Scrapbook - 2
দীপায়ন গেছে চুল কাটতে University District-এ। চুল কম, টাক-টাক ভাব...যে চুল কাটবে সে দীপায়নের মাথায় কয়েকটা পাকা চুল দেখতে পেয়ে ওকে সতর্ক করল... "You have got some white hair!" তারপর খুব সহানুভূতিশীল হয়ে বলল "But every last one helps"!
Scrapbook - 1
আমরা Seattle-এর বেশ নাম করা restaurant, 'The Brooklyn'-এ খেতে গেছি আমাদের প্রথম anniversary উপলক্ষে। ওয়েটর order নিতে এলে আমরা তাকে জিগেস করলাম "What do you suggest? Quail or Halibut?" সে বলল "Quail is excellent! Halibut is also great!" Quail আর New York Strip Steak order দেওয়া হল, সঙ্গে Red Wine. ওয়েটরটির ব্যবহার খুব-ই friendly. খুশী হয়ে order নিয়ে গেলো।
যখন খাবার দিতে এলো তখন দীপায়নকে কানে কানে বলে গেলো " The Quail is just great! And the best part is you didn't have to go and hunt it!"
যখন খাবার দিতে এলো তখন দীপায়নকে কানে কানে বলে গেলো " The Quail is just great! And the best part is you didn't have to go and hunt it!"
Purulia Chhau
রাঙা পুরুলিয়া গো, রাঙা পুরুলিয়া
নীল আকাশের নীচে মোড়া
নীল আকাশের নীচে গড়া
রাঙা মাটি দিয়া গো
রাঙা মাটি দিয়া
সে মাটিতে গাছ গজালো
সে গাছ কবে বড় হল
সবুজ পাতার ফাঁকে ওঠে
রাঙা ফুল ফুটিয়া
দিনমনি মুচকি হাসে
বাহার দেখিয়া গো
বাহার দেখিয়া
I have never heard Purulia being described so heartily as it was done in the dance dramas performed by its Chhau and Jhumur groups. Purulia, one of the poorest districts of West Bengal, is nonetheless a rich storehouse of folk art and beautiful landscapes that were celebrated in the productions of Tagore's চিত্রাঙ্গদা, and ঘটোৎকচ সম্ভব from The Mahabharata. Owing to the large shift from the usual themes (such as মহিষাসুর মর্দিনী), these dance dramas had to be developed under rigorous discipline with constant motivation and training from a group of specialists.
It took weeks for the illiterate Jhumur singers to sing Rabindrasangeet in the right spirit and with the correct wordings. But when they sang ‘তৃষ্ণার শান্তি সুন্দর কান্তি’ rustically, it was no less appealing than any conventional rendering! New dance steps were introduced to supplement existing ones, keeping the Chhau form intact. Passion went hand in hand with the aspiration for perfection. Once, when the rigorous practice of the day could not set the steps right, an artist was found dancing around in his room silently at midnight, carefully avoiding stepping over his sleeping teammates! New costumes and masks, more durable and affordable, were designed for the play. When Hirimba sang to Bhim, ‘তোমাকে চাই আমি, ওগো তোমাকে চাই আমি, আমায় বিয়া করবে নাকি তুমি?’, one could almost see her beaming in love through the mask! Such is the power of expression in the form.
When the productions were staged, they captivated audiences both rural and urban. Intellectuals discussed how Tagore had been released from the shackles of the elitists; many hummed the tunes of Jhumur.
The initiative is being sustained with further productions on লক্ষ্মণের শক্তিশেল, ডাকিনি মঙ্গল based on Macbeth,and কাল মৃগয়া. If you have not seen one, you have missed a treat!
নীল আকাশের নীচে মোড়া
নীল আকাশের নীচে গড়া
রাঙা মাটি দিয়া গো
রাঙা মাটি দিয়া
সে মাটিতে গাছ গজালো
সে গাছ কবে বড় হল
সবুজ পাতার ফাঁকে ওঠে
রাঙা ফুল ফুটিয়া
দিনমনি মুচকি হাসে
বাহার দেখিয়া গো
বাহার দেখিয়া
I have never heard Purulia being described so heartily as it was done in the dance dramas performed by its Chhau and Jhumur groups. Purulia, one of the poorest districts of West Bengal, is nonetheless a rich storehouse of folk art and beautiful landscapes that were celebrated in the productions of Tagore's চিত্রাঙ্গদা, and ঘটোৎকচ সম্ভব from The Mahabharata. Owing to the large shift from the usual themes (such as মহিষাসুর মর্দিনী), these dance dramas had to be developed under rigorous discipline with constant motivation and training from a group of specialists.
It took weeks for the illiterate Jhumur singers to sing Rabindrasangeet in the right spirit and with the correct wordings. But when they sang ‘তৃষ্ণার শান্তি সুন্দর কান্তি’ rustically, it was no less appealing than any conventional rendering! New dance steps were introduced to supplement existing ones, keeping the Chhau form intact. Passion went hand in hand with the aspiration for perfection. Once, when the rigorous practice of the day could not set the steps right, an artist was found dancing around in his room silently at midnight, carefully avoiding stepping over his sleeping teammates! New costumes and masks, more durable and affordable, were designed for the play. When Hirimba sang to Bhim, ‘তোমাকে চাই আমি, ওগো তোমাকে চাই আমি, আমায় বিয়া করবে নাকি তুমি?’, one could almost see her beaming in love through the mask! Such is the power of expression in the form.
When the productions were staged, they captivated audiences both rural and urban. Intellectuals discussed how Tagore had been released from the shackles of the elitists; many hummed the tunes of Jhumur.
The initiative is being sustained with further productions on লক্ষ্মণের শক্তিশেল, ডাকিনি মঙ্গল based on Macbeth,and কাল মৃগয়া. If you have not seen one, you have missed a treat!
Patalghar
Translating Shirshendu's stories into movies is not an easy task considering the subtle humour and crispness in his style. Patalghar, I feel, was a great attempt though it did not win much applaud. I feel Debojyoti Mishra and Rangan Chakraborty have some of their best creations in this movie!
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