Poverty and Man eater Tigers !

It is extremely surprising that even after the long Seventy yeas of our indipendence a good number of people in Sundarban area are engaged in such a profession where their lives are dependent on the movement of Tigers.

Every year a good number of  people who maintain their livelihood by procuring honey from tiger prone areas  are either being killed by the Tigers or being attacked by them.

How unfortunate they are!  Their immense poverty has turned them into so desperate that they are not afraid of Tigers.The very proverb is applicable for them that "Necessity knows no law".

Now an automatic question arises how to sort out the problem. Administration should be as strict as possible. Nobody should be allowed to go to the Tiger zone areas. Those who are dependent on the honey procurement , Government should immediately arrange for their alternative  earnings.

They should be given Identity cards.Only trained persons of forest department should be deployed to extract honey.

It is my humble request kindly to take the matter on war footings and solve the same   at the earliest with a human  approach. I don't know the present system.If any of  payment of any compensation in case of death or injury by the tigers. If so the same may kindly be enhanced considerably till alternative earning arrangements are made.

A task force may be set up to sort out the entire matter at the earliest.

Uday Shankar the pioneer of modern dance in India.

He was born on 8th December 1900 in Udaipur ,Rajasthan to a Bengali family.Their origin was Narail , Bangladesh.His father shyam Sankar Chowdhuri was a noted Barrister.He was employee of Jhalwar Rajasthan and his mother Hemangini Devi was from a Bengali Zeminder family.Ravi Shankar was his younger brother.His father was a Sanskrit scholar and graduated with honours in Sanskrit from university of Calcutta and later he studied at Oxford university where he became a Doctor of philosophy.His father moved very frequently on account of his work. The family spent much time in Uday's maternal uncle's house at Nasratpur with his mother and brothers.

Uday studied at different places like Nasratpur, Gazipur , Varanasi and jhalwar.At his Gazipur school he learned music and photography from his drawing and craft teacher.
In 1918 he was sent  to  J.J. school of Art , Mumbai and then to Gandharbha Mahabidyalaya.

Subsequently he joined Royal college of Arts, London to study painting.He danced in few charity performances organized by his father in London.

                                                               

Uday Shankar did not have any formal training in any of the Indian classical dance forms.From young age he was interested in both Indian classical dance and folk dance as well as ballet during his stay in Europe.

He decided to bring elements of both the styles together to create a new dance which he called HI DANCE.

Subsequently he left for Rome for the advanced studies in Arts after getting a scholarship from the French government. The turning point came with his first meeting with the legendary Russian balledina Anna parlova .He created a ballet RADHA KRISHNA.The same was presented in London.
He worked with Annya for one and half years,before starting out on his own in Paris.He returned from Paris in1931,soon he started for a seven years tour to Europe and America with his own troops whom he called Uday Shankar and his  Hindu Ballet.

                                                              

He preformed for the first time in 1933 in USA in New York city. His adoption of European theatrical technique to Indian dance made his art immense popular both in India and abroad.

In 1938,he made India as his base and established the Uday Shankar Indian cultural centre at Simtal.

Uday Shankar settled in Ballygunge Kolkata in 1969,where the Uday Shankar centre for dance was later opened in 1965.In1962 he was awarded the highest award for Sangeet  Natak Academy award, the Sangeet Academy Fellowship for lifetime contributions to Indian dance.In 1971 he was awarded ,Padma vibhushan .In 1975 he was awarded Deshikottam by viswa Bharati university.He married his dance partner Amala Shankar.They had a son Ananda Shankar and a daughter Mamta Shankar He died on 26th September, 1977.

Shyama prosad Mukherjee, a person of unbelievable academic career .

Shyama prosad Mukherjee was born in a Bengali family on 6th July 1901 in Calcutta.His father was Sir Ashutosh  Mukherjee a judge of the High court Calcutta and also the vice chancellor of the university of Calcutta.

His mother was Jogomaya Devi.Shyma prosad had three brothers and three sisters.He was admitted in Bhawanipur Mitra institution in 1906 and his behaviour in school was later certified by the teachers.

                                                                           

In 1917 he passed his matriculation examination and was admitted in presidency college .He stood first in the intermediate Arts examination in 1919.He  graduated in English securing the first position in first class in1922.

He stood first in his B.L.examination in 1924.
Subsequently he left for England to be a Barrister.At the age of 33 he became the vice chancellor of the university of Calcutta and he was the youngest vice chancellor .

It was during his term Rabindra nath delivered the convocation address in Bengali for the first time in history and Indian vernacular was introduced as a subject for the highest examination of the university.He died on 23rd June 1953.

