Jalpaiguri:

Kalachand Darbesh, who is presumed to be the last Darbeshi singer of Bengal, passed away at his home in Gobindapally of Dhupguri on Sunday morning.

The 84-year-old singer, who has earned several national and international accolades for his songs, was suffering from breathing problems and renal complications.

Family members said he had fallen ill on Saturday and was taken to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri.

Later, doctors advised that he could be taken back home but around 6.45am on Sunday, he breathed his last. He is survived by his wife, son, daughter-in-law and a granddaughter.

“He was the last Darbeshi singer in Bengal,” Rup Das, his son, said.

In his lifetime, Kalachand had worked with maestros like Pandit Ravishankar.

In 1990, at London Bharat Mela, he had performed with Zakir Hussain and sung Darbeshi songs in Scotland, France and Africa.

In 2013, he was awarded the Nazrul Puraskar by the state government. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had handed over the award to him.

The same year, he was conferred the Sahajiya Samman by Sahajiya Foundation. The foundation had also made a documentary on his music and life named In Search of Darbeshi Songs.

“He was one of the few persons who had kept the Darbeshi style of singing alive and had worked on it in a consistent manner for decades. His demise is a loss for the state and all Darbeshi song lovers,” north Bengal development minister Rabindranath Ghosh said.

Ghosh, who visited Dhupguri to attend some government functions, said they would mull over a proposal of setting up a statue of Kalachand.

“His contribution and works on music should be remembered,” the minister said.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta,India/ Home> West Bengal / by The Telegraph Correspondent / December 04th, 2017

Calcutta:

More than 200 Calcuttans strung together their impression of the city through keepsakes and stories at a crowdsourced event in GD Birla Sabhagar on Friday.

A month-long campaign on Facebook and Instagram prompted artistes, professionals and students to join Kolkata 100/100. Centre Stage Creations presented the art installation project as part of the Sabhagar Theatre Festival.

Various shades of city life were brought alive through stories of love, struggle and fight for justice. “I was the outsider who would come here to visit grandparents during vacations,” Rajashree Bose, a professional, said.

Her story traced her metamorphosis from an outsider watching Chuti chuti and loving mithai during vacations to a true blue Calcuttan who complains about the lack of job opportunities yet enjoys its comfortable lifestyle.

Many stories focused on optimism. Rupkotha Mukherjee spoke about her fight with depression and her love for writing poetry. “I look at depression in a positive light. It has helped me write better,” the student said.

Some traced the city’s dark side. Activist Ekaboli Ghosh spoke of the abuse that she and her mother faced at home and the daily crime against women in the city. “I am very disillusioned with the city,” she said.

The storytelling session – I Am #NOTA FACEINTHECROWD – was peppered with nostalgia, confessions, political views and humour.

Shahidul Islam’s account of how he fought against taking dowry and managed to convert his village won plenty of applause.

Stories also came out through objects. Every object came with a note about its importance in the owner’s life.

A red letter box, a prop used in a play Priyo Bandhu by Mad About Drama, was one of the first objects to grab eyeballs. Perched on top of it was an Old Monk bottle, a remnant of Alokananda Mandal’s college days. Student Priyadarshini Mukherjee had contributed a No Entry signboard, a 21st birthday gift from a bestie who had stolen it on his 21st birthday.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta,India / Home> Calcutt / by Chandreyee Ghose / December 03rd, 2017