Monthly Archives: October 2014

UK minister’s city date with WW I, football & museum

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

Sajid Javid, Britain’s culture minister and one of the rising stars of British politics, is to set foot in Calcutta on Monday.

Javid, 44, whose formal title is Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and who is a full member of David Cameron’s cabinet, was the subject of a very positive profile last month in the Daily Mail.

The paper’s right-wing columnists normally make a living by putting the boot into immigrants but for Javid, the long headline read: “Could Sajid Javid be Britain’s first Asian Prime Minister? His parents arrived here with just £1, yet he’s now a minister. That’s why this man believes immigrants are natural Tories?”

JavidKOLKATA13oct2014

So who is Sajid Javid and what’s he doing in Calcutta?

Javid will have a busy day in Calcutta where he will host a reception. The day will begin early with a First World War Centenary Commemoration at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. More than a million Indian soldiers fought for Britain in the First World War.

This will be followed with the launch of the community football development programme for girls under the Premier Skills Kolkata Goalz Project at Alipore Bodyguard Lines on Diamond Harbour Road.

He will then introduce the UK-India joint report at the Museums Round Table at the National Library.

For many years now, the British have been training staff in Indian museums. Privately, they say that Indian Museum is a wonderful place but it badly needs sorting out.

For the second part of his visit, Javid will go to Delhi where he will deliver a keynote speech at a UK-funded Cyber Governance Security conference; meet a number of ministers; and also attend a session at the British Council with young Indian creative entrepreneurs and Indians who have studied in the UK.

As culture secretary, he is chairman of the special advisory group supervising the erection of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square, ready for unveiling on January 30, 2015.

A first-time member of parliament, elected in May 2010, Javid’s political rise has been swift.

After stints in the treasury as economic secretary and financial secretary, David Cameron brought him into the cabinet in April 2014.

He had previously been a banker for 18 years, working in senior positions in New York for Chase Manhattan, and later in Singapore for Deutsche Bank.

Javid’s father, Abdul-Ghani Javid, and mother, Zubaida, came to Rochdale in the north of England in the early 1960s from a village background in Punjab in Pakistan. The couple had five sons — Sajid is the third.

Abdul-Ghani initially worked in a cotton mill, then moved to the buses, first as a conductor and then a driver. By the time the family moved to Bristol, he had started a business in women’s clothes, with Zubaida doing the cutting and stitching at home.

Unlike P.G. Wodehouse’s creation, the bully Roderick Spode, 7th Earl of Sidcup, whose guilty secret (rumbled by Jeeves) was his ownership of a firm dealing in ladies’ lingerie, the culture secretary is quite happy to poke fun at himself: “I think it’s fair to say that I know more about ladies’ clothing than any other male MP!”

Abdul-Ghani, who died of cancer two years ago, planted the seeds of his son’s political thinking.

In the “winter of discontent” in 1978, when rubbish was not being cleared and even bodies were piling up in mortuaries because of trade union unrest, his father saw hope in Margaret Thatcher.

“She will be good for the country,” Abdul-Ghani told his son, then nine. “She’s got steel. She’s the one who is going to sort out the country.”

“And, of course, she did,” asserted Javid, who keeps a portrait of the late Lady Thatcher behind his office desk.

As culture secretary, his mission is to make enjoyment of cultural activities accessible to everyone in society — “I believe that culture is for everyone.”

Not just the ethnic minorities but the poorer sections of society, too, may feel they have now got a champion in Javid who added with quiet determination: “And when I say everyone – I really do mean everyone.”

Javid himself has a quality not always obvious among folk from the Indian sub-continent — he does self-deprecation.

“Self-deprecation is a good thing,” he grinned, looking completely relaxed in his 6th floor office on Parliament Street. “Don’t take yourself too seriously.”

When he addressed the most powerful and somewhat precious men and women in television at the Royal Television Society in September, he disarmed everyone by recalling his school days: “If life had taken a different turn I could have been part of the TV industry myself. My careers adviser at school told me I had a bright future working in television.”

He got the timing right with a little pause.

Then came the punch line: “Delivering them at Radio Rentals for repair.”

