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Ah! It rains finally!
(After an hour)
Kolkata needed that. It was hot, it was humid, it was terrible.
The rain changed it all. From terrible to terrific. Half an hour long shower revived us.
People came out to drench. People screamed in joy.
Thank you Rain God for your kindest blessings!
TOMARE PRONAAM!
A tribute to Biswa Kabi Rabindranath Tagore on his 150th Birthday. This is, as per Bengali calender, the 25th BAISAKH, 1417, the birthday of the famous poet and philosopher.
Gitanjali (Song Offerings), a collection of 103 poems by the great poet. Gitanjali (গীতাঞ্জলি) is Tagore's best-known collection, winning him his Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
On Gitanjali:
We write long books where no page perhaps has any quality to make writing a pleasure, being confident in some general design, just as we fight and make money and fill our heads with politics---all dull things in the doing---while Mr. Tagore, like the Indian civilization itself, has been content to discover the soul and surrender himself to its spontaneity.
W.B. YEATS September 1912
Irish poet, dramatist and prose writer, one of the greatest English-language poets of the 20th century. Yeats received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.
Excerpts from Gitanjali:
......................................
O Fool, try to carry thyself upon thy own shoulders!
O beggar, to come beg at thy own door!
Leave all thy burdens on his hands who can bear all, and never look behind in regret.
.......................................
.......................................
I had gone a-begging from door to door in the village path, when thy golden chariot appeared in the distance like a gorgeous dream and I wondered who was this King of all kings!
My hopes rose high and methought my evil days were at an end, and I stood waiting for alms to be given unasked and for wealth scattered on all sides in the dust.
The chariot stopped where I stood. Thy glance fell on me and thou camest down with a smile. I felt that the luck of my life had come at last. Then of a sudden thou didst hold out thy right hand and say `What hast thou to give to me?'
Ah, what a kingly jest was it to open thy palm to a beggar to beg! I was confused and stood undecided, and then from my wallet I slowly took out the least little grain of corn and gave it to thee.
But how great my surprise when at the day's end I emptied my bag on the floor to find a least little gram of gold among the poor heap. I bitterly wept and wished that I had had the heart to give thee my all.
.......................................
......................................
I dive down into the depth of the ocean of forms, hoping to gain the perfect pearl of the formless.
No more sailing from harbour to harbour with this my weather-beaten boat. The days are long passed when my sport was to be tossed on waves.
And now I am eager to die into the deathless....
......................................
Manuscript of the Poet in Bengali.
Acknowledgement: CalCuttaWeb.com
"Dancing Girl" - a painting by Rabindranath Tagore. He would often tell his paintings were meant for the Western World.
Rabindranath, on Western World:
And "It hurts me deeply when the cry of rejection rings loud against the West in my country with the clamour that the Western education can only injure us."
Seser Kobita
A novel by Rabindranath Tagore, widely considered a landmark in Bengali literature. The novel was serialised in 1928, from Bhadro to Choitro in the magazine Probashi, and was published in book form the following year. It has been translated into English as The Last Poem (translator Anandita Mukhopadhyay) and Farewell song (translator Radha Chakravarty).
An excerpts:
A memorable scene from Satyajit Ray's "Charulata" which is an adaption of "Nastanirh" by Rabindranath Tagore. In this scene the main character, Charu, sings Tagore's song, "Fule Fule Dhole Dhole."
Rabindra Sangeet
Songs of the famous poet, the lyrics will touch your heart, and tears may roll down in silence, in joys, in sadness and in fulfillment! The songs are spiritually enriched extending to the horizon of the universal divinity.
This is our humble persona to pay a tribute to Biswa Kabi.
While creating this page, I know not why, tears of inexplainable origin dripped all through all along. I believe that's my real tribute, which you could never see.
Subarnalata is the sensational novel of Asapurna Devi mirroring the middle class Bengali society during the independence/ post-independence days. On a "BANDH" day, I had the scope to keep an eye on Zee BANGLA channel. And to my surprise, I saw the commencement of a new Bengali TV serial, "Subarnalata" based on the famous novel. Fortunately, this was the first episode. So, I continued to watch it.
