our society.  Some of the other workshop exercises taught me several aspects of using space, dynamic compositions – creating new stage pictures, breaking them instantly and then recreating them almost organically. It  taught me, how versatile is this instrument of acting we have – our own body. How we can create not only human characters, but also physical objects and properties and infuse life in them with our body and mind. A desk and a chair created by human bodies, no longer exists only as a mere objects in space, but carries with them a deeper meaning that is truly human.

Later, I have moved away from Badal-da’s form of theatre  for many reasons. One of them was the fact that I didn’t feel we were doing justice by performing “Third Theatre” in a proscenium environment.  Third theatre can never succeed on a stage within three walls with the audience sitting fifty meters away behind the fourth wall.  We were cheating ourselves, and defeating Badal-da’s primary reason for developing this form.  I’d rather not do such theater and stick to the conventional style. Maverick’s are rare in our society – not everybody can traverse the trailblazing path that people like Badal Sircar can tread. But the lessons I learned from this great master would always show me my path during the difficult times in my theater life.

On Saturday June 4th at 2.00pm, a memorial service for Badal Sircar has been organized by his protege, Subhashis Das at the Woodbridge Library, George Frederick Plaza, Woodbridge, NJ 07095. It is unfortunate that I won’t be able to make it due to my rehearsal commitments, but I hope Badal-da would pardon my absence for the sake of theatre.

ECTA celebrates the great Indian Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary with a new play “Rajar Chithi’ (Letter from the King – a play in Bengali with subtitles in English) at the Edison Valley Playhouse, 2196 Oak Tree Road, Edison NJ on June 11th (6.30pm), and 12th (5:00pm). Tickets are $20.00 and can be reserved by email to bhawmik@gmail.com or online at http://ecta.ticketleap.com/rajar-chithi.

During Rabindranath Tagore’s visit to San Francisco in 1916, media reports claim that there was an attempt by Indian nationalists to assassinate Tagore. Fortunately the plan did not succeed and the poet was provided with high level security by the local administration. It was further reported that the primary cause for their failure was that the nationalists could not agree amongst themselves as to whether they should carry out the assassination.  But was it really a failure that they couldn’t assassinate Tagore? Or was it the right thing to do?

The play “Rajar Chithi” is a fictional account of the moral, ideological and psychological conflicts these nationalist freedom fighters of India possibly had to experience to arrive at this decision.  The play also offers a deep insight into the social, political and philosophical influence Tagore had on the people at a time when the entire World was going through a great turmoil.

The play is written and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik.  The cast includes some very talented stage actors like Subhodev Das, Pinaki Datta and Piu Majumdar.

“The Last Flames”
an ECTA production
Written and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik

Basanta Koomar Roy, an expatriate journalist from India, is credited by many as one of the key persons responsible in popularizing the Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore in USA.  But Roy fell from his idol’s grace for reasons that torment many a biographer and journalist even today.  “The Last Flames” attempts to re-examine the relationship between Roy and Tagore and provides a peek at the human side of the great Poet’s personality.

“Mrinal’s Letter”
an Epic Actors Workshop production
Concept and execution by Gargi Mukherjee

Based on Rabindranath Tagore’s Streer Patra

May 28, 4pm and 8pm

Actor Theater Workshop
145 West, 28th Street
New York, NY (3rd Floor)

Have you noticed that the City of Joy has turned out to actually be a City of Billboards? The skyline as viewed from the roads is plastered with huge hoardings. If only they were placed somewhat lower, they could hide the squalor directly below. The displays for luxury apartments hang directly over the shack dwellings; advertisements for purified drinking water cast a shadow over the polluted cesspools that are the byproduct of cleaning and washing by the shanty dwellers. Then there are displays for fancy snacks and beverages, frowning directly on the people down below who live on less that one dollar a day. But the advertisers have a point in placing their billboards here, for they are not meant for the pedestrian hoi polloi, you can only view these displays from a distance if you are riding an automobile. In addition to the billboards, Calcutta has a tradition of roadside walls and building facades covered with paper posters, to be on the eye level of the passers by. The billboards are gaining in prominence as the car population in Calcutta is climbing exponentially every day. The posters are still there, but for the benefit of the politicians seeking your votes and cheering you up to attend a huge rally for protesting something the government has done. They probably recognize that many people who can afford a car do not even vote at the election time or care for protesting all that is abysmal around. But if you think the protest is from the out of power opposition party only, you will be wrong. Unless you run down the establishment in a public platform you have a fat chance of being heard. So the ruling party protests their own action and denounce themselves in those huge rallies-everyone negating everyone else and sometimes the self also. There are also posters for low budget Bengali movies, which are not ones that car owning intellectual middle class of Calcutta watches. Bills for miracle herbal medicine and promises for the cure of all sexual dysfunction or offering a year of computer education with the assurance of a job, possibly followed by a placement in America are in abundance too for the eye level masses. Educations being a major, if not the only industry in Calcutta, revenues generated by education business are substantial. Not surprisingly, advertisements inviting enrollment in sprawling high priced private schools and ubiquitous professional business and technical colleges are subjects reserved for billboards.

Yet Calcutta billboards are quite fascinating and sometimes intriguing. For example, some advertising campaigns start with teasing questions aimed at generating curiosity in viewers’ minds. Assuming, the answers will be forthcoming shortly, people start speculating about what it could be and guess what would be the product being promoted. That certainly raises curiosity and interest as a marketing strategy. Recently, one such billboard introducing yet unknown merchandise was all over the city. The question posed was “Why are Bengali eyes tearing up?” with a likeness of the renowned writer Sunil Ganguly looming large. Mr. Ganguly wore a grim sorrowful look and slightly disheveled hair. What would be of such a concern for him and what panacea would Mr. Ganguly, a serious thinker and author, be coming up with? Is he referring to the Netai massacre of civilians by Marxist Communist cadre (cadre in Calcutta political parlance euphemistically means strong-armed goons)? Is he recommending throwing them out of power? Is this really a political advertisement? But not knowing his political inclination, I was not sure whether that was the correct answer. See, all writers, playwrights and artists have some political affiliation and patronage, which they do dare not to mess with.

Mr. Ganguly’s distress is surely not about the high cost of Moog Dal at eighty rupees or potatoes’ being sold at forty rupees a kilogram – the billboards are out of the line of sight of folks who are finding it hard to put food on their table because of out-of-reach prices. Could it be the blinding air pollution that was causing burning eyes? That was unlikely. Why should someone spend their own money just to empathize with the fellow citizens? After much thought I finally settled on the premise that Mr. Ganguly would soon be publishing a very tragic novel which would make the Bengalis cry. That would be quite welcome and something to look forward to, as Mr. Ganguly is indeed a very powerful writer, the most acclaimed among the current throng of Bengali authors.

