Window Seat. Weekly column in English. 18.7.21

 Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 18.7.21

History repeats itself

I was reading about the first silent film in Malayalam- Vigathakumaran, which in English means The Lost Child. It was made in 1928 by J. C. Daniel, a businessman with no prior experience in film making. When most of the early Indian films in most of the languages were on mythological subjects, it was made on a social subject. Infact many film-pundits consider it to be the first social drama in cinematic medium. and had a happy ending.

But the film, its producer-director-hero (and the editor, too) Daniel and the lead actress did not have a happy ending. As the producer-director Daniel was and the heroine P.K.Rosy were converted Christians,  and Rosy was from a lower caste, playing the role of a upper class woman- the film was a target of  caste vendetta. Daniel and the cast were harassed. After the film was released, the theatres showing the film were attacked. And the only copy  of the film was burnt down. In a curious and tragic way- the film, the first Malayalam film became the lost child. It was a victim of caste dynamics.

Cut to 2021.

A report stating that Kareena Kapoor Khan would play the role of Sita in an upcoming film Ramayana triggered protest, threat and brutal trolling. Reason: Kareena Kapoor’s marital status. How can we accept a lady who has married a Muslim to be our Sita maiya?

The domain of make-believe morphs into reality and more specifically religion-politics.

It was caste dynamics then that destroyed J.C. Daniel, pushed Rosy into oblivion and burnt the only copy of the first Malayalam film, inflicting irreparable damage to our own film history. It is religion-based politics which might harm if not destroy the Indian Film Industry, now.

Immersive Media

Recently I attended a workshop on ‘Immersive Media’ conducted by Clyde Dsouza, an Internationally acclaimed authority on this subject organised by Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).

For lay man, immersive media is a coming together of technology and reality. To elaborate, immersive media is defined by immersive technologies that attempt to create or imitate the physical or imagined world through digital simulation. Examples of immersive media include virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality, etc. and others to come in the future- which would fall under the umbrella term Extended Realty (XR).

Clyde conducts workshop on this subject across the world. He also writes fiction. His science fiction Memories with Maya published by Penguin in 2013 was a huge hit. It looks at how AR and AI (Artificial Intelligence) will merge to augment human beings in ways that will influence emotions, raise ethical questions and impede the evolution of mankind.

In the workshop, however, Clyde donned a different role. He said, immersive media technology would be extensively used in cinema, news-media, public relations and advertisement industry, besides in  long distance communication. It will provide an immersive experience to the spectators. It can also teleport a person (through hologram technology) to a distant place. It’ll be the next level of video call.

However, it will have a profound impact on visual entertainment industry as it can provide an experience like never before. The viewer will feel as if he is a part of the scene instead of just being a spectator.

Netflix and Amazon prime have already started using it to create visual products for their subscribers with a premium. Social media platforms like facebook and twitter are now in the process to use this technology.

In India the technology should be available for use by end of this year. But whether our cinema industry will take to it is another question. The academia in media and film making institutes also must take note of this technology and teach the students how to use this technology. For filmmakers it will open a new vista in visual story telling.

 

Marriage during Corona

With restrictions on travel and gathering and enforcement of social distancing norms -marriage during Corona is a nightmare for some, and a boon for people like my friend Sibu. His reason: not many people, especially relatives can actually come for the marriage. So you save a considerable amount of money and lots of hassle. Some relatives are actually a pin in ..you know where.. during marriage. It is good that they will not be coming. Thank you Corona.

Tailpiece: Beleaguered Beings

Kabhi Dhoop se paresan

Ab Taklif barish se

Sikayate besumar hai

Admi ke fitrat me

Beleaguered by heat of the summer

Now beleaguered by rain

In human fate there are

Complaints galore.

(Courtesy: Social Media)

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Journalist turned media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal. He writes fiction and plays. mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com

Television Debate. Article in Odia

Nirbhaya. 19.7.21

 

Corona Kala 18 | Humour series in Odia

Gateway Odiswha June 2021

 

Short Fiction in Odia.

Sahitya Farda, Jume 2021

 

Mumbai Samachar turns 200 | Article in Odia

Nirbhaya, 5.7.21

 

Weekly Column in English WINDOW SEAT | 4.7.21

 

Window Seat |Mrinal Chatterjee 4.7.21

The Mumbai Samachar at 200 years

Asia's oldest continuously published newspaper, the Mumbai Samachar turned 200 on 1 July 2021. First published as Bombay Samachar, a Gujarati weekly in 1822 it comprised of three small quarto sheets, 10 inches by 8 inches, and a half sheet supplement in all containing 14 pages of printed matter.

BOMBAY (MUMBAI) SAMACHAR

It was published as a weekly till 1832, a bi-weekly till 1855 and a daily since then, it continued to grow and became one of Western India's Premier Newspapers, read by a large segment of Gujarati speaking people both in India and abroad.

It was founded by Fardoonji Murazban, a Parsi Scholar and Priest. He also founded the first native press in 1812 and in 1814 brought out a Gujarati Calendar, 6 years before the first Bengali Calendar was printed and published in Calcutta.

