Category Archives: Records, All

West Bengal gets its first transwoman presiding officer

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Kolkata :

Early this year, Riya Sarkar had spoken out about the ‘terrible alienation’ she was facing from some of her colleagues of Dum Dum Prachaya Bani Mandir For Boys’. She was being treated as an untouchable at her workplace for having undergone sex realignment surgery. Three months down the line, Sarkar finds herself empowered. She is perhaps the first transwoman in India to have been entrusted with the job of a presiding officer. On April 30, Sarkar will be seen at a South Kolkata booth manned only by women in Rashbehari area.

In the last Loksabha elections, Sarkar was approached for discharging election duty. “Back then, I was a transgender and was undergoing hormone therapy. I was too weak and had informed the authorities about my medical condition,” Sarkar recalled. This year when Sarkar was approached, she accepted the offer gladly. She is overwhelmed by the huge “honour” that Election Commission (EC) has given her.

Back in her school, her colleagues are sharing her happiness too. Teacher-in-charge of her institute Amar Nath Chatterjee told TOI that he is glad with the news. “Bhaloi toh (It’s good). We had a small misunderstanding earlier. But now everything is normal. All our staff members congratulated her. Since there is a vacation in school, students don’t know the news yet.”

Sarkar is satisfied with the turnaround of people who initially had problems accepting her sex realignment surgery. “I am grateful to TOI for standing by me and helping me in my fight for equal rights. Dr Manabi Bandopadhyay and my parents have also been very supportive. My colleagues, particularly Maitreyi Das and Subrata Biswas, have always stood by me. Those who were apprehensive subsequently apologised for their behaviour. They are saluting me now,” Sarkar said.

Subrata Biswas, who teaches Bengali in Sarkar’s school, feels this move by the EC will go a long way in empowering those who are undergoing sex realignment surgery. “It is a commendable decision for the EC to rope her for a job that’s linked to nation building. This is a great way to encourage her acceptance in the mainstream,” Biswas said.

Incidentally, Biswas too has served as a presiding officer at a booth in New Barrackpore on April 25. “Before the polls began, we exchanged notes on how to discharge our duties. There was no problem of fake voting in my booth. I’ve assured her that the Central Forces are doing a great job and that she should not feel scared at all,” Biswas added.

Does poll violence scare Sarkar? “No, I’m expecting complete cooperation from our polling agents. I’m a law-abiding and politically neutral person. I hope to get full support from the CRPF and female constables to conduct a fair poll,” she replied.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / by Priyanka Dasgupta, TNN / April 28th, 2016

Meet Annie Roy, the only woman tunnel engineer of country

Amazing Feats, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

AnnieRoyKOLK29apr2016

Bengaluru:

“She must be a visitor.” That’s the murmur she heard when Annie Sinha Roy walked into the construction site of Delhi Metro on the first day of her job. “There were about 100 men, most of them labourers and a few engineers. They thought I would not last long. There were no toilets, no place to sit and debris all around,” the country’s first and only woman tunnel engineer recalls.

“After a couple of hours, I was standing in front of a huge machine that had to break the ground but it was stuck. A German engineer and my boss asked me to get inside it and open a nut. Even before I realized what I was doing, my face was gushed by hydraulic oil. The colleague said my face would glow for the rest of my life. Today tunnelling is my life,” says Annie, 35, ahead of the inauguration of South India’s first underground Metro rail on Friday.

In Bengaluru, she alone steered Godavari, the tunnelboring machine that recently finished boring underground from Sampige Road to Majestic. She calls it her tunnel because the machine had got damaged just when she joined as assistant engineer in Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) in May 2015. After that, she used to spend eight hours in the tunnel every day. “Sometimes when people see me with the helmet and jacket and learn that I work for Namma Metro, they would only ask when the work will get over,” she says. Recalling her long journey, she said she wanted to pursue her masters after completing degree in mechanical engineering from Nagpur University.

