True Blue Bong

25 Things to See & Do in Kolkata

2014-07-29T01:42:00.000-07:00

Simultaneously noble and squalid, cultured and desperate, Kolkata is a daily festival of human existence. And it’s all played out before your very eyes on teeming streets where not an inch of space is wasted. By its old spelling, Calcutta, India’s second-biggest city is locally regarded as the intellectual and cultural capital of the nation.

If you're visiting Kolkata, the capital of Bengal and the erstwhile capital of British India, these are some places I would recommend you must visit. My selection - from the Lonely Planet Guide to Kolkata.

1. Victoria Memorial

The incredible Victoria Memorial is a vast, beautifully proportioned festival of white marble: think US Capitol meets Taj Mahal. Had it been built for a beautiful Indian princess rather than a dead colonial queen, this would surely be considered one of India’s greatest buildings.

2. Belur Math

Set very attractively amid palms and manicured lawns, this large religious centre is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, inspired by 19th-century Indian sage Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who preached the unity of all religions.

3. Dakshineswar

The heart of this vibrant riverside complex is a cream-and-red 1847 Kali Temple shaped like an Indian Sacré-Coeur. The site is where Ramakrishna started his remarkable spiritual journey, and his small room in the outer northwest corner of the temple precinct is now a place of special meditative reverence.

4. Indian Museum

Kolkata’s old-fashioned main museum fills a colonnaded palace ranged around a central lawn. Extensive exhibits include fabulous 1000-year-old Hindu sculptures, lumpy minerals, a dangling whale skeleton and an ancient Egyptian mummy.

5. Tagore’s House

Within Rabindra Bharati University, the comfortable 1784 family mansion of Rabindranath Tagore has become a shrine-like museum to India’s greatest modern poet. Even if his personal effects don’t inspire you, some of the well-chosen quotations might spark an interest in Tagore’s deeply universalist philosophy.

6. Botanical Gardens

If it weren’t such an awkward trek by public transport, Kolkata’s lovely 109-hectare Botanical Gardens would make a great place to escape from the city’s sounds and smells. Founded in 1786, the gardens played an important role in cultivating tea long before the drink became a household commodity.

7. Kalighat Temple

This ancient Kali temple is Kolkata’s holiest spot for Hindus and possibly the source of the city’s name. Today’s version, a 1809 rebuild, has floral- and peacock-motif tiles that look more Victorian than Indian.

8. Kumartuli

Many of the giant god effigies that are immersed in the holy Hooghly during Kolkata’s colourful pujas have been made by the kumar (sculptors) of this enthralling district.

9. Old Chinatown

For nearly two centuries the area around Phears Lane was home to a predominantly Christian Chinese community, many of whom fled or were interned during a fit of anti-Chinese fervour during the 1962 war. These days ‘old’ Chinatown is pretty run down and predominantly Muslim – a fascinating place to glimpse Kolkata’s contrasts.

10. Howrah Bridge

Howrah Bridge is a 705m-long abstraction of steel cantilevers and traffic fumes. Built during WWII, it’s one of the world’s busiest bridges and one of Kokata’s greatest architectural icons. Photography of the bridge is technically prohibited but you might sneak a discreet shot from one of the various ferries that ply the Hooghly River to the vast 1906 Howrah train station.

11. Alipore Zoo

Kolkata’s 16-hectare zoo first opened in 1875. The spacious lawns and lakeside promenades are very popular with weekend picnickers (hence all the rubbish). Grass is so high in the moated Bengal Tiger enclosure that it’s hard to spot the animals but it’s better than several more confining cages and the aviaries whose thick rusty-black wire-mesh rather obscures viewing.

12. Eden Gardens

The vast Ranji Stadium hosting Kolkata cricket matches is commonly nicknamed for the Eden Gardens that lie behind. Those gardens feature a lake and picturesque Burmese pagoda . Entry to the staium is usually limited to the south gate, but a small, more convenient north portal near Gate 12 of Ranji Stadium is occasionally open. Bring ID.

13. St Paul’s Cathedral

With its central crenellated tower, St Paul’s would look quite at home in Cambridgeshire. Built 1839–47, it has a remarkably wide nave and features a stained-glass west window by pre-Raphaelite maestro Sir Edward Burne-Jones.

14. Birla Mandir

The 20th-century Birla Mandir is a large Lakshmi Narayan temple complex in cream-coloured sandstone whose three corn-cob shaped towers are more impressive for their size than their carvings.

15. The Maidan

After the ‘Black Hole’ fiasco, a moated ‘second’ Fort William was constructed in 1758 in octagonal, Vaubanesque form. The whole village of Gobindapur was flattened to give the new fort’s cannons a clear line of fire. Though sad for then-residents, this created the Maidan (moi-dan), a 3km-long park that is today as fundamental to Kolkata as Central Park is to New York City. Fort William itself remains hidden within a walled military zone.

16. National Library

Located directly south of the entrance to the zoo is the (private) access road to the National Library , It is India’s biggest.

17. Birla Planetarium

Loosely styled on Sarnath’s classic Buddhist stupa, this 1962 dome presents slow-moving, half-hour star shows.

18. Esplanade

Rising above chaotic Esplanade bus station, the 1828 Sahid Minar is a 48m-tall round-topped obelisk originally celebrating an 1814 British military victory over Nepal. Across one of Kolkata’s busiest junctions, the striking Metropolitan Building was originally a colonial-era department store. Left derelict for years, a long overdue 2009 restoration saw its corner domes regilded. A block north, the fanciful Tippu Sultan’s Mosque hides almost invisibly behind street stalls.

19. Mother Teresa's Motherhouse

A regular flow of mostly Christian pilgrims visit the Missionaries of Charity’s 'Motherhouse' to pay homage at Mother Teresa’s large, sober tomb.

20. Rabindra Sarovar

The parkland here is less beautiful than Kolkata’s Botanical Gardens but the lake prettily reflects hazy sunrises while middle-class Kolkatans jog, row and meditate.

(Courtesy: Lonely Planet; All links lead to LP)

Don't Miss:

Buying old books at College Street,
Visiting Birla Science Museum,
Taking kids to Science City and Nicco Park,
Go to Jubilee Park by the Hoogly and a short boat ride in the afternoon
Pubbing at Park Street

Ravi Shankar: Godfather of World Music dies at 92

2012-12-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

Sitar Maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, whom George Harrison called the "Godfather of World Music", passed away at the age of 92 years on December 11, 2012. This article by me appeared a decade ago on the occasion of the maestro's 80th birth anniversary in April 2001 on About.com's Bengal Culture GuideSite - part of the New York Times Company. Read on...

"To me, his genius and his humanity can only be compared to that of Mozart's." ~ Yehudi Menuhin

Part 1: His Genius & His Humanity

Even at this age, the legendary Bengali master musician's genius and greatness is without equal. His recent concert at the Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi, along with his already famous teenage daughter Anoushka, was a fund-raiser for the Gujarat earthquake victims. He proved it yet once again that music can do a lot for humankind - it not only delights but also wipes away the tears of the unfortunate. The sitar guru plucked his "strings of relief" for the sufferers and reiterated that he is a singular phenomenon in the world of music.

From "Panditji" to "Sir"
On March 27, 2001, Ravi Shankar was bestowed with an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellence Order of the British Empire at an investiture ceremony by British High Commissioner in India Sir Rob Young at his official residence in New Delhi. "My heart is so full that I can hardly speak", the octogenarian genius said. "I wish I could play the sitar to express my gratitude to the Lord Almighty and to my guru…For Her Majesty, the Queen of England, I wish I could just shout loud enough to send one little message - Thank You," said a joyful Ravi Shankar.

The British High Commission in a release said, "No one has done more than Ravi Shankar to promote the understanding and love of Indian classical music in the West, and in particular in Britain. This is a most fitting way of honouring an outstanding musician who is deeply respected in my country and indeed all over the world".

Awards & Honours
At 80, Ravi Shankar has a bagful of prestigious awards and honours - both national and international, including fourteen honorary doctorates, the Padma Vibhushan, Desikottam, the Magsaysay Award (Philippines), two Grammy's, Silver Bear Award (Berlin), the Fukuoka Grand Prize (Japan), the Crystal Award (Davos), the title 'Global Ambassador', and the Padma Bhushan. In 1986 he was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the Lower House of Indian Parliament.

Pandit Ravi Shankar is an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and also of the United Nations International Rostrum of composers. He is a Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Academy - the Indian Music & Drama Authority, and is also the Founder President of Ravi Shankar (Research) Institute for Music and Performing Arts (RIMPA). He has also author two books - My Music, My Life, in English and Rag Anurag in Bengali.

Part II: Down Melody Lane

Ravi Shankar was born on April 7, 1920 in a Bengali Brahmin family settled in Varanasi, the holy city on the banks of the Ganges. His father was an eminent barrister, and his family was full of artistes — all his brothers being achievers in different spheres of performing arts. Robu, as he was called lovingly, was the youngest son, and at the age of ten he accompanied his elder brother — the world famous dancer Uday Shankar — to Paris with his troupe of gifted dancers and musicians. He attended school in Paris, and initiated himself in the world of dance and music.

The Early Years
When he was 15, Uday Shankar invited the great sarod virtuoso Ustad Allauddin Khan to join his troupe, and Ravi Shankar, mesmerized by his genius, became his disciple. This made Ravi to return to India and spend years in intense study and practice under Allauddin Khan, whose guidance and guardianship helped him master the sitar. Thereafter, Ravi Shankar joined the All India Radio, established the National Chamber Orchestra, and by 1955 he became one of the most sought-after musicians in India. In 1956, he debuted as a sitarist in the European and American stage, which began his conquest of the West.

Memories of His Mother
Reminiscing about his Mom, Ravi Shankar writes in his autobiography: "...The day came when we were due to sail, and we all felt the sadness of the departure. My mother, who had come to Bombay to see us off, was going to remain in India, and already, she was feeling the loneliness of our absence. Somehow, she and I both had the premonition that we might not see each other again. While we stood on the pier, getting ready to go aboard the ship, she took my hand and put it in Baba's hand and told him, "I'm not going with you, and I don't know if I'll ever see my child again, so please take him and consider him as your own son." We all had tears in our eyes as we said goodbye, and as it happened, it was the last time I saw my mother.

"We finished our last tour and the troupe returned to India in May, 1938. While we were still in Paris, in the fall of 1936, a telegram arrived from India informing us of the death of our mother…The news greatly saddened us, and me especially, because I had seen her so little since she returned to India in 1932."

Boyhood Leisure
The only entertainment Robu had was "...going for walks along the river or on the lovely hillside, for there were no cinemas or "city" diversions. Often Ali Akbar accompanied me, and we would spend hours walking and discussing all our ideas…We would return to the house by dark and all have dinner about seven-thirty, then spend a few more hours practicing."

Part III: The Long Training Years

"Music is transmitted from a heart to another heart and taking up a guru was the most important decision of my life." ~ Ravi Shankar

Behind the Ravi Shankar magic is long years of dedicated practice and study under the tutelage of his illustrious guru Baba Allaudin Khan. In his autobiography, My Music My Life, the Maestro says about his guru "Baba" and his training years:

"…I took my sitar, trembling and apprehensive, and crossed the little garden to Baba's house, where we would work for two or three hours. Sometimes he gave me a very difficult thing to learn, and the lesson would take only half an hour; then, I would go and practice for another hour or two, trying to play it properly. Baba realized immediately that, mentally, I was quite advanced in the music. But my hands were far behind, because I had spent so little time learning and practicing the basics. I used to hate the scales and exercises; it was a spiritual torture to me, because my hands could never catch up to the idea of the music inside my head. I went through months of depression when I felt I was getting nowhere, but when my technique improved, I learned extremely quickly.