The wait was not long before the answer was added in the billboards. It was really a brand of mustard oil that would surely make the Bengalis cry, Mr. Ganguly promised. Its pungent smell and its aroma, Mr. Ganguly claimed, will irritate the sinuses like never before done by any other brand of mustard oil. Enjoy cooking in mustard oil while shedding tears of joy at the same time. That would really be exciting, I conceded. Monounsaturated fatty acids with high uric acid in mustard oil are a minor distraction. Cholesterol is not good. Who says? We should not believe pharmaceutical companies. They have a vested interest; they only want to sell more of their statin drugs. Trust our own, especially if he happens to be a celebrity novelist. Who is most qualified to be a brand ambassador for something which makes people cry? A widely successful and much revered novelist indeed, whose business is to make people laugh and cry. (With only one exception: the one person who knew more about mustard oil was my mother – eternal peace be with her – who not only cooked in mustard oil all the time, but knew how to relieve congestion by rubbing warm mustard oil on your chest, or how much water to mix with mustard oil to use it as hair nourishment. Though, of course, never shed a tear over it.)

Now, for the first time, a standard for judging the efficacy of cooking oil has been introduced – a Tear Index. Imagine how convenient it will be for Sarshe-Ilish loving Bengalis to compare a good cooking oil with not-so-good ones by reading the packaging only. If Ganesh brand claims two milliliters of tears per cooking for their product, not to be undone, Emami brand may post 3 milliliters in their packaging. It also reveals for the first time to his numerous fans and followers around the world that Mr. Ganguly also cooks an occasional meal or two enjoying first hand his sentimental mustard oil moments.

The trivialization of the Bengali ethos and evoking grave sentiments in a certain population, ironically with a banality like mustard oil, that too by a serious prolific writer who has otherwise done exactly the opposite with an astute socio-political representation in literature, to say the least, sounds inconsonant. But give him credit for what is his due; for his compassion and understanding for fellow Bengalis. With all the chaos, privations, killing and banditry around, perhaps Bengalis have no feelings and emotions left; only acceptance of what is ugly and cruel in life. We have stopped empathizing; our eyes have permanently dried up. A tear or two would be timely, even if prodding from a billboard brings it upon us.

Please forward your CV, cover letter, and the names and contact information of three referees to Professor Alamin Mazrui, Department Chair, at amazrui@rci.rutgers.edu.

Imagine Netflix for books, and that’s what ClickForBoi does for you. Book lovers in Kolkata/West Bengal and India can now join this novel subscription service by clicking on ClickForBoi.in . Subscription starts from Rs 199.00 per month which includes as many books as you can read, including delivery and pick-up charges. Once you become a subscriber, you can select books and make your own queue. ClickForBoi will send you books from the queue and once you return it, they’ll send the next one. Unfortunately, this service is available only to readers in India.

The creators of Click For Boi also has an online book store named ClicktoBuyBoi.in . This store works in the same model as Amazon.com or any other online book store. ClicktoBuyBoi.in sells Bengali books of all genres and of all authors and their stock keeps on growing. They offer good discounts and their shipping charges are very nominal. For example, a book shipped to Bhubaneshwar from Kolkata was only charges Rs 20.00.  However, their shipping is now limited only within  India, with plans of expanding and reaching out to expatriate Bengali readers all over the world. But for now, Bangla book lovers living abroad can gift books to their loved ones in India using this site. The site accepts credit cards. And just to add a shameless plug, ClicktoBuyBoi.in also has my book (Natak Samagra) in their stock.

Image courtsey – ClickForBoi.com

Cast:
Sankar Ghoshal, Amitabh Roy, Mayuresh Khare, Keka Sircar

http://anandabazar-unicode.appspot.com/proxy

http://parabaas.com/PB47/LEKHA/brRajat47.html

Please note  that your browser should be able to render dynamic font. Here is what Parabaas suggests if you cannot see Bangla fonts.

What you can do if the dynamic Bengali font is not rendered

1. If the URL shows as “http://parabaas.com/…”, try first by inserting a “www.” before “parabaas”–i.e. “http://www.parabaas.com/…”.

2. Download the itxbeng.ttf font and save it in the font directory of your computer. {To do that, (a) first download the font and save it, say, on the Desktop. (b) Click ‘Start’ -> ‘Control Panel’ -> ‘Fonts’ (c) “Drag and drop” (or “Copy and Paste”) the downloaded font from the “Desktop” (or wherever you have saved it) into the Fonts directory.)

3. From the Menubar in Microsoft Explorer choose ‘View’ -> ‘Encoding’ ->
‘User Defined’.

3a. If using Firefox browser, from the Menubar choose ‘View’ -> ‘Character Encoding’ -> one of the ‘Western (Windows)’ fonts displayed in the list.

4. On Netscape choose ‘Edit’ -> ‘Preferences’ -> ‘Appearence’ -> ‘Fonts’ ->
‘Use document specified fonts including dynamic fonts’.

5. Browsers older that Explorer 5.0 or Netscape 4.5 may not be able to
render dynamic fonts. Netscape 6.2 is also unable to render dynamic fonts.
If your browser is unable to render the Bengali font because of the above
reasons or due to a setting that intereferes with dynamic fonts, the easiest
remedy is to download the font ‘ItxBeng’ from this page and load it in your
computer.

Revivals of successful old plays can never match the thrill and spontaneity of a brand new drama. The producer and the director has to take on a huge risk to make the play work. The playwright too, goes through a period of nail biting and hair raising experience as she watches the audience reactions and critical reviews. “The How and the Why” has been quite a challenge and I commend McCarter Theater and Emily Mann for investing in this venture. This was not an easy play. Two women sparring on stage with scientific jargon and long expository speeches is not the kind of play common people would like to watch, unless the playwright has the capability to weave a story that the audience gets hooked on to from the beginning to the end,  and unless the play is  performed by a cast and crew who knew their craft so well that they can keep the audience mesmerized for the entire duration. Let me get into the details of each of the above aspects I mention.

Sarah Treem, a graduate of Yale School of Drama, is a relatively new playwright although her bio in the playbill says that she has quite a few plays and television dramas to her credit. Sarah has chosen a topic that many of us are not aware of, the evolutionary biology of the human female. Two contending scientific theories, “the grandmother hypothesis” and “menstruation as defense” – each trying to explain the “Why” aspect of female menstruation and menopause, are brought into direct confrontation on stage along with two contending generations of females – both scientists specializing in evolutionary biology. The two women are not only of different generations, but as the play progresses we find that they also have a genetic link as the mother and daughter, who try to discover the “how” and “why” of their life.  The interplay between science and life is what makes this play so poignant and different from being a “feminist” play. To justify the science, the playwright had to resort to lot of exposition, but she always resorted to the bare minimum that was required to make the characters and their story believable.

The actors, Mercedes Ruehl and Bess Rous also belong to the two generations as the characters in the play. They too share a common profession as the characters do. Hence they both look extremely natural on stage. Two person plays demand a lot from the actors, and both Ruehl and Rous meet them exceeding all expectations.  To watch Mercedes Ruehl on stage is a learning experience for any student of the art. How she uses space and time, how she controls her emotions and delivers her often long speeches with ease is something to be experienced. Bess Rous worked extremely hard to keep up with her veteran co-actor and she did an extremely good job. The confusion, the high strung attitude, and the passionate approach to science that the character possess, was well portrayed by Bess.

