Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 6.11.22
Kalanamak
No, I am not referring to the black-salt, which you
sprinkle on chaat or raita. I am talking about a variety of
rice known as kalanamak. It is in the news as the scientists of Indian
Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) have recently developed two dwarf
varieties of kalanamak Rice.
It is a traditional variety of paddy with black husk
and strong fragrance and there is a story behind this variety of paddy. It is
considered a gift from Lord Budha to the people of Srabasti when he visited the
region after enlightenment so that they would remember him by its fragrance.
This variety of rice, which people think has medicinal qualities is grown in
about a dozen districts of the Tarai region of North-Eastern Uttar Pradesh and
also in Nepal.
This traditional variety of rice had a problem. It has
been prone to what agriculture scientists called lodging, which has been the
reason for its low yield. ‘Lodging’ is the condition in which the top of the
plant become heavy because of grain formation. The steam becomes weak and
the plant falls on the ground.
The scientists of IARI addressed this problem. They
successfully developed two dwarf varieties of kalanamak so that the plants
would not fall.
The traditional kalanamak Rice is protected under the
geographical indication system, popularly known as GI tag. The new varieties would be known as - Pusa
Narendra kalanamak 1638 and Pusa
Narendra kalanamak 1652. The new name is in recognition of its association with
the Archarya Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology, Ayodhya for
testing the two varieties.
Baripada Indigenous Short Film Festival
Baripada Indigenous Short Film
Festival (BISFF), a festival of short films made in indigenous languages is
organised by Baripada based Santali Art and Film Development Foundation, Odisha
in association with DKB Marndi Productions and Mardi Brothers Production since
2017. In its 2022 edition the festival attracted 33 short films from different
states of India. As part of the 2022 festival a film making workshop was
conducted by trained personnel for young aspirant film makers in indigenous
languages.
Baripada, the district HQ of
Mayurbhanj is the largest district of Odisha. It has the largest Santal
population in Odisha, besides other tribal communities like Kolha, Bathudi and Bhumija. Mayurbhanj
was a princely state ruled by Bhanja dynasty (and Baripada was its capital
since 15th century) till it merged into the state of Odisha (Orissa,
then) on 1 January 1949. It has had a long tradition of art and culture thanks
to the generous patronage and encouragement of the royal family. A distinct genre of Chau dance known
as Mayurbhanj Chhau emerged here. Several performing and visual art forms were
patronized and appreciated by both the royalty and the common people. Pandit
Raghunath Murmu, who developed Ol-Chiki (or, Ol-Chemet), the alphabet for
Santali language in 1925 hailed from Rairangpur of Mayurbhanj district – about
90 kms from Baripada.
From mid 1980s, when capturing
moving pictures became easier and VCD
and DVD became ubiquitous, it emerged as the hub of Santali and other
indigenous language video movie and music industry in Odisha. Besides Baripada
in Odisha, Asansol (West Bengal) and Tatanagar and Ranchi (Jharkhand) emerged
as the major centres of indigenous language
video movie and music production in
Eastern India.
Films in indigenous languages
found viewers despite its poor production quality and mostly copy-paste content
with some sprinkling of local flavor (songs, dresses, festivals, rituals, etc.)
primarily because of the connect established by the language. People could
watch movies in their own language- if not in regular cinema halls or
multiplexes, but on television sets through a VCD or DVD, later CDs and now on
You Tube or home computer of make shift screenings. These movies and music
videos became popular. Though it did not fetch pot-full of money for the
makers, it covered the cost. More than the money- it gave the movie makers (not
all of them were from indigenous communities, though- and that is one point
which we would discuss at length later) the satisfaction of doing something
worthwhile which agreed with their passion.
These movies made in indigenous languages created a
feeling of oneness among the people of the concerned language spread in
different states of the country.
Over time digital filmmaking technologies boosted the number of
productions as well as enabled filmmakers to engage with different storytelling
styles.
Now, films in different indigenous languages are increasingly
attracting more viewers. An industry is gradually developing. And that is a
good development.
Public Opinion@100
'Public Opinion' is a book by Walter Lippmann
(1889-1974), American political journalist and thinker published in 1922. In
his long career Lippmann wrote extensively on contemporary socio-political
situation and also on broader philosophical and ethical issues.
'Public Opinion' is a critical assessment of
functional democratic government, especially of the irrational and often
self-serving social perceptions that influence individual behavior and prevent
optimal societal cohesion. The detailed descriptions of the cognitive
limitations people face in comprehending their sociopolitical and cultural
environments, leading them to apply an evolving catalogue of general
stereotypes to a complex reality, rendered Public Opinion a seminal text in the
fields of media studies, political science, and social psychology.
My friend and an erudite media academician Dr. Uma
Shankar Pandey has explained it beautifully in a 10 minute video. Watch it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJl49LUUkXU
You may also like to read the book, available free
online.
Stuti Chintamani
Dr. Jayanta Kar Sharma,
Prof in Hindi (recently superannuated) has recently translated late 19th
century Saint-poet Bhima Bhoi’s magnum opus Stuti
Chintamani (Prayers and Thoughts) from original Odia to Hindi.
 |
| Cover page of the Hindi translation of Stuti Chintamani |
Bhima Bhoi (1850-1895), the
blind bard and saint, who hailed from tribal community was a major voice in
propagating Mahima Dharma, a reformative offshoot of Hinduism, primarily
practised in Odisha and its neighbouring states. The central theme of his
poetic creations was humanism and sacrifice for the upliftment of the humanity.
An oft-quoted line from his verse, mo
jeevana pachhe narke padithau, jagata uddhara heu (let my life rot
in hell if
necessary, but let the world be redeemed) reflect his philosophy.
Read this book (published
by Delhi based Pragnya Bharati) to know more about Bhima Bhoi and savour his
poems.
++
Journalist turned media academician
Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He also writes fiction and plays.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
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