In most states in the country, the NCC is under the education department. In West Bengal too, it was the same till 1996 when the Left Front government shifted it to the civil defence department. Since then the organization in the state has been facing problems.

Things have started looking up after the new government took over and efforts are being made to shift it back to the education department.

“We did face some problems with the previous government which did not pay due importance to NCC. However, after the change of guards, we have been getting alot of support. Both the civil defence minister and the chief minister are very keen to sort out our problems. I have suggested to the state civil defence minister and the education minister to bring NCC back to the education department. I will submit a formal proposal after I discuss the matter with Mamata Banerjee.

Several ministers, including Firhad Hakim, are former NCC cadets and are very cooperative,” Maj Gen M P Singh, additional director general, NCC (West Bengal and Sikkim directorate) said. According to Singh, the performance of NCC cadets from Bengal has improved significantly in the last few months, thanks to the motivation.

On Tuesday, Governor M K Narayanan gave away medals to NCC cadets who have excelled in several fields. “NCC should be made compulsory in schools. Children should go through the NCC discipline as it will make them better citizens,” Narayanan said.

Appearing for the state, Kalyan Banerjee submitted that the board of directors of AMRI had violated statutory rules of the hospital and also civic building rules. He said though the hospital authorities had sought sanction for construction of lower basement for setting up a chemotherapy unit and an upper basement for car parking, after taking consent from the board of directors, they converted lower basement into a pharmacy and the upper basement into office space.

“This is clearly a case of violation of the KMC building rules, Banerjee said. The chargesheet would be filed within 10 days, he said.

Commenting on ‘Maintaining Discipline in Educational Institutions’, La Martiniere for Boys principal Sunirmal Chakravarthi said despite having the responsibility of imparting value-based modern and high-quality education, schools don’t have the right to discipline the children.

“Teachers are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. We are really crying out for help,” Chakravarthi said. He raised a question: Since parents have abdicated their duties and schools can’t punish them, who is to educate the child between what is right and wrong? Jadavpur University VC Pradip Narayan Ghosh felt authorities too were to blame for clashes and agitations.

He pointed out that rarely do students demand better quality of teaching or educational facilities during strikes or agitations. Most of the disruptions are political and election-related. All panelists felt politics should be removed from educational institutions.

“A political atmosphere is not conducive for an educational institution,” said St Xavier’s College principal Felix Raj.

The play, which is a one night’s tale about the interaction between a theatre director, his wife and an actor and deals with the understanding of how every action of a human being has a scientific basis to it, once again raises the whole debate of whether theatre is a higher form of art in comparison to that which is churned out in the name of resurgent and popular Bengali cinema.

One reason why ‘Brain’ has the potential to become the next talking point of Bengali theatre is that it marks the return to stage of two of Bengal’s finest actors – Sujan Mukhopadhyay and Bidipta Chakraborty. Complementing them was none other than Pijush Ganguly, who has been a favourite on the stage, having consistently done plays such as ‘Jochhona Kumari’, ‘Virus M’, ’17th July’, ‘Mrityu Ishwar Jounota’ and ‘Babli’.

The choice that a theatre actor has to make when he opts for mindless cinema that offers both money and fame as opposed to the marginal existence of a theatre person in quest of knowledge does not merely remain an engaging debate between the idealist Pijush and the more realistic Sujan. It is a dilemma that most theatre actors in Tollywood are now facing. For them, the moot point is to decide whether it make sense to remain a “bad director” who is all equipped with the knowhow on dramatics but has no new production to talk about, or is it wiser to unlearn everything that was taught on stage and join the melodramatic world of populist cinema that is only concerned with number crunching?

Says Sujan, “When I first heard Debeshda’s script, I could see mirror images of so many people I know from Tollywood in the character that I was playing. The theatre actor’s dilemma might have been dealt with in earlier plays, too, but nowhere before has it got so magnified. At least 50% of the theatre actors I know in Tollywood will agree with these lines I mouth on stage: ‘Dorshok haat tali dichhe, director bhalo bolchhe, production house amake chaichhe, tor contradiction tokhon ****. Majhe majhe ektudialogue bhule jai. Tui ekjon byartho gyani director hoye barite bose thak. Ami ekta ***** actor hoye gari chalabo’.”

Sujan himself didn’t do theatre for close to five years and had refused his brother (Suman Mukhopadhyay) when he had offered him the role of Bishu Pagla for ‘Raktakarabi’. “I felt, I might end up coming late for rehearsals and not give the honour that’s due to theatre.

But it’s a fact that in between, I did a lot of roles on the small screen that didn’t make me proud. Reality shows pay a lot these days and I couldn’t ignore that lure,” he admits. There is a scene in the play where Sujan’s character shows a photograph of his that’s been published on Page 3 and proudly tells Pijush that he is happy to be seen there. “That’s actually the truth for so many actors,” he says.

