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| Samaya, 26.12.21 |
Saturday 25 December 2021
Friday 24 December 2021
Tuesday 21 December 2021
Monday 20 December 2021
Window Seat | 19.12.21
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| Sikkim Express, 19.12.21 This column also gets posted every Sunday in www./prameyamews.com |
Sunday 12 December 2021
BAHI KATHA | Weekly Column on Books in Odia
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| Read it here: https://odishasahitya.com/bahikatha-23/?fbclid=IwAR29EEa2dVXVOyQ0vBbLTMSWkXgI798gVbc42zaswI_B2RAvPKHtNkJbSFk |
Saturday 11 December 2021
Weekly Column in English | Window Seat | 12.12.21
Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee |
12.12.21
Vinod Dua
Indian Television matured in the 1980s with contributions of persons like Pronoy Roy and Vinod Dua, who for the first time showed how election results could be covered on television. They probably psephology in Indian television in a way never before seen or experienced. In presentation, they complemented each other like Jay and Viru of Sholay. While Pronoy Roy addressed mostly the English knowing and speaking intellectuals, Vinod Dua connected more with the masses with his chaste Hindi and lucid translation of the terms and concepts that Roy presented.
Vinod Dua did
programmes of different genre including a food show titled 'Zaike India ka' for
different channels. Each of his shows bore the distinct stamp of his persona-
straight, factual, to the point.
His contemporary
and college mate Prof. Satya Misra writes, … “he was the fearless symbol of
fourth pillar of democracy whose bluntness was softened by humour and comments
sharpened by objectivity and sarcasm. His soul was not sold out to any
corporate or political party. With his passing away,a slice of fearless
journalism has been hived off.”
While many of the
journalists chose to court the high and mighty, Dua chose to travel the
difficult path of truth and justice. He suffered but in a queer way won.
Generations of journalists will remember him as a role model to follow.
Caricature: Jayaraj
Vellur, Kerala.
Reboti Bhushan@100
This is the
centenary year of a great artist, poet, cartoonist and calligrapher Reboti
Bhusan Ghosh (1921-2007), who mesmerized three successive generations with his
caricatures, cartoons, limericks, and illustrations.
Born
in Bally in Howrah district of West Bengal, Reboti Bhusan grew up in his
ancestral house near the river Ganges. The ambience was so scenic that it had
an ever-lasting impact on him.
It was in
1942 when the freedom movement was gaining momentum, young Reboti got an
opportunity to meet his inspiration Ababnindranath Tagore. Mentored by
Ababnindranath, Reboti’s brush strokes became more powerful and
instinctive.
His first
political cartoon was published during his college days when he was studying
Sanskrit as an undergraduate student at Kolkata’s Ripon College. Renowned
Bengali litterateur Pramathanath Bishi, who was also a professor in that
college, incidentally saw his cartoon on the college wall magazine. With his
persuasion it was later published in Sachitra Bharat, one of
the leading Bengali satire magazines of the time. This paved the
path for Reboti’s illustrious journey.
His
cartoons started appearing in almost all leading dailies and magazines like Anandabazar,
Satyajug (Bengali edition of TOI), Yugantar, Sachitra Bharat,
Dainik Basumati, Shanibarer Chithi, AchalPatra, Betar Jagat, Ulto Rath and Nabakallol.
At the same time, he drew humour illustrations for children’s magazines
like Sishu Sathi, Sandesh, Suktara and Mouchak. In
his column titled ‘Vyanga Boithok’ in Yugantar daily, Reboti
started writing funny rhymes along with his cartoons. It was indeed an
inseparable amalgamation and became an instant hit in the reader’s
circles.
Reboti Bhusan was one of the first
artists to try his hand at animation. Reboti’s mastery in animal illustrations
caught the attention of Shankar. He used to send his cartoons to Shankar’s
Weekly. Animals took centre stage in most of his cartoons. On Shankar’s
request he joined CBT as a senior artist and illustrated several children’s
books. During his 20 years stay in Delhi he freelanced for National
Herald, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Pioneer, Financial Express, Delhi
Statesman, Saptahik Hindustan, Janayug, Dinman etc.
Reboti
spent his last years in his ancestral house, enjoying nature and spending time with the local kids. He died in
2007 due to heart and other ailments.
