Community News Bites: NABC 2009 and Urhalpool
June 30, 2009 on 3:31 pm | In Arts-Culture | No CommentsNorth America Bengali Conference (NABC) 2009 kicks off at the San Jose Convention Center on July 2nd. The biggest Bengali event of the year will run till July 4th and will feature some of the best performers from India, Bangladesh and USA.
Urhalpool editor Goutam Datta will be awarded the “Distinguished Service Award” at NABC 2009 on Friday, July 3rd at 6:45PM in “Banga Mancha”. The award is given by the Cultural Association of Bengal (the umbrella organization of NABC) for helping the cause of propagating and nurturing Bengali culture in North America.
URHALPOOL (www.urhalpool.com) had been chosen by NABC2009 as their internet media partner. URHALPOOL in association with NABC2009 will be presenting extensive coverage of the event for all 4 days from July 1st to July 4th. Catch up with all the NABC excitement at URHALPOOL(www.urhalpool.com).
On June 26th, Anandamandir hosted their monthly “Sahitya-o-Alochona” meetings where the attendees discussed the celebrated Bengali poet Joy Goswami. The attendees read Joy Goswami’s poems, discussed the artistry of his work and shared their personal experiences with the poet.
Tauryatrika 2009 [the annual cultural program of Bharatiya Kala Kendra - BKK] was a mega success. The event started with an excellent and highly interactive seminar, followed by screening of a movie on Ustad Bismillah Khan [directed by Goutam Ghosh]. In the cultural program, students of BKK put an excellent presentation. At the end, Bappi Lahiri was on top of his form.
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Banaprastha - Only if the message could be clearer
June 11, 2009 on 3:52 pm | In Arts-Culture, Generic | 1 CommentA Review by Amitava Sen
As I entered the theatre the house was full and audibly expectant; as the play ended crowd was visibly appreciative and a few even ecstatic which was quite an achievement and cause for satisfaction for the group of people who presented Banaprastha at Edison Valley Playhouse on May 31, 2009. The play was generally well produced. A full house helps to create an environment of connectivity between the performers and audience. Perception of a full house and ambience that it helps create encourage the players to be their best. Selection of this adequately equipped arena, small in size, reflects producers’ sensibility about the importance of interaction between the players and the viewers and economic prudence at the same time.
Continue reading Banaprastha - Only if the message could be clearer…
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Habib Tanvir : The Legend Lives On
June 10, 2009 on 5:12 pm | In Arts-Culture | No Comments
Very few theatre personalities in India have become legends in their life time. Habib Tanvir was one of them. Born as Habib Ahmed Khan on September 1, 1923 in Raipur, Chattisgarh, Habib Tanvir has reinvented Indian folk theater and brought it out on the world stage in its full glory. Â I still remember the evening in Calcutta when I watched his brilliant creation “Charandas Chor”. Â The presentation of the play in a traditional folk form looked so modern, so fresh, that I couldn’t think of anything comparable in contemporary theatre. Habib, Â through is work, has left a legacy that is difficult to carry on - because it demands a level of dedication that many of our modern theatre workers will fail to match. The sensitivity with which he nurtured the folk forms, experimented with content and presented them with such grace and simplicity - only a true genius can achieve such excellence.Â
Habib Tanvir passed away on June 8th, 2009, but the lengend he became still lives on and inspires theatre workers all around the globe.
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Thank You
June 3, 2009 on 11:16 pm | In Generic | 2 Comments
I’d like to express my sincere thanks to all those of you who came to watch our play “Banaprastha” (The Retirement). We had full houses on all the four days and it was a testament to the fact that New Jersey Bengalis like to watch quality theatre if we can offer them. However, it was not only Jerseyans who came to our show, people came from Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York city and even Buffalo New York. The overall feedback has been extremely positive, and people are asking for more shows. Such encouragement is what makes all this hard work worth it and drives us to our next venture. We hope that with your good wishes, we’ll be able to keep up with your expectations and put New Jersey on the map of serious and quality Bengali theatre for time to come.
Thank you once again for supporting us.
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Kathak in America - The Story of Kalamandir
May 27, 2009 on 11:52 pm | In Generic | No Comments
The classical Indian dance form Kathak is now quite well known amongst the dance connoisseurs of America. Americans who have some familiarity with classical music and dance of India, know about Kathak - a dance form that truly blends together the various components of Indian music - melody, rhythm and the beauty of the physical form. It is true that many stalwarts of the Kathak dance form like Pandit Birju Maharaj and others have graced the American stage with their amazing performances, but the primary reason for its popularity and sustenance in this country is due to the tremendous efforts put in by several Kathak dance schools and academies run by the immigrant dancers from India who wanted to spread their passion for this art form amongst the next generation. Once such school is Kalamandir of New Jersey led by its director, Malabika Guha.
Continue reading Kathak in America - The Story of Kalamandir…
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Community News Bites: Banaprastha and Urhalpool
May 21, 2009 on 2:08 pm | In Arts-Culture, Generic | No CommentsECTA’s latest production “Banaprastha” premiered at the Edison Valley Playhouse on May 16th in front of a full house. The play was very well received by the audience as you can see in the accompanying video. Â The second show was held on May 17th. Besides the video comments, here are some of the comments sent over the email.