The Influence of Baba Allaudin Khan
"…He knew how serious I was about learning instrumental music, and I got him to begin teaching me the basics of sitar and voice. Sometimes, he would become upset and grow angry...Tauntingly, he called me a "butterfly" and made some very cruel remarks about my constant girl-chasing, my dandy tastes in clothing, and all my other interests outside music - painting, writing, and reading. He often said, "Ek sadhe sab sadhe, sab sadhe sab jaye," [Bengali] which means if you do one thing properly and very well, then all other things will come easily later, but if you start with too much, you end up with nothing.

"All the same, Baba enjoyed teaching me and I knew it. When he was nice to me, as he usually was, I learned very quickly and well, but when he was angry, I got stubborn, thickheaded, and dull and refused to learn. It must have been because I had never been scolded by anyone, even as a little child.

Seven Years Under the Guru
Ravi Shankar took his sitar lessons for about seven years in the traditional guru-shishya style, in a highly disciplined and isolated environment, marked by almost godly veneration for the guru.

"Most often, Baba taught me alone; but later Ali Akbar, and sometimes his sister Annapurna, would join me for the sessions. Ali Akbar and I became very close, even though I was two years older than he…Ali Akbar told me he had been compelled to practice for 14 to 16 hours every day, and there were times when Baba tied him to a tree for hours and refused to let him eat if his progress was not satisfactory. Ali Akbar was born with music in his veins, but it was this constant rigorous discipline and riaz (Urdu for "practice") that Baba set for him that has made Ali Akbar one of the greatest instrumentalists alive.

"…After I had made some progress with my music there was a period of several years when the three of us - Ali Akbar, Annapurna, and I - all sat with Baba and learned from him together. He would start to teach us, singing such serious and beautiful raga as Lalit, Multani, Yaman Kalyan, Bihag, Mian ki Malhar, Darbari Kanada, and sometimes he would just go on teaching for three or four hours and lose all perception of the passage of time. Many times we cried because of the intense beauty of the music, and no one would think of disturbing the spell…"

Ravi Shankar, in 1941, married his guru's daughter Annapurna and the following year had a son by her - Subho Shankar. The two separated a few year after that.

Part IV: East Meets West

"Music is one language I know." ~ Ravi Shankar

Pandit Ravi Shankar is a performer, composer, teacher and writer — all rolled into one. He has ridden the crest of popularity for over three decades now while contributing a golden chapter to the annals of Hindustani classical music. According to many, he has single handedly done more for the Indian music than any other musician, so much so that his time will always be known as the Ravi Shankar Era.

Ravi Shankar's Greatest Achievement
Ravi Shankar's greatest achievement was perhaps his success in popularizing Indian music in the West. In fact, he devoted a major part of his life in cultural exchanges and enlightenment between various countries and communities. However, the classical purity of Ravi Shankar's innate style has remained unaffected, in spite of his affinity for Western music.

The Cal Arts doctoral citation presented to the maestro in 1985, rightly sums up his achievements: "Ravi Shankar musician to the world — whose rare genius has opened the ears and minds of millions to the wondrous aesthetic of India's ancient musical tradition — adored musical ambassador whose incomparable artistry has created bridges of understanding among the peoples of the earth."

The World Musician
Ravi Shankar has written concertos for the legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin, composed for the flute virtuoso Jean Pierre Rampal, Koto maestro Musumi Miyashita, and Hosan Yamamoto — master of the Shakuhachi. In 1967, Ravi Shankar appeared with Yehudi Menuhin in a concert at the United Nations in New York, and his composition for the Human Rights Day celebration was voted the Classical Record Performance of the Year by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

His first concerto was commissioned and recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by André Previn, and the second was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, where Ravi Shankar composed 'Raga Mala' — a medley of Ragas — under the direction of Zubin Mehta.

He has collaborated with George Harrison and produced three superb albums, Shankar Family & Friends, Festival of India and the recent Chants of India (1997). In 1990, Ravi Shankar worked with Phillip Glass to create the album Passages. He has also composed extensively for ballets in India, Europe, and North America. His album Tana Mana (1987) that seamlessly combines traditional instruments with electronic gadgetry brought his music into the techno age.

Shankar's Film Music
The Shankar brand of film music has a charm of its own. Ravi Shankar's musical journey took him through the Bombay movie world, where he scored for films like Dharti Ke Lal, Anuradha and Neecha Nagar. But he will always be loved for his immortal compositions for the landmark Pather Panchali, the highly esteemed Apu trilogy, and Jalsaghar — classic Bengali films by Bengal's greatest director Satyajit Ray, who went to win the Lifetime Oscar Award in 1992. Ravi Shankar was also nominated for Oscar for his musical score in Gandhi, the Academy Award winning film (1982) by Sir Richard Attenborough. (See Filmography)

Pandit Ravi Shankar: Fact File on the Sitar Maestro

Born: April 7, 1920 in Benaras or Varanasi.
Nickname: Robu

FAMILY
Father: Shyam Shankar, eminent lawyer.
Brother: Uday Shankar. renowned dancer.
First Wife: Annapurna Shankar
Second Wife: Sukanya Shankar
Son: Shubho Shankar from first wife
Daughter: Anoushka Shankar from second wife

MILESTONES
1930: Join elder brother dancer Uday Shankar in Paris
1939: First Sitar solo recital
1946: Composed the new music for popular Indian patriotic song "Saare Jahan Se Achcha". Also composed music for movies Dharti Ke Lal and Neecha Nagar.
1949-56: Became Director of All India Radio. Composed music for Satyajit Ray's path breaking debut movie Pather Panchali and his famous Apu trilogy.
1956: Toured Europe and the US
1960's: Performed at three memorable concerts - Monterey Pop Festival, Concert for Bangladesh and in The Woodstock Festival. Opened the Kinnara Music School in Mumbai in 1962.
1970's: Worked towards popularizing Indian music in the West
1981: Received the Padma Vibhushan award from the Indian Government
1986-92: Served as a member of Rajya Sabha, the lower House of the Indian Parliament
1999: Received the highest State honour - the Bharat Ratna from the Indian government.
2001: Bestowed the award of honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen Elizabeth in recognition of his services to music.

The Power of Mother Tongue

2012-02-25T13:08:00.002-08:00

International Mother Language Day & History of the Language Movement

Mother tongue, the language we inherit from our mothers, is indeed the language closest to our hearts, the language we understand best, the language that helps us most clearly express our pains and pangs, hopes and aspirations, laughter and joys. What can be more beautiful and more natural? But what do you do when someone wants to rob you of your mother tongue? Bengalis have shown the world how to annihilate such attempts and establish the right to mother tongue.

February 21, 1952
When Bengalis in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) were asked to stop using their mother tongue by the dictatorial regime of Pakistan in 1952, a violent protest broke out throughout the Bengali nation. On February 21, 1952, a number of students and citizens laid down their lives to assert their rights, and foiled the plan to force a foreign language upon them. The people of Bangladesh wrote in blood: "I love my mother tongue - Bengali" and engraved their heroic story of indomitable courage and love for their mother tongue. Since then Bengalis the world over commemorate this day as Language Martyrs' Day.

International Mother Language Day
Since 2000, this historic event is being celebrated as International Mother Language Day after a UNESCO proclamation to observe February 21 globally in recognition of the sacrifices of the martyrs for establishing the rightful place of the Bengali language. The proclamation came in the form of a resolution unanimously adopted at the plenary of the UNESCO at its headquarters in Paris in November 1999.

Mind Your Mother Tongue!
It is estimated that many of the 6,000 languages spoken today around the world may disappear in the next 20 years, which would incur an irreparable loss for humanity. The occupation-driven change of habitation and the want of a common medium of communication have proved a threat to mother tongues worldwide. The International Mother Language Day seeks to preserve these 'at-risk' languages and conserve the diversity of culture and language in a rapidly globalizing world.

Importance of Conserving Mother Languages
The many mother tongues of mankind testify to humanity's astounding ability to create indigenous systems of communication. Languages are among "humanity's most precious and fragile treasures", and the value of regional languages both as means of communication and as expressions of culture and identity are undeniable. They mirror the souls of the societies in which they are born and reflect their history and lineage.
The fundamental objective of UNESCO's language policy is to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and plurilingualism in educational curricula. Supporting the promotion of linguistic diversity and the development of multilingual education from an early age helps preserve cultural diversity and the conditions for international understanding, tolerance and mutual respect. Therefore, preserving the diversity of languages, and conserving each language as a shared heritage of humanity is of capital importance.

On the 21st of February, one hundred and eighty-eight countries around the world joins Bangladesh to pay tribute to the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. "Amar Ekushe" (Bengali = 'The Eternal 21st') is now observed across the globe as International Mother Language Day - a great honour to Bengali culture.

Bengali as World Language
Of all the people in the world, the populace of a little-known land on one corner of the Bay of Bengal epitomized how to attain the right to their mother language. Of all the languages in the world, Bengali speakers today constitute the seventh largest community. Besides, Bengali language has a rich heritage: The world-renowned poet Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize with his verses written in Bengali. The language again gained political status on the world forum, when the great leader and founder of Bangladesh, Bongobandhu Sheikh Mujimbur Rahaman for the first time delivered a speech in Bengali at the UN on 25 September 1974.

Behind the Adoption of the Resolution
The decision to observe 21st February as the International Mother Language Day was unanimously taken at the 30th General Conference of the UNESCO held on November 17, 1999. Bangladesh officially sent a proposal to UNESCO requesting the world body to adopt a Resolution declaring 21st February as International Mother Language Day. The Language Division of UNESCO marked the proposal from the Government of Bangladesh as a draft resolution and sent it to the commission, which unanimously recommended the proposal for presentation at the Plenary Session of the General Conference of the UNESCO.

The proposal was seconded by India, Ivory Coast, Italy, Indonesia, Iran, Oman, Comoros, Gambia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, the Philippines, the Bahamas, Benin, Belarus, Vanuatu, Micronesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Russia, Lithuania, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Surinam, Slovakia and Honduras. Soon after, on November 17, 1999, 21st February was declared in the General Conference as the International Mother Language Day.

The UNESCO in its resolution said that the recognition was given bearing in mind that all moves promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop fuller awareness about linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

The First Ever International Mother Language Day
International Mother Language Day was celebrated for the first time on February 21, 2000, with a ceremony at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The event was opened by UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura who stressed that "by deciding to celebrate mother tongues, UNESCO's Member States wished to recall that languages are not only an essential part of humanity's cultural heritage, but the irreducible expression of human creativity and of its great diversity."

Vigdis Finnbogadottir, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Languages and former President of Iceland, also took part in the first celebration of International Mother Language Day. In a message read at the ceremony, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan expressed support for International Mother Language Day, which, he said, raises awareness among all peoples regarding the value of languages.

মদের গরব, মদের আসা / আ মরি বাংলা ভাষা

Moder Garab, Moder Aasha / Aa Mori Bangla Bhasha!
("Our pride, our hope, / O My beautiful Bengali language...!")