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Calcutta> Story / by Amit Roy in London / Monday – October 13th, 2014

Kolkata’s ‘Hangwoman’ creates a buzz in the literary world

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Kolkata :

The country’s first and only woman executioner lives in Kolkata — well, if not in reality, at least in K R Meera’s fictional novel ‘Hangwoman’. Meera was honoured with the prestigious Vayalar Award in Kerala for the novel.

The Vayalar Award, instituted in 1977 in the memory of poet Vayalar Ramavarma, recognizes the best literary work in Malayalam every year.

The idea of placing her protagonist Chetna Grddha Mullick in a Kolkata family came to the journalist-turned-author as the city, at the time of finishing her novel, was where the last hanging had taken place in India. The author, though, is emphatic in clarifying that her plot has nothing to do with any person living or dead.

“I wanted to write about women and their empowerment in our country. All my characters are fictional and have nothing to do with any person living or dead. In my story, Mullik is not only a common name, but Mallika means jasmine in both Bengali and Malayalam. I had written the story in a serialized fashion for my Malayali reader as I had no inkling then that this would be translated,” the author told TOI.

Chetna grew up in a poverty-stricken family near a crematorium, fed on stories of her lineage that predates even Christ.

In due course of time, she is appointed as the successor to her hangman father and later, finds herself under the glare of TV cameras and lights. She fights her inner turmoil till she breaks out and turns into a genuine role model. The story was published in a serialized form in a Malayali magazine before being published as the book, ‘Aarachar’. In July 2014, ‘Hangwoman’, translated by Malayali hisotiran and social critic J Devika, hit the stands.

When managing editor of Penguin Books, India, R Shivapriya spotted the story, she sniffed a potential bestseller.

“The first chapter of the book was translated and printed on a magazine. When I read it, I knew instantly that this had huge potential. So I approached Meera, who we have published earlier. She was delighted and immediately gave her nod to be translated,” said Shivapriya.

“Meera’s first visit to Kolkata was when she was on her way to Jamshedpur in 1999 to receive a journalism award. But after she decided on the plot, she again went to Kolkata and visited many locations unique but typical to the city.”

“Many readers from Bengal have congratulated me. With its immense history and cultural heritage, I’m glad I was able to capture the essence of the city, though it was originally meant for Malayali readers,” said the author.

Penguin’s senior sales manager (eastern region) Pinaki Sarkar said: “The book is selling well. There have been repeat orders as well.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / October 13th, 2014

Darjeeling harbours a trove of springtails

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Travel
A species of springtails, Isotomurus balbeatus, commonly found in the soil in Darjeeling. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A species of springtails, Isotomurus balbeatus, commonly found in the soil in Darjeeling. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

In the forested foothills of Sukna in the Kurseong subdivision alone, 21 species of springtails are found. The number falls with altitude.

Darjeeling is home to the highest number of species of springtails, a wingless insect that helps in soil formation, in the country.

A recent study by Zoological Survey of India scientists says 32 species of springtails (Collembola), more than 10 per cent of the total found in India, is present in the hill district of north West Bengal.

“Springtails play a very important role in soil fertility. Springtails are the only insects that are as important as bacteria and fungi in the breakdown of leaf litter and organic soil formation,” Gurupada Mandal, a scientist who took part in the three-year study, told The Hindu.

In the forested foothills of Sukna in the Kurseong subdivision alone, 21 species of springtails are found. The number falls with altitude.

“We have conducted surveys in different part of the country, including the Northeast, and have found springtails there as well, but never such a high concentration of so many species as in Darjeeling,” Mr. Mandal says.

The soil too becomes rich, providing enormous scope for cultivation of various crops. It is an indication of rich biodiversity, the scientists say.

ZSI Director K. Venkataraman said springtails were a unique kind of insect, which, by using binoculars, could be seen to jump on the soil surface.

They were tiny with sizes varying from 0.25 mm to 6 mm, barely seen with naked eyes.

“While we have considerable information on winged insects, not much is known about non-winged insects such as springtails,” he said.

Beneficial
Usually, people perceive insects as harmful; however, there are insects such as springtails which, are in fact, beneficial for human beings as they circulate nutrients in the soil, Mr. Venkatraman said adding that the country required more such studies.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Other States / by Shiv Sahay Singh / Kolkata – October 12th, 2014

British culture secretary Sajid Javid’s visit to focus on museum tie-up

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Kolkata :

British culture secretary Sajid Javid will be in the city next week to discuss with representatives of three museums of Kolkata and several from the rest of the country on how to transform them from mere tourist spots to nerve centres of their respective cities.