Emily Mann and her production team does deserve our thanks for putting this up on Princeton stage. The superb stage design was a treat to watch. The attention to details and the creation of  space was very well thought. Although it was not clear why the highly emotional and loud second act took place in a restaurant where there were no other customers and no waiters to attend the tables. For if they were, I am sure the characters could not behave the way the did.  Another issue which struck me  was the awkward blocking which made the actors expressions hidden from audience view on few occasions which could have been avoided.

I hope McCarter Theater brings more such plays from new playwrights to Princeton stage.

Netflix link: http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Good_Bye_Lenin/60034095?trkid=2431210#height1682

Tagore had a special relationship with America, where he visited five times during his lifetime and spent the second highest number of days outside India after England.  His visits also happened during some crucial junctures in his life and in the history of the world as well as India. He had developed some kind of a fondness for America and Americans that brought him again and again even after being sorely disappointed with his previous visit. It is true that his later trips to America were mostly to raise funds for his school (and later his university) in Shantinekatan, but some of his trips were made when he was very well  informed about the potential outcome of this objective. But in this article I do not intend to get into the details of his trips or his relationships with Bengali Americans. Rather, I’ll try to highlight his feelings for America and that too the positive ones by quoting from some of his interviews, statements and letters.

Tagore had his first introduction to America when he was about twelve years old. With the help of his father Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, he read “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.” Maharshi Debendranath thought this would be an instructive as well as entertaining book for young Rabindranath, but soon he discovered that Benjamin Franklin was too business-like a person. As Tagore later wrote in his autobiography  (Reminiscences), “The narrowness of his calculated morality disgusted my father.” But the book must have also gave him a glimpse of the  America that fought for her freedom from the British and championed freedom as a fundamental human right.   During his youth, Tagore also studied American poets. “I love your Emerson. In his works one finds much that is of India.” he once told an American journalist. He also felt that Whitman’s poems were “deeply imbibed with Eastern ideas and feelings.”

When he was forty-four, while playing a major role in the 1905 nationalist agitation against the partition of Bengal, he chose to send his son Rathindranath Tagore to America for higher studies instead of sending him to England as was customary with the rich parents of India in those days.  Rathindranath returned to India in 1909. Later in 1912, he along with his wife Pratima Devi and his father Rabindranath Tagore came back to America via England after handing over the English translations of his Geetanjali poems for publication and for history to happen. Rabindranath’s initial reaction to America was not pleasant – “Though it is too early for me to pronounce any opinion on this country, I must say I do not like it. America, like an unripe fruit, has not got its proper flavor yet. It has sharp and acid taste.” But later as he moved westward from New York to Illinois, he wrote, “The country around is flat and open, which has a great attraction for me, reminding of my our own scenery.” Although he spent some of his most peaceful time in Urbana, Illinois, soon the news of his arrival spread and he had to spend many a hours lecturing at various venues. With his usual sense of humor, he wrote, “American people have an unhealthy appetite for sugar candy and for lectures on any subject and from anybody… I am afraid they have spotted me – I am being stalked.”

During his next visit in 1916, Sir Rabindranath Tagore was well known to the American people as the first man of the orient to win the Nobel prize for literature. His poems, plays as well as his biographies were already in circulation. But during this trip, when the Great War (WW I) was raging in Europe, Tagore was extremely critical of the western nations as well as of America. But one of the primary reason of his criticism was because he felt that it was only in America where his appeal for humanity hold the best chance of being heard. He said, “This is a beautiful country. I believe it has a great future. America is unhampered and free to experiment  for the progress of humanity. Of course, she will make mistakes, but out of these series of mistakes she will come to some higher synthesis of truth and be able to hold up the banner of Civilization. She is the best exponent of Western ideals of humanity.” He had high hopes for America. In New York he said, “America has the figure of youth and all that is best in Western civilization will eventually find lodgment here.”  But his criticisms did not make him many friends in America, and the press lashed out at him on several occasions. He knew that he was being too harsh sometimes, and he said, “I am out of place here, I know, and I maybe judging you harshly. I felt I must come to bring the message of the East… This is my only happiness in America – the thought that this country can be the meeting place of the two (the East and the West).” Overall this trip was very successful for Tagore and he had high regards for President Woodrow Wilson. He wanted to dedicate his book “Nationalism” to President Wilson. However President Wilson’s office declined the offer on the advice of Sir William Wiseman, Britain’s special liaison agent in the United States, who reported that Tagore had “got tangled up in some way” with the Indian revolutionaries in America who were conspiring with Germany  to overthrow British rule in India.
Later in 1918, Rabindranath was falsely implicated in the famous Hindu German conspiracy trial.  When Tagore came to know about this he was very upset and immediately sent a telegram to President Wilson protesting the allegation. Later he wrote Wilson a letter in which he stated, “I have received great kindness from the hands of your countrymen, and I entertain great admiration for yourself who is not afraid of incurring the charge of anachronism for introducing idealism in the domain of politics, and therefore I owe it to myself and to you and your people to make this avowal of my faith and to assure your countrymen that their hospitality was not bestowed upon one who was ready to accept it while wallowing in the sub-soil sewerage of treason.” President Wilson’s office never replied to this letter.

Tagore’s next trip to US during 1920-21 was a big disappointment for him.  The Tagore craze was gone, and the post war America was not the same as in 1916.  Besides, his renunciation of Knighthood in 1919 was not looked favorably in USA, a strong ally of the British.  Tagore was advised not to make the trip and was warned that his financial expectations may not be met this time, but he made the trip anyway.  He came with high hopes and expected that his message would be received with the same thirst as before – “I find in America a wonderful hunger and aspiration. The hunger is genuine and is, I believe, a reaction to the pursuit of wealth that has characterized your industrial life.”  But at several occasions he was extremely critical of the Americans.  The failure to raise enough funds for his university was also a cause for frustration. Tagore was also suffering from health problems and depression during this period. Rev. C. F. Andrews writes, “Gradually, as his health improved, his stay in America became brighter and he wrote more cheerfully.” Tagore wrote to him from Texas, “Since coming to Texas, I felt as it were a sudden coming of Spring into my life through a breach in the ice castle of Winter. It has come to me like a revelation that all these days my soul had been thirsting for the draught of sunshine poured from the beaker of infinite space. The sky has embraced me, and the warmth of its caress thrills me with joy.”