Language Is More Powerful Than Religion
In August 1947, when India was partitioned, Pakistan was created. This new nation comprised two far-flung wings in the west and east - West Pakistan and East Pakistan, separated by 1600 km of foreign territory. The basis of this strange division was a common religion - Islam. This absurd and pernicious two-nation theory ignored such fundamental elements as language and culture and considered religion as a bond strong enough to transform a people into a nation.

For The Love of Mother Tongue
The love and attachment of Bengalis to their language and culture are legendary. The language of the people of East Pakistan, where the major portion of the population resided, was Bangla. This part, which separated from Indian Bengal, had a rich tradition of literature of over a thousand years. The Bengali people also had a highly developed culture that had little in common with those of the people of West Pakistan that ruled it.
When in 1952 the tyrannical rulers of Pakistan declared that Urdu and Urdu alone would be the state language of Pakistan, they sowed the seed of further discontent and rapid disintegration. The people of the then East Pakistan, particularly the students, rose in protest against the government's vicious undemocratic designs that spelled the obliteration of the Bengali language and culture with the imposition of the language and culture of the people of West Pakistan.

The reaction of the Bengali-speaking majority was strong and spontaneous. But the government decided to quell the protests by force. The police opened fire on 21st February 1952 on unarmed peaceful protesters, most of whom were students, resulting in the death, among others, of Rafiq, Barkat, Jabbar, Saifur and Salaam. As the news of the deaths spread, the entire Bengali nation jumped into action and became involved emotionally and actively in this Bengali Language Movement.

The Language Movement
After the killings the political parties and the intelligentsia joined the students in the Bengali Language Movement. Those who lost their lives to uphold the prestige defend the rights of their mother-language became hallowed martyrs. The Central Martyr's Monument in Dhaka called the 'Shaheed Minar' was erected in memory of those who laid down their lives for establishing the dignity and rightful place of Bengali language on February 21, 1952.

Birth of Bangladesh
The language martyrdom of February 21 had far reaching consequences. "Amar Ekushe" became a symbol of Bengali identity, gained mythic proportions, nourished the concepts of democracy and secularism, and contributed significantly to the flowering of Bengali nationalism. The democratic mass movements that followed in the late 1950s and throughout the subsequent decades finally led to the struggle for independence and the war of liberation. The language movement ultimately resulted in the creation of the new Bengali nation called Bangladesh.

February 21 is perhaps the most significant date in the national calendar of Bangladesh. It's a day of mourning: While Bangladesh lowers the national flag to half-mast and hoists black flags on this, West Bengal commemorates this day with a variety of cultural programmes. All Bengal rises up singing in chorus:

আমার ভাইয়ের রক্তে রাঙানো একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারী / আমি কি ভুলিতে পারি

"Aamar Bhaiyer Rakte Rangano Ekushey February / Aami ki bhulite pari"
(Red in the blood of my brothers/Twenty-first February/How can I forget thee?")

Vikram Seth's Historic Speech at Kolkata Literary Meet 2012

2012-01-31T00:14:00.000-08:00

The following text has been quoted from the transcript of Vikram Seth's inaugural address at the opening of the first Kolkata Literary Meet on January 26, 2012.

Thank you very much for inviting me this Republic Day to inaugurate the first Kolkata Literary Meet - or KLM - or (most aptly of all) 'Kolom'.

By the word 'kolom' I imagine we mean not only the pen but also the typewriter and the computer - in other words, any means of writing. The 'kolom' represents them all.

I am happy and honoured to be here - in this place, during this year, on this day, for this occasion.

In this place, because I am back where I was born.

During this year, because it is a century and a half since the birth of Tagore.

On this day, because it was today, more than sixty years ago, that we put into effect the book of law by which we as a nation live.

For this occasion, because it celebrates the word not as law but as literature, the expression of ourselves as human beings.

I shall call these the four 'ko's, following the Bengali style: Kolkata, Kobi, Constitution, Kolom: the place Kolkata, the year of the Kobi, the day of the Constitution, the occasion of Kolom.

Let me say a few words about each of these.

KOLKATA

Kolkata is where my life began.

Birth is easy enough. I have no memory of it. Any pain or inconvenience was borne by my mother. I was born in the Elgin Nursing Home - which doesn't exist any more - at 1.48 in the afternoon. I was called Amit. That is the name that appears on my birth certificate. I have seen the document. It is green in colour.

I was called Amit because when my mother was pregnant with me, her friend Kolyani Bannerji read Tagore's Shesher Kobita to her and, as you know, the rather wimpish hero of that novel was called Amit. My mother, though from UP, speaks Bengali and loves Bengal. She decided that if I was a boy, I would be called Amit; if a girl, Ameeta.

But my father's family, who live in Panipat, had different ideas. The first-born son of each brother in the family had to have a name beginning with the syllable 'Vi'. It was a family tradition. My father's eldest brother had named his first-born son Vijay. My father's second brother had named his first-born son Vinod. What was all this Amit nonsense? They vetoed the name and told my parents to think again. The name Amit (written in ink) was crossed out on the green birth certificate and the name Vikram was pencilled in. And since Kolkata is possessive of its children, although I am not Bengali, I have once or twice seen myself referred to in newspapers here not as Vikram, but (I am proud to say) as 'amader Bikrom'. And I for my part certainly consider this city to be 'amar Kolkata'.

I am always happy to return here, in fact or in fiction. I spent formative years of my childhood here - on three separate occasions. The parts of A Suitable Boy that I most enjoyed writing were the scenes set in Calcutta, whether it was with the garrulous Chatterji family (I especially enjoyed writing about the shocking Meenakshi), or at the Eden Gardens, where Lata's three suitors, Kabir, Haresh and - yes - Amit, meet at an India vs England cricket match. In fact, the Bengali translation of A Suitable Boy by Enakshi Chatterjee (I am told it is a very good translation) is called Sot Patro, which of course makes one think immediately of Abol Tabol and the immortal Sukumar Ray, the father of another immortal, Satyajit Ray, who was no mean writer himself.

KOBI

The thought of authors past leads me back to the second 'ko' or 'Kobi', whose 150th anniversary we are celebrating and have been celebrating this past year.

One can say many things about him. I will say just three.

The first is this. I apologise to him for the fact that my parents renounced the name of Amit. But since he himself, when asked by parents to name their children for them, saddled so many children with impossible names, I am sure he will be tolerant of our sacrilege.

Secondly, today of all days, when our thoughts turn to where we are going as a country and as a people, it is right that we should think of him, because he was the creator of what - after his death - became our national anthem, an anthem that is intriguing because it is so ambiguous - not only with regard to who exactly is being addressed, but also because it must be the only anthem in the world to end not on a shadaj but on a madhyam - not on certainty and finality but on ambiguity and continuity. Of course the national anthem is only the first of five stanzas of a song. But still, this ambiguity and continuity seem to reflect, at least to me, some aspects of the openness and open-mindedness of the poet himself - who was writing at a time when many people's views were becoming closed and rigid.

The third point about Tagore has to do with the limits of reverence. I am not now talking about the tendency to revere Tagore himself, which is a mild malady in these parts. No, I'm talking about Tagore's attitude to someone he himself admired: Gandhi. Tagore may have venerated him and called him the Mahatma, but he disagreed with a lot of what he said - on non-cooperation, for instance; or on modern science; or even on nationalism. He did not let his admiration gag his criticism, sometimes quite strong criticism. Other people disagreed with Gandhi too, some less reverently, some indeed very bitterly. Nehru and Patel disagreed with Gandhi on the question of accepting the inevitability of Partition. Bose disagreed with Gandhi about reserving the option of violence when used against the violence of foreign occupation. Ambedkar disagreed with Gandhi on the question of rights for Dalits, as opposed to pity and accommodation. In some cases, Gandhi used what some would consider unjustified tactics to get his way: a fast against Ambedkar, a boycott of Bose.

I say this because, though most of us may well think of Gandhi as one of the greatest Indians who has ever lived, we can and do criticise him. This highlights a general principle. There is no human being born since our species first came into existence whom we should consider immune from criticism. Let me repeat that. There is no human being born since our species first came into existence whom we should consider immune from criticism. No one. Whether from the fifth century BC or the first century AD or the seventh century AD or the twentieth century AD. No human being is above criticism.

CONSTITUTION

This leads straight to the third 'ko' of what I wanted to talk about: the Constitution. 'We the People of India', in the famous phrase, gave it to ourselves on the 26th of November, but it came into effect two months later on the 26th of January, sixty-two years ago. The day was chosen because twenty years before that, Nehru, on behalf of the Indian National Congress, had declared Complete Independence or Purna Swaraj.

But was this self-rule or independence intended to be limited to independence from foreign occupation? The writers of our Constitution, from Ambedkar on, most assuredly did not think so. It was to be independence from tyranny of all kinds, including tyranny of thought and expression and belief, the tyranny of those who think one should not speak one's mind. These and other aspirations are embodied in the Preamble, the words that precede the actual Articles of law.

Among its succinct and inspiring words are these:

'LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.'

Liberty is one of four words - the others being Justice, Equality and Fraternity - which are the keys to the Preamble and, indeed, to understanding the Constitution as a whole. So here it is once more: 'LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.'

But let me ask you - not as writers or readers but as plain citizens, as ordinary Indians - Where is this liberty today? Yes, the liberty of faith and worship are alive and kicking, but what about the liberty of thought, expression and belief, those liberties that equally make us what we are and give expression, insight and dignity to our lives? We are opening our gathering here on Republic Day a mere two days after another gathering - based like ours on the word and the freedom of the word, on the mind and the freedom of the mind, on the heart and the freedom of the heart - ended with a disgraceful exhibition of the suppression of the word, the suppression of the mind, the suppression of the heart.

To avoid a gut reaction to particular names, let me present the situation to you without names - as a case study, if you like - so that you can see it in its full absurdity.

One of the most prominent and admired authors of our times was not permitted to appear and address an audience in person - and then, in the strangest twist to the tale - was not permitted even to appear on a screen to address them. No one was going to be compelled to hear him. As it happens, he was not even going to talk about a book of his which had proved controversial, and which had been published more than twenty years ago. Indeed, he had even appeared in person at the very same venue five years ago, and there had been no protest. And yet he could not speak to those who wanted to hear him.

People are not fools. It is election time. Everyone knows the truth. The whole affair was started because of power and politics and the misuse of religion; it was whipped up because of power and politics and the misuse of religion; and the government knuckled under and enforced this disgrace because of power and politics and the misuse of religion.

Frankly, this is madness.

God and the prophets do not need bullies to defend themselves.

Neither the bullies who shout nor the bullies who enforce.

We are a constitutional nation, not a religious dictatorship. Unless he or she threatens violence, you do not have the right to gag or bully or dictate to your neighbour - or decide what he or she can say or see or hear.

You do not have the right to go up to the three monkeys and with your own hands cover up their mouths and eyes and ears.

You cannot use the argument of 'religious morality' to do this. As Dr Ambedkar said, there is something more important in a republic, and it is known as 'constitutional morality'.

KOLOM

I will now go to - or, rather, return to - the fourth 'ko' or Kolom. I have touched upon the word in law and literature. But especially when one thinks of Tagore, one also thinks of the word as a graphic form, a form of art. I am very happy that Sunil Gangopadhyay and I - as part of this inauguration - were asked to write the word 'kolom' in black paint on those white boards there. As you can see, Sunil Da has written it in Bengali and I have written it in English and Urdu. It is interesting that three of the world's great civilisations, the Hindu, the Islamic and the Judaeo-Christian, are thus incorporated on those boards, just as they are part of our common discourse. This is the richness of our country; we cannot allow it to be filtered and thinned. This is the strength of our country; we cannot allow it to be contorted or distorted.