Javid, who is coming to Kolkata on a two-day visit on Monday, is also likely to meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee and talk about possible areas of collaboration between Britain and Bengal in the sphere of museums and other cultural monuments and heritage structures. The British Deputy High Commission in Kolkata has reportedly sought an appointment with the chief minister on Tuesday for Javid’s visit, but they are yet to receive a confirmation from Nabanna.

The fact that Mamata has cancelled her Sandakphu trip, which had been scheduled around the same time, is significant. Javid is the first person of Asian origin to have entered the British cabinet. Hence, his visit is being considered to be of importance to this subcontinent.

For the past one year, representatives of the British Council have been visiting the best museums of the country to find out how they function. They have also written a report on what should be done to transform the museums to hang-out places of academic interest. The report will be placed at the round table discussion. The suggestions for change and assurance of help in bringing this transformation will also be discussed.

Officials of Indian Museum, Victoria Memorial, National Library and the National Council of Science Museums have been selected for this interaction as prime museums of the country based in Kolkata. The chosen others are Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai, and Crafts Museum, Delhi.

The research is an opportunity to explore UK-India opportunities and partnerships looking at best practices in collections, policies, strategies, human resources, education programming and audience profiling in Indian and UK museums and galleries,” said a British Council press release.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey, TNN / Ocotber 11th, 2014

Two stars, forty kids and selfies galore

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
The young judges with Marco Saxer (centre), general manager of Swissotel. Pictures by B. Halder
The young judges with Marco Saxer (centre), general manager of Swissotel. Pictures by B. Halder

Colourful pandals, innovative idols and the infectious energy of 40 kids made it a special Saptami for Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Koneenica Banerjee. They clicked selfies, played the dhak, danced to its beat and obliged every request of the kids for autographs and pictures in between touring pandals for TTIS Choto Chokhe Boro Pujo, in association with Truly Nolen.

Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty, Best Puja

Last year’s finalist won the hearts of the young judges this year as well. Kids loved the idea of an entire pandal made out of ghee tins. “We have used around 5,000 tins and the designs that you see in the mandap have been cut out from ghee tins as well,” said Ashok Jaiswal, vice-president, Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty puja committee. The recycle effort scored with the children who thought it was an eco-friendly affair. “It’s very colourful and they have used lead-free colours. Their idea was very innovative,” said Riddhi Basu, a Class VII student of Shri Shikshayatan School.

Koneenica loved the play of colours. “It is so vibrant and attractive that everyone will be tempted to walk in. They have also tried to keep it green. That’s not an easy task,” said the actress.

Santoshpur Lake Pally, First runner-up

Koneenica was thrilled to see seashells everywhere as they reminded her of childhood holidays. Santoshpur Lake Pally brought alive the theme Teen Bhaag Jal, Ek Bhaag Lake Pally with sea waves made out of plastic cups and fishes made with seashells. The roar of the sea in the background created the perfect ambience. “We have imported shells from nine countries, as far as Australia and Indonesia,” said Rana Dasgupta, the general secretary of Santoshpur Lake Pally.

Laxmi Ratan felt the pandal had all the right elements to attract children. “The way they have created sea waves using plastic cups is incredible. I am amazed by the decorations and the sand art,” he said before trying his hand at the dhak. Koneenica was quick to keep step as some of the children too joined in.

Ultadanga Sangrami, Second runner-up

This Choto Chokhe Boro Pujo veteran turned lucky this year. The theme Ebhabeo Utsab Hoy was depicted with a fusion of flavours from south Indian festivals. “All south Indian festivals are very colourful and flowers are an integral part of them. So we decorated our pandal with flowers made of water bottles which became a hit with the schoolchildren,” said Joy Saha, media convener of the puja.

Sonket Mukherjee, a Class XII student of Aditya Academy (Senior Secondary), was happy with the use of bio-degradable products. “They used plants, bamboo and jute for decoration and no extra effort is needed to recycle the products used here,” he said.

