Monthly Archives: August 2016

Century-old silent film boosts NFAI heritage plan

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

Footage from Bilwamangal, a 1919 film acquired from Cinematheque Francaise

The National Film Archive of India(NFAI) has acquired surviving footage of the Indian silent film Bilwamangal (1919) from the Cinematheque Francaise, France. This acquisition is considered an important for NFAI at a juncture when they are in the process of implementing prestigious National Film Heritage Mission to safeguard Country’s cinematic heritage.

The film produced by the Elphinstone Bioscope in Calcutta later renamed as Madan Theatres Ltd, was directed by Rustomji Dotiwala. NFAI has acquired 594 metres. (28 minutes footage at 18 fps) of this film. The film was originally 12,000 feet long.

NFAI will be returning this gesture by providing a digital copy of Indian silent film Jamai Babu (1931) directed by Kalipada Das from our collection as per mutual exchange policy under FIAF framework”, Press Information Bureau press release here on Friday quoted Mr. Prakash Magdum, Director NFAI as saying.

Bilwamangal is a landmark acquisition for NFAI, as there was no trace of work of studio of JF Madan, available in India till date. With this the NFAI now possesses in its collection films representing three important Indian studios of the silent era – Madan, Kohinoor and Hindustan. Each of these studios had a prolific output making nearly a hundred films each in the silent era.

The last silent films NFAI acquired were from Kolhapur during 1996, titled ‘Murliwala’, ‘Sati Savitri’ and ‘Maya Bazar’ directed by Baburao Painter. India has produced nearly 1300 silent films between 1913 and 1932, most of which were lost due to its Nitrate base.

Nearly 28 silent films though incomplete, have been preserved in NFAI’s storage facilities since then.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National / Prakash Kamat / Panaji – August 19th, 2016

Kolkata body wants to bring Rammohun Roy’s treasures, manuscripts back home

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion
The Raja’s statue in College Green in Bristol, where he died on September 27, 1833. (Photo: Wikipedia)
The Raja’s statue in College Green in Bristol, where he died on September 27, 1833. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Tagore called him the man who inaugurated the modern age in India. Of all the personalities who ushered in Bengal renaissance, Rammohun Roy (1772-1833) was one of the tallest. A hunt is about to begin for bringing back the priceless historical documents related to the father of Bengal renaissance Raja Rammohun Roy including manuscripts and personal belongings much of which are lost, fell into the hands of treasure looters while a few remain scattered in various parts of the country and abroad.

Sachindra Nath Bhattacharya, the director of Raja Rammohun Roy Memorial Museum set up in 2000 to conserve his works told HT, the move to recover original documents was triggered by the discovery that many fake documents are stored in some archives in the country.

The museum is run by a trust.

“There is an urgent need to preserve the documents and rare manuscripts of Rammohun Roy that are lying in various universities and archives across Benares, Patna, New Delhi and the UK. We want to bring back all his original documents, including complete written works, documents related to the Sati movement, his dress, head gear and store in our museum for posterity,” Bhattacharya told HT.

“We’re in a hurry as many documents are already missing. We want to recover the remaining ones before they fall into the hands of treasure thieves. We’ll also approach the British Library which stores many documents of Rammohun Roy,” He added.

Bhattacharya has approached the union culture ministry for the project.

A research team would scout through schools registries in Patna, Sanskrit University in Benares and President’s House in New Delhi once the process gets a green signal from the government.

The Treasure Trove Act, 1878 and Antiquity Registration Act, 1972 empower the Centre to initiate legal processes to collect these documents from anywhere.

The Raja Rammohun Roy Memorial Museum in Kolkata. (HT Photo)
The Raja Rammohun Roy Memorial Museum in Kolkata. (HT Photo)

The museum authorities have sought President Pranab Mukherjee and chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s help so that a ‘territorial policy’ is framed under which documents related to a particular museum must be kept in its custody.