Tagore’s 1929 visit to America was very brief primarily due to an incident that took place in the US immigration office in Vancouver in Canada when he was trying to enter the country. Tagore was kept waiting at the immigration office for an unconscionable period of time and was handled in a rude and insulting manner during the interview. Among other things, it appears, the Nobel Laureate poet was asked if could read and write.  Outraged and resentful, he cancelled almost all his lecture engagements and left the country after a brief stay in Los Angeles for twenty days. However he later calmed down considerably and said, “I cannot believe that their laws and regulations represent the spirit of the people, a truly great people… I had been received with kindness in the Eastern States, overrun with kindness. People have listened to me with respect and received my message sincerely. That is why it hurt so much this time…”

Tagore last trip to USA was in 1930 on his way back from Russia. This time the reception was not that cold as his previous two trips. Although he suffered a minor heart attack and was in ill health for a prolonged period, he managed to make some important engagements including a meeting with President Hoover at the White House. Most of his lectures were very well attended, but it was the time of the great depression in America, hence his fund raising was not successful as expected. Rather, he donated the entire proceedings from the farewell event held at the Broadway Theatre on December 14, 1930 to the relief fund of the New York City’s unemployed. The gesture was typical of the person who had tried all his life to call attention to the needs of the India’s millions and who, in bidding farewell to America’s millions thought first of helping those during their time of need.

Rabindranath Tagore has criticized the American’s like one criticizes his own brother.  But he never lost his faith in America. He believed that it was America who can uphold the cause of humanity against the barbarism of western nationalism.  The ultimate hope and trust he had on America was expressed in his telegram to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in June 1940 when the fire or World War II was raging in Europe.

“Today we stand in awe before the fearfully destructive force that so suddenly has swept the world. Every moment I deplore the smallness of our means and the feebleness of our voice, for India is so utterly inadequate to stem the tide of evil that has menaced the permanence of civilization. All our individual political problems are merged today into one supreme world of politics which I believe is seeking help in the United States as the last refuge of spiritual man, and these few lines of mine merely convey my hope, even if unnecessary, that the United States will not fail in her mission to stand against the universal disaster that appears so imminent.”

In 1941, a few months after Tagore’s death at the age of eighty, the United States threw its weight into the war which destroyed the Axis powers.

References:
1. Tagore and America by J. L. Dees
2. Rabindranath Tagore in America by Stephen N. Hay
3. Passage to America by Sujit Mukherjee
4. Tagore and USA by Dr. Panchanan Saha

THIS ARTICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED IN ANANDASAMBAD, NEW JERSEY

On Garden State Cultural Association’s (GSCA) website, I read an interesting note by Guru Chakrabarty on the historical significance of Devi Saraswati. Mr Charkrabarty writes,

“In historical significance, Mother Saraswati is associated with the ancient river Saraswati. We learn from the glory days of Vedic times that many “Rishis” acquired a vast amount of knowledge of the universe. This knowledge was passed on by the “Rishis” to other scholars in educational institutions, called “Ashrams”. Many such learning institutions were located on the banks of river Saraswati. White swans lived on the river and white lotus flowers blossomed. The sacredness of such an atmosphere created a Goddess of Learning – Mother Saraswati. The image of Mother’s body is white, representing purity and sanctity. She is sitting or standing on a white lotus flower holding a white musical instrument “Veena” in her hand. A white swan is considered her “Bahan” or carrier.”

In New Jersey, Saraswati Puja is celebrated by several clubs and organizations. Since most clubs are celebrating the Puja on different dates, you can visit multiples of them and enjoy. To the best of my knowledge, the earliest celebration is by Garden State Cultural Association (GSCA) on Feb 5th, Saturday, at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Edison. Besides variety cultural program and Puja (Anjali, Hate Khari), GSCA will also have various kids activities such as arts and crafts competition, essay competition, etc. And of course prasad and dinner would be served. Visit http://www.gsca.us/saraswati_11.html for more information.

Anandamandir will celebrate Saraswati Puja on Feb 8th at 8.45 am. For hate khari timing, call Bisabhai at 732-873-9821.

The Somerset Bengali Association (SBA) will be celebrating their 4th annual Saraswati Puja on Saturday, Feb 12 at the Green Brook Middle School, 132 Jefferson Ave (Near Route 22), Green Brook, NJ 08812 . The SBA Puja is a relatively new and growing event and the goal of SBA is to offer a homely informal atmosphere and relaxed socialization at their event. SBA cultural program will feature dance, music, plays by local talents and also SaReGaMaPa USA finalist Rasika Shekhar. SBA not only offers its guests a great dinner, but also a full lunch to keep you engaged all through the day.

ICC celebrates their Saraswati Puja on Feb 13th, 2011 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Whippany from 2pm onwards. Besides a variety of program performed by ICC children, there will also be a musical performance by a well known local artist.

New Jersey Puja Association will be celebrating their Saraswati Puja on Feb 19th. However, they have not announced their venue as yet.

Cartoon 1:  I’m unfriendly? My friend, I have more than 2000 friends on facebook and they never complain about my trash!

Cartoon 2: What can I say? This social media stuff has made him extremely unsocial.

Cartoon 3:

Cartoon 4:

The book has been divided in multiple sections like vegetarian dishes, fish dishes, eggs, meat, desserts, and pickles. It’s not that the recipes are exciting but the book is a good read too. The book has no pictures but when you read through the pages you’ll clearly visualize the colorful and flavorful dishes in your minds eye. I picked some of the unusual recipes to share with you in the same style as written in the book.

Fish Stir-fry (Maach Chachchari): Fry  the fish. You’ll need potatoes and onions. Heat oil to fry onions and then add the potatoes.  When the potatoes turn brown, add turmeric and red chili paste. Add salt and green chili. You may add tomatoes if you’d like. After frying the spices, add water and cover.  Add fish to the boiling sauce. Cook till the gravy thickens.

Mourala Fish (Anchovies?) Sour (Mourala Maacher Ambal) : Fry the fish in oil, then add turmeric. Add green tamarind puree. Add sugar and salte to taste and cook till the sauce thickens. Ripe tamarind puree can also be used.

Egg Chao Chao: Eggs – 4; Onions – 6; Dry red chili whole – 4; Garlic –  4 cloves; A pinch of turmeric, little cumin seeds (jeera), salt and clarified butter (ghee). Make a paste of red chilies, garlic, turmeric, and cumin. Slice the onions into fine shred.  Heat ghee on a pan and fry the onions. Add the spice paste and fry well. Break the eggs and mix it into spices. Cook in low heat. When the egg cooks and turn reddish, add a little water and salt. When the water dries off, the dish is done.

Keema Dahi Vada (Fried meat balls in yogurt): Mix minced meat (lamb or goat), boiled potatoes, minced green chilies, onions, and salt. Add eggs and some garam masala and make a dough. If the dough is too soft, add bread to the mix. Make small balls and fry.  Beat yogurt with a pinch of salt. Add roasted red chili and cumin powder to the yogurt and blend. Add the fried meat balls to the yogurt. Garnish with good quality ghee (clarified butter).

The list is quite long and I don’t want to rob off your fun in reading the book. But one disclaimer I should add is that I have not tried any of the recipes myself.