Let me end with the two opening lines of a poem by Tagore that I have known - in his own English translation - since I was eleven years old. It was one of our school prayers and it expresses his aspirations for India.

'Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free.'

Let me repeat that: 'Where knowledge is free.'

Those who try to cloud our minds with fear are the enemies of both knowledge and freedom.

We cannot let our republic, our beloved republic, our constitutional republic, our free and free-speaking republic, be hijacked by fear. It happened once in the Emergency. It must never happen again.

We cannot let them close our mouths and eyes and ears.

We cannot let them break the pen or ration the ink.

Kolome kali jeno na shokaye.

May the kolom flourish.

The Kolkata Literary Meet or KLM in English and Kalam or pen in Bengali - is an attempt to acquaint even the most reluctant reader to the all-inclusive world of writing.

The Genius of Ritwik Ghatak

2011-11-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

Today was the 86th birthday of Ritwik Ghatak, the powerful Bengali director, scriptwriter and documentary filmmaker, whose extraordinary genius was most enthusiastically received only after his death.

The man who could have been the father of alternative Indian cinema had his film Nagarik been released before Pather Panchali, Ritwik Ghatak spent his lifetime in the shadow of another Bengali stalwart, Oscar winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray, who never failed to take away the limelight, while the former struggled to finance his projects and battled relentlessly with a 'variety of personal and political demons.'

A decade ago, on the occasion of Ghatak's 75th birth anniversary, the Ritwik Memorial Trust took a few good steps, such as publishing the script of his film Meghe Dhaka Tara. This preceded the formal release of the Ritwik Special issue the 'Ekushe Samsad' journal entitled Ebong Pratarka by the celebrated actress Madhabi Mukherjee. Three documentaries of Ritwik Ghatak - Puruliar Chhou, Amar Lenin and Rendezvous - were also screened on this occasion at Calcutta's Nandan II.

In the late 1990s , when all eight Bengali feature films of Ritwik Ghatak were screened at the New York Film Festival, American audiences received them with great ebullience. Critic Jacob Levich summed up: "Taken as a whole, Ghatak's work emerges as a challenge to received notions about Indian film culture and history, as well as a force to be reckoned with by anyone who aspires to know or claims to care about world cinema."

The Wild Child from the Banks of Padma

Nostalgia for an undivided Bengal form the underlying theme of many Ghatak films. Even in his writings he fondly reminisces his childhood years in East Bengal, now Bangladesh: "My days were spent on the banks of the Padma the days of an unruly and wild child. The people on the passenger boats looked like dwellers of some distant planet… In the drizzling rain a joyful tune would float in the village air, pulling at one's heartstrings with the sudden gusts of wind. I have rocked in the steamer on the turbulent river after dark, and listened to the rhythmic sound of the engines… In the autumn, once I sailed off on a boat and lost my way among tall grasses where snakes hide…"

The Partition and the Pain

Ritwik, like many Bengalis of his generation (including my own parents), was a refugee from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. He loved his birthplace East Bengal more than anything. The partition of Bengal was like an immutable blemish in his soul, and the agony of being a refugee feature in most of his films. In his collection of essays entitled 'Cinema and I', Ghatak says: "Being a Bengali from East Pakistan, I have seen the untold miseries inflicted on my people in the name of independence - which is a fake and a sham. I have reacted violently to this." Jukti Takko Ar Gappo, Shei Bishnupriya, and Titas Ekti Nadir Naam, the movie filmed in Bangladesh, powerfully portray this aspect of Ghatak's grouse.

Ritwik's Remarkable Repertoire

Ritwik Ghatak passed away in 1976, at the age of 51. He made 8 full-length feature films - Nagarik (1952), Ajantrik (1957), Bari Theke Paliye (1959), Meghe Dhaka Tara (1961), Komal Gandhar (1961), Subarnarekha (1962), Titas Ekti Nadir Naam (1973), Jukti Takko Aar Gappo (1974). As actor, Ritwik appeared in Tathapi (1950) and Chinnamul (1950). Ghatak wrote the script of six films, viz., Madhumati (1955), Musafir (1955), Swaralipi (1961), Kumari Mon (1962), Dwiper Naam Tiyarang (1962), Raj Kanya (1962). His documentary films include, Adivasiyon Ka Jeevan Srot (1954), Bihar Ke Darshaniya Sthan (1954), Scissors (ad film) (1962), Ustad Allauddin Khan (1962), Scientists of Tomorrow (1967) and Puruliar Chhou Nritya (1970). Ghatak also made some short films, like Fear (1965), Rendezvous (1965), Amar Lenin (1970), Yeh Kyun (1970) and Durbargati Padma (1971). A good number of works remain unfinished because of his untimely death. These include four features - Bedeni (1952), Kata Ajanare (1959), Bagalar Bangadarshan (1964), Raunger Golam (1968), and two documentary films - Indira Gandhi (1972) and Ramkinkar (1975).

The Most Bengali of Directors

Film critics could hardly see through the art of Ritwik's creations, especially his powerfully realistic and morbid themes, and so he rarely got a sound critical appraisal from the intellectual milieu in his lifetime. Satyajit Ray in a memorial lecture after Ghatak's death, said: "Ritwik's films have a special character… the main virtue of Ritwik was his distinctiveness, his originality, and this he maintained till the end. He had in him this influence of Soviet cinema, and of theatre in the dialogue, content and conclusions of his films. And these two elements were nourished by something that was rooted in the soil of Bengal. Ritwik was a Bengali director in heart and soul, a Bengali artist much more of a Bengali than anyone."

Books by Ritwik Ghatak

Cinema and I
Rupa and Co, Calcutta, India, 1987

Chalachitra Manush Ebong Aro Kichhu
(Bengali), 1975

Books on Ritwik Ghatak

Ritwik (Bengali)
by Surama Ghatak

Ritwik Kumar Ghatak : A Monograph
by Haimanti Banerjee

Profiles - Five Film-makers from India : V. Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Mrinal Sen, Guru Dutt, Ritwik Ghatak
by Shampa Banerjee

Ritwik Ghatak : A Return to the Epic
Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Screen Unit, Bombay

Ritwik Ghatak - Arguments/Stories
edited by Amrit Gangar and Ashish Rajadhyaksha
Screen Unit, Bombay, 1982

Podma Thheke Titash (Bengali)
by Surama Ghatak

Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (Bengali)
edited by Atanu Pal, Banishilpo, Calcutta, 1988

9/11, Gopal Mitra & His Dream Towers

2011-09-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

Laments of a WTC Architect

After the historic collapse of the World Trade Center, a 65-year-old Bengali architect Gopal Mitra suddenly made headlines across television channels and newspapers in India. Mitra, who worked with Minoru Yamasaki and Associates, one of the construction companies that designed the WTC structure — the other being Emery Roth and Sons — was involved in the WTC project from its conception to commissioning.

Sitting beside a miniature replica of the WTC at his office in Tollygunge, Calcutta, Mitra was aghast at the sight of his dream towers crumbling down, as news reports of the September 11 attacks unfolded on his television screen. He couldn't believe that the twin towers could
ever collapse like this.

It was Indestructible!

Mitra recalled why the construction of WTC was a major landmark in architectural engineering. Unlike any contemporary skyscraper, its walls were skin-stressed, i.e., "the walls were self-supported and did not depend on the roofs and floor to stand erect."

While designing the building, Mitra and his colleagues took into account every possible threat — earthquake, storm, wind and fire. None could imagine that someday, thousands of gallons of aviation fluid would be set aflame inside its belly. He is particularly regretful of the fact that the building was equipped with one of the most advanced fire-fighting mechanisms in the world, yet it was finally destroyed by fire. He told the Calcutta daily Telegraph: "When we had designed it, we had never dreamt that one day it would be the target of a terrorist attack and that it would be destroyed in this manner; life was not that complicated in those days." However, he maintained that the WTC did not collapse, rather "it was punctured, and fell apart floor by floor."

The Dream Towers!

Gopal Mitra told the Delhi Times how his tryst with the twin towers began: In 1964, after completing his masters degree in Architecture from the University of Michigan, Mitra was working with Erro Sarrinen & Associates in New York. One day, Minoru Yamasaki, the chief architect of the towers, happened to see his drawings and offered him to work for the WTC project. Soon Mitra was in Yamasaki's design team working almost 18 hours a day to lay down the plans of the building. "Then the only aim of our lives was to put together this dream project," he reminisces.

Remembering his team-members E. L. Tungsten, William Ku and Dr Killing, Mitra said that the thrill of designing the tallest building in the world made the architects overcome a whole lot of constraints. "I remember how I drew sketches of the structure over and over again till my seniors approved of it," he added. Finally, Prof. Mitra said that if he were to redesign the WTC all over again, he wouldn't change much of design, except for adding a "special protective skin" around the structure so that no flying object can damage the building.

Later Gopal Mitra joined IIT Kharagpur, his alma mater, as professor of civil engineering, and established an architectural firm by the name of Buildcon in the early 1970s that has ever since designed, developed and promoted a number of buildings and apartments in Calcutta and New Delhi. Today, he is the Rector of Modern Academy, Calcutta and five other 'gurukuls'. The Modern Academy International, a co-educational, residential school coming up at Kosi-Kalan near New Delhi, is also the brainchild of Prof. Mitra, and has come into being because of his immense faith in the Upanishads and a great respect for the American system of education.

This article by me appeared on About.com soon after the 2001 September 11 attacks on America by the Jihadees. Reproducing it here on the 10th anniversary of the event that changed our world.

A Tribute to Kishore Kumar: Six Superb Songs at Muziboo

2011-08-04T11:25:00.001-07:00

A Tribute to Kishore Kumar: Six Superb Songs at Muziboo | Upload Music

Dr Sid Mukherjee Wins Pulitzer for Non-Fiction

2011-04-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

Another Bengali writer of English prose has made it to the prestigious Pulitzer Winner's list. After Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies: Tales from Bengal, Boston & Beyond (2000), it's Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (2010), which has won the Pultizer Prize - this time in the general non-fiction category. The jury described Dr. Mukherjee's book as "an elegant inquiry, at once clinical and personal, into the long history of an insidious disease that, despite treatment breakthroughs, still bedevils medical science." He will receive $10,000 as prize money for "a distinguished and appropriately documented book of nonfiction by an American author."

About the Author

Siddhartha Mukherjee is a cancer physician and researcher. He is an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and a staff cancer physician at Columbia University Medical Center. A Rhodes scholar, he graduated from Stanford University, University of Oxford, Harvard Medical School. He has published articles in Nature, The New England Journal of Medicine, The New York Times, and The New Republic. He lives in New York with his wife and daughters.

About the Book

The Emperor of All Maladies is a magnificent, profoundly humane “biography” of cancer—from its first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic battles in the twentieth century to cure, control, and conquer it to a radical new understanding of its essence. Physician, researcher, and award-winning science writer, Siddhartha Mukherjee examines cancer with a cellular biologist’s precision, a historian’s perspective, and a biographer’s passion. The result is an astonishingly lucid and eloquent chronicle of a disease humans have lived with—and perished from—for more than five thousand years. The story of cancer is a story of human ingenuity, resilience, and perseverance, but also of hubris, paternalism, and misperception. Mukherjee recounts centuries of discoveries, setbacks, victories, and deaths, told through the eyes of his predecessors and peers, training their wits against an infinitely resourceful adversary that, just three decades ago, was thought to be easily vanquished in an all-out “war against cancer.” The book reads like a literary thriller with cancer as the protagonist.

