Few months ago I wrote about the debut of a new Bengali webzine, Urhalpool.com. The magazine has now reached new heights with the introduction of the first hard copy version at the 2009 Kolkata Book Fair. On Saturday 7th February 2009, at 6PM, the UBI auditorium at the Kolkata Book Fair ground was completely packed with people standing all over. Sunil Gangopadhyay introduced Urhalpool with a short speech which was followed by editor Goutam Datta talking about the vision of the magazine. The Hon’ble consul general of Italy was present on the stage along with Urhalpool’s Italian writer Alessandra Corsini. Several other contributers to the magaine like Alolika Mukherjee, Subodh sarkar, Mallika Sengupta, Pinaki Thakur, Bithi Chattopadhyay and others were present at the event. Urhalpool’s Shakti Chattopadhyay Life Time achievement in Bengali literature award (Rs25,000) was presented to Nabaneeta Dev Sen and Nirmal Chandra Gangopadhyay Sahitya puroskar was awarded (Rs15,000) to Poet Srijato. Poet Shakti Chattopadhyay’s wife Minakhi-di handed over the Shakti Chattopadhyay award and Nupur Lahiri handed over Nirmal Chandra award. The entire program was conducted by Soumitra Mitra.
Mahasweta Devi Nominated for the 2009 Man Booker Prize
On Wednesday (18th March), fourteen authors across the world were been named as the contenders for the Man Booker International prize. The long list of writers includes the name of prolific veteran Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi. Sir V. S. Naipaul is also included in the list. In all 14 authors from 12 countries have been nominated for Booker Prize, which is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world. The prize given in two years carries prize money of 60,000 pounds and can be won by any author worldwide, provided their work is available in English.
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Sahityo-O-Alochona
This is a reminder that we will resume our quasi-monthly Sahitya O Alochana meetings this Friday, March 20, at 8 PM at Ananda Mandir.
Dr. Nupur Lahiri, who recently translated Rabindranath’s “Rakto Karabi,” will lead a (much-anticipated!) discussion on Tagore in Translation. I for one am looking forward to it.
Hoping to see you all there,
Amitabha Bagchi
Jaynagarer Moa to be Patented
The famous Joynagar moa, a confectionery prepared from date palm jaggery (nalen gur) and puffed, rice could be given a geographical indication (GI) patent. If awarded, the patent would be the second for a produce of Bengal, after Darjeeling tea. Also in the pipeline for a GI patent are Bardhamaner Sithabhog, Shaktigarer lyangcha and Mursidabad silk. Continue reading
Skype Beware! Google Voice is Coming!
Google has announced a new service, Google Voice. In 2007 Google acquired GrandCentral, a phone management service, for $50+ million. Since then GrandCentral was almost forgotten. Now Google unveils the GrandCentral service as voice call service that can give Skype a run for their money. With Google Voice, a subscriber can have a single phone number and any call made to that number will be forwarded to all your phones – home, cell, office or your hotel room. Calls using Google Voice is free within USA. International calls will cost around 2 cents a minute. The other features include sending, receiving and storing text messages, listen-in feature to listen to calls before taking it, voice mail and voice mail transcript service that allows storing and archiving of voice mail messages as text and many other features.
Currently Google Voice service is available only to existing GrandCentral customers. But as soon as it does open its doors, it will surely cause a major dent to Skype and other similar services. Let’s just wait and see how it rolls out.
Chhandayan’s 10th Annual All-Night Concert of Indian Music
Saturday, May 9th from 7 p.m. until Sunday, May 10th 6 a.m.
at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West, 64th Street (corner of 64th Street and Central Park West), New York, NY 10023
New venue, new time – we are starting and ending earlier than before.
It will be one of the most exciting all-nights we ever had with :
- Duet by George Ruckert (Sarod) and Allyn Miner (Sitar) – Shri Nitin Mitta on Tabla.
- Bidushi Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik (vocal) – Shri Sailendra Mishra on Tabla, Shri Kedar Naphade on Harmonium
- Tablaphilia, composed by Samir Chatterjee and performed by the 25-member Chhandayan Tabla Symphony
- Pt. Vidyadhar Vyas (Vocal) – Shri Dibyarka Chatterjee on Tabla, Shri Kedar Naphade on Harmonium
- Pt. Soumitra Lahiri (Sitar) – Samir Chatterjee on Tabla
- Smt. Padma Talwalkar (Vocal) – Shri Utpal Dutta on Tabla, Shri Suyog Kumdalkar on Harmonium
- Pt. Viswamohan Bhatt (Mohan Veena) – Samir Chatterjee on Tabla.
For further information and online ticket purchase please visit http://www.tabla.org/allnight.html or call us at 973 460 5282.
Bhoomi : The Modern Voice of Bengal
Bengali music found its new voice through band music that has recently proliferated across the land and one of the pioneers of this music is “Bhoomi” the legendary band from Kolkata. The key to Bhoomi’s success is their use of Bengali folk tunes and enrich them using modern musical arrangements. The six member team, with occasional guest artists, have been entrancing their audiences since 1999 with their captivating music. Folk musicals styles like baul, bhatiyali , moishaal, jhumur,saari gaan and qawaali constitutes the primary source of inspiration for Bhoomi’s music. Continue reading
“Origins of the Financial Crisis” and Other Lessons
While the current economic crisis still bogging us down to our knees, I chanced upon an insightful lecture by Dr. Alan Blinder, a Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University. A world renowned economist, Prof. Blinder speaks very eloquently about the multiple causes and culprits of the current economic crisis and also spells out the possible remedies. It was an extremely educational experience for me, and I think will be the same for many people like me who keep on hearing multiple different stories from different sources. Continue reading
Slumdogs, Oscars, and Artists
The recent success of “Slumdog Millionaire” at the Oscars have resurfaced a new crisis that has often plagued us, the people of India and Indian origin. Well, I should possibly qualify that statement by saying that not everybody is complaining. In fact the slum dwellers are celebrating the Oscar win as their won victory. It is only those people who feel insecure of their reality has been complaining the most by accusing that these artists and film makers are making millions by exploiting the poverty of India. Many have been offended by the film’s title “Slumdog” as a derogatory comment on the slum dwellers. Some have even moved to the court and demanded that the film be re-titled. Some have been organizing protest rallies and meetings to awaken the masses against the western exploitation of our poverty. Continue reading
Mothers in Sex Trade : An In-depth Look
“My name is Shikha Morol. That’s not my real name, but I don’t want to tell you my real name. This is my name here. And please don’t take any pictures. I won’t allow it . . .”
The woman in front of me sat with her head bowed. She wore a blue synthetic sari with garish floral prints and a mismatched purple blouse. She looked neat and clean but signs of poverty were evident in her work-roughened hands and broken nails.
Her name, she said, was Shikha, “a little flame.” She said she was 30. I was surprised. I assumed she was closer to 50.
This is how one of the interviews with Sikha, a sex worker in Sonagachhi Kolkata, starts in Shamita Dasgupta and Indrani Sinha’s latest book, “Mothers for Sale: Women in Kolkata’s Sex Trade”. Continue reading