The book also reminded me that few months ago a friend of mine brought to my attention of a culinary extravaganza that was tried out in Kolkata at the Sobhabazar Rajbari. The event (which lasted from June 4 to 10, 2009) was titled “Thakurbarir Khaoa Daoa”. It was not only a culinary experience, but it also included a fascinating performance by actors, musicians, artistes who transported their guests about hundred fifty years ago to the Thakur Bari in Jorasanko.” With musicians singing Tappa, Rabindrasangeet or Khayals and Thumris, and even piano recitals, pankhawala’s pulling the pankha, the guests were seated in the long corridors and was served with food that included no less than 34 items. Drinks included different varieties of  sherbets including Neem, fish dishes like Choi-koi,  Dwarakanath Pulao, Kochu Saag, Bhapa Chingri, Lauyer Paesh and English pudding. The event was sponsored by Bharath University and the guest included celebrity intellectuals like Sankho Ghosh, Nabanita Debsen, Jogen Chaudhury, Usha Uthup and many others. There was a proposal from the sponsors last year to bring the event to the 2010 Banga Sammelan (NABC) held in New Jersey but the organizers declined. Maybe the 2011 NABC organizers would like to consider this as a special attraction, especially in the year of the 150th birthday celebration of Rabindranath Tagore.

Yes, Facebook is no longer a website, it is a phenomenon. Social networking sites are nothing new. People on the internet started to commune together since the early days through bulletin boards, news groups etc., long before MySpace, LinkedIn, Orkut and Facebook came into existence.  Newsgroups were there (remember soc.cult.etc.etc?) even before web browsers and web servers were invented. People have always tried to use the internet to connect and to share. Social networking sites like Facebook has given the people the ideal vehicle to connect and share. And of all the social networking sites, Facebook has become the most popular platform primarily because of its ability to evolve continuously.  People have been able to connect with their friends after ages, they share their thoughts, their likes and dislikes, their photos and memories. It allows many to get their moments of fame and recognition from their friends and peers that was never possible before.  It has become such a powerful attraction to many that some psychiatrists are considering Facebook addition as a diagnosable ailment.

But Facebook addiction is only one of the complaints against this 21st century phenomenon. Many people complain that Facebook doesn’t care for their privacy. They feel shocked to learn that some apparently unknown person has been able to read their profiles, or when they see personal comments from some unknown people floating in on their walls. However, before making any such complaints, one should think that Facebook is not a place for private people. You join Facebook to share, to get others to know you. I do not mean that just because you are on Facebook, one has the right to know about all your secrets. All I mean to say is that, people only know what you want them to know. When you make someone your friend, there has to be an element of trust between you two. Also, you should note that when you comment on a post by your friend, it is most likely that his/her friends get to see your comment too. So the first principle in Facebook (or any such social network platform) is not to make a comment or statement that you wouldn’t want to share with many. If there is something that you’d like to share with your friend in private, there are several other vehicles to do it, including the messaging feature of Facebook.

Another common complaint, “Why do I have too see all the garbage  that my friends and their friends keep on posting.” Well, since you have accepted somebody as your friend, it is presumed that you’d like to read what they have to say. But if someone makes and excessive amount of postings, you have the option of politely hiding their posts such that they don’t appear on your news feed. Your friend does not even get to know that you have turned him off without rejecting him as a friend.

Facebook is a powerful platform and it is transforming the way people use the internet. It is empowering the internet users in ways that was never thought to be possible.  Marketing organizations are paying special attention to these platforms because this is where their customers are flocking.  But Facebook allows not only the big corporations, but also the smaller organizations to reach out to the people for whatever cause they want their attention.  Features like groups and pages allow people to create common areas of interest to work and share on. But when all this becomes easily available to everybody, lot of junk gets created too. One must be extremely careful in selecting the right groups and pages to join.

Facebook is becoming an integral part of our online existence. Even if you are not on Facebook today, if you are a netizen, you’ll soon have to join because all your friends will expect you to be on Facebook. It is an enjoyable experience,  but just like any other piece of technology, it must be used responsibly.  Note that, Facebook is a public place hence treat it like you’d treat a regular public space. Do not litter, do not cause nuisance, do not exhibit your dirty laundry and do not abuse it.

“Kaachher Manush” is based on a Marathi play by Dr. Sirish Athwale (translated by Kamal Sanyal) and directed by Gautam Haldar. The play tells the story about how two people from different social backgrounds can come close together through a metaphoric process of healing.  Dadaseheb (a Marathi Brahmin played by Debshankar Haldar) is suffering from a paralysis of his right side resulting from a head injury and needs physiotherapy and occupational therapy to recover. Savitribai, a senior dalit lady (performed by Bijoy Lakshmi Burman), has been appointed as a nurse to provide him with his daily therapy and help him during the day with his household chores. Dadasaheb initially opposed to this arrangement, especially to be under the constant supervision of a lower caste lady, but had to accept reluctantly.  And predictably enough, Dadasaheb’s physical condition improves under the strict regimen of Savitribai and at one point the widower Dadasheb even proposes her hand in marriage. Dadasheb is finally cured within a week’s time when his NRI daughter threatens to come and take him with her to USA.  The play is very well acted by Debshankar and Bijoy Lakshmi. Debshankar’s boisterous characterization of Dadasaheb has been well complemented by the cool and composed Savitribai of Bijoylakhsmi.  Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay as the son was just appropriate. However, the character of Dadasaheb’s NRI daughter Maitrayee has been made into a stereotypical non-resident haughty woman whose concern for her father was made into a comical farce.  The director (and the playwright) should have paid some attention to modern physical and occupational therapy  techniques for the elderly, where safety and fall prevention is one of the key objectives.  The days of challenging the patient to walk on his own without any safety precautions is long gone with the days of black and while romantic films of Uttam and Suchitra.  Scenes like these help the actor to show a good deal of physical acting and even helps build audience tension, but is not practical at all and should have come with the notice – “Don’t try this at home with your parents.” Incidentally, Kachher Manush was staged at the 2010 Bangamela held in Nashville, TN and then it toured some of the mid-west cities, although it did not come to the US east coast.

The other play “Srinwantu Comrades” (Comrades, Lend me your ears!) is directed by the veteran thespian, Bibhas Chakraborty.  The play (originally written by the Russian playwright Satrov in 1977) tells the story about a day in the life of Vladimir I Lenin in 1920, when he was recuperating from an assassination attempt with two bullets in his body.   As the day progresses, Lenin receives visitors from his party, the government, the bureaucrats, the labourers, the farmers and even the socialites. And gradually Lenin realizes how his thoughts and philosophy for creating a classless proletariat society is getting distorted. The party, the govt and the bureaucrats are bent upon forcing socialism down the throats of the people and choking their voice in the process. While watching the play, one would invariably draw parallels with the current left front govt of West Bengal and their actions in the name of  Marxism, although at the very beginning of the play it was announced that the translator and director did not make any changes to the original text to make it sound more relevant. The play did not have any story line for that matter and was almost like a staged documentary. It requires a lot of attention on the audience’s part to stay focused on the play, as the play turns out to be talking heads for the most part.