A
month-long celebration of his life and work, is being organized as a part of the
"Cartoon Fest" in
Kolkata
from 5th December 2021 to 5th January 2022. Go attend that if you can.
Marriage
invitation card
This being the
marriage season in the part of India that I live, I get many invitation cards
of different shape, size and design. Many of the cards follow some set
template: photo of Gods and Goddesses (Lord Ganesh being the favourite, closely
followed by Lord Jagannath and of late Prabhu Shriram) or Peacocks or flowers
on the front page. Even the text follow a set pattern and template. However,
there are cards which break the set pattern and bring in freshness.
Recently I received
an invitation card from two of my students who are marrying each other. Both
are from Western Odisha. The invitation card has been written in chaste
Sambalpuri, the lingua franca of that
region. The invitation begins like an essay on the importance of marriage. I am
impressed! Another student, who used to draw cartoons, designed his marriage
card using cartoons of himself and his would be wife.
The one marriage
card that so touched my heart that I framed it and hung in my study room is the
one I got 16 years ago. It carries a doodle by Rabindranath Tagore, which also
contains some lines of a poem that he was peening. Rabindranath Tagore had this
habit of writing and making corrections by drawing doodles. His doodles have
been highly praised by erudite art-critics. But to use it on the cover of a
marriage invitation card! Now read the lines. Those of you who can not read
Bengali- let me tell you it is a poignant poem celebrating love.
This was an
invitation card of one Saikh Safiullah of Birbhum district, who was marrying
Jaisminara Khatun of Birbhum both in West Bengal. I have forgotten them and the
person who had sent me this card. But for the last 16 years I have preserved
this card.
Difference
The fundamental
difference between Sunder Pichai and me is that, he works for Google and Google
works for me.
(Courtesy: Social
Media)
++
Journalist turned
media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He also writes
fiction and plays.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
This column is published every Sunday in Gangtok based English daily Sikkim Express and www.prameyanews.com
Friday 10 December 2021
Tuesday 7 December 2021
Saturday 4 December 2021
Weekly Column in English | Window Seat | 5.12.21
Window Seat |Mrinal Chatterjee | 5.12.21
Food Museum
India’s
first food museum has recently been opened in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu by Food
Corporation of India (FCI). It may be recalled that Food Corporation of India
(FCI) opened its first office here on January 14, 1965. The museum has been
established on the ground floor of its regional Office in collaboration with
Bengalure based Viseswaria Industrial and technical museum to provide a glimpse
into a fascinating world of food and especially agriculture.
Although
homo-sapiens have been around in the world for over two hundred thousand years,
agriculture began some 10 to 12 thousand years ago. This was the time when the
effects of the ice age receded and temperate climate ensued. It led to the
domestication of certain plants. Agriculture as we know it today- tilling the
land and sowing of seeds and rearing with care, began then.
Agriculture
has been the primary trigger for the civilization to grow. Access to more food
thanks to agriculture triggered business as excess food-grains were traded for
other goods or services. As business
grew, there emerged the need for accounting. Roads were needed for transport of
food grains. Several other spin-offs emerged. Human beings started to settle
down. They began to learn to live in a larger community. The concept of society
emerged.
Impact
of COVID-19 on Immunizations
The
COVID-19 pandemic has led to major reductions in childhood immunizations in
South Asia. More than 5.3 million children in South Asia missed out on
essential vaccines through routine immunization services in 2020 – nearly 1.9
million more than in 2019 – according to official data published by WHO and
UNICEF. This is the highest number of under-vaccinated children since 2014.
In
a study published in The Lancet,
India’s coverage for the first dose of measles vaccine is likely to have fallen
below 86 per cent, and coverage for the third vaccine dose against diphtheria,
tetanus, and whooping cough, under 75 per cent. Measles, diphtheria, tetanus,
and whooping cough (pertussis) are four vaccine-preventable childhood diseases
targeted by immunisation programmes around the world, with measles claiming the
lives of over 207,000 people in 2019.
COVID-19
and the pressure it has put on healthcare around the world may be the largest
and most widespread global disruption to life-saving immunization programs in
history, putting millions of children — in rich and poor countries alike — at
risk for measles, diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough.