“But I lost my father and I had to get a job to bail out my family from financial crisis. I got a job offer from Senbo, a contractor with Delhi Metro, and took it up in October 2007,” says Annie, who hails from a middle class family in north Kolkata.

In 2009, she joined Chennai Metro. And then went to Doha for six months in 2014. “My visa application was rejected thrice by Qatar because they do now allow unmarried women to go and work there. But the fourth time, I fought it out with them,” she laughs.

Annie is proud of her work in the tough male world around her, which has helped her “not bother about what is going to happen tomorrow”.

She wants women to break stereotypes and work in the male-dominated professions. “I want women to drive a tunnel boring machine. I want them to work in the tunnel,” said Annie who lives in HSR Layout with her husband, a techie.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / by Aparjita Ray, TNN / April 29th, 2016

Armenia still lives in the heart of Kolkata

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

City’s 195-year-old Armenian school had a near-death experience when its student body shrank to one. But it has now returned to life, thanks to immigrant students.

What Parsis were to Mumbai, Armenians were to Kolkata -a refugee race that washed up on Indian shores before the British, and proceeded to establish iconic businesses and institutions that live to this day.One such in Kolkata is the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy (ACPA), nearly two centuries old.

Built in 1821 as a residential school for children of Armenian descent, ACPA was founded by two Armenian merchants, Astvatsatur Muradkhanian and Manatsakan Vardanian who hailed from Julfa (now in Iran). The school was founded to impart an `Armenian’ education to its students, in their language, and about their culture.

In the early 19th century, the Armenians were a prominent business community in Kolkata that ran coal mines, indigo and shellac businesses, and built some of the city’s famous landmarks, including Stephen Court on Park Street and Grand Hotel (today Oberoi Grand).

But after the British quit India, so did most of the Armenians, who migrated abroad. Half a century ago, Kolkata’s Armenian population dwindled to just 2,000, vanishing still further to leave behind only around 150. Two of these Indo-Armenians are counted among the 68 students currently studying at the school; the rest are immigrant Armenians from Iraq, Iran, Russia and Armenia.

The school -in whose original building novelist William Makepeace Thackeray was born -has had its ups and downs. Its student body shrank and expanded -going from 138 in 1932, to 149 in 2003, and even plummeting to a solitary student in 1990, perhaps marking the most trying year in the school’s long history.

In February 1999, a Calcutta high court ruling transferred the school’s administration to Armenia’s Mother See of Holy Etch miadzin, the administrative headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is now the Pope of Armenia who appoints the school manager.

“Since the institution’s guardianship was vested with the church, the school has maintained its standards and a minimum number of students,” said Rev. Zaven Ya zichyan, manager of Armenian College and pastor of the Indian-Armenian Spiritual Pastorate.

Following the transfer of power, the first batch of 34 immigrant students reached Kolkata from Iraq, Iran, Russia and Armenia -sent here for the free education and boarding provided by the school. Often, Armenian families in places like Iraq and Iran send their children here even as they plan to migrate to the West, the school be coming an interim harbour for their children. ACPA now routinely invites the diaspora abroad to enroll their children here.

In the run-up to their 200th year celebrations in 2021, Rev. Yazichyan has been at tempting to revive the institution. Among the ambitious projects is the preservation and digitization of the Araratian library, set up in 1828 and named after Mount Ara rat, the place where Noah’s Ark landed after the Flood. Other efforts include the creation of a databank of all Armenians from Kolkata (the last was created in 1956) and for malassociations with other international educational organizations.

To retain a cultural identity , ACPA teaches Armenian history , language and religion.

On visiting the campus on Free School Street (some say it got its name from the free Armenian school), the students seem content. Hovhannes Saringulyar, who teach es Armenian history, says, “If they miss their parents, they talk to them on Skype.”