From the Persian Queen Atossa, whose Greek slave cut off her malignant breast, to the nineteenth-century recipients of primitive radiation and chemotherapy to Mukherjee’s own leukemia patient, Carla, The Emperor of All Maladies is about the people who have soldiered through fiercely demanding regimens in order to survive—and to increase our understanding of this iconic disease.

Riveting, urgent, and surprising, The Emperor of All Maladies provides a fascinating glimpse into the future of cancer treatments. It is an illuminating book that provides hope and clarity to those seeking to demystify cancer. (From Scribner)

Such a Nostalgic Song!

2011-01-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

Why this Sad Song was Salil Da's Favorite... Some very Curious Facts!

মনে পড়ে সেই সব দিন ('Mone Pore Shei Shob Din') from the film Swarnatrishaa (1992) is the last and arguably the best song sung by Kishore Kumar for Salil Chowdhury. It has been one my favorite songs of nostalgia, and of moments of past joy since the time I first heard it in the late 1980s. I just loved the Hindi version of the song, which I discovered only a few years back. I thought this was perhaps his only song with a single 'antara' – as you’ll see in the video – until I found the full version, which I can’t but share with all of you. Listen to the song first and then we’ll talk about it in some detail (please ignore the intro-ad).

मन करे याद वो दिन ('Man Kare Yaad Woh Din') is from the film Aakhri Badla ('Last Revenge'), which was originally called Sabotage and released a couple of years after Kishore Da passed away in 1987. Shot in the Calcutta of the 1980s, these scenes from the otherwise forgettable film picturized on Mithun Chakraborty and his real-life wife Yogeeta Bali show glimpses of city’s streets, the Victoria Memorial and the Maidan. The song begins with Mithun reminiscing about his golden days sitting on a bench by the Ganga as Kishore lends him a superb playback rendition of one of his most difficult and heart-touching songs. The fact that the singer in real life was once married to the actress in the movie perhaps brought in a bout of extra pathos that makes this song so pensive.

Roughly translated, the beautifully penned lyrics by Yogesh go like this: "I think about those days. The joyful moment I spent with you. The beautiful dreams we saw together. Sometimes we walked in the shade, sometimes basked in the sun... with you beside me, and sometimes we walked together in the rain. We never knew how those days passed by, and sometimes the nights were spent just counting the star. I think about those days..." Below are the actual lyrics in Devnagari script:

मन करे याद वो दिन
तेरे संग बीते थे जो पल रंगीन
तेरे संग देखे थे जो सपने हसीन.

कभी छाँव में हम चले, जले धूप में भी हम तुम साथ में
कभी साथ-साथ भीगे बरसात में
कभी तो पता ना चला, दिन जाने कैसे ढला
कभी-कभी रात काटी, तारे गिन-गिन.

बहारों की डोली लिये, कितना भी चाहे ये मौसम सजे
तेरे बिन बसन्त भी ये पतझड़ लगे
सिंदूरी ये मांग भरे, पांवों में महावर मले
दुल्हन जैसी साँझ भी ये, डंसे तेरे बिन.

Listen to Full Song / Download Audio File of the Hindi version

I am writing about this Hindi film song on my Bangla Blog not just because it was originally written by Salil Da himself in Bengali, but because there seems to be some strange stories surrounding it. It seems to be one of his favourite tunes, which he used in four different films! Yes, that’s right. I’ll come to that in a moment, but first watch, and read the Bengali lyrics below, and then access the link to the song.

মনে পড়ে সেই সব দিন
সেই সব ঝড়ে যাওয়া স্বপ্ন রঙ্গীন
সেই সব ঋতু জুড়ে ফাগুনের দিন |

ভালবাসা কি যে জাদু , কি যে মধু আছে তার পাত্রে ভরা
সকলি নতুন লাগে, নতুনে ধরা |

মধুর কি যে সে ব্যথা না বলা কত সে কথা
চোখে চোখে চেয়ে শুধু কেটে যাওয়া দিন |

শুধু দুজনায়ে মিলে সৃজন করা যে যায় বিশ্ব ভূবন
ভালো যে বেসেছে সেই জানে সেই জন |

সে ভুবনে নেই সীমা, সারাক্ষণ পূর্নিমা
মিলে মিশে এক হয়ে যায় রাত দিন |

Listen to Full Song / Download Audio File of the Bengali version

Originally entitled Antarghaat in 1980, the film didn't see the light of day until it flashed back with a new name Swarnatrisha in 1992, and was forgotten soon after. It is only because of Salil Da's marvelous music (still labeled Antarghaat) that it is remembered today. But surprisingly, there are two other versions of the song in Hindi and Malayalam! I would have never known this rather curious fact had I not chanced upon the brilliant research by Gautam Choudhury on Salil Chowdhury’s life and works.

A Couple of Clones

The Malayalam version of this song was translated by ONV Kurup for the 1979 film Chuvanna Chirakkukal (Red Wings). Yesudas does a great job in singing the sad and touching ‘Parannupoy Nee’ (പറന്നുപോയ്‌ നീ). The incredible journey of this tune doesn’t end there. In 1980, Chuvanna Chirakkukal was remade as Daisy in Hindi with pretty ordinary lyrics by Prem Dhawan. If you have listened to the earlier two renditions of the song by Kishore Kumar, you’ll be able to judge where its clone - 'Bichhad More Saathi Gaye' sung by Mahendra Kapoor stands. That amply explains why we love Kishore’s voice the way we do even today!

Recycled Melody

Two film songs with the same melody by the same music director in the same language but written by different lyricists and sung by two different playback singers is indeed a rare occurrence. But 'Man Kare Yaad Wo Din' is not the only song that has such a clone. The Malayalam film Madanolsavam, which was dubbed in Hindi as Dil Kaa Saathi Dil (1982) has a beautiful song written by Manohar , and sung by Yesudas - 'Pyaar Mein Jo Bhi'.

Salil Chowdhury must have forgotten that he had used the same melody in the past for 'Jaane Raaz Kyaa Hai' also rendered by his favorite singer Yesudas and penned by Yogesh, for another Hindi film Kuhasaa (1978). Only the song’s title can perhaps explain how that happened!

~ Subho

Happy Birthday, Salil Da!

2010-11-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

A Tribute to the Legendary
Salil Chowdhury on his 85th Birthday

November 2010 marks the 85th birth anniversary of one of the greatest musicians India ever produced - Salil Chowdhury, the self-trained Bengali composer, music director, poet-lyricist and activist who had shaped Bengali popular music and left an indelible stamp on Bollywood songs. From tiny tots to the grannies and grandpas, Salil Chowdhury's melodies have touched every music lover, not only in India and Bangladesh, but around the world.

Early Life
Salil-Da, as many called him fondly, was born in Sonarpur, (24 Parganas) in West Bengal on November 19, 1925. He spent most of his early years in the verdant hillsides of Assam, where his father was a forest-officer. Salil was exposed to music, musicians and musical instruments right from his childhood. He trained himself on the flute, piano and violin and was introduced to Western classical music, particularly Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin, as well as traditional North Indian classical music at a very early age.

Salil, the Revolutionary
As a student in Calcutta University, Salil-Da came in direct contact with the high tide of Indian nationalism and made a mark in writing anti-British lyrics. Two of his popular compositions for the Quit India Movement - 'Bicharpati Tomar Bichar' (1943) and 'Dheu Uthchhe Kara Tutchhe' (1944), were banned by the British regime.

Son of the Soil
A son of the soil, Salil-Da saw himself get involved in the rural Communist peasant movement in the villages of Bengal. As always Salil's appeal for human rights manifest itself in music and dramaturgy. In the 1940s he was at the helm of the progressive theatre movement called Gana Natya Sangha or Indian Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA), where he composed innumerable songs called 'Ghum Bhangar Gaan' or 'Songs of Awakening'. He was also vigorously involved in writing scores for musical squads performing in Bengali countryside.

The Musician of the Masses
Salil Chowdhury believed in what is known as 'cultural internationalism'. He sought to unite people through a musical surge of mass songs, that were purely experimental compositions born out of a creative fusion of Western classical, Indian classical and traditional folk music. He was also a founder of the Calcutta Youth Choir, which traveled around the villages of Bengal with the IPTA to sing Salil Chowdhury's songs, many of which were translations of mass songs from around the world, including Latin America and the erstwhile USSR.

Magnificent Mass Songs
It was during this phase that Salil Chowdhury created a brand new genre of music, when he put to tune a long Bengali poem by Satyendranath Dutta and a few others by Sukanta Bhattacharya. Faced with a daunting challenge of shaping songs out of well-known poems, most of them with irregular rhyme schemes, Salil Chowdhury gave birth to some evergreen Bengali songs, like 'Palkir Gan', 'Runner', 'Abak Prithibi', and 'Dhitang Dhitang Bole'. Salil's music was a rage and filmmakers found a gem in him. Directors, like Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen used his music to portray the spirit of Bengali theatre movement of the 1940s in Komal Gandhar and Akaler Sandhaney.

Salil in Bollywood
Having created a brave new style of music in the 1950s, and after a brief stint with the Bangla film industry in Tollygung, Salil Choudhury moved to where the buzz was - Bombay. It was a boom time for Bengalis in Bollywood, and Salil went on to score the pathbreaking soundtrack of Bimal Roy's Madhumati and Do Bigha Zameen and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Musafir. Madhumati got Salil-Da his first Filmfare Award in 1958. During this period his communist activities made him a hunted man, and the busy music director had to go into hiding.

Salil Chowdhury gave Hindi film music a new dimension with his outstanding works in the musical hits of the 1970s - Anand, Rajnigandha and Chhoti Si Baat. He will also be remembered for his matchless background scores for BR Chopra's song-less film Kanoon, and Gulzar's Achanak, Mere Apne and Mausam.

Back to Bengal
As the days of melody waned in Bollywood, Salil Chowdhury gradually moved out from Bombay's music scene. Towards the late 1970s, he returned to Calcutta and continued composing Bangla 'Adhuniks' or modern songs, with able support from his songster-wife Sabita and daughter Antara, who helped make Salil's song even more popular.

The Poet, Playwright and Scriptwriter
The poetry and music of Salil Chowdhury have been included in the postgraduate syllabus for Bengali students at the Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta. His poetry is 'unusual', conversational and dramatic in style, but simple and straightforward. A collection of his unpublished Bengali poems was brought out posthumously by his wife Sabita Chowdhury in a volume entitled The Poems of Salil Chowdhury. And his only poetry album, in which we hear the poet recite his own poems with his own background score, was released in 1983.

Plays and Stories
His Bengali short stories 'Dressing Table', 'Sunya Puron', plays ChaalChore, Orunodoyer Pathey (a translation of the Irish play The Rising of the Moon), and Aapni key? Aapni ki karen? Apni ki korte chaan? (Who are you? What do you do? What would you like to do?) have been critically acclaimed.

The Musician as Scriptwriter
Salil was also an excellent scriptwriter. Did you know Salil Chowdhury wrote the script for Bimal Roy's award-winning classic Do Bighaa Zameen (Rikshawalaa in Bengali). His other film scripts include Pinjre Ki Panchhi, Parakh and Minoo in Hindi and Chinna Ninna Muddaduwe in Kannad.