Ask Pijush if he ever faced such a dilemma in his life and he says: “This is dilemma among most theatre actors in town. Having quit my job as a bank employee, I had to wait for six years before I was in a position to do theatre. Being on stage wasn’t enough to sustain me financially and even today, I need to go back to doing serials and cinema. But having said this, I must add that I don’t agree with my character’s views about theatre being a higher form of art. Today’s Bengali films and serials also offer intellectual fodder.”

Bidipta, who took 11 years to return to stage, says: “I started doing theatre when I was five. I had various reasons for not doing theatre in between though I did serials and films. Not too many interesting offers came my way. I loved Debeshda’s script and found Sujan’s character very interesting. I see so many such actors around me and I also notice that somewhere deep down they have that urge to go back to theatre but can’t.”

Debesh, on his part, insists that while the dilemma of the theatre actors is known to him, he doesn’t subscribe to the view that there can be any hierarchy in art forms. Says Debesh, “Let’s not compare the dynamics of theatre and cinema. In fact, it’s tougher for an actor to maintain the emotional continuity in a film and movie shooting requires more concentration. On stage, it’s challenging to connect with a live audience who will instantly give a feedback. There is no retake on stage.”

Vital stats : 35-26-36

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Fitness regime : I don’t workout everyday, but I definitely am careful about my eating habits. And whenever I overindulge in eating, then I do everything like cardio, aerobics etc altogether. Otherwise for a fit body, I do go for a walk 4 days a week.

Diet plan : The three main meals – my breakfast, lunch and dinner are a must and then I keep munching something or the other throughout the day. I feel you just need to know what healthy food is all about and this includes junk food also, which we Indians just can’t seem to resist. No matter how much junk food you eat, at the end of each day, it’s rice, daal and roti at home that makes you feel full and satisfied.

Beauty tips : One thing I follow religiously before I go to sleep is to clean my face, no matter how tired I am. I never skip my cleansing, toning and moisturising routine. And then to keep my skin healthy, I drink lots of fluids, water and fresh fruits, as it makes my skin radiant and maintains the acidic level too.

Style statement : It’s very basic. I like wearing things, which are really comfortable, and yet stylish. For a party, I love classy evening dresses, but otherwise I am comfortable in skirts, casual dresses, trousers and t-shirts. And finally to accessorise the look, I carry a nice bag.

Success mantra : You really need to have everything together to be a good model. It’s all about your confidence, posture and the way you present yourself – so it’s a complete package you need to have to be successful.

“It is true I was pregnant. But since doctors advise you to not reveal the news until the first three months, we didn’t speak about it. But I don’t know how this news leaked. Unfortunately I suffered a miscarriage in the very first month. It’s a normal thing and I am fine,” Dimpy told IANS on phone from Mumbai.

Dimpy married Rahul on national television in 2010. She pipped 14 contestants and over 16,500 applicants on Imagine TV’s reality show “Rahul Dulhania Le Jaayega” to marry the son of late Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pramod Mahajan.

However, just four months after marriage, trouble started brewing when the Kolkata-based model accused Rahul of “punching, kicking and dragging” her. However, both of them later sorted out their differences and were back together. Dimpy says after two years, their bond has become much stronger.

“Our relationship has grown stronger over the years. We have had our share of ups and downs but now we understand each other much more than before and everything is going good,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dimpy is set to make her small screen debut as Naagin Jwala on Sahara One’s “Kahani Chandrakanta Ki” and says she is really excited about the show.

“I am playing a naagin (female serpent) in the show and I am really excited about it. Historical and mythological shows have always fascinated me. As a child I loved watching such shows because of their grand sets, clothes, jewellery and being part of it now is amazing,” she said.

But carrying the costume and jewellery is not easy, says Dimpy.

Another reason behind her taking up this show was to clear the misconceptions that Bengalis can’t speak pure Hindi.

“There is a misconception that Bengali people can’t speak proper Hindi and what can be better than to be a part of a show like this and to prove people wrong. All the dialogues in this show are in pure Hindi language,” she said.

So what kept you away from small screen for so long?

“The way we got married, I wanted some time to settle down, we had to understand each other more. Rahul always encouraged me to be a part of TV industry but I needed time and now after two years I feel it’s time that I do something for myself,” she said.

Apart from the vice-president, who will be the chief guest, nearly 50 renowned literary personalities from across the country will attend the event. During the programme on February 22, Soumitra Chatterjee, Arpita Chatterjee and Moon Moon Sen will recite Ajneya’s poems. West Bengal governor M K Narayanan and others have also confirmed to be present at the event that is being organized in collaboration with the Sahitya Akademi and Raza Foundation.