Santoshpur Lake Pally
Santoshpur Lake Pally
Dum Dum Park Tarun Sangha
Dum Dum Park Tarun Sangha
Vivekananda Sporting Club, Lake Town
Vivekananda Sporting Club, Lake Town
Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty
Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty
Behala Buroshibtala Jana Kalyan Sangha
Behala Buroshibtala Jana Kalyan Sangha

Behala Buroshibtala Jana Kalyan Sangha, Best Theme

It’s not just Prime Minister Narendra Modi who’s trying to create awareness about the need to clean up Ganga. The message at this puja in Behala was similar. The wooden mandap resembled a massive boat surrounded by several raised hands. “The hands represent Ganga praying to Durga to save her. These hands are also of all those people who depend on Ganga for their livelihood,” said Robin Mondal, the secretary of the puja. The pandal that took five months to build had the children impressed. “I like the way they have worked on Ganga pollution as it is a serious concern. I also liked the idol, there seemed to be intensity in Maa Durga’s eyes,” said Sayantika Das, a Class IX student of Loreto Day School, Sealdah.

The theme, according to Laxmi Ratan, was touching. “We all want a cleaner Ganga and this puja sends out a strong message. I liked the sea of blue hands.”

This puja was also special because the entire team of little judges got to pose for a click with the former India cricketer.

Vivekananda Sporting Club, Lake Town, Best Idol

A lesson in mythology awaited the children and the stars at this Lake Town puja. The idol made out of clay and lead-free colours caught the eye. Yug Adhya, a Class III student of Frank Anthony Public School and the youngest of the judges, thought the goddess here had a gelled hairstyle! The entire story of akal bodhan was depicted here and the kids had Laxmi Ratan impressed with their trivia.

Laxmi Ratan, too, thought it was a good idea to borrow the theme from Indian mythology. “In this age of Chhota Bheem, this is very relevant. It will encourage children to know more about their tradition and mythology.”

For Koneenica, the puja offered a healthy dose of mythology and fun. “Kids are bound to love the monkeys and Ravana. Also, they are getting to know so much about the Ramayan and the beginning of Durga Puja at a time when they are mostly into Harry Potter and Xbox.”

Both Laxmi Ratan and Koneenica dropped in at a stall selling patachitra paintings and artefacts and picked up a fan each.

Dum Dum Park Tarun Sangha, Shrachi Green Earth Award for Greenest Puja in association with Earth Day Network

Haryana came alive at this pandal, where folk art from the state was used to depict Sajimata Utsav. “Just before Holi, women in Haryana make idols out of cow dung, place them on the walls and worship them. We have made these wall sculptures with paper pulp and multani mitti. Our idol is of Sherawali Mata dressed in Haryanvi style,” said Bipul Saha, the joint secretary of Dum Dum Park Tarun Sangha. Anika Chakravarty, a Class VI student of Modern High School for Girls, was so happy that she wanted to give the puja extra points. “I loved it as it was eco-friendly and colourful,” she said.

The colourful folk stories took Koneenica back to Puja holidays and reading pujobarshikis. “This pandal reminded me of that time. Stories always attract children.”

TEXT BY AYAN PAUL, SAMABRITA SEN AND SHWETA KESHRI

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Calcutta> Story / Wednesday – October 08th, 2014

Victoria Memorial Hall collections to find place in Google’s digital storehouse of art

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion
The painting titled 'General Claude Martin and his Friends' or 'Colonel Polier with his Friends' depicts Colonel Antoine Polier, Claude Martin, and John Wombwell with the painter himself, Johann Zoffany (1733-1810), in the background, being waited on by Indian servants, probably in Lucknow around 1786-87.
The painting titled ‘General Claude Martin and his Friends’ or ‘Colonel Polier with his Friends’ depicts Colonel Antoine Polier, Claude Martin, and John Wombwell with the painter himself, Johann Zoffany (1733-1810), in the background, being waited on by Indian servants, probably in Lucknow around 1786-87.