On
3 December I attended a webinar on the impact of COVID-19 on Childhood Immunization and listened to some of the
top doctors, social workers and journalists. With the Corona virus taking on
new avatars and impacting the public health ecosphere, it would be a stiff
challenge for us in India. However, we have to rise up to the challenge for the
sake of our children.
Rajnikanth@72
Tomorrow,
December 6, 2021 ‘south-superstar’ Rajnikanth turns 72. In a country which has
the median age of less than thirty, septuagenarian Rajnikanth remains the
highest selling film star. In fact his last five films have done more business
than any other film star’s including Amitabh Bachhan, Akhay Kumar and the
Khans. He remains one of the most popular film stars of India for over four and
half decades now. He made his cinematic debut with K. Balachander’s 1975 Tamil
drama Apoorva Raagangal in which he played a minor role of an abusive husband.
He had his first major role in Balachander's Telugu film Anthuleni
Katha next year. The rest is history.
In star crazy South India,
especially in Tamil Nadu he enjoys the status of a demi-God, though he is not a
Tamil by birth (he is a Marathi) and learnt to speak Tamil in his
twenties.
Born
in 1950 in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) to a family with modest means, he grew up
and started working as a Bus conductor. He liked to act in plays. He was noticed
by Tamil film director K.Balachander and asked him to learn to speak Tamil,
which Rajnikant did quickly. Balchander offered him a minor role in Apoorva Raagangal. However, it paved a
way for Rajnikanth to land more roles and within three years he achieved
stardom.
His
mannerisms, his gait, hair style, dress- everything was liked by the people.
For them he became no less than a demi-God.
His
lasting friendship with the Bus driver Raj Bahadur who encouraged him to pursue
acting and helped him financially to learn Tamil, the fact that he rarely uses
make-up and other procedures to look young and remains his natural self- with
half bald head, his philanthropy and alignment with some social issues-endeared
him to the masses and made him a legend. Rajinikanth is probably the only Indian actor
to be featured in the CBSE syllabus, in a lesson titled From Bus
Conductor to Superstar.
3 Rajnikanth Jokes
Innumerous
jokes and memes have been created on Rajnikanth. Most of them portray him as
having kind of a ‘super power’. Here are three, just for sample:
Once
Rajnikanth was travelling in a helicopter via Switzerland and his wallet fell
down. That place is now called Swiss Bank.
Rajni
decide to donate his eyes for NASA to make new HD telescope.
Once
a farmer put Rajnikanth’s photo instead of a scarecrow in his farm. You won’t
believe what happened. The birds started bringing back the grains taken last
year.
Omicron
Sala,
is this Corona or a IT Company’s software! Every year a new version comes.
(Courtesy:
Social Media)
+++
This column is published every Sunday in Gangtok based English daily Sikkim Express and www.prameyanews.com
Monday 29 November 2021
Thursday 25 November 2021
Monday 22 November 2021
Window Seat | Weekly Column in English | 21.11.21
Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee |21.11.21
Winter
India is truly a land of contradictions. While there is a
prediction that some North Indian states may suffer the harshest winter in
years, we at Central Odisha are actually eagerly looking forward to a cool
winter. Even the quilts tucked inside trunks and boxes are waiting to be taken
out- dried under the soft sun and used. Everybody at this part of the country
is ruing the fact that the world is warming up. My mother says, in her times
winter used to arrive much earlier around Durga Puja. Now we are celebrating
Kartick Purnima- and there is no trace of the bone numbing cold, which should
have been here.
Winter in our part of the country has its own charm. The mellow
sun in the morning feels like a shawl that you would like to warp around you.
The evenings almost invite you to snuggle under the quilt- but not before one
partakes bellyful of pakoda- the spiced fritters. Incidentally pakoda
originated in Indian sub-continent.
Winter and Tea
India
drinks her tea (or chai) in myriad ways. From the Noon Chai in J&K to
Nilgiri Tea down south, from smoked tea in NE to Nathwada chai in Gujarat- we
have various kinds and concoctions of tea. In Bengal and Assam- putting milk in
tea is sacrilege. In Hindi heartland it is the main ingredient.
Whatever
be the kind, type and ingredient- winter is the best time of savour tea. A hot
cup of tea in winter- is the best thing that can happen. Remember the scene
from railway platform scene in Dil se!