One good thing I noticed was that on both days the audience turn out was quite good. The common complaint that I hear about the lack of audience was not evident at least for these two shows. I’d recommend both the plays to anybody who wants to watch good theater.

(NOTE: This article was previously published in Ananda Sambad.)

My Sales Manager came running to my office. “What’s my Good Name?” he asked urgently. I did not understand his question. Indeed, I liked his name. I did not think it was a bad name and how was I supposed to know whether he had a better name? Honestly I did not care what his name was. Did Shakespeare not write somewhere that a rose smells the same despite the name you call it by? Richard Schwartz, my sales manager explained that there was a call from an Indian company who was interested in our filtration product. Richard was loath to give an incorrect answer and lose the prospect of an order for the product simply because his parents neglected to give him a better name. Suddenly it dawned on me that this man from India was asking for his Subh Naam, which translated, to Good Name.

“Go and tell him your name is, Richard Schwartz and I will explain the whole thing to you later.” I advised my sales manager.
We, Bengalees usually do not use this term “Subh Naam,” literally translated, it means Auspicious Name. In some parts of India it is considered rude to ask anyone the names in his face; to sound polite people ask for “Good Name.”

That was decades ago. I had almost forgotten the term Good Name. So I was somewhat taken aback when I heard some one calling me from behind one day as I was taking a stroll in the neighborhood. “What’s your Good Name Sir? I am Sam.” As I turned around I saw him. It was rather difficult for me to accept an Indian man long past his prime years just as Sam; it sounded incongruous. The name did not fit him at all.
I introduced myself and asked, “So what’s YOUR good name?”
“I am B.K. Somasundaram Allepei Chellum.” I chose not to ask him to elaborate on B.K. I was a little embarrassed that I myself did not even have one middle name. “Glad to know you Mr.Chellum” I said. It turns out that Chellum is not his last name either, he is really Mr.Chettier; Chettier is his family name.
“My son does not want me to tell people my real name, he kind of rechristened me. He thinks Sam is more acceptable in this country”
“I have no problem calling you Somasundaram, if you let me.”
“So, you’re a Bengali, my daughter-in-law is also a Bengali. Won’t you come inside? Please do.” He almost begged.
I have not known this man but I have seen him walking in the neighborhood with a woman, who I assume is his wife and a dog on a leash. Even with my limited knowledge of dogs, this dog was unmistakably a Rottweiler or some such frightening species. I was not particularly keen on going close to a person with a Rottweiler and the dog did not appear to be overly friendly. But the couple looked at me every time I saw them from my driveway while they were walking the street in front of my house expecting to introduce them to me. I ignored them.
But finally I am trapped; I have no choice now. This man was insisting that I should come in, and now that he has announced that his daughter in law is a Bengali, he feels I have an obligation to befriend him.
Inside the house, his wife was feeding his infant grandson and was genuinely happy to see me.
I looked around and asked with trepidation “Your dog?”
“Sundays my son and his wife take the dog to the park in the afternoon for walk and play” he replied and then added that they would be back soon.
“I have to leave sooner,” I told myself.
A few days later the doorbell rang and I instantly knew who it would be. Sure enough Mr. and Mrs. Chettier were there with a distressed look writ large over their faces. After sitting down on my couch they got straight to the point. Can I help them to purchase two tickets to India? They have been here for the past seven years when their first grandchild, a son, was born. After he grew up, his son and the daughter-in-law decided to have another baby and they insisted that their parents stay longer. They were stuck. Meanwhile they have only been to India once, two years ago.
Any time they had expressed their desire to go back to India, his son became depressed and begged them to stay another year. If they go back it will be the end of the daughter in law’s career and their American dream would fall by the wayside. His wife does not trust day care or a baby sitter and besides his son argues; he is the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Chettier, they should stay with their son, at least for some time.
The father explained that without their son’s acquiescence and cooperation they could not return to India.
Furthermore Mr. Chettier would not want to hurt his son’s feelings. It was in fact Mrs. Chettier’s insistence that brought them to me.
Mrs. Chettier became hysterical and started crying. She never cooked or washed dishes while she lived in India. Here in America she cleans, cooks, does dishes and laundry and baby-sits all day.
“That’s not really true,” the husband protested, “My son tells you repeatedly to leave all household chores for them,” Only asks that his parents walk the dog and look after the children.
“How can I do that? It is easily said than done? Being a woman I cannot stand to see all the work piling up and left for the weekend. After all, my son will end up doing most of the chores.” Mrs. Chettier said between her tears. “And I can not live my life in my own way here; my daughter in law even objects to my using water after going to the bathroom” She is ashamed of the sight of a water jug in the bathroom that her friends may visit sometime.
Mr. Chettier assured me that he does not need any monetary help from me; they have saved enough money for their passage. Having lived here for seven years, they have green cards; they receive Medicaid and SSI money from the government. His son does not let them spend any of their savings.
Mr. Chettier would stay longer, if he had a choice, but he was afraid that his wife would breakdown soon emotionally.
After listening to them, I realized that I was quite familiar with this very situation; I heard it all before. One of my friend’s mother in law similarly escaped with the help of a neighbor. I heard that she died shortly after reaching Calcutta.
I really had sympathy for Mrs.Chettier’s situation, but I declined; I was afraid of any legal situation arising out of my action. I explained it to them and Mr. Chettier readily understood.
Since this time, we became quite friendly and we would talk whenever we passed each other in the neighborhood. Two or three months passed, and I realized that I did not see them for a week, may be two. I stopped by their house the following weekend and rang the bell. The son, whom I had seen a few times, but was never introduced to, answered the door.
His parents departed for India a few weeks earlier.
I did not ask how or why. The news relieved my conscience and made my day.
I kept thinking about how commonplace this situation is for so many of my Bengali friends, whose parents, particularly for the widowed mother who lived with them. To put it harshly many of them are virtually prisoners in this country in their children’s home where in most situations husband and wife both work outside of the homes during the day. It is true that in most cases they are not really treated badly by their children or the children’s spouses. The grand mother is left behind to take care of children all day or at least for the time after the children come back from school. During the school hours the lives for the grandparents are more depressing and lonely.
When the grandma is home, her children expect their food will be ready when they return from work, so she cooks, washes dishes and does laundry. It is not that her children impose the chores on her, she does it voluntarily, and at least that is what she would like to think. If she is the wife’s mother she talks to her daughter when the daughter comes back from work, but refrains from talking too much as she is afraid of intruding into the time between her daughter and her husband. If she happens to be son’s mother, the communication is not as open with the daughter in law and her son is usually on computer doing his stuff.
The grandparents do not drive; they look forward to the weekends when they may be lucky to see the outside world for a while. But their children’s dinner invitations or a necessary visit to Home Depot interferes with the plan of taking grandparents out or limits it to a supermarket visit.
Parents are often invited to the weekend dinners, but they do not always fit in amongst their children’s friends. When they join the parties, they look for another set of parents, if they can find one. Curiously, the age is not a factor in this class divide. Being the parents of the first generation and having come here at late age, they are just considered seniors, to be called Kakus and Meshomasais while some among us who are their contemporary or even older are addressed as Dadas. Sometimes it is obvious from their demeanor that either the husband or the wife is not quite pleased with the situation where they have to carry each other’s in laws as an appendage to every party. And that makes the parents feel uneasy, if not unwelcome.
Shorter stay limited to a few months by a grandmother during a childbirth is not a breeze either. In addition to caring for the newborn, there is the cooking and all the other daily chores and of course there are sleepless nights. With helps galore most of these grandmothers are accustomed to an easy and comfortable, if not lazy life back home in India for many years. In an existential world the mothers from India have no option, they just can not say no to their children’s call for help. But it turns out to be a torturous adjustment to make at this stage of life.
There is a difference between circumstances of the mothers who are here for a single child birth and plight of many other women who are compelled by circumstances or have made a choice of moving to and living with their children in America. For the former there is light at the end of the tunnel with a looming escape in sight. Sometimes though, it may turn out to be a temporary parole till the next child is due.