By the end of 18^th century Parsi and Gujarati community dominated the commercial world of Mumbai in particular and the entire Western India in general. Mumbai emerged as a commercial hub. At that time Calcutta Chronicle and The Indian Gazette were the leading newspapers. These papers had very little news about Mumbai. Fardoonji Murazban, a visionary could appreciate the need for local news and news in vernacular language and planned publication of a Gujarati newspaper.

Bombay Samachar was published to disseminate need-based information, mostly to the trader community- Gujaratis and Parsis.  Therefore news related to trade and business dominated.

From its inception the editorial policy was to objectively report events in a fair and honest manner and not to sensationalize news.  Sobriety and independence of views became a hall mark of Bombay Samachar. It was for this that the newspaper was respected by both the British and Indian readers.  The British administration also respected this paper for its balanced and objective stand. It created an identity for itself for its fair, frank, objective and critical analysis of events, which it retains till date. Its tag line, ‘Avval Dainik, Nishpaksh Dainik’ (Leading Daily, Non-partisan Daily) sums up its policy.

 Bombay Samachar played an important role during India's struggle for Independence. Its reports and editorials were being often quoted by freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and others. It also contained articles and letters by freedom fighters like Gandhi and Patel.

The paper was owned and managed by the Parsi priests for about 80 years from the beginning. Then it passed through various hands before coming into the ownership of the Cama family, its present publishers, in 1933. To the good fortune of the paper, Cama family nourished the paper with an eclectic mix of old and new. Though it has adopted new technology and content mix to go with the times, much of its hoary past is preserved, especially by Hormusji N Cama, the present Director, whose offices overlooks the Horniman Circle Gardens — once regarded as the favourite social venue of the Parsis. The paper, interestingly still comes out from the same place where it was started.

By the new millennium Bomay (Mumbai) Samachar had become an iconic institution. So much so that the Apollo Street in the Fort area was renamed after the paper as the ‘Mumbai Samachar Marg’ in 2006.

At 200, the paper is going strong with over a circulation of 1.8 million copies and innovative ideas to attract young readers under the able guidance of the present editor Nilesh Dave.

Deities on Sickbed

Do you know that Lord Jagannath of the famous Puri temple falls sick ahead of the annual rath yatra and is isolated for fourteen days? Yes, it is an interesting ritual. It has a prelude.  

The Devasnana festival, (which fell on 25 June this year) is observed on the full moon day in Jyestha month of the Hindu calendar. The deities are bathed in 108 pitchers of water drawn from a particular well inside the temple premises following which the trinity- Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath- fall sick due to heavy bathing and remain in Anasara (sick) Ghara (room) before the ratha yatra.

After the deities are taken to the Anasara Ghara, a nutritious but dry meal is served which is devoid of the ingredients used for the regular Chhappan Bhog. They are also given an ayurvedic treatment with oil called Phuluri  by the Daitapatis (priests), and the period of quarantine is called Anbasara. 

Once the deities recover from their illness, they are served solid food or Khichuri. And the first darshan after Anasar is called Nava Youvan (new youth).

Then the deities go to their maternal aunty’s (mausi- in Odia) house on chariot. This festival is called Rath Yatra.

One can see the way deities are treated here is almost like they are human beings, who can and do fall sick and require medication and rest.

The same approach to the deities could be found in Bengal in the way Bengalis treat Mother Durga- like the daughter of the house, who arrives with her children on an annual visit.

In both the cases there is more love than reverence.

I got the cute picture in a social media forward. It captures the right spirit of the Gods in sickbed.

 

Tailpiece: 12 types of Indians

Now in the time of Corona a dozen types of Indians are found in India. 

1. Proud Indians. Those who have taken both the doses of vaccine, and put their photographs on social media platforms. 

2. Worried Indians. Those who have taken one dose vaccine and looking for  the second. 

3. Helpless Indians. Who have received no vaccine. 

4. Confused Indians.  Who are still thinking which vaccine to take? 

5. Perplexed Indians. Who had  Covid infections even after two doses of vaccine. 

6. Disappointed Indians. Who are unable to register on Cowin. 

7. Stupid  Indians. Those who are moving around without masks. 

8. Arrogant Indians. Who still believe that there is nothing like Corona. It is a big conspiracy by big Pharma companies. 

9. Addicted Indians. Addicted to shopping and shop-hopping. 

10. Panicked Indians. Who Keep wearing mask 24x7 even inside the home. 

11. Suicidal Indians. Who keep insisting on not wearing mask and not keeping social distance.

12. Hyper-active Indians. Who keep creating video of quick-fix care of Corona and post them on social media.

(Courtesy: Social Media)

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The columnist a journalist turned media academician lives at Dhenkanal, a central Odisha town. He also writes fiction and translates poetry. An anthology of Hindi and Urdu poems that he translated into Odia has just been published.

mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com

This column is published every Sunday in Gangtok based English daily Sikkim Express and www.prameyanews.com

 

 

Multi - lingual literary meet.

4.7.21 at 6 pm. May join.

Here is the joining link:

https://meet.google.com/ovs-pkyi-vqj