However, my first impression was not at all good. A dull presentation, lacking specific detailing severely. I know the story is complex and its filming may not be easy. But mistakes in production team is even visible to an apparently blind TV observer like me. It is rather odd to see the patriots chanting "BANDE MATARAM" and marching on newly constructed asphalt road. A close look will reveal that such road could not have been in existence during that period. Oops! I believe Serial-makers do not have a good appraisal of new-age Bengali audience, who are clever enough to pick-up casual work.
To go in line with the care of production team, the music is also so so. While most other contemporary Bengali TV serials have shown remarkable creativity in composing new themes to create proper environment, the first episode of Subarnalata did not have shown anything special so far as its music is concerned. It is rather boring mimicking overused freedom themes.
Costume design, an important aspect of such a time-sensitive novel, is far from expectation!
The acting, as usual, is stunning. If anyone continues to watch this show, it will be for acting alone and nothing else.
I believe Emami group would do better investing in R&D for some fairness cream rather than sponsoring such enterprise.
You guys need to work a lot to reflect the tension, passion, patriotism, conflicts and the facts - which has now become a part of history and still very much contemporary.
Best of luck for future episodes.
For readers it is recommended to read the original book, which is available in your local book store. Besides, Gopa Majumdar has translated the original novel in English version, so, you can read the English version as well.
It rains. It rains uninterrupted at Kolkata. School goers needed a rainy day. We used to get it each year. My school was few minutes away from home. And I have never enjoyed being pent in classrooms. I used to stare at the sky overcast with cloud. I used to wait for rains. And if it would start, I used to pray to the God – ‘Please! Let it rain! Let it rain!’ And I would merry staying confined in home during such a day. On the contrary, in college, I never missed to attend classes in a rainy day, and, so I’m now – when I am in my office. Days have changed a lot. May be, me too! But this is my vision – school goers must have at least one rainy day each year. This is their student-right.
There’s a gradual change in climate. I guess. There’s a sharp change in my mind. I enjoy every little drop of rainfall. Even now! But I try not to get drenched anymore. Now I’ve an umbrella fulltime. I need protection for my Pen drive, the Nokia Cell Phone, I carry, important papers in my typical college bag. Yes. I still carry a college bag, and not a regular office bag.
It rains today. It has been raining heavy since past few days. The city of joy gets back its classic rainy look. Streets are water logged. Low areas are just looking like a flood hit city. The street water in some low areas will encroach the entire ground floor. I know. Boats will soon take the place of cars, autos, and sundry other public vehicles in those areas. Yes. It’ll happen again.
I know those people in distress. I feel for them. I know - a lot of them must have already shifted to other parts of the city. Still there are a lot other, who must not have a better place to stay. And even if they somehow manage to move to some better place, the unending streams of people coming to the city for a better livelihood will fill up the vacant places almost instantly. There will always be some people staying in those low areas. They will be forced to stay there and to fight against their destiny. Lifelong! Oftentimes! I feel for them. The place is physically very close to where I stay, barely fifteen minutes away. We are saved. We stay in a rather high-area. There is stagnant water. But it will not occupy our living space.
The city drainage system is under a thorough overhaul. And believe me, it now works somehow better. In my school days, we used to see water logged streets for three to four days. And today’s school goers will never see it that long. Heavy-duty pumps are already in operation round-the-clock.
Kolkata looks greener in a rainy day. The grasses, the trees, bushes, the metal roads – every bit of things at Kolkata shine like mercury. If you somehow can free your mind from those people in distress – there is really some pleasure during this uninterrupted rainfall.
When I reached office, I took a cup of hot tea. Yes. I had to take off my shoes, my Nokia mobile phone, pen drive, all papers and documents. It is a complete chaos. Still somehow somewhere in my mind – I recalled my school days. And all the recent resentments, troubles, turmoil, stress, and what not got flushed off from my mind. I started feeling better.