Kolkata :

The Victoria Memorial Hall’s collections will find a place in the largest-ever digital repository of exhibits and collections on a global platform created by Google. Apart from Victoria, some others on the list are Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art in New York, British Museum, National Gallery and Tate Gallery in London, Musee d’Orsay in Paris, Acropolis Museum in Athens and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

Victoria Memorial curator Jayanta Sengupta told TOI that the museum and its finest collection of art and artifacts are expected to join the Google Cultural Institute, a cyber platform created by Google Art that enables users to view high resolution images from various museums and even compile their own digital collection. It is fast emerging as an invaluable resource for researchers as they can have access to objects from museums across the world and learn about art objects, their history and artists at the click of a mouse.

“A team from Google will reach Kolkata with sophisticated video and still cameras to film the museum and photograph the 120-odd highlights. Of these, they will select one item and photograph it with high-definition gigapixel camera so that it can be magnified online without distortion. Once the exercise is over in a couple of months, a virtual tour of the galleries at Victoria Memorial will be created and the images uploaded on Google Cultural Institute,” said Sengupta.

Victoria Memorial signed a memorandum of understanding with Google Art in February 2013 and has been communicating with the team since. The museum has sent the list of 120 items it considers the best among its collection of 33,000+ objects of art apart from the 10,000+ small objects like stamps.

Though the Google team is at liberty to select any one of the 120 objects listed by Sengupta’s team as the museum’s highlight for the gigapixel photography, the curator has suggested a painting titled ‘General Claude Martin & his Friends’. The painting that has an alternative title ‘Colonel Polier with his Friends’ depicts Colonel Antoine Polier, Claude Martin, and John Wombwell with the painter himself, Johann Zoffany (1733-1810), in the background, being waited on by Indian servants, probably in Lucknow around 1786-87.

“We have suggested the painting by 18th century German neoclassical painter because it is intricate. There are six paintings within the painting that can be enlarged and viewed in detail when photographed in a gigapixel image,” explained Sengupta. Other paintings that make the cut are ‘Bharat Mata’ and ‘Passing of Shah Jahan’.

Among the other objects in the highlights shortlist are oil paintings by Thomas and William Daniel, Abanindranath Tagore and Gaganendranath Tagore, a 1964 copy of the Ain-e-Akbari manuscript, Persian translation of Aristotle’s treatise Six Principles of Ethical Life and commentary by Dara Shukoh as well as his Persian translations of Gita and Upanishad, Aurungzeb’s personal Quran, Tipu Sultan’s dagger, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s sword and Queen Victoria’s piano.

“Once Victoria Memorial Hall joins the others on the Google Cultural Institute website, all objects that comprise the museum highlights will be there for the world to see and experience online. We have been working on documenting each object, detailing the history, the artist and its relevance. We are currently in the final lap of that exercise and expect to be on the website by this yearend or early next year,” said Sengupta.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Subhro Niyogi, TNN / September 07th, 2014

Ishapore factory develops Indian variant of AK-47

Business & Economy

Kolkata :

Rifle Factory, Ishapore, one of the oldest ordnance factories in the country, has successfully designed an assault rifle on the lines of the AK-47.

Sources in the Ordnance Factory Board said the prototype of this weapon had successfully cleared field trials by the Army, the Indian Air Force and the Sashastra Seema Bal.

The Ishapore factory will soon start production of 50,000 units of this rifle in the first phase.

For over a decade now, the Ordnance Factory Board has been attempting to develop an indigenous assault rifle on the lines of the AK-47. Initially, there was some embarrassment after an ordnance factory displayed an indigenous replica of the AK-47 at a defence expo in Delhi. This didn’t go unnoticed and Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the world’s most sold and used assault rifle that goes by his name, threatened to file a copyright violation suit against the Indian ordnance factory.

“Since then, our designers have been attempting to develop an assault rifle, using the AK-47 as a model but without replicating any of its mechanism. Three ordnance factories tried to develop their own variants. These were Rifle Factory of Ishapore, the Small Arms Factory of Kanpur and the Ordnance Factory of Tiruchirapalli. The Ishapore factory has a long history of developing and making rifles. During the World Wars, this factory produced .303 bolt-action rifles for the Allied forces. After the 1962 Sino-India conflict, the factory developed and built the 7.62mm self-loading semi-automatic rifle. This rifle was called the Ishapore Rifle and it went on to become the mainstay for the Indian security forces for several decades. In the 90’s, the factory started manufacturing the 5.56mm Insas rifles that are still the primary personal weapon of the Indian infantryman,” an official said.