“We thoroughly enjoyed Banaprasta. This is a very timely production. I wish this drama can be viewed by millions Indians in India in view of the fact that India is crazy about Bollywood. Once again congratulations for presenting a great drama.” - Aurobindo Mukherjee
Continue reading Community News Bites: Banaprastha and Urhalpool…
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Search for Idols
May 12, 2009 on 11:39 pm | In Arts-Culture | 1 Comment
The reality TV show “American Idol” has triggered a new trend - Idol search! TV channels all over the world are searching for idols - or talents. This search is not only limited to the television screen, but it has also proliferated onto the stage in various forms. Although the primary objective of this kind of shows is to screen for talent, Â in reality (excuse the pun) it is nothing but an entertainment show. The excitement, the drama, and the occasional emotional outbursts, are all part of the show. Undoubtedly, such shows do bring many talented men, women and children to the limelight, but is this the right way to do explore talent? Â In many cases, the exploration turns to exploitation - especially for the young participants. They have to go through a grueling screening process, sustain a tremendous pressure to perform, and then handle a barrage of criticism from the celebrity judges. Â I know in one dance show, a young girl couldn’t take the judges criticism anymore and had a nervous breakdown resulting in a paralytic fit. In several instances the young competitors sacrifice their education to continue the show. But the tragedy is, in most cases the winner is not judged by the celebrity panel whose criticism these young participants have to encounter, but rather by the audience through cell/mobile phone text messages (SMS). And in this process, the wireless carrier mints money. I am sure the show also gets their share of this income too.
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Banaprastha Rehearsals in Final Phase
May 5, 2009 on 11:48 pm | In Arts-Culture | 3 Comments
After a long preparation phase, the end is now in sight. In two weeks time, ECTA will be launching their latest production, “Banaprastha” or “The Retirement”. ECTA’s play have always generated interest amongst the theater lover audience of this area and “Banaprastha” is no exception. People are eagerly waiting for the new play with lot of expectation. We hope this play will live up to that.
“Banaprastha” will feature some of the regular performers of ECTA along with few new faces. Shamyo Goswami, a newcomer to New Jersey will be appearing for the first time on NJ stage. Although Shamyo’s primary interest is in film direction (he has directed and produced a Banga Tele-serial featuring some of the top actors of Bengali screen), he is also an excellent actor. Subhodev Das, after a long hiatus, will be performing the role of the protagonist character - Dr. Parijat Sen. Another newcomer is Pradeep Ramdas. Although not a native Bengali speaker, his love for Bengali theater is no less than any Bengali. In India, Pradeep was involved with the street theater movement. Pradeep plays the role of Ashok Diwan, a young business man of Kolkata. Kaninika Dutta’s debut in New Jersey theater was with Pratham Alo, where she acted in the key role of Bhumisuta. Kaninika, after a long break, returns to the stage as Sudeshna. Gargi Mukherjee, the well known actress (you cannot miss her in Mira Nair’s film - The Namesake) also returns to an ECTA production after a long time. She performed in ECTA’s first production “Phera” (The Return) in 2004 as a guest artist. In Banaprastha, she performs in the role of Suranjana - a character that will touch the hearts of many. Kaushik Dutta, who won the hearts of many with his role of Nando in “Ron”, will also feature in an important character role.
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Community News Bites : Jhumpa Lahiri, Urhalpool and Bhool Rasta
April 28, 2009 on 4:14 pm | In Generic | No Comments- On Thursday, April 30th, Jhumpa Lahiri, the internationally renowned writer, will have a book signing ceremony at the Barnes & Nobles book store at Menlo Park, New Jersey at 7 P.M. Sushmita Dutta, a co-editor of our Ananda Sangbad will be covering a special report of this event with a possible interview.
- Tickets for Banaprastha, ECTA’s new play, are now available on-line at http://ectainc.org
- Urhalpool, the online Bengali webzine’s second edition is delayed due to some technical difficulties. It will be published soon.
- Raj Basu’s film “Piyalir Password” had a successful premiere in New Jersey. The producers of the film are looking for more screening opportunities in New York and New Jersey.
- ECTA is staging a “members only” event - “Putuler Chithi”, a one woman show by Abanti Chakraborty from Kolkata. The script is by Bibhas Chakraborty and is based on Nora of Ibsen’s Doll’s House. The play will be staged on May 3rd.
- NJISACF had a successful Spring Film Festival. The hightlight of the festival was the screening of “Kaalbela”, a film by Gautam Ghosh based on the novel by Samaresh Majumdar. The director was present to answer questions from a full house.
- Subhashis Das and Tandra Das will perform Badal Sircar’s “Bhool Rasta” on May 2nd at the South Brunswick Senior center. Â They are also looking to perform this theatrical storytelling show at different venues and festivals. All proceeds will go to the benefit of Badal Sircar and his group Satabdi.Â
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Banaprastha and AIDS - The Genesis
April 22, 2009 on 5:26 pm | In Arts-Culture | 1 Comment
I think it was in 2004 when I met Pranay Dutta, an AIDS activist from Calcutta who was on a world tour attending several AIDS conferences in Europe, Asia and America. Pranay Dutta was then (and I understand he still is) the secretary of Sonata Foundation, an NGO in Calcutta who was trying to spread AIDS awareness in West Bengal and India through music, documentaries and performing arts. His theory was that HIV/AIDS awareness through print media was bound to be a failure in India where the majority of the affected people are illiterate. He thought that if this message can be spread out using music and performing arts then it could have the greatest impact. During my discussions with Pranay, he told me numerous incidents of how HIV and AIDS are affecting the poor Indian population. But what struck me most was the fact that how this disease was surreptitiously spreading amongst the educated, urban middle class. He told me several incidents of well-to-do middle class families affected with HIV and their attempts to hush it up, just like the way people used to do in the early half of the twentieth century when people got infected with TB or Leprosy or something similar. The fear of social back lash was more than the disease itself. Anybody infected with HIV is immediately branded as an immoral social outcast - some one who does not have the right to exist amongst the social elite. Most middle class family consider themselves immune to HIV and think that this is only a poor man’s disease. As Pranay says in one of his interviews with Voice of America, people in our society doesn’t care about HIV until someone in their family is infected. It is difficult to make someone aware when he or she doesn’t want to be.
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