Incidentally , the school also provides boarders with a free passage back home once every three years.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / Ajanta Chakraborty / TNN / April 24th, 2016

‘This one is special’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Monali Thakur on winning the National Award for Best Playback Singer (Female) for ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhaage’

Monali Thakur
Monali Thakur

Monali Thakur shot to fame with ‘ Zara Zara ’ from Race in 2008. She sang two songs in the film, which instantly became favourite dance numbers.

But it is ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhaage’ from Dum Laga Ke Haisha , an Anu Malik semi-classical composition, that recently won her the National Award for Best Playback Singer (Female).

The Bengali beauty, who has also acted in a few Bengali and Hindi movies, is busy writing and composing songs for her singles, where she will also be seen flaunting her dance skills. In a telephonic interview, she spoke about her career, industry stereotypes, indie music scene and more. Excerpts:

How does it feel to win the National Award?

(Laughs) Awesome! But honestly, I think I need time to believe it, especially because I never thought of it, nor did I expect it. My phone was on flight mode and once I switched it on, messages were pouring in. I thought I probably got a big film offer, or I was getting married. A filmmaker friend of mine from Bengal then called and gave me the news.

For a moment, I was silent, and then I started jumping around. I called my mother at home, who was equally overwhelmed.

You started your Hindi film career with pop numbers like ‘Khwab Dekhe Jhuthe Muthe’ and then surprised music lovers with the melodious ‘Sawaar Loon’. Do you think that helped music directors notice your versatility?

It is unfortunate that the industry stereotypes people. And especially for women, there is not much scope in film music to experiment. Because music in the movies is created according to the script, and these days, even the female lines are sung by male singers. But mine, fortunately, is a different story. I started getting offers for similar kind of songs — songs that conveyed no meaning — so I consciously refused them, although I was not earning enough. Then, I met Amit Trivedi, who offered me ‘Aga Bai’ for Aiyyaa . He liked my work and then ‘Sawaar Loon’ happened. Amit knew I was trained in Hindustani classical (Patiala gharana). So, it certainly helped people notice the other side of me, that I can even sing a thumri.

You are also an actor. Your last big-ticket venture, Lakshmi may not have got rave reviews, but you were appreciated. Are we going to see you more on screen now?

Well, I like to think of myself as an entertainer. You meet creative minds as you move ahead in life. I met a few people who saw that I was interested and can act, so that’s how it all started. I enjoy filmmaking and I want to express myself as an artiste in every creative form possible.

So yeah, sure, why not?

Given that you had started acting and singing almost simultaneously, as a child, what did you want to become?

I always wanted to become a musician. At the age of six, I had my first song recorded with HMV. So, I was clear that in order to reach the maximum number of people I needed to become a playback singer, because sadly, only film music gives you that kind of recognition.

But now, I want to do different things, from dancing and composing to writing songs: anything that interests me.

Who has been your biggest inspiration?

Definitely family. Baba [her father, Shakti Thakur] himself being a professional singer and even Maa, who is also a singer, have always been a great inspiration. Other than that, I have also been influenced by the music of the West. I would listen to indie music, blue, pop rock, basically anything that appealed to me. It will be unfair to name just one; there are many.

What is your take on the present indie music scene in India?

Not much is happening in the indie scene, and the reason is that there is not much support from big banners. If producers start taking initiative in individual projects, things will improve.

We need to push harder to reach the level where we have singing divas and superstars in the country because we have so much talent.

What are your future projects?

I am working on my album. In film music, ‘Cham Cham’ from the Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer Baaghi has been released and there are a couple of other songs that are yet to release. But I don’t want to name any until they are out.

I have finished shooting for Mango , which is yet to be released. Last Christmas, a short film, Jangle Bells , was released.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> MetroPlus / by Debashree Purkayastha / April 15th, 2016

Power for 500 garden families

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

Siliguri :

Around 500 families of a Terai tea garden who had been living without electricity for the past 13 years got power supply in February following the State Legal Services Authority’s instruction to the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited .

Amir Sarkar, the general secretary of the Darjeeling District Legal Aid Forum (DDLAF), a voluntary organisation, said the residents of Girja Line in Gayaganga Tea Estate, 20km from here, had been facing hardships for a long time.