Seats are available

Meet Seema Biswas in person

Details at www.NJISACF.org

Watch 16 films from 7 countries by 9 women filmmakers

Opening night film MIRCH starring Konkona Sen Sharma, Raima Sen, Boman Irani on October 29th at 8:00 PM

Festival Centerpiece LIFE GOES ON starring Sharmila Tagore, Soha Ali Khan, Om
Puri and Girish Karnad on October 30th at 2:15 PM

Closing night film COOKING WITH STELLA starring Seema Biswas co-written by
Deepa Mehta on October 30th at 8:20 PM.

YASMIN starring Emmy award-winning Archie Panjabi on October 30th at
Noon

by Brinda Guha

Durga Puja is one of the most beloved times in our community – every year we get together, tempted to see all the people we haven’t seen in recent months, sometimes even years. I still remember coming to Puja since I was 4 and 5 years old, hoping to see all the Mashi’s and Kaku’s, finding every corner of the Ukrainian Center with friends to find the perfect place to play games. Then being rushed out by my parents to make sure I gave anjali, even though I had no clue what it was — I knew it made my folks feel good to know that they were giving me their blessings for another prosperous year. It was by far the most exciting time for the entire Indian community that I called “my sphere”.

This year Kallol celebrated Durga Pujo with a new committee and with a class structure. Unfortunately, some of the enforcers of this class system had none of their own. As one long time member expressed disappointedly, “Green tag gulo holo citizender jonno aar aamra bakira holam bratyo.” Life members, other members, and those who attend the Pujo celebrations at Kallol regularly, were treated with disdain and contempt, if they had not paid up for the venerable “green card.” One attendee asked, “Amaar $150er kono daam nei?” There was no answer.

In addition to this, several rows in the front were cordoned off with yellow “caution” tape – “caution” to the plebeians to stay away from the elite. One woman dared to cross over to wish a friend “Subho Bijoya” and was halted peremptorily, “Odike keno jachchen? Apnar odike jaorar katha na.” Interestingly, as this woman’s badge was in her purse, this volunteer only needed his perception of status (Or was this caused by gender?) to justify his insolence.

Interestingly, about 1/4 of these privileged rows, except for the very first row on the left, were mostly occupied by orange cardholders, not the color de rigueur! About 1/2 the seats in the orange section, bespoke of ownership with strewn shawls, bits of paper and brochures. An interesting note: most of the vacant seats in both the elite section and the orange section went unclaimed through the 3 days of celebration, despite the yellow tape and the visual claims of ownership!

The indignity of being tagged “orange,” was intensified by the fact that, in conjunction with the yellow cautionary tape, orange signified, “Danger! Be careful of these unimportant people!” In addition, the lighting system was placed in the midst of the outcasts, after the elite seats. Three chairs marked off the lighting system, three chairs that went unoccupied as the light man stood erect the entire time, fiddling with the various knobs as a child would with a new toy and aiming the lights at all and sundry, frequently missing the real subject. The fact that he was not transparent and clearly obstructed most of the people behind him did not seem to concern him as he obstreperously defied all requests to sit down.

The last night of celebration at Kallol has been, for the last few years, one of greeting, contemplation, and classical music. This year the penultimate program was one of songs and sarode. As the artists on the stage announced their last presentation, one of Kallol’s volunteers shooed them off the stage, dismissing requests and protests from the audience. Even the boos from the audience, both citizens and non, did not pause the proclamation, “We are running late and there’s another program.”

Several people complained about the rude, crude, and obnoxious behavior on display through out the festivities. Most of the complainants were either women or visiting parents. While the former group is not unexpected, as other women, in other contexts, have spoken about the misogyny that infests Kallol, the revelation from the latter came as a surprise. It is worthy to note at this point that it was Durga who was being celebrated, the Sacred Feminine, Shakti. To borrow loosely from a noted writer, oh, how the borders of our belief of a celebration shrank back in the hands of a few of Kallol’s officious officials! As someone remarked sadly, “Kollol’e beno jol dhuke geche onek, etai dukher byapar.”

The bottom line is some of us were deliberately slighted, insulted, and mistreated. What a nice way to mark bangalider shrestho celebration!

NOTE: OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR ONLY.

Gayatri Memorial Awards have been established by Ananda Mandir (Somerset, NJ) to recognize authors who have demonstrated excellence in writing through their published essays, poems, short stories or plays. The awards have been made possible through a significant contribution from Jerry GaMarsh, husband of late Gayatri GaMarsh. Gayatri was an accomplished author and artist – and a key member of the editorial team of Ananda Sangbad and Anandalipi, publications of Ananda Mandir. The Gayatri Award is administered through the Awards & Recognition Subcommittee of Ananda Mandir.

Two cash awards will be given each year to recognize outstanding works published in North America-based literary magazines within the last five years. One award will be given to an author of Bengali works, and another will be given to an author in English. Each award will consist of $400 in cash and a certificate.

An author may nominate himself/herself — or may be nominated by third parties (using the Nomination Form shown below). The nomination must be supported by photocopies of two (and only two) essays, poems, short stories or plays published in North America-based Bengali or English magazines. The two supporting publications can be of the same type or of different types (eg. one poem and one short story). Unpublished works of literature will not be accepted. Full publication references must be submitted for the articles submitted with each nomination. Articles published in magazines outside of North America will not be considered.

Nominated authors must be 18 years or older. Each of their published articles (prose or poems), submitted with their nominations, should be relatively short (no more than 5 or 6 printed pages in length).

Nominations should include short biographies of the authors. Judging, however, will be based primarily on the two supporting publications. Judges’ decisions will be final.

Members of the Awards & Recognition Subcommittee and the judges cannot submit nominations for themselves nor can they be nominated by third parties.

Deadline for nominations (with supporting documents) for the 2010 awards: March 31, 2011. Awards will be announced and presented in Fall, 2011.

