Ron Postcard

After a gap of more than six years, my play Ron is being staged again in New Jersey. Although this time it is produced by a mainstream American community theater company, Edison Valley Playhouse, a question may naturally arise – why now? The Iraq war, which forms the background of the play, is officially over.  America  still does have a presence in Afganistan, but its size is nowhere comparable to that in Iraq during the peak of the war, and withdrawal from Afganistan is almost imminent. America’s primary enemy, Al-Queda has been all but destroyed. Bin Laden is dead.  Although the possibility of another war is not out of question, the American people are not going through the  same levels of stress as they were during the Iraq war. Under these circumstances, is Ron still relevant?

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Ron: The Play

After a long gap of more than six years,  the internationally acclaimed play “Ron” is coming to NJ Stage once again. This time in English. The play, produced by Edison Valley Playhouse, will make its Tri-State premiere on Nov 9, 2012 and will have limited run till Nov 24th for 7 shows only. Show times are at 8:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2:00pm on Sunday Nov 18th. Tickets are $15.00 each ($12 for seniors and students).

The play is written and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik, and produced by Bill Seesselberg.

The cast includes, Amitabh Chowdhury, Sankar Ghoshal, Nupur Lahiri, Apurva Bhalerao, Roni Mazumdar, Subhodev Das and Vidula Mungekar. Continue reading →

Durga Puja is just round the corner and New Jersey Bengali Clubs are gearing themselves up for the great event. The clubs are trying to attract the Bengalis of New Jersey with a wide range of star studded cultural programmes along with domestic shows, not to mention the sumptuous dinner to be served each evening. On line registrations have started and soon they will all be sold out. So act fast to ensure your attendance.

Here is a sneak peek into what to expect at the major Pujos of New Jersey. Continue reading →

By Amitava Sen

Lost in Translation:

Language is arguably the important, if not most important component of culture because much of it is conveyed orally or in writing. It is impossible to understand the nuances and deep meaning of a culture without knowing its language and knowing it well. Language is more than just a means of communication. It influences senses and understanding of arts, culture and even our thought process. How children actually learn a language is not clear. Most linguists believe that they do by listening and trying to communicate with adults.

But what are the adults doing to steer our children to our language?  We mostly do not communicate with them in the language of the culture we are trying to induct them into. Indeed the language the parents and the children mostly use is infrequently Bengali. Continue reading →

By Amitava Sen

Dominance of American Culture.

Down in the mall between fast food joints and stores selling sportswear and sneakers, a group of young people huddle in clam-diggers or cargo shorts (Short pants extending below knee) and Nike sneakers with ears plugged in I-phone playing latest Justin Bieber song, watching young women passing by in DKNY and Yankees base ball hat, latte in one hand, conversing animatedly in English.

This is a common scene in a mall in America; except the mall referred to is not in America; the place is a mall in Calcutta. If you go to any mall in Calcutta this scene repeats itself everywhere. This is the age of pervasive dominance of American culture. With globalization of trade and business has come global Americanization of culture. Continue reading →