He is also one of the few music directors to work in several Indian languages - Assamese, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Hindi.

Music Never Dies
Salil Chowdhury died on September 5, 1995, but left an extraordinary repertoire of evergreen melodies and a substantial body of lyrics that have made him immortal.

Songs of Salil Chowdhury
Top 10 Bengali Evergreen Hits

Hemanta Mukhopadhyay

Abak prithibi abak korle tumi (Lyrics: Sukanta Bhattacharya, Music: Salil Chowdhury)
Amay prasno kore neel dhrubo tara (Lyrics & Music: Salil Chowdhury)
Ami jhorer kaachhey rekhe gelaam (Lyrics & Music: Salil Chowdhury)
Dhitang dhitang bole (Lyrics & Music : Salil Chowdhury)
Palkir gaan (Lyrics: Satyendranath Dutta, Music: Salil Chowdhury)

Lata Mangeshkar
Antobiheen katena aar jeno biroher i ei din (Lyrics & Music: Salil Chowdhury)
Aaj tobe ei tuku thaak baki katha pore hobey (Lyrics: Salil Chowdhury)
Aaj noi gungun gunjan (Lyrics & Music: Salil Chowdhury)
Naa jeona rajani ekhono baaki (Lyrics & Music: Salil Chowdhury)
Saat bhai champa (Lyrics & Music: Salil Chowdhury)

When Calcutta Became Kolkata

2010-11-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

I wrote this article on January 7, 2001 for a very popular American web site - now part of the New York Times Company. Originally entitled "New Name for a 'Dying City'", it was featured as a top story on the homepage, and I remember receiving a flurry of comments - via email. It's a rather long article, but captures a bit of history and all the important news and events around the rechristening. At the end of it, don't miss what the Bengali intelligentsia - Mrinal Sen, Mahashweta Devi, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Buddahdev Guha, Shankar, et al - had to comment on the name change.

Calcutta has ceased to stay as Calcutta this New Year. Literally so! 'Calcutta' - the name of world's 10th largest metropolis - will now go down permanently in the pages of history, to be replaced by 'Kolkata', the Bengali name of the city. The renaming of the erstwhile Capital of India and the present Capital of West Bengal has been made official.

It's Official!
On the 1st of January 2001, the West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya announced that the State Capital 'Calcutta' has been officially renamed 'Kolkata'. Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta said that all official communications would now carry the new name - with effect from January 1, 2001. Earlier, the CM, reacting to the Central Government's decision to accept the State's proposal to rename Calcutta, greeted the residents of the city, saying: "Kolkata has returned to Kolkata!"

Who Needs A New Name?
Looks like it had become essential to rename the city! But why? Just to emphasize its ethnic Bengali character? Who wants a new name for a city that's virtually dead from the development point of view? Surely, not the residents, who still love to be addressed as 'Calcuttans'. It's the politicians, who want to pass this off as a demand from the intellectuals. Even Mayor Subrata Mukherjee, who belongs to the opposition was quoted as commenting: "We wanted a change in the name of the city in line with the new names of Bombay and Madras long ago."

At the helm of the intelligentsia who supported the name change is the poet Sunil Gangopadhyay who also hoped the state would be renamed 'Paschim Banga'. He wants the Mayor to ensure that at least a third of the signboards in the city be rewritten in Bengali. He says it "fuels our Bengali pride", and the renaming "makes us feel that the city belongs to Bengalis". Moreover, he questions, why should the colonial hangover linger?

What's the Problem With 'Calcutta'?
The West Bengal Chief Minister claims to have "rendered justice to history" by dumping Calcutta's 'colonial name'. But escaping from the vestiges of British legacy is a daunting task, even for the CM himself. Like most of the city's buildings, the CM's office in Writers' Building was built by the British! And can anybody think of the city sans the Howrah Bridge or Victoria Memorial or Fort William?

Can You Escape From the British Legacy?
From the judicial system to English medium schools, everything here still bears the British odour. People still like to keep their Anglicized surnames - Ray, Paul, Mitter, Bannerjee, Chatterjee and so on. Now the world will refer to Calcuttans as 'Kolkatans' - yet another anglicized derivation from Kolkata!

Calcuttans, who have prided themselves as being different from inhabitants of other cities, and free from all kinds of bias, would now become indistinguishable from Bal Thackeray's Mumbai and Jayalalitha's Chennai. Now, the Left Front should also do something about streets and places named after Marx, Lenin and Ho Chi Minh, they suggest.

Hardly a Problem!
Will this name change do any good to Calcuttans? Bengali has recently replaced English as the official State language. It's full implementation and results are yet to be seen. Many still feel the British contributed to the modernization of this nation and gave them their political institutions.

Not the colonial legacy but the state's economic and cultural decline over the past two decades is what Calcuttans are ashamed of. So the residents want the ruling Communist Party to change the work culture and administration instead of changing names and rewriting signboards. They argue, a Marxist government should be concerned with socio-economic problems, and re-christening a city or a state is hardly a problem.

Can unnecessary work solve unemployment problem? Just think of the number of signboards to be repainted, letterheads to be reprinted, plus a host of other changes, and you'll get the answer. As if the loss of man-hours in strikes, traffic jams and political campaigns weren't enough for the city.

Distraction Strategy?
If one has to go by the mass consensus, this name game is nothing but the Left Front Government's way of distracting the public from the task of ensuring social welfare. People can't be won over by gimmicks and rhetorical gloss, and this cosmetic change can't bedazzle their jaded eyes. There is hardly any tangible benefit from this "freedom from the colonial hangover". Grave problems of the people - poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, overpopulation, etc., need to be taken care of. May the decision makers get the courage to begin afresh with this brand new name!

How 'Calcutta' Turned 'Kolkata'!
The first mention of 'Calcutta' is to be found in a letter dated June 22, 1688 by Charles Eyre and Rogger Braddyll to the British East India Company's agent Job Charnock. The world knew the city as 'Calcutta', whereas Bengalis pronounced it 'Kolkata'.

The Proposal
The State Government had recommended to the Central Government an all-party resolution adopted by the State Assembly in July, 2000 to change the name of Calcutta. The State Cabinet too in its meeting held on August 3, 2000 decided so. On August 24, 2000, Calcutta celebrated its 310th birthday against the backdrop of persisting debates over changing its name.

Before making any change in the names of villages or towns, State Governments are required to send the proposals with due justification to the Home Ministry for consideration. The approval for renaming the State Capital in all languages was officially sought by the State Chief Secretary Manish Gupta on November 15, 2000. In a letter to the Home Secretary, he had stated that the Assembly, "following a motion under rule 185 of their Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, adopted a resolution to rename the State of West Bengal as Bangla and the city of Calcutta as Kolkata".

The Red Signal
On December 9, 2000, the Indian Government reminded the West Bengal Government that it is not desirable to change the name unless there are very special reasons to do so, and that "a change should not be made merely on grounds of local patriotism or for linguistic reasons". The Union Home Ministry also asked the State Government to give detailed reasons for proposing the change in the name of the city and sought the reasons for selection of the proposed name 'Kolkata' for Calcutta.

Further, it requested the West Bengal Chief Secretary to furnish a detailed report on related issues: The period for which the present name Calcutta has been figuring in the local or revenue records, and whether the proposed change would necessitate any corresponding change in the name of the two railway stations - Sealdah and Howrah - serving the city.

The Green Signal
The Indian Government on December 23, 2000, gave green signal to West Bengal Government's proposal to rename Calcutta as 'Kolkata'. "The Government of India have, after careful consideration, accepted the proposal of the State Government of West Bengal to change the name of the city of 'Calcutta' to 'Kolkata'," an official release said. Thus Calcutta became the third Indian metropolis to get a new name. And Calcutta became Kolkata.

If only a new name could save the metropolis from being dubbed as a 'dying city'. God bless Kolkata and its wonderful people!

Comments & Reactions: 'Quote-Unquote'
The decision to change Calcutta's nomenclature has attracted both bouquets and brickbats from writers, poets, artistes and the intelligentsia. Here's a sampling:

"I wonder what Bengali culture will stand to gain by rechristening the metropolis Kolkata. The heavens wouldn't have fallen had the city's name remained Calcutta...I don't know whether regionalism has outweighed cultural considerations or it is the other way around. We can see an assertive cultural movement here, which speaks about making it mandatory to paint signboards in Bengali. Will it help us to integrate with the world? I'm not sure.''
~ Mrinal Sen, Film-maker

"I'm vehemently opposed to the decision which will make a mockery of the history behind Calcutta's name. You can pronounce the name of the city differently, but how can you change the spelling which has evolved over a period of time? Besides, phonetically and linguistically Kolkata and Calcutta go hand in hand."
~ Ananda Shankar Roy, Litterateur

"It has been a long-standing demand of intellectuals of the metropolis. They have been clamouring for a change in Calcutta's nomenclature."
~ Sunil Gangopadhyay, Poet-Novelist

"It is a welcome decision albeit long overdue. You can call the decision a fulfillment of our dreams and aspirations."
~ Buddhadeb Guha, Novelist

"We wanted a change. But what will happen to the names of our venerable institutions? Will the Calcutta University be renamed Kolkata University or Calcutta High Court as Kolkata High Court from now?"
~ Mahasweta Devi, Magsaysay Award Winning Writer & Activist

Maa Durga: Playing to the Gallery

2010-10-14T00:40:00.001-07:00

This hilarious post is by my dear friend 'Debu' aka Dev of Radio Mirchi fame, now an academic based in Dubai. I can't but marvel at the gay perspective and amusing angle from which he views even such serious things as divinity :-)

I have been thinking about it for a few years now. About how Maa Durga looks, more often than not, uninterested in slaying Mahishasur!

Bengalis, the world over, celebrate Durga Puja with the idol being the centre of all festivities and attractions. There is a huge art factor in it as well. Special artists are employed to construct the 'perfect' artistic idol of the divinity and the demon. Thrown in is some bit of wildlife as well, for effects.

Notice if you will, carefully, how Maa Durga is actually playing to the crowds. She sometimes has a far-away look and sometimes looks as if she is eyeing the new saree or kurta that a Bangalee might be wearing. Down below, of course, is the poor 'asur' who is emoting hard to save his life, which doesnt get spared, eventually. He is grimacing, his teeth are clenched, his muscles are flexed tight and you can even see his veins popping! Brandishing a fearsome sword, he is charging at Maa Durga or maybe at her steed. The lion also is totally charged, fangs and claws bared like Wolverine. But the Mother... she is just there for some sort of photo opportunity. Wonder why?

I wish she would at least acknowledge the poor soul at her feet, rather than stand in a salsa-like pose, with one of her 10 hands engaged in battle. It is not fair to Mahishasur!

And a quick mention of the poor lion. Most times, the lion has so many more teeth in his mouth that the bugger must not be able to close his gob ever! There are times, when the king of jungle looks like Jerry with mane, trying to scare Tom.

Let us think of some precision moments. When the footballer kicks the ball past the goalie, when a cricketer sends the ball over the crowds, when a gymnast goes into convoluted summersaults or when a sprinter chests the tape - that is not the time when they make eye contact with the crowd or pose. Maa Durga is always depicted in that precision moment and she, unfortunately, is not interested in what is happening by Her feet.

By Dev J. Halder

Kishore Da: 81 yrs of the Evergreen Entertainer

2010-08-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Tribute to a Bong Genius - on his 81st Birth Anniversary!