The authorities will attempt to unravel many unknown facts regarding his sudden voyage from Midnapore’s Khejuri port in a Albanian ship to Britain, his vital interactions with Dwarakanath Thakur (1794-1846) and other Atmiya Sabha and Brahmo Samaj members, close door discussion with Lord William Bentinck, David Hare and debate with William Carey through the collection of original documents spread across several places.

“We’ll visit all the places across the country where Sati was prevalent in Punjab, Rajasthan to West Bengal. We have already gathered vital information regarding exact numbers of women, including Muslim women, who became sati.

Soon, a drive will begin to collect all legal documents related to the Sati custom and its abolition.

We’ll also try to scout for details of his correspondence regarding introduction of allopathic medicine to the country,” said Bhattacharya.

An attempt will be made to collect documents regarding his pioneering works of Indian journalism such as publication of Sambad Kaumudi (Bengali weekly newspaper), Mirat-ul-Akbar (Persian journal) and Tuhfat al-Muwahhiddīn (Persian book on monotheism).

In 1828, Roy set up Brahmo Sabha that was the precursor to Brahmo Samaj, one of the most prominent socio-religious reform movements of Bengal.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/ Hindustan Times / Home / by Atonyu Choudhurri, Hindustan Times,Kolkata / August 20th, 2016

IIT Kharagpur introduced Staff Excellence Award on 66th Foundation Day

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features

Kolkata :

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur celebrated its 66th Foundation Day on August 18.

“With the history of a political detention camp where freedom fighters, of the age of first year IIT students, gave their lives, the IIT system has become one of the finest brands that independent India offered to the world”, said Partha Pratim Chakrabarty, Director of IIT Kharagpur. He also remembered his school teacher on this occasion who was incarcerated in the Hijli Detention Camp for 15 years. “Building leaders is the aim that is fostered at the Institute now” added Chakrabarty.

Surajit Kar Purkayastha, Director General of West Bengal Police and an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur who was the Chief Guest of the programme said, the standard of IIT Kharagpur is such that any student can become high ranking civil service officers. He explained how the scenario of recruitment in civil services changed in late 70s’ with encouraging more engineers to join the services and enrich the country with their analytical skills and technical expertise. Shri Purkayastha also appreciated the serene atmosphere of the IIT Kharagpur campus separated from the chaos of the world outside and helping students to concentrate more on their career development. He urged the students to lay foundation of strong character on the occasion of the Foundation Day which will take them and the country forward.

On this day, the Institute announced life-long email service for its 55000+ alumni community. The Institute presented the Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award to Jeen Britto.M, ISRO Scientist, for his exemplary innovation in the field of Cryogenics Instrumentation and Automation. Krishnendu Chakrabarty, distinguished professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Duke University, was handed over the Distinguished Alumnus Award to which he was a recipient in 2014. IIT Kharagpur also introduced the Staff Excellence Award this year and honored three staff members in various categories.

The programme also saw participation from high school students of three schools – South Point, DAV Model School and Kendriya Vidyalaya. An interactive session was organized with the school students with the faculty and students from IIT Kharagpur. The students were given brief introduction of the interdisciplinary domains of technology education which they can pursue. While the faculty emphasized on the following the passion of the young mind instead of 7-digit pay packages, the 1st year students from IIT Kharagpur suggested their juniors to balance the hours of study and recess.

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

Former umpire Subrata Banerjee passes away in Kolkata

Sports

The former umpire was one of the youngest in the country to officiate in a Ranji match.

KolkataCricketKOLKATA19aug2016

Subrata Banerjee, the former international umpire passed away in Kolkata today. Banerjee, 71 officiated in 13 One Day Internationals. The veteran umpire stood in his maiden first-class match in December 1967 during a Ranji Trophy game. He thus became one of the youngest umpires in the country to stand in a Ranji Trophy match, as he was only 22-years old.

He made his International debut in November 1983, when he stood as an umpire in the game between India and West Indies in Baroda.