“The information came to us from Dhumkuriya Legal Aid Clinic, Dagapur, which is a unit of the DDLAF, in 2011. We took up the matter with the Sub-Divisional Legal Services Committee here in Siliguri,” Sarkar said.

It was followed by a visit of a team from the committee and some representatives of the DDLAF.

“It was found that even though the WBSEDCL had installed meters in the houses, there was no electric supply,” the DDLAF secretary said.

After the visit, the residents submitted a mass petition demanding power supply to the DDLAF, which took it up with the State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) and the West Bengal Human Rights Commission in Calcutta.

Representatives of the DDLAF and local people appeared before the commission and the SLSA where the case was heard.

“We also pursued the case in a circuit bench of the state human rights commission in Siliguri. Around 100 residents of Girja Line were present at the hearing,” Sarkar said.

Both the bodies ordered the chairman of the WBSEDCL to extend electricity supply to the affected families.

“Although the direction was given back in 2011, the WBSEDCL took time in executing it. We had to take up the matter again. Finally, the residents of Girja Line got electricity in February this year,” Sarkar said.

On April 10, the residents organised a programme.

“They celebrated the occasion. They had invited members of the subdivisional judiciary and also the DDLAF. All those present were felicitated by the residents of the garden,” Sarkar said.

Ajay Kumar Das, the additional district and sessions judge (first court) of Siliguri and chairperson of the subdivisional legal services committee and Sridhan Su, civil judge (senior division), Siliguri, attended the programme with others.

The judges spoke on the free legal assistance process and justice accessibility programme and apprised the tea garden workers and their families as to how to get justice through the alternative dispute redressal mechanism, Sarkar said.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph,Calcutta,India / Front Page> North Bengal> Story / by The Telegraph Correspondent / Saturday – April 23rd, 2016

Gravitational waves ‘sixth sense’ to understand universe: US-based Indian researchers

Amazing Feats, NRI's / PIO's, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Kolkata (IANS):

Thrilled at the detection of the elusive gravitational waves a century after Albert Einstein’s prediction and the first observation of collision of two black holes at the Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), two young US-based Indian researchers working on the project say the waves act as a sixth sense for humans to comprehend the universe.

In fact, these “ripples in the curvature of space and time” will provide information on the cosmos that wouldn’t have been possible by peering through any kind of telescope, say Karan P. Jani and Nancy Aggarwal, who are elated at the prospect of India getting a third LIGO (observatory) and being at the forefront of new-age astrophysics.

Last month, India and the US signed an agreement for a new LIGO project in India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington. The agreement was signed between India’s Department of Atomic Energy and the US’ National Science Foundation (NSF).

The prime minister also met Indian student scientists, including Aggarwal and Jani, associated with the LIGO project.

“Gravitational waves are a completely new way of seeing the universe. It’s like humans can now perceive the sixth sense beyond the five, to comprehend the universe,” Jani, a fourth year PhD researcher in astrophysics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, told IANS via email.

The gravitational waves were detected on September 14, 2015, by both of the twin LIGO detectors, located in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington. The LIGO Observatories are funded by the NSF and were conceived, built, and are operated by Caltech and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Physicists have concluded that the detected gravitational waves were produced during the final fraction of a second of the merger of two black holes to produce a single, more massive spinning black hole. This collision of two black holes had been predicted but never observed.

Jani and Aggarwal explained the detectors led to “direct observation of existence of black holes as also a direct observation of mergers of two black holes into a bigger black hole.”

“The energy released during collision was 50 times more than all the stars in the universe combined at that instance,” added Jani, whose work involves simulating black holes on supercomputers and searching for massive black hole collisions in LIGO data.

The breakthrough was made by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) (which includes the GEO Collaboration and the Australian Consortium for Interferometric Gravitational Astronomy) and the Virgo Collaboration using data from the two LIGO detectors.