Can you imagine Kishore Kumar in his 80s? He must have been made a one-of-a-kind octogenarian entertainer if he was still alive. After all, there was only one such person in the history of Indian cinema!

True genius — there is perhaps only one word to describe Kishore-Da, for he defies any one particular definition for an artiste. He could sing and dance; act and mimic; write and compose; make you laugh and cry; and he lived a life that challenged all social norms. Kishore Kumar's hilarious movies, and his ever-enchanting songs make him the most memorable multifaceted talent of Bengali origin of all times.
Born on August 4, 1929, in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, India, Abhas Kumar Gangoly (his real name) was the youngest son of Kunjhalal Gangoly and Gauri Devi. Music and culture was in his blood. In Kishore's own words: "My father Kunjalal Ganguli, was a pleader (advocate) who earned Rs 30 a month. My mama, Dhananjay Banerjee, a classical singer, was the only family link I had with music. But I was never trained to be a singer. It was my brother Dadamoni (Ashok Kumar) who learnt music from the well-known Saraswati Devi."

Neither school nor college interested him. As he once said: "I used to compose different tunes for different subjects. For instance, I composed a tune for a paragraph on the Malthusian theory of population." Music was the heart and soul of Kishore. "Very early in life I was fascinated by K.L. Saigal. I used to save my pocket money to buy his records. He's my real guru."

When his elder brother Ashok Kumar became a favourite Bombay Talkies hero, Kishore and his younger brother Anoop were still struggling to pass out college exams. The family finally moved to Bombay in 1946, in the hope that Ashok Kumar, whose career as an actor has just taken off, would be able to find jobs for the boys in films. That's how Kishore Kumar went on to became an actor, which he never wanted.

"I only wanted to sing…But somehow…I was persuaded to act in the movies. I hated every moment of it and tried virtually every trick to get out of it." But Kishore did make a successful film career. As he said, "I was the biggest draw after Dilip Kumar. "There were so many films I was doing in those days that I had to run from one set to the other, changing on the way." He acted in some eighty films in all, the most remarkable being Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein, and Parosan.

Today, Kishore Kumar's fame rests almost entirely on his wonderful legacy of songs. Beginning with Ziddi in 1948, Kishore Kumar produced thousands of soulful song with immense fervour, intense emotion and exceptional versatility. He sang for all the Bengali music directors of Bollywood, from Sachin Dev and Rahul Dev Burman, Anil Biswas and Salil Chowdhury to Hemant Kumar, Shyamal Mitra and Bappi Lahiri. He received many national and international awards and did stage shows all over the world. He is often compared with the likes of Bob Hope and Danny Kaye. Kishore also produced and directed about a dozen movies, including a few Bengali films. His favourite director was Alfred Hitchcock.

This exciting person, who made us laugh and cry with his scintillating performance, was not a happy man in personal life. He married four times, all actors — Ruma Ghosh, Madhubala, Yogeeta Bali and Leena Chandravarkar. Kishore Kumar died of a heart attack in Mumbai on 13th October, 1987. He is survived by his wife Leena and sons Sumit and Amit Kumar, who is also a gifted singer.

Kishore Kumar will always be remembered for his lively, sonorous and flexible voice that today's singers try to copy in vain. Kishore Valicha, in his book Kishore Kumar, The Definitive Biography, writes: "It may not be wrong to say that Kishore Kumar's was the second golden voice India has produced, if the first is that of Kundan Lal Saigal. Kishore's voice was not only a magnificent intonation in itself but belonged to the tradition-governed glorious era of melody, which ended, in a way, with his departure. Kishore Kumar marked the end of an era of great film music."

Kishore Kumar: FAQs & Facts

2010-08-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Some tell-tale quotes and comments from Kishore himself, his family members and friends

Was Kishore Kumar mad?
"He was very childlike and innocent. There was always a sense of wonder about him," says Preeti Ganguly, Kishore's niece and Ashok Kumar's daughter. "I'm mad, true. But only about one thing. Horror movies. I love spooks. They are a friendly fearsome lot. Very nice people, actually, if you get to know them. Not like these industry chaps out here…" ~ Kishore Kumar

Was Kishore a money maniac?
"Like Dad, Kaka was quite paranoid about money, and about not being paid. But Kaka's eccentricities made him do funny things. ... At another time when he discovered his dues hadn't been fully paid, Kaka landed up for shooting with make-up on only one side of his face. No one really noticed, until all the lights were switched on. "What's this?" asked the shocked director. Kaka nonchalently replied, "Aadha paisa to aadha make-up. Pura paisa to pura make-up."...Occasionally when he'd come home, I would ask him, "Kaka, why don't you act anymore? You're so brilliant." He'd reply firmly. "No. I'll never act for other producers again." He hated to collect payment from people, to chase them for his money..." ~ Preeti Ganguly

Was Kishore a glutton?
"Kaka was also very fond of food, especially of mangsher jhol, a thin Bengali-style mutton curry, with maida puris (handmade bread). He loved the way Mummy cooked it, and she'd prepare it for him every time he came here. When he came here after Mummy died, I had it especially made for him. He was very touched and said, "You remembered, Pallu." He also loved tiny bits of gobi (cauliflower). He'd say, "Cover me with mounds of fried gobi. I'll lie under them and keep eating the gobi. Even after I've finished it all, I'm sure I won't be satisfied!"" ~ Preeti Ganguly

What was the secret of Kishore Kumar, the singer?
"Kishore's voice hits the mike, straight, at its most sensitive point — and that's the secret of his success as a singer without peer!" ~ Ashok Kumar

When did musician Salil Chowdhury recognize Kishore's talent?
"Not until the vocal results Kishore gave me, some 18 years later, in Gulzar's Mere Apne, with Koi hota jis ko apna hum apna keh lete yaaron, did I get a real idea of how totally I had misjudged the depth and dimension of the lad as a singer." ~ Salil Chowdhury

Why did RD Burman compositions make the best Kishore songs?
"Kishore wants this tape in advance, because he doesn't just sing a song; he feels it; savours it; experiences it; before entering the music room to record it…My best songs for Kishore have been done this way…So strikingly different, in fact, was the result when I managed to send the tape to Kishore, two days in advance, that I could, here, offhand reel off the songs done this way, for me, by this my pet performer." ~ R D Burman

Who was Kishore's favourite actor?
"I am a crazy fan of Topol's. When we were in London, I saw an advertisement of Fiddler on the Roof in the drama section of a newspaper. I thought they'd made a mistake. When I checked, I was told that there WAS a stage show of "Fiddler...". I can't tell you how thrilled I was. I had seen the film at least a hundred times and now I had an opportunity to see my favourite actor perform right in front of me. Would you believe it, I attended all the four consecutive shows. I went backstage to introduce myself to Topol and even took his autograph. I still remember the date - September 9, 1983. He presented me a copy of his autobiography, Topol by Topol, and I presented him the records and cassettes of my songs. In 1960, he was only 48-49 but still he played the old man so beautifully. I think nobody, just nobody, can perform the way Topol did in Fiddler. He actually sings through the whole film. Neither Dilip Kumar nor Ashok Kumar can match him." ~ Kishore Kumar

What was Kishore favourite place?
"I am determined to get out of this futile rat race and live as I've always wanted to. In my native Khandwa, the land of my forefathers. Who wants to die in this ugly city?" ~ Kishore Kumar

Kishore Kumar: A True Blue Bong

2010-08-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Kishore Kumar's Contribution to Bengali Culture

Although born outside Bengal, Kishore Kumar was a true Bengali, from all possible points of view.

Unforgettable Puja Songs
To the Bengalis, Kishore is most memorable for his Puja albums, which mostly contained Bengali songs that he composed himself. Who can forget the magical semi-classical rendition in Noyono Sharashi Keno, Aamar Moner Ei Moyur Mahaley, Aamar Dweep Nebhano Raat? His Bangla fun songs Shingh Nei Tobu Naam Taar Shingho, Bum Chicki Bum, Gaaner Gaw Jaani Na, and Daake Lokey Aamake Clown are one-of-its kind in the history of Bangla "gaan".

Kishore & Satyajit

Kishore with Satyajit Ray at the screening
of his film Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein

The great Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray never failed to recognize his genius. He summoned Kishore for the playback of the Tagore songs in Charulata and Ghare Bairey. Ray also wanted him to act in Parash Pathar, and sing the songs of Goopi Gayin Bagha Bayin, which never happened. Kishore is rumoured to have lent him five thousand rupees during the production of Ray's seminal debut film Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road).

Kishore & Hemanta
Kishore cut two "Rabindra Sangeet" albums under the baton of Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, who was also the composer of many of his most popular "Adhunik Gaan" (pop songs), like Aamar Pujar Phool and Shey Jeno Aamar Pashey Aajo Boshe Aachhe. Kishore's Bengali films include the extremely popular Lukochuri (Hide'n'seek), Dushtu Projapoti (The Naughty Butterfly), and a few other memorable flicks of the black and white era.

100 Years of Mohun Bagan’s Historic I F A Win

2010-07-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today, Mohun Bagan celebrated the centenary of their historic 1911 IFA Shield win. Mohun Bagan (MB) was the first-ever Indian soccer club to have won the IFA Shield beating East Yorkshire Regiment by 2-1 on 29th July, 1911, a red-letter day in history of Indian sports.

Outside the MB club in Kolkata, the main gate has been built in the shape of the IFA Shield trophy, while the main stage for the celebration has been given the shape of a sail boat, the club's emblem. A glow-sign bearing the photograph of the “Immortal XI” of 1911 IFA Shield winning team was also erected outside the club. The header read “India’s first fight for Independence on the sports field.”

A commemorative cover duly authorized by the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication & Information Technology, Government of India, would be released by the Governor of West Bengal. Mohun Bagan Ratna will be conferred posthumously on the Team Members of 1911. And the music album of the Bengali movie "Egaro" would be launched.

A number of exhibition matches were played in the club ground today. The first match between Mohun Bagan Junior Team & Mona Guin Memorial Football Camp is a significant one as Late Mona Guin was ex-captain of the MB football team and this year is his birth centenary.

And it was confirmed that Golden Ball winner of World Cup 2010, Diego Forlan of Uruguay will participate in an exhibition match against Mohun Bagan on August 1, 2010, as part of a reality show of a private TV channel. Earlier, legendary footballers like Pele, Roger Milla, Oliver Kahn had played against Mohun Bagan, and Diego Maradona visited the Mohun Bagan ground last year.

The Bengali Alphabet

2010-07-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

Many of my artful 'non-Bengali' friends tell me that they just love the Bengali alphabet—because of its ornate curlicues and elegant style. They often wish they could read and write in this beautiful script—not just because of its literary wealth but also because of the sheer visual appeal and beauty of the characters.

However, I have a feeling that more Bengalis are turning 'non-Bengalis' in this sense. While they love the language and speak it, they can hardly read a line of Bangla text or even write their own name in the native letter. This is especially true for our Gen Y and the current progeny of the huge probashi Bengali population that live outside the two Bengals or abroad.

So, if you want to start reading and writing like a true blue Bong—wherever you are—here's all that you need to refer to. It's never too late to learn to read or write your native language, especially for those who can already speak or understand Bengali. Just do it! And do us proud :-)

Vowels (Swara Varna)

Consonants (Vyanjan Varna)

Numerals (1-0)

A Short History of ‘Bangla Bhasha'

2010-07-24T01:53:00.000-07:00

Bengali, the mother tongue of more than 150 million people around the world, is the first Indian language to develop a major modern literature. Also called Bangla, it is the major language of the north-eastern part of South Asia, now divided between India and Bangladesh. Bengali is the national language of Bangladesh and the state language of West Bengal. It is widely spoken in the neighboring states, and also by the emigrant Bengali and Bangladeshi communities is such countries as the UK and the US.