In a career which spanned for 15 years, Banerjee’s final game was the match between India and Kenya in Gwalior in May 1998. However, his umpiring career spanned for 39 years wherein he officiated in 64 first-class matches.The 50-overs limited overs International between India and Pakistan Women teams was his final match as an umpire in any format. This match was held at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur in December 2006. He was also a television umpire during the India-England Test held in Mohali in 2001.

Off the field, Banerjee was closely associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), as an umpire coach as well as an umpire’s educator. Apart from this, he also served as the chairman of Umpires Committee with the Cricket Association of Bengal and was also a member of the Cricket Committee.

source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / Sports Keeda / Homepage> Cricket> News / by Manish Pathak @manishpathak187 / August 19th, 2016

Horse carts get life… and a burden

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Travel

Kulti :

A 50-year-old tanga (horse-drawn carriage) operator in Burdwan’s Kulti had been planning to sell his two horses and look for some other source of income as the business, in which his family has been involved for four generations, had fallen on hard times.

The same was the fate of around 30-odd tanga operators in Kulti town on the Bengal-Jharkhand border.

Pilfered coal being ferried in a tanga in Kulti. The faces of the operators have been blurred. / Picture by Santosh Kumar Mandal
Pilfered coal being ferried in a tanga in Kulti. The faces of the operators have been blurred. / Picture by Santosh Kumar Mandal

However, the tangas have now got a new lease of life and the horses are back on their feet, ironically though, because they are being used to carry the burden of an illegal trade. Local coal pilferers have chosen the nearly forgotten mode of transport to ferry their booty to brick kilns and depots as tangas are much faster than bullock carts.

The horse-drawn carriage was introduced in Kulti by the British after James Erskine founded Bengal Iron Works.

The journey of the tanga since then has been chequered. From a symbol of glory during British rule, it became a popular mode of public transport. However, with the advent of modern means of transport such as buses, autorickshaws and totos, the tanga lost out.

Earlier, pilferers used to transport coal in trucks. However, because of a crackdown by police, they had chosen bullock carts and bicycles. However, bullock carts are slow and ferrying huge amounts of coal on cycles is a labourious and time-consuming task, prompting the pilferers to choose the tangas.

The owners of at least 30 horse-drawn carts in Kulti town have modified the vehicles so that they can be used to ferry coal. The hoods and seats have been removed to make space for coal sacks. Sources said the tanga owners charge between Rs 200 and Rs 250 for each trip.

Some residents alleged a section of policemen took bribes from tanga owners and pilferers.

Asansol-Durgapur police commissioner L.N. Meena said he did not know that tangas were being used to ferry pilfered coal and dismissed as “baseless” the allegation of bribe.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph,Calcutta,India / Front Page> Bengal> Story / by Abhijeet Chatterjee / Wednesday – August 17th, 2016

Kolkata shipyard develops new vessel for Coast Guard

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

ShipyardKOLKATA17aug2016

Kolkata :

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), on Saturday, commenced work on the first in a series of Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs) it has developed and will be building for the Coast Guard. Among those present during the ‘Plate Cutting Ceremony,’ the first step towards construction of a ship, were Rear Admiral (retd) AK Verma, chairman-cum-managing director, GRSE and other senior officials.

The order for the FBVs was placed in March, 2016 and the first ship will be delivered in February, 2018, Verma said. “The design of these ships is unique. They are cost-effective, fuel-efficient and ideally suited for patrolling, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching and rescue operations. They are an improved version of Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPVs) built earlier by GRSE for the Coast Guard. The FPVs are designed and developed by the in-house design centre of GRSE. Thanks to active support and participation of internal workforce and business partners in various shipbuilding activities, GRSE’s capabilities are constantly increasing. These ships will add punch to the Coast Guard’s capabilities in maintaining maritime security,” the CMD added.