The LSC currently includes over 1,000 members from 90 institutes and 16 countries. India is the third highest right now in terms of membership.

At the heart of the mammoth hunting game to catch the unicorn are tools called interferometers which work by merging two or more sources of light to create an interference pattern that can be measured and analyzed.

“It is a four km light interferometer… in fact LIGO is the most precise measurement ever done. This means a lot of technology research has to be done to make LIGO,” Aggarwal, a fourth year Ph D student at MIT LIGO Lab, told IANS via email.

Aggarwal is studying quantum mechanics to improve the precision of gravitational wave detectors and is glad that the starting of the LIGO India project opens up a new opportunity for her to work in her native country.

“A lot of technological developments that were made for LIGO have found independent applications in science as well as industry and LIGO India will create a lot of opportunities for Indian scientists and engineers and improve the general scientific and technological environment,” Aggarwal emphasised.

They hope to “share the discovery with a larger audience”, a request put in by Modi during their meeting.

“During our meeting, the prime minister said he would like the LIGO scientists to make frequent India trips to popularize the science in colleges in India. We also talked about physics outreach in India for school children, the importance of hands-on demos and the importance of learning material in languages other than English,” Aggarwal informed.

“Also, due to the participation, the travelling of Indian scientists abroad and international scientists to India will definitely strengthen the international relations for India,” she said.

(Sahana Ghosh can be contacted at sahana.g@ians.in)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / IANS / april 22nd, 2016

Sparks fly over museum ashes

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Uncategorized

Kolkata:

More than 25 days have passed since the Centenary Heritage Zoological Museum was gutted and now there seems to be a series of allegations and counter-allegations being thrown about within the zoology department.

On Monday, Ena Ray Banerjee, who heads the Immuno Biology and Regenerative Medicine Research Unit of the zoology department in Calcutta University and was in charge of the museum since 2012, alleged that not only were some of the partially charred specimens lying under lock and key under high temperature and humidity, but even those exhibits which could have been recovered may now be lost

She further pointed out that the fact that skulls and skeletons have just been kept in a room by the department shows a degree of apathy towards a world-class heritage museum. “It’s an irony that on the World Heritage Day, instead of celebrating the natural history heritage we have inherited, the department chose to keep the partially damaged, rescue-worthy, ancient, rare and even extinct animal specimens in a room at a temperature which was over 40 degrees last week. The high humidity is also detrimental for the specimens because fungal contamination can set in very quickly,” Ray Banerjee said.

The former museum head also said that the collections are now exposed to vehicular pollution from the Ballygunge Circular Road towards which the rooms’ windows are open.

“It does not have air-conditioning. It is a practical laboratory table on which the specimens are strewn indiscriminately and they are also handled by bare hands. The fungal bacteria will decay the flesh, denature the protein, preempting any proteomic studies. The nucleases present on human hands will destroy the nucleic acid, forbidding DNA bar coding of the specimens,” she alleged.

Citing a letter from senior scientist Alan Warren of the Natural History Museum in London, Ray Banerjee said, “In his letter, Warren has categorically mentioned that there is an optimum condition in which such archival specimens must be stored. But over the past 25 days there is no such attempt.”

“While the decay progresses in a linear manner in the first few days, once it sets in, the growth is exponential and the flesh is irreversibly lost taking with it valuable information of a time gone by. Science and technology would have been able to decode the information, but in the absence of proper preservation this will be impossible.”
“The specimens which were over 90% burnt and yet DNA barcoded for the database are capuchin monkeys, Hhwler monkeys, spider monkeys, three-toed sloth, marmoset and a giant squirrel. The south Asian river porpoise, whose skull with skin had remained, is out of bounds for anyone. It may also have been lost,” she said.

Some of the other exhibits which are reportedly threatened with destruction due to being locked under inappropriate conditions are the skulls of royal Bengal tigers. These were partially burnt. “But the bone has been damaged by the huge temperature fluctuation which took place after the fire broke out. Hundreds of old, ancient bones from several animals were stacked together in a shelf, which were being restored and sorted. Sadly, these now lie covered with cement and plaster dust, which is corrosive,” the museum head said.