Linguists claim that all languages are cognate and have common origins. To trace the origins of the Bengali language let’s begin at the beginning. Bengali belongs to the easternmost branch of the Indo-European family of languages (spoken by about half the world’s population), called the Indo-Iranian branch (See Figure). Bengali descended from the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-Iranian family, which includes old and obsolete languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit and modern languages like Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati and Sinhalese.

Going deeper, we find that the direct ancestor of Bengali was a form of Prakrit, a Middle Indo-Aryan language, which descended from Sanskrit or Old Indo-Aryan. Sanskrit was the spoken and the literary language of Aryans until circa 500 BC, after which it remained for nearly 2000 years the dominant literary language as well as the lingua franca among the cultured and the erudite throughout the Indian subcontinent. But, soon the spoken language, conditioned by the regional linguistic and ethnic environments took up the different regional new Indo-Aryan languages.

The emergence of these new Indo-Aryan languages and dialects was not all synchronized. But some of them, including Bengali, certainly originated by the middle of the 10th century AD. For old Bengali the only records are mystical songs discovered in a manuscript from Nepal by historian and author Haraprasad Shastri. The language of the these songs is basically vernacular, but at the same time it is also something of a literary language.
Current Bengali language has two distinct styles and dialects: ‘Sadhubhasha’ or elegant language and ‘Chaltibhasha’ or current language. The former, which is less intelligible to the uneducated, is the traditional literary style based on the Bengali language of the 16th century, and has a vocabulary consisting of many Sanskrit words The latter is mostly a creation of the 20th century, and is based on the cultivated form of the dialect spoken in Calcutta by the educated Bengalis as well as by the common people coming from districts surrounding the Hoogly river.

Like all Indian scripts, the Bengali script, originated from the Brahmi alphabet of the period of Emperor Ashoka. The Bengali alphabet in its present printed form took shape in 1778 when printing types were first cast by Charles Wilkins. There still remained a few archaic forms that were finally replaced in the middle of the 19th century by a well-defined alphabet.
Today Bengali is among the major modern languages of the world. It is the first of the Indian languages to develop Western secular literary styles, such as fiction, drama and odes. It is also the only South Asian language to have a Nobel laureate in literature - Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) - the chief monument of Bengali literature.

© 2010 Subhamoy Das. All rights reserved.

Bongs in World Cup 2010 - By Anonymous

2010-06-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

This time around, too, there are quite a few Bongs playing for various countries.

With Denmark having qualified, hordes of bodyis from the famous Sen family of Bodyinath Dham are in action. Soren Sen (Jersey No. 1) will keep goal for them while two of his distant cousins are his deputies - Ander Sen (16) and Christian Sen (22). In defense, there are Jacob Sen (6) and Simon Poul Sen (15). The midfield sees the presence of Christian Poul Sen (2), Jen Sen (7), the veteran Jogen Sen (10) (who is now called Jorgen in Danish), Jakob Poul Sen (14), Enevold Sen (20) and young Erik Sen (21) who at 18 is one of the youngest players in the competition this year. The Denmark attack has Lar Sen (18) who scored 5 goals in 5 games during qualification. The team is coached by the round old man Ol Sen, who played with such distinction in 1986, albeit with a sore throat. Bodyis, as you know, have spread everywhere.

Germany has a bodyi in their squad, defender Jan Sen (2), while another defender Mathij Sen (4) is playing for the Netherlands. Yet another defender Nel Sen (6), presumably a descendant of Nellie Sen Gupta, is captaining New Zealand. Why most of these bodyis are defensive is a question that I shall avoid answering as of now.

Other countries have their Bongs too, though they may not be bodyis. The first name that comes to mind is that of the Cameroon defender from the French club Valenciennes – Gaetan Bong (Jersey No. 12). Here is a Bong who proudly announces his awesome heritage.

Ghana has a descendant of Prince Dwarka Nath Tagore in their squad – striker Prince Tagoe (12). (Some obvious clerical error has somehow removed the r from his surname.) A scion of the Sonar Bene family of Chetla is also in the Ghana team – defender Lee Addy (19).

Ivory Coast has a somewhat retarded Bong in their squad – defender Arthur Boka (3), while another Sonar Bene or Johuri is their number 6 – defender Steve, though he now spells his surname with a `G’ and is listed as Steve Gohouri. (La French influence, no doubt!) Another Bong in the Ivorian squad is film star Bumba da’s younger brother defender Bamba (22).

Nigeria has appointed a Bong as captain - striker Kanu Babu (4). Another Bong in the Nigerian team will try to forget the bitterness and deliver – he is striker Kalu Uchhe (12).

France has left out Saha Babu this year, but they do have two elderly Bongs in their squad, midfielder Malou Da (15) and goalkeeper Mandan Da (16). (As their jersey numbers signify – Bongs do tend to stick together, especially in a foreign country.)

Japan too has three elderly Bongs in their squad – defender Uchi Da (6), midfielder Hon Da (18) and forward Tama Da (11). The three dadas shall adequately look after the three departments of defence, midfield and offence. Another Bong in the Japanese squad is that great disciple of Goddess Kali – midfielder Ma Koto Hasebe (17). 53 year old Oka Da is the Japanese coach.

That perennially lazy Bong is in the Spanish squad once again – he who never even hits a ball. He is defender Carlos Marche Na (4).

And of course couldn’t help but miss the Dutch Patrick Bouma, and elder sisinlaw - Ruben Bara ja. Kaka babu is trying to do his protyaborton for Brazil..but then with absence of grand mom Dida.. dekhi ball koddur goraye.

Cut to present:Do not miss the oriya presence in Algeria’s golaie Chaouchi…conceding goals and smirking ‘Gola khaouchi’ and the Bong exports to South Africa - the agony aunt -Masi lele and the murderous Khune…

Spain’s reserve mideo with mother’s touch - Mata, Paraguay’s shirt-tucker - Ortigoza, Slovenia has the Bihari revolutinary Birsa who might just spearhead all counter attacks and take over the South Arican cabbie and rickshaw business...

Author: Unknown / Source: Facebook

Vir Sanghvi's Calcutta

2010-05-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

This post is an excerpt from an old article on Durga Puja by Vir Sanghvi, the Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times, who spent a major part of his life in the 'City of Joy'

Tell anybody who lives in Bombay that he lives in a Maharashtrian city and (unless of course, you are speaking to Bal Thackeray) he will take immediate offence. We are cosmopolitan, he will say indigenously. Tell a Delhiwalla that his is a Punjabi city (which, in many ways, it is) and he will respond with much self-righteous nonsense about being the nation’s capital, about the international composition of the city’s elite etc. And tell a Bangalorean that he lives in a Kannadiga city and you’ll get lots of techno-gaff about the internet revolution and about how Bangalore is even more cosmopolitan than Bombay.

But, the only way to understand what Calcutta is about is recognize that the city is essentially Bengali. What’s more, no Bengali minds you saying that. Rather, he is proud of the fact. Calcutta’s strengths and weaknesses mirror those of the Bengali character. It has the drawbacks: the sudden passions, the cheerful chaos, the utter contempt for mere commerce, the fiery response to the smallest provocation.

And it has the strengths (actually, I think of the drawbacks as strengths in their own way). Calcutta embodies the Bengali love of culture; the triumph of intellectualism over greed; the complete transparency of all emotions, the disdain with which hypocrisy and insincerity are treated; the warmth of genuine humanity; and the supremacy of emotion over all other aspects of human existence.

That’s why Calcutta is not for everyone. You want your cities clean and green; stick to Delhi. You want your cities, rich and impersonal; go to Bombay. You want them high-tech and full of draught beer; Bangalore’s your place. But if you want a city with a soul: come to Calcutta.

When I look back on the years I’ve spent in Calcutta - and I come back so many times each year that I often feel I’ve never been away - I don’t remember the things that people remember about cities. When I think of London, I think of the vast open spaces of Hyde Park. When I think of New York, I think of the frenzy of Times Square. When I think of Tokyo, I think of the bright lights of Shinjiku. And when I think of Paris, I think of the Champs Elysee. But when I think of Calcutta, I never think of any one place. I don’t focus on the greenery of the maidan, the beauty of the Victoria Memorial, the bustle of Burra Bazar or the splendour of the new Howrah ‘Bridge’. I think of people.

Because, finally, a city is more than bricks and mortars, street lights and tarred roads. A city is the sum of its people. And who can ever forget - or replicate - the people of Calcutta?

When I first came to live here, I was told that the city would grow on me. What nobody told me was that the city would change my life. It was in Calcutta that I learnt about true warmth; about simple human decency; about love and friendship; about emotions and caring; about truth and honesty. I learnt other things too. Coming from Bombay as I did, it was a revelation to live in a city where people judged each other on the things that really mattered; where they recognized that being rich did not make you a better person - in fact, it might have the opposite effect. I learnt also that if life is about more than just money, it is about the things that other cities ignore; about culture, about ideas, about art, and about passion. In Bombay, a man with a relatively low income will salt some of it away for the day when he gets a stock market tip. In Calcutta, a man with exactly the same income will not know the difference between a debenture and a dividend. But he will spend his money on the things that matter. Each morning, he will read at least two newspapers and develop sharply etched views on the state of the world.

Each evening, there will be fresh (ideally, fresh-water or river) fish on his table. His children will be encouraged to learn to dance or sing. His family will appreciate the power of poetry. And for him, religion and culture will be in inextricably bound together.

Ah religion! Tell outsiders about the importance of Puja in Calcutta and they’ll scoff. Don’t be silly, they’ll say. Puja is a religious festival. And Bengal has voted for the CPM since 1977. How can godless Bengal be so hung up on a religions festival? I never know how to explain them that to a Bengali, religion consists of much more than shouting Jai Shri Ram or pulling down somebody’s mosque. It has little to do with meaningless ritual or sinister political activity.

The essence of Puja is that all the passions of Bengal converge: emotion, culture, the love of life, the warmth of being together, the joy of celebration, the pride in artistic expression and yes, the cult of the goddess.

It may be about religion. But is about much more than just worship. In which other part of India would small, not particularly well-off localities, vie with each other to produce the best pandals? Where else could puja pandals go beyond religion to draw inspiration from everything else? In the years I lived in Calcutta, the pandals featured Amitabh Bachchan, Princes Diana and even Saddam Hussain! Where else would children cry with the sheer emotional power of Dashami, upset that the Goddess had left their homes? Where else would the whole city gooseflesh when the dhakis first begin to beat their drums? Which other Indian festival - in any part of the country - is so much about food, about going from one roadside stall to another, following your nose as it trails the smells of cooking?

To understand Puja, you must understand Calcutta. And to understand Calcutta, you must understand the Bengali. It’s not easy.

Certainly, you can’t do it till you come and live here, till you let Calcutta suffuse your being, invade your bloodstream and steal your soul. But once you have, you’ll love Calcutta forever. Wherever you go, a bit of Calcutta will go with you. I know, because it’s happened to me. And every Puja, I am overcome by the magic of Bengal. It’s a feeling that’ll never go away.

~ Vir Sanghvi