The FPV is 48.9 metres long, 7.5 metres wide and has a displacement of nearly 300 tonnes. It is capable of attaining a maximum speed of 34 knots. At 12-16 knots, these ships have endurance of 1,500 nautical miles. They are fitted with three water jet propulsion systems powered by marine diesel engines, each developing 2720 KW of power and will be fitted with CRN-91 indigenous 30 mm gun. The ship has modern habitability conditions with accommodation for 35 personnel.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> India / by Jayanta Gupta / TNN / August 14th, 2016

Alpana decision taken at Kala Bhavan

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education
Each district has its own 'brotos' with corresponding alpanas
Each district has its own ‘brotos’ with corresponding alpanas

Kolkata :

It was at Kala Bhavan that the idea of including alpana as part of the fine arts syllabus germinated, through a series of workshops that Rabi Biswas was called in to conduct. Biswas, in fact, has been crusading to revive folk alpana, with foundations like Daricha and Intach playing a key role.

To most of us, the word alpana means patterns drawn with rice paste on auspicious occasions. In today’s age, when one has very little time to soak and grind rice to make the paste and then take time out to draw the patterns, stickers make for easy use. The result is that one of the most vibrant folk traditions of Bengal is gradually becoming extinct.

However, two of the country’s premier art schools have taken it upon themselves to make alpana a part of their teaching-learning process, to help start a revival of sorts.

The one-year foundation course at Kala Bhavan – compulsory for all students taking up fine arts at the undergraduate level – has been revised to include alpana, both in the Santiniketan gharana that was perfected by Nandalal Bose’s daughters Jamuna Devi and Gauri Bhanja, and also the genre inspired by folk traditions. “All students of painting, sculpture, graphics, design and art history have to first go through the foundation course, get their grades and then be given a chance to choose their specializations,” said principal Dilip Mitra. ” Alpana now features in the foundation course because we want every student to be aware of both the Santiniketan and the folk traditions. This will save it from extinction.”

The most popular among these are the six different kinds of ‘Lakshmi brotos’, coupled with specific corresponding alpanas. There are brotos in the monsoon for sowing paddy seeds popular in Birbhum, Burdwan, Bankura and Purulia, where the paddy sheaf is the central alpana motif, brotos for the Nabanna festival, for a custom called Punyipukur, where the pond and the lotus are the central motifs, for Dasputul, where the alpana is inspired by the ‘Ramayana’, the Senjuti broto that characterizes evenings in the month of Agrahayana, with a 52-motif elaborate alpana, the Jampukur broto where the god of death is appeased through rituals and alpanas, and the Hyachra broto to ward off seasonal diseases like chicken pox.

Though unrelated to the Visva-Bharati initiative, similar alpana workshops by Biswas were a routine affair at Rabindra Bharati University at its state academy of dance, drama, music and visual art. “We are toying with the idea of expanding a portion of the painting syllabus to include folk traditions from Bengal, including alpana of the different districts,” said head of the painting department at RBU, Nikhil Pal.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / August 15th, 2016

Where history is set to fade into oblivion

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All
Historic documents lie in neglect in National Library. / Special Arrangement
Historic documents lie in neglect in National Library. / Special Arrangement

Newspapers announcing Independence and other events lie in ruins at Kolkata library

“India Independent Today,” announced the August 15, 1947 edition of Amrita Bazar Patrika, one of the highest selling newspapers of India in 1947. The headline is placed above the masthead. But, 69 years later, the August 15 edition is so brittle that it is impossible to open it. It is not only the August 15 edition of Amrita Bazar Patrika that is frangible — 20,000 newspapers stacked up in the reading room are either soiled or so fragile that they will all turn to dust soon.

The rare editions are stored in a dusty and dark section on the second floor of Bhasha Bhavan, located in the western part of the 30-acre campus of the National Library at Alipore. The dark room resembles a mortuary where some of the papers are kept in plastic sheets coated with a thick layer of dust. Water leaks out of the air-condition ducts and during monsoon, buckets are placed to catch the droplets.