Holi Hai! Kolkata celebrates holi with gaiety. Local stores displaying Holi merchandise with enthusiasts busy in bargain.
Pichkari for spraying colors – a deviation from traditional shape.
Few more:
Abeer - a perfumed colored powder:
Worship of Lord Satyanarayana for bringing the abundance and peace! A traditional stone (Shaligram Sila) symbolises the God.
The most important ritual of Satyanarayan Puja, Sinni, made of Wheat flour, milk, banana, Sugar/Jaggery, grated coconut, cardamom seeds, and kismis (dry grapes).
Homa, an important part of Satyanarayan puja:
Puja is over. Now ready for celebration with abeer, balloons, and colors.
A debate on use of the word "dog" in conjunction with slum dwellers seemed to hit up the air! Kids organized rally in protest.
This was a pre-release campaign - "THE FEEL-GOOD FILM OF THE DECADE" Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle.
And a snippet of synopsis in the official Website! "Jamal is a story of modern India"!
Now who is Jamal?
Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an eighteen year old Mumbai slum kid, is the would-be winner of a staggerring twenty million rupees hit TV Show contest, "Who wants to be the millionaire?"
Latika (Freida Pinto), an orphaned girl, Jamal comes to care for, and to love later on.
Jamal participates in twenty million rupees contest and surprises everyone to reach the final question. The show host, Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor) refuses to believe in Jamal's ability. Prem Kumar already has Police waiting outside to arrest Jamal for cheating.
Police inspector interrogates Jamal only to find out how Jamal has come to know all answers. And we come to know about the interesting life story of Jamal, a slum dweller!
So, Indians have every reason to feel glorious! But are we really responding to this big event that way? Probably, there's an element of confusion! There's a big doubt. Is it an Indian movie? Though admittedly directed by British Director Danny Boyle, Slumdog seems to be very much Indian in nature in terms of its presentation. It is more like any other Bollywood musicals. Besides, the plot itself is based on India. The cast is also Indian or Indian origin. This is what one Lekhni has to say in a blog entry.
Accused for being "poverty porn" the feat of Jamal gets glorified because of his background, the Dharavi Slum located in the suburb of Mumbai, India, where the reality is a nightmare! But Jamal comes across all obstacles to win the contest. That's what Mr. Rahaman has pointed out - "The power of hope in our lives...".
It should be noted that Slumdog is a movie and not a statement of the Developed nations about India. Western world is well aware of economic developments in India, and their recent studies suggest that India is going to be a giant economy by 2035.
Above all, the movie is based on a novel written by an Indian bureaucrat, Mr. Vikas Swarup, entitled "Q & A". Simon Beaufoy wrote the script after a lot of field works based on "Q & A". A note from Simon Beaufoy regarding his goal for the script worth a mention - "What you pick up on is this mass of energy."
And this is how Mr. Rahaman summerises the subject: "The essence of the film is about optimism and the power of hope in our lives."
This was an awesome Sunday morning! On the 22nd February, 2009! The maidan tent had more crowd than any other ordinary days. With over 20,000 participants ready to face the challenge to bag nearly INR 1.1 million prize money. City celebrities flocked into the spot with a festive mood.
Women participants run for 'Airtel Kolkata Marathon' in Kolkata
My friend, who was also a volunteer, told that the spirit was high! And it was sprouted with true sportsmanship. He spotted an aged person desperate to complete the race. When asked why, his reply was worth mentioning! "Let me finish the race! If I can't run forty-two odd kilometers, I would rather walk to reach the finishing line!"
And that's the spirit. The race comprising of three different categories - Men’s Marathon (42.195 km), Women’s Run (10.5 km), and SAIL Celebrity Run (4.2 km)! Police Commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarty flagged off the race, which is now into fifth year. Participants include corporate executives, school children and even those physically challenged persons.
Had you been there, you could have easily spotted all city celebs running for health, integrity and prosperity!