A rainy winter night, Monisha Koirala with her wet brush painted innocence and
a Sharukh Khan trying to offer her a glass (not cup) of tea!
Thankfully
our engagement with tea has changed drastically over time. When I was a kid- (I
was born in 1961) tea was kind of adult drink. Kids only get to drink it
occasionally- like when somebody has fever or has an examination and has to
study late into night or if it too cold. Now it is ok to allow even toddler to
have tea.
How
times have changed- for the better, for lovers of tea!
Mannu Bhandari
Mannu
Bhandari, one of the pioneers of the Hindi Nayi
Kahaani Movement, which started in 1950s passed away on 15 November. In her
novels and short stories, Bhandari portrayed women under a new light, as
independent and intellectual individuals. She highlighted the struggles and
difficulties women constantly encountered. Female characters in her
stories are portrayed as strong, independent individuals, breaking old habits
and emerging and creating an image of 'a new woman'.
Bhandari's first novel, Ek Inch Muskaan,
was published in 1961. It was co-authored with her husband, the writer and
editor Rajendra Yadav.
Besides short stories and novels, she wrote
several plays and screen plays and also fiction for children. Many of her
novels and short stories have been made into successful plays and feature
films. Rajnigandha and Swami
directed by Basu Chatterjee, were based on her story Yahi Sach Hai and
novel titled Swami. Her second novel Aap
Ka Bunty was made into a film titled Samay ki Dhara by Sisir Mishra. Bhandari subsequently sued the
filmmakers, Kala Vikas Pictures Pvt Ltd, on the grounds that the adaptation
distorted her novel and violated Section 57 of the Indian Copyright Act, 1957.
The judgment in this case, was
a landmark decision in Indian copyright law that clarified the scope
of an author's moral rights under Indian copyright law. The Court held in favour
of Bhandari, but she and the producers ultimately settled out of court.
I recently translated one of her short stories
titled Mukti (liberation) that
portrays the life of a housewife who relentlessly serves her husband.
Happy Winter!
Now
comes the time, when we have to take that important decision of life every
morning: should I take a bath or not.
(Courtesy:
Social Media)
+++
Journalist turned
media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He also writes
fiction and plays.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
Sunday 14 November 2021
Saturday 13 November 2021
Window Seat | 'Slice of LIfe' weekly column | 14.11.21
Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 14.11.21
Dostoyevsky@ 200
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, one
of the finest novelists who ever lived turned 200 last Thursday.
Born on 11 November
in 1821 in Moscow, Russia Dostoyevsky's most well-known novels include Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Possessed (also and more accurately known as The Demons and The Devils), and The Brothers Karamazov.
His psychological
penetration into the darkest recesses of the human heart, together with his
unsurpassed moments of illumination, had an immense influence on 20th-century
fiction.
 |
| Caricature by Jayaraj Vellur, Kerala |
In his
time he was also known for his activity as a journalist. He plunged into
journalism when he returned from imprisonment around 1860. Earlier he wrote
some essays (four, precisely) for Petersburg News around 1847. In March 1861 he published a
magazine in Russian titled Vremya, which means Time. It was suppressed after
three years. Then he started another magazine Epoch, which failed.
Vremya (Time) was
published under the editorship of his brother Mikhail Dostoevsky as Fyodor
was unable to be the official editor due to his status as a former convict. It
was a literary and political magazine. Dostoevsky's novel The House of the Dead was first published in Vremya.
The monthly installments of The House of the Dead brought
considerable popularity and financial success to the magazine. Several of
Fyodor Dostoevsky's other works were published in Vremya.
Three of
Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, The
Tell-Take Heart, The Black Cat, and The Devil in the
Belfry were first published in Russian language in this
magazine. It also carried essays critiquing several political ideologies.
The
magazine was banned by the government in May 1863 because of an article
by Nikolay Strakhov concerning Russian/Polish problems.
After
the closure of Vremya (Time) magazine, the Dostoevsky brothers tried to
continue publishing. By January 1864, Mikhail Dostoevsky received permission to
publish a new journal under a different name. Officially, Fyodor Dostoevsky
could not appear either as an editor or as a publisher, so Mikhail Dostoevsky
became the publisher and editor. The new magazine, also a monthly literary and political one
was titled Epoch. It was published in 1864 and continued
till 1865. Circulation was about 1300.