“About two weeks ago, the room was filled with ankle-deep water,” an employee of the library said. Some of the volumes were “partially drenched.” “Look at this,” a staff member said, “the August 9, 1942 edition of The Statesman with the news of the All India Congress Committee’s endorsement of Mahatma Gandhi’s call for Quit India Movement… The pages crumble even as you try to remove the dust.” The Statesman’s October 17, 1905 edition with a graphic description of Banga Bhanga, or the first Partition of Bengal, was lying next to The Statesman or Amrita Bazar Patrika. Both announced on Page One that Rabindranath Tagore returned his Knighthood on May 30, 1919, in protest against the Jalianwalla Bagh massacre. Both have nearly disappeared.

The employees said the volumes dating back to 1889 were brought to the Alipore campus in south Kolkata three years ago, for microfilming, from the original building of the Library in central Kolkata. Secretary of the National Library Employee’s Association, Santanu Bhowmick, said there had been “no progress” in the microfilming work.

The Director-General (Additional Charge) of the National Library, Arun Kumar Chakraborty, denied the allegations.

“Perhaps, it [the project] is held up because of the complications in the tendering process,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kolkata / by Soumya Das / Kolkata – August 14th, 2016

Afghan tribe star of Museum show

Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Kolkata :

On International Day of World Indigenous People, observed on August 9, Indian Museum brought to the fore an anthropological treasure it has had in its store since 1929. Physical anthropologist Biraja Shankar Guha, former director of Anthropological Survey of India, had brought in a model of the Khalash community of Afghanistan after his study on them. Khalash community. It’s accession no is 11813.

In Afghanistan, at the extremities of Hindukush are some isolated mountain valleys of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, known to rest of Afghanistan and Pakistan as Kafiristan.

The word ‘Kafiristan’ underlines that the Khalash community follows its own religion. They have liberal customs, rituals and beliefs – for instance, elopement is as common as married women choosing their new husbands, said Indian Museum education officer Sayan Bhattacharyya.

The Khalash religion is similar to the religion that was practised by Rigvedic Aryans and the community has retained most of the Indo-Iranian traits as well.

A wooden statue put on display shows the pagan origin of the community. Some of the Khalash people claimed to be descendants of Alexander the Great and a recent genetic analysis has substantiated this belief.

During the 1970s, local Muslims and militants tormented the Khalash because of the difference in their religions and multiple Taliban attacks on the tribe lead to its numbers shrinking to just 2,000.

However, protection from the government has ensured decrease in violence by locals and Taliban. It has also brought about a great reduction in the child mortality rate. The last two decades has seen a rise in their numbers.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / August 11th, 2016

Future of banking decoded

Business & Economy, Education

CalcuttaManagementSummitKOLKATA12aug2016

Calcutta Management Summit 2016, the annual signature event of Calcutta Management Association, was held at The Lalit Great Eastern on August 3. The theme? Challenges and Future of Indian Banking. It was inaugurated by the chairman of the State Bank of India, Arundhati Bhattacharya – seen here with Achintan Bhattacharya, director, National Institute of Bank Management (Pune), Gautam Ray, president (CMA), and industrialist Sanjay Budhia.

Bhattacharya delivered the 16th Sir Jehangir Ghandy Memorial Oration on “Challenges and Future of Indian Banking”. The summit had two technical sessions on “Changing Contours of Risks and Positioning Indian Banks” and “Digital Banking and Redefining of Efficiency Paradigm in Banking”.

The other speakers at the summit were Achintan Bhattacharya, A.S. Ramasastri, director, Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology(IDRBT), Hyderabad, C.S. Ghosh, MD & CEO, Bandhan Bank, Anup Sinha, professor of economics, IIM, Calcutta, Pavan Trivedi, COO, Srei Equipment Finance, Shubhada Rao, group president & chief economist, YES Bank; Saugata Bhattacharya, senior vice president & chief economist, Axis Bank, Deshbandhu Kataria, deputy general manager, Anytime Channel, State Bank of India, and Rajarshi Sengupta, partnerchief innovation officer, Deloitte, Touche, Tohmatsu India LLP

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph,Calcutta,India / Front Page> Calcutta> Story / Thursday – August 11th, 2016