The three factories at Ishapore, Kanpur and Tiruchirapalli built prototypes that underwent tests for the first time earlier this year. Minor defects were detected in all three variants. While the one developed by the Ishapore factory was declared fit in all other aspects, it failed to operate successfully in mud. An assault rifle has to be effective in all conditions, even when fired from under slush.

“This defect was rectified subsequently and when the final round of tests was conducted, the Ishapore variant was declared the best. This is an improved version of any assault rifle and the designers borrowed several facets from the 5.56mm Insas, which was also developed at Ishapore, while making this rifle. With the Insas going out of production, facilities at the Ishapore factory were lying idle. The new order will sustain the factory for the times to come,” the official added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Jayanta Gupta, TNN / October 07th, 2014

Film history to come alive near Tolly studio para

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence

Kolkata :

The Mamata Banerjee government will set up an eight-storey film centenary museum in Kolkata where film artefacts and memorabilia have mostly been at the disposal of private hands.

The archive, which will be a treat for both film lovers and researchers, will come up at Tollygunge, not too far away from the studio-para and its associated industry, Tollywood.

The museum project, meant to mark 100 years of Indian cinema and the “golden age” of Bengali cinema, will maintain a record of films released down the ages. The proposed ‘Cinema Centenary Campus’, as it has been christened, will have a built-up space of 60,000 square feet. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art galleries and lighting systems. “We shall try to complete the project at the earliest,” said PWD minister Sankar Chakraborty.

The state information and culture department is preparing a list of films to be acquired for the project. Another list of restored films, which will be transferred into negatives, is also being chalked out.

Starting off as a ready reckoner of the history of cinema, especially Bengali cinema, the museum will trace the evolution of celluloid from the Lumiere brothers to Raja Harishchandra and beyond, and showcase Indian and Bengali cinema through three principal eras — silent, golden and modern.

The multi-storey structure, which will come up at the erstwhile Radha Studio complex beside M R Bangur Hospital, will have a basement for parking. The PWD has taken up the construction. The fire services department has also been roped in for a thorough fire prevention network.

A senior PWD official said: “We are doing the project for the information and culture department. Films have been a powerful tool for communication and filmmaking has emerged as the strongest creative force.”

The biggest attraction of the project will be a library that will document film history right from the era of silent movies to those of the digital age. Space has been reserved to construct guest rooms for visiting film artists, directors and technicians, a cafeteria, a curio shop and an auditorium. While inaugurating the renovated century-old Technicians’ Studio in February this year, the chief minister had expressed her intention to create an exhaustive film museum. She apparently got the idea from the 6,000-square foot National Museum of Indian Cinema set up by the Union ministry of information and broadcasting in Mumbai. However, Banerjee’s plans are on a much bigger scale. The centenary campus will hold film-related seminars and workshops, apart from regular film shows.

Vaults will be installed in the proposed museum with state-of-the-art temperature and humidity control systems for preserving colour and black and white films. Visitors will also be able to watch old classics on a number of monitors or listen to rare film music from the past — a sort of free jukebox.

A two-storey building for film studies that existed on the Radha Studio campus on Deshpran Sashmal Road at Tollygunge is now being dismantled for the construction of the film centenary museum.

The erstwhile Left Front government first conceived the idea of a cinema centenary building in 1995. A two-storey building on the premises of the historic Radha Films Studio was constructed to implement this idea in 1998. But the project ran into administrative snarl-ups and financial crunch and has remained a non-starter.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Ajanta Chakraborty, TNN / October 07th, 2014

Laxman to deliver Pataudi lecture

Leaders, Sports

One of Kolkata’s favourite sons, V.V.S. Laxman, will deliver the prestigious Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi Memorial Lecture here on October 19, the eve of India’s fifth One-day International against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens.

Laxman will be the third cricketer to deliver the lecture after the peerless Sunil Gavaskar and Anil Kumble.

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has decided to invite all former India captains to the lecture as this will form a part of the celebrations of 150 years of Eden Gardens.

The lecture was originally slated for October 18 but was postponed by a day by the Board.

A book and a documentary will be released on October 16 where former captain Chandu Borde and Salim Durrani are expected to be present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Cricket / by Special Correspondent / Kolkata – October 07th, 2014