“The ZSI has done a preliminary survey and has given a list of around 10 specimens which can be recovered. Those exhibits have been kept separately. On Tuesday, a team will again visit us at the Ballygunge Science College campus. A process to rebuild the museum is on. Where will we keep the exhibits? We have asked for a larger space at a suitable location from the university authorities. The museum was not for public display and was only dedicated to academic teaching and learning. She has made a number of claims, which do not have much foundation. She is no longer the head of the museum, which has now been placed under the HOD’s custody,” said Parthib Basu, HOD of the Zoology department of CU.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home>City> Kolkata / April 19th, 2016

Games we played – Ahead of the Bengali New Year, Eco Urban Village played host to traditional games that left children from the neighbouring complexes gaping, reports Brinda Sarkar

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sports

Just as people can barely recall which Bengali year we stepped into yesterday, sports of our soil are getting wiped off people’s collective memories.

At a traditional sports meet organised at New Town’s Eco Urban Village recently, the show was stolen by children from the urban fringes while those living in swanky apartments stared in awe at the games being played and lamely asked how they were played and what they were called.

The sports were part of Lok Tirtha, a three-day festival presented by Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) and implemented by the NGO Art Illuminates Mankind (AIM).

For a generation that is constantly told off for not going outdoors to play anymore, the kids who turned up were spoilt for choice. The ground had been divided into zones for five different games and over 80 names had been registered till the time the event started. Plenty more joined thereafter and every child spoken to said they would be playing every game.

The girls hopped across the ekka-dokka boxes and the boys threw balls at one another to stop the rival team from rebuilding the stack in pittu (see box for rules). “Pittu is not a game for the faint-hearted. I know many kids who’ve broken their arms playing it,” said Md Imtiaz Molla, a Class VII student who lives in a nearby village called Pakapol. “And it’s definitely not suitable for the kids who live in the apartments. They can’t play these rough games.”

PlayKOLKATA22apr2016

Play02KOLKATA22apr2016

Sneha Bhattacharya, a Masters’ student, had driven down from her Moulali home with her nine-year-old brother Debopriya, and the boy was wonderstruck at the new world of sports. “I mostly play games on the computer or the mobile,” said the boy, without looking away from a lattu (top) that a village boy, Sain Ali, had set spinning for 56 seconds. “I’ve never even seen a lattu before, let alone spin one. These boys are such experts that I’m felling shy to try and spin it today.”

His sister Sneha recalled how she would play kumir-danga and kit-kit (ekka-dokka) as a child. “And that wasn’t too long ago. But computers and mobiles have very quickly replaced all outdoor games for kids,” she said.

Surjaprobha Das, a student of a girls’ school in Lake Town, was too shy to play these “new” games but watched intently how other kids aimed their marbles to hit those of others in guli khela. “My daughter is only in Class II but her afternoons are already chock-a-block doing homework, attending tuitions and studying for tests. She doesn’t have the time to play anything and even if she goes out no other kids would come,” said her mother Sabita, who hoped her daughter would play pittu and ekka dokka, her own childhood favourites.

In fact, many adults joined the kids’ queue too. Hidco officials, the manager and security guard of Eco Urban Village, all played danguli. “There are many attempts to keep alive traditional food, music and dances but sports get overlooked. We wanted urban children to come and get a feel of these games so they at least know what other options they have,” said Debashis Sen, chairman cum managing director of Hidco, after trying a hand at danguli. “In fact, the winners of these games would be given medals, certificates and game kits consisting marbles, lattoos etc to propagate the games further.”

Sonali Chakraborty, secretary of AIM, said she was delighted to see such huge participation in the festival. “We would’ve been happier if more urban children had turned up but we shall try and make this an annual event now and I’m sure they’ll come next time around,” she smiled.