Please send nominations (with supporting documents) to

Pronoy Chatterjee

6 Marcin Court

Spotswood, NJ 08884

In case of questions, contact Pronoy Chatterjee (pkc_usa@yahoo.com) or Debajyoti Chatterji (debsmee@comcast.net)

NOMINATION FORM FOR

GAYATRI GAMARSH MEMORIAL AWARDS

1. Full Name of Author Being Nominated: _______________________________

2. Is the Nominated Author 18 Years of Age or Older? (If no, please do not submit the nomination) ______________________________________________________

1. Full Address of the Nominated Author: _________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

1. Phone Number of the Nominated Author: _______________________________

1. Email Address of the Nominated Author: ________________________________

1. If the nomination is being submitted by a third party, please provide the full name and contact details of the third party. Also, please confirm that you have the author’s approval to submit the nomination on his behalf. __________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

1. Please attach a short (one page maximum) biography of the author, highlighting the author’s literary interests and accomplishments.

1. Please attach PHOTOCOPIES of TWO (AND ONLY TWO) of the author’s works of literature. For each work, PROVIDE FULL PUBLICATION DETAILS (name of magazine, publisher’s name/address, and date/year of publication).

1. Nominating Person’s Statement: “I have read the terms and conditions of the Gayatri Award and agree to abide by them.”

1. Signature of the Author/Nominating Party: _____________________________

I did not grow up in Kolkata, hence I don’t miss the city festivities. In fact, the few times I have been to Kolkata during the Pujo, I didn’t enjoy the crowd, the hustle and bustle and the inconveniences of daily civic life. The only excitement was drifting from Puja Pandal to Pandal and watching the Pratima and the other pleasant visuals (especially of the opposite sex) around. I grew up in Hijli Kharagpur (IIT Campus) where we had only three very homely Puja’s. We spent all four days of Puja hanging around the Pandals, tasting savory snacks at the make shift food stalls, participated in various events. During the evenings we gathered around the Pratima where the priest performed the arati while the dhakis and the dhunuchi dancers danced to the intoxicating beats and the perfumed smoke from the dhunuchis. I still remember our favorite “Dari Kaku” (you can see him standing on the right side in the picture above), the bearded compounder from our campus hospital drumming to his hearts glee and once in a while pulling in one of us kids to play the “kashar ghonta”! And at the end of the arati, came the prasad that we all waited for. Later in the evening, cultural programs, plays, music and dance livened up the pandal. Our favorite of course were the movie shows, old black and white Bengali movies like Dhuli, Ashite Ashiona, or Neel Akasher Niche with frequent breaks due to changing on the film spools on a singe projector. Late night, when the movie concluded, the grounds looked like a battled field strewn with bodies of children and grown ups sleeping happily under the open sky. Another attraction of the campus puja was the burning of the Ravan effigy or Ravan Dahan. During the Puja afternoons, me and my friends were assigned the task of building the Ravan using huge bamboo baskets and colored papers. On Dashami afternoon the 25 feet high Ravan effigy was installed on the island in our campus lake. The pyro-technicians from Kharagpur town came and installed the bombs and other fire works inside each of the ten heads and the torso. During the evening, the idol was put up on a truck and taken around the campus before the immersion ceremony. Dari-kaku would pull us up onto the truck and we accompanied Maa Durga while dancing to the drum beats and yelling “Bolo bolo Maa Durga ki Joy! Ashchhe bochhor aabaar hobe!”. After the immersion of the Durga idol in the lake and some glorious display of fireworks, an arrow mounted on a wire-guided missile was launched from the banks of the lake. The arrow flew across and hit right on target – the heart of Ravan, and a series of controlled explosions soon brought down the effigy into a pile of ashes.

But the fun did not end with the Pujas. The Bijoya celebration was another great attraction, especially to us the kids who went from door to door, touched the elders feet and waited for the plates to appear from the kitchen filled with sweet and salty treats. This continued till Kali Puja came knocking at the doors.

For me, the Puja’s here more resemble the campus days – a meeting place with friends, to share a laugh and some happiness, to enjoy our kids running around, to appreciate the beautiful ladies around in their wonderful saris, enjoy those not-too-perfect presentations on stage and just reminisce of the good old days.

Happy Puja to all of you my friends. May Maa Durga fill your lives with happiness and joy!

This show has become synonymous with the celebration of “MAHALAYA” in Bengal and around the world for decades. Written by Bani Kumar and produced by All India Radio includes some of the most popular Bengali songs composed by Pankaj Kumar Mallik. On 10th October morning, some of our most talented local musicians will present Mahishasura Mardini in its full glory.
PLEASE COME AND ENJOY THE SHOW.

“An Evening of Classical and Semi-Classical Songs”

“A fundraiser for the preservation of Hindustani Classical Music”

Date – Oct. 2 nd , 2010 – Time – 4 PM to 8 PM

Venue – Stonecrest Community Church Auditorium

1 1 Technology Drive North , Warren , NJ – 07059
Hindustani Vocal Classical by – ANASUA ROY

And Semi-Classical Vocal and with a touch of Fusion by – NIRMALYA ROY (From Kolkata)

Semi-classical music with touch of fusion:

Vocal by Nirmalya Roy (Kolkata), a scholar in classical music from SRA and disciple of Pt. Arun Bhaduri, is equally talented in light classical, Ghazal and Filmi songs. He has released number of CDs and has been performing in TV, Radio and abroad. Performed with Ravi Shankar-ji. Currently, involved with Z-TV Bangla SaReGaMa show as composer. www.nirmalyaroy.com.

Sitar By Abhisek Mallick, disciple of Pt. Shyamal Chatterjee and Pt. Manilal Nag, is a recipient of President Award for first position in AIR music competition 2003. He has been performing in TV, Radio and abroad.
Tabla By Shivalik Ghoshal, disciple of Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri.
Resonance Band (Satyajit Bhattacharya on Keyboard, Atish Mitra on Guitar and Anil Das on Percussion)
For More details pl. visit www.sknfoundation.org or call 732-310-3617 Cell.

Dr Deshpande, a musician and musicologist, will talk about different
styles of Indian music and how it is in use in today’s context.

Date– 3rd October, Sunday.
Time– 3 pm.
Donation– $5.00 for members and $10.00 for non-members.
RSVP will be appreciated.
Contact– (732)-296-1865, (908)-429-1120. Email –raagrang07@gmail.com

Venue–At Sunil Nair’s residence
36 Pine Ridge Drive,
East Brunswick,
NJ 08816.

From New Jersey Turnpike
-Take Exit 9
– Exit left after tolls to Route 18 South towards East Bruswick
– After you pass Eggers St make the next U-Turn to get on 18 North
– Immediately get to the right most lane on 18 North
– Turn right on S Woodland Ave
– Turn right at Serviss Ave
– Turn left at Messler
– Take the 2nd right onto Pine Ridge Dr
Destination will be on the right 0.3 mi
36 Pine Ridge DrEast Brunswick, NJ 08816

From Route 1
Take Exit to Route 18 South and follow signs above.