Ajneya was born in 1911 and edited several newspapers before taking up a faculty position at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1965, he returned to India and became the founder editor of the newsweekly ‘Dinaman’ of The Times of India Group. He remained in India till 1968, before embarking on a trip to Europe. In 1969, he returned to Berkeley as Regents professor and continued there till June, 1970. After a stint at Heidelberg University, he returned to India. He was editor of Jayprakash Narayan’s ‘Everyman’s Weekly’ and editor-in-chief of ‘Navbharat Times’ between 1977 and 1980.

Hamid Ansari will attend the three-day celebrations to mark the birth centenary of well-known poet, novelist and journalist Sachidananda Vatsayan.

Anandamoy Sardar, a lifer and former tutor from Kultoli, will don the teacher’s hat and teach computer to his fellow inmates. Sardar, who has been serving his term for nearly six years now, was selected for the post by VF. Other faculty members will be from Microsoft. Sardar was arrested during a political clash in the South-24-Parganas. While the SUCI activist had completed his BSc second year prior to his imprisonment, he fnished his graduation in prison. He has also done basic computer courses.

“I used to give private tuition to students in my locality. Now I will be able to pursue the profession in the prison,” said an elated Sardar. VF will be giving him a monthly salary of Rs 3000 which will be handed over to his family by the jail authority.

The other prisoners were equally excited. “Acquiring this new skill could be of help when I am out of the prison. But I do not know if I would be selected as I have studied only till class VIII. I am keeping my fingers crossed,” said Sheikh Azan, who was convicted for a dacoity.

“The classes will be conducted through batches of 18 students each. This is an effort to bring the inmates into the mainstream,” said minister of correctional administration Shankar Chakravorty.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that the state government will oppose the move, as “it could not be allowed in a federal structure”. Mamata said Odisha was also opposing it.

The NCTC will derive its powers from the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which allows it to make arrests or searches across the country in terror-related cases.

While the state police are supposed to be kept in the loop when such searches are conducted or arrests made, the state government is apparently not confident that this will be the case when it comes to actual operations or arrests. The top brass in the state administration is currently discussing the issue, and will take up the issue with the Centre officially.

Since former chief minister Jyoti Basu’s tenure, the sharing of power between the Centre and the state has been a critical issue in Bengal politics. And despite the widely differing political ideologies, the CPM and the Trinamool Congress seem to be having the same view regarding the fact that the state should be given more power in a federal structure.

The state government’s main objection is about the fact that the central agency can make arrests in areas that are under the state jurisdiction. This could also be the state’s conscious decision to monitor the Maoist issue where it does not want the Centre to intervene.

The NCTC will collate and analyze inputs on terror threats throughout the country and will have the legal power to make arrests and conduct search operations. The Cabinet Committee on Security ( CCS) had on January 11 approved of the creation of the NCTC, and now the Centre seems keen on knowing the views of the state governments on this.

The agency will have the power to keep a constant data on terror modules, terrorists and all their associates. It can also seek all kinds of information from any agency – including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), as well as all central armed police forces, and even the National Security Guard (NSG).

It is in these areas too that the state government is looking at whether it would be “comfortable” sharing all its information with the agency, especially ones which it has investigated and which may be “sensitive” to share.

Since former chief minister Jyoti Basu’s tenure, the sharing of power between the Centre and the state has been a critical issue in Bengal politics. And despite the widely differing political ideologies, the CPM and the Trinamool Congress seem to be having the same view regarding the fact that the state should be given more power in a federal structure.

“It is disheartening to find teachers reluctant to check answer scripts. The deadline set for examiners is often violated as answer scripts and submitted late. This hinders in collating marks. This, in turn, delays publication of results of time,” said a senior official of the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education.

He added, “The problem arises when sometimes examiners lose answer scripts. Their callousness takes a toll on examinees. Though there is a provision for taking action against them, it takes a long time. The circular has been distributed to ensure that teachers take their jobs more seriously.”

The circular issued on February 8 says since the government has noticed apathy among teachers in discharging their duties as invigilators or as examiners and scrutinizers in Madhyamik, HS and annual examination of Class XI, the government is strictly instructing teachers to perform duties as and when assigned by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education.

“We have directed that in case of any refusal, complaints can be lodged with the director of school education and the WBBSE president who will take action against teachers as per rules,” said a senior school education department official.

The headmaster of Ballygunge Government School, Rupak Homray, said: “There is no reason why an examiner should falter in submitting answer scripts on time. Earlier, there were problems when sessions in schools would get over during the same time when Madhyamik and HS examinations were held. Time constraint forced examiners to delay submitting answer scripts. Now, the examination schedule is different. However, there still remains a problem but mostly it is out of their callousness.”