Pictures by Shubham Paul

Do you have memories of playing these games?
Write to The Telegraph Salt Lake, 6, Prafulla Sarkar Street, Calcutta 700001. Email: saltlake@abpmail.com

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph,Calcutta,India / Front Page> Salt Lake> Story / Friday – April 15th, 2016

Bangladesh government observes Mujib Nagar day in Kolkata

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion

Kolkata:

Bangladesh deputy high commission in Kolkata this week observed the setting up of first Bangladesh government in Meherpur in 1971. They held the programme at Aurobindo Bhawan as it was the place where for the first time outside Bangladesh their national flag was hoisted, as the new government had its base in Kolkata.

The priovisional government of Bangladesh was established on 10 April 1971 in the town on Baidyanathtala in Meherpur, Kusthia, while Mujibur Rehman, Bangabandhu was not in Bangladesh. The day is celebrated as Mujib Nagar, when the first government of Bangladesh started functioning.

A seminar was organsied at Aurobindo Bhawan and journalists Manas Ghosh and Bhabesh Das who had witnessed the Liberation war narrated their experiences.

Zokey Ahad, deputy high commissioner of Bangaldesh also spoke on the event. SM Ali, high commissioner of Bangaldesh also narrated how important was Aurobindo Bhawan during the independence of Bangladesh.

Even a photo-exhibition was also held at ICCR where 180 plus pictures of the Liberation War and that of Mujibur Rehman were also displayed.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / Debashish Konar / TNN / April 19th, 2016

Oldest NGO finds a new home after a century

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

Kolkata:

After 100 years, the Bengal Home Industries Association has finally moved into its own home.

Founded in 1916 by a group of intellectuals to give a boost to the swadeshi movement, the association had to run around from one rented place to another all these years. Touted as the country’s first NGO to promote Bengal’s handloom and handicraft, the association has bought its own outlet and reinvented itself to be in tune with the changing times.

The swanky outlet off Rashbehari Avenue is now ready to compete with other pan-India brands that promote handloom and handicraft. The focus has changed too: items for sale have been designed as lifestyle products to attract the urban cli entele. There is no shift from the basic theme of promoting village products, only that they are more stylish now.

In 1914, Rabindranath Tagore’s nephew, a prominent master of the Bengal school himself, Gaganendranath Tagore and his brother, Aba nindranath Tagore, along with some friends like Burdwan Maharaja Bijoy Chandra Mahtab and the royal family of Coochbehar, formed the association as a symbol of swadeshi. The idea behind forming the Bengal Home Industries Association was that it was not enough to just reject foreign goods but to also encourage our own weavers and craftsmen to make indigenous products. The association’s job was two-pronged: to network among village craftsmen and collect and sell their products.

The artist duo of Gaganendranath Tagore and Abanindranath Tagore added value and novelty to the products, making them a hit even with the elite clientele.

One such patron was Carmichael Duck. The story goes that Lady Carmichael -wife of the then Bengal Governor -who was close to members of the association, asked Gaganendranath to create some interesting designs that could be used on blocks. “Gagan Tagore created a motif of a duck created out of a simple geometric pattern.The design became popular overnight and was used widely for block printing on scarves, stoles and sarees,” said Nandini Mahtab, the “queen” of the Burdwan royal family and a member of the association.

OldestNGOkolkata13apr2016

The Bengal Home Industries Association has tied up with Banglanatak.com, a revivalist organization that is working on indigenous tangible and intangible art forms in Bengal. It is helping the association to use art forms, such as `patachitra’, on textiles to make lifestyle products like cushion covers, throws, runners and even tshirts and trousers.

The association was famous for items like its Portuguese cutwork and shadow work and a unique weave called Roshanara, which is created by mixing rayon and cotton yarn. “We have once again trained our artisans in these arts. While the Portuguese cutwork in home linen is available in our new store, Roshanara will make its entry any day now,” Mahtab added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / by Jhimli Mukherjee / April 11th, 2016