This is, claimed to be, the largest marathon in the eastern India.
(I have not come to mourn but to appeal for hanging)!
(Shaheed Minar, Dhaka University Campus, Bangladesh)
This was how Mahbub Ul Alam Choudhury reacted while responding to the police incident at Dhaka University on 21 February 1952. He immediately wrote the poem "Kadte Ashini"!
The then Pak Government tried to enforce "Urdu" as the sole national language of Pakistan! "Urdu and only Urdu will be the national language of Pakistan"! This was the statement made by the governor, Khawaja Nazimuddin.
Students of University of Dhaka, Dhaka Medical College and other political activists called for a provincial strike. Curfew was invoked to prevent this. Pak police fired on the students. A number of students were killed.
(Moder Gorob sculpture in Bangla Academy)
Afterwards, the Government of Pakistan relented and gave Bengali equal status as a national language.
UNESCO decided to observe the 21st February as International Mother Language Day on 17 November 1999!
Kolkata observes the day with gratitude. A function going on at Bhasa Udyan, Kolkata
It was an open air conference! iKolkata captured this photo when leading poets recited in front of a mesmerized audience!
How can we forget sacrifices of those youths for our mother tongue - Bengali?
The City of Joy has some more reason to be excited when Kolkata was awarded with a Rs 60 billion project - Light Rail Transit System - the first ever in this country!
Running at a height of 11.9 metres above the ground, the train will have four air-conditioned compartments with escalators to reach all 37 stations and ticket-booking counters. The vehicles will run at a speed of 40 km/h.
The 40-km stretch will connect important city points like Behala, Kidderpore, Espalanade, Sealdah, Panihati and Barrackpore.
The two phased project will have two corridors from Joka to Esplanade and from Esplanade to Barrackpore, and likely to be concluded by 2013-14.
Kolkata Book Fair 2009, organized by the Publishers & Booksellers Guild, reflects the irresistible passion of the city Kolkata for books once again. And this is AMAZING! Book! The OLD HARDPAPER BOOKS DRAGGED millions of book lovers towards 'Milan Mela', the venue, during January 28 till February 8, 2009.
One of the entry gates:
Doubts loomed large in the air! A new venue! Will it be a success? 'Maidan' is no more available because of a Court order! The present venue - 'Milan Mela' has barely 609840 sq.ft. area! Also it is a rather difficult place for transportation!
Guild was pro-active. They published a 'Theme Song' - ‘Oi dakchhe boi’ - (The Book is calling) composed by Bickram Ghosh.
And Book lovers' long queue put an end to every debate! The same passion! The same spirit!
A long queue outside USA, the Honoured Country of International Kolkata Book Fair 2009! Mammoth cut out of Barack Obama, Hon'ble US President.
A stall from Germany. INTERNATIONAL COMPLEX also includes representation from Britain, France, The African Union, Japan, Spain, Italy, European Union, Sweden, Romania
14 Latin American Countries, Vietnam, and Cuba. Beyond doubt - it is now an international event!
Little Magazine, a cultural heritage of Bengali literature, has always been one of the top point of interests! A table space for each publisher!
The stall from Bangladesh:
ANANDA Publishers and few others. A stall, presumably Viswabharati, offering salutation to Rabindranath Tagore! Point to note: Book fair is not best known for its discounts! Book Shops at College Street always offer a cheaper rate! But who cares? Purchasing books at this venue has its own unique charm! And it has become an integral part of Bengal's culture.
Open air seminar. Charter of demands include returing the Book fair to its good old venue - 'Kolkata Maidan'! But whether it is at 'Maidan' or 'Milan Mela' - Kolkata is already preparing to welcome Book fair 2010.
iKolkata on a cheer Sunday afternoon went out to get a snippet of Kolkata Flower Shows - PHUL (Flower) MELA (Fair)! The eco-green posters looked no less beautiful than the flowers inside The Eden Gardens, not the one - the famous Cricketing Venue, but the one adjacent to it.
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(since February, 2009)