The
first two issues for January and February 1864 were published simultaneously -
in March. They published the first chapters of the novel Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Contrary
to the expectations of Dostoevsky, Epoch
did not receive a warm reception- even by the subscribers of Vremya. There were other personal and
financial problems as well. The last issue of the Epoch was released in
February 1865. "Notes from the Underground" occupied the first four
issues of the journal. Dostoevsky ‘s story Crocodile was published in its February 1865 issue, which also
was the last issue of the Epoch.
Helen
Muchnic in her review of ‘Dostoevsky's Occasional Writings’, which contains representative selection of his journalistic
work besides other works published in The New York Review Dec.12 1963
issue was critical about the journalistic writings of Dostoevsky. She wrote,
“His journalistic pieces are shallow and discursive by comparison with his
novels: they are emphatic rather than eloquent, strident rather than
passionate. Yet they are concerned with the same questions that occupy him in
his fiction. And it is this that lends them their special fascination.”
Dostoevsky
died on February 9, 1881 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Press Freedom
16
November is observed as National Press Day in India. The first Press Council
established to function like a moral watch dog to ensure that not only did the press
maintain the high standards expected from this powerful medium but also that it
was not fettered by the influence or threats of any extraneous factors- started
functioning on this day in 1966. Though there are
several Press or Media Councils world over, the Press Council of India is a
unique entity in as-much-as this is the only body to exercise an authority even
over the instruments of the state in its duty to safeguard the independence of
the press.
Unfortunately,
India is placed at the lower half in the list of countries in press freedom
index. The 2021 World Press
Freedom Index produced by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a French NGO, has
placed India at 142nd rank out of
180 countries. Last year India was placed at the same place. In 2016, India’s rank was 133 which
steadily came down to 142 in 2020.
The RSF report says India is one of the world’s most dangerous
countries for journalists trying to do their job properly. They are exposed to
every kind of attack, including police violence against reporters, ambushes by
political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt
local officials.
Doubts
have been raised about the authenticity of the report. Methodology of ranking
has been questioned.
However,
the fact remains that we need to take a hard look at the freedom of the press-
for without freedom press will not be able to remain what is supposed to be:
watchdog of the society.
Khel Khel Mein
A Pakistani Film titled Khel Khel Mein starring Sajal Aly and Bilal Abbas Khan and featuring veteran actor Marina Khan as well as Sheheryar Munawar, Javed Sheikh and Manzar Sehbai is scheduled to release on 19 November 2021, less than a month before the 50th anniversary of liberation of Bangladesh. Produced and directed by Nabeel Qureshi and Fizza Ali Meerza the film is about the division of Pakistan and creation of an independent country. The teaser of the film has been released by end October.
As per the directors of the film, it is mainly meant to convey a
message of peace and harmony between the people of Pakistan and Bangladesh to
"move forward" together. However, considering the track record of
Pakistan, one needs to be careful. Of late there have been attempts by Pakistan
to be friendly to Bangladesh through regular diplomatic activities. Around the
same time Islamist militancy is raising its head in the officially secular
country. And then comes this film which attempts a re-look at the incidents
preceding the two week war and the birth of Bangladesh, with the directors
seeking another line of narrative.
Khel, can mean innocuous
game for fun and relaxation. It can also mean a sinister plan for intrigue.
Tailpiece:
Who is poor?
A wealthy woman goes to a saree
store and tells the boy at the counter "Bhaiya show some cheap sarees. It
is my son's marriage and I have to give to my maid."
After sometime, the maid comes to
the saree shop and tells the boy at the counter "Bhaiya show some expensive sarees. I want to gift my Mistress on
her son's marriage"
(Courtesy: An anonymous
Email forward)
++
Journalist turned media
academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He also writes
fiction and plays.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
++
This column is published every Sunday in Gangtok based English daily Sikkim Express and www.prameyanews.com
May read it here: https://www.prameyanews.com/window-seat-dostoyevsky-200/?fbclid=IwAR330sUMjovV33nBDS9meBZMeUvzeTYE0TUoM-OSszo8ASkS0JP5mZn-NrA
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