Pandit Ravisankar, the world famous Sitarist .

Pandit Ravi  Sankar was born on 7th April 1920 in Varanasi in a Bengali family as the youngest amongseven brothers. His father Shyam  Shankar was a Barrister . He was a politician and  also worked as Dewan for several years
as  Dewan of jhalwar , Rajasthan , later he worked as a lawyer in England.

At the age of ten Shankar went to Paris with the dance group of his elder brother Uday Shankar . At the age of thirteen he became a member of the group . As a member of the tour he learned to dance and play various Indian instruments. The dance group toured to Europe and united states . Shankar learned French and discovered classical music.He gave up dancing in 1938 to study Sitar playing under court Musician Aladdin Khan.

After finishing his studies in 1944,Shankar worked as a composer , creating the music for the Apu Trilogy by Styajit Roy , and was music Director of All India Radio , New Delhi from 1949 to 1956.

In 1956 he began to tour to Europe and America playing Indian classical music and increased its popularity there.In 1960s  Shankar was engaged in western music by writing compositions for Sitar and Orchestra , and toured the world in the 1970s and 1980s .

From 1986 to 1992 he served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha  , the upper house of the parliament of the country .He continued to perform till the end of his life.In 1999 Shankar was awarded Bharat Ratna . He died on 11th December 2012 at California.

Birendra Krishna Bhadra and Mahisasur Madini.

Birendra Krishna Bhadra was born on 4th August 1905.His father was Roy Bahadur Kali Krishna and mother Sarala  Bala Devi . They lived in a rented house at  Ahiritola which was his maternal uncle's house,in north Calcutta.Subsequently they shifted to a house situated at  Ramadan Mitra Lane , North Kolkata and the same was purchased by his grandmother Jogo Maya Debi .

His father Kali Krishna Bhadra was a linguist and was fluent in fourteen languages and employed as an interpreter in a lower court and later became a known figure in the Bengali literary circle of that time.

Kali Krishna had two sons ,  Bhupendra Krishna and Birendra Krishna.In1926 Birendra Ktishna passed Intermideate examination and In 1928 graduated from Scottish church college, Kolkata.

He adapted and restructured several classics to produce notable radio plays .

In 193os All India Radio , Kolkata started broadcasting a two hour programme called  Mahisasur Madini which describes the
epic battle of Goddess Durga  with the demon king Mahisasur. The script was written by Bani Kumar and the music was directed by Pankaj Kumar Mallik. Bhadra was a reciter and theatre director from Kolkata and a contemporary of Kazi Nazrul Islam and Pankaj Kumar Mallik.

He worked for All India Radio , India's national Radio broad caster for several years during it's early starting 1930s and during this period he produced and adopted several plays.

Today he is known for his excellent Sanskrit recitation through a two hours audio programme Mahisasur Madini, a collection of shlokas as and songs broadcast by All India Radio Kolkata at 4AM in the dawn of Mahalaya.He also acted  and directed in Bengali theatre and also wrote for screen play for  film .

Birendra Krishna Bhadra will be remembered in the hearts of Bengali forever for his excellent work in Mahisasur Mardini.These only work had brought extreme popularity and fame for him.He has become immortal in the mind and hearts of Bengalis.

Sakti chattopadhya a Bohemian poet.

Sakti chattopadhya was born on 25th November 1933 in Baharu village presently South 24 porganas  west Bengal. His father's name is Bamanath chattopadhya and mother Kamala Devi .He lost his father only at the age of four and was brought up by the maternal grand father.He came to Calcutta Bag bazaar in 1948 and got admitted in Maharaja Kashempur  polytechnic school in class viii.He was introduced to Marxism by a 

teacher.In1949 he established progoti library and started a hand writing magazine Progoti and the same was changed into printed one.
The name of which was changed to Bahnisikha .

He passed matriculation examination in 1951and  got admitted in city college to study commerce. It was the same year he got the membership of The communist party of India , CPI.In 1953 he passed Intermideate commerce examination but gave up commerce and got admitted in the presidency college with honours in Bengali literature but did not appear at the examinaion . He started writing for Kirtibash and other magazines.He terminated in 1958 his relationship with CPI.He worked at Saxby  Pharma Ltd. and left it and later taught at Bhawanipur tutorial home.

He joined Hind Motors but could not continue for a long time.
He was one of the founder members of hungry generation movement which started one page bulletin in November 1961.
However he left the movement in 1963.In1983 he received sahitya academic award  for his collection "jete pari kintu kano jabo".

He died on 23rd March 1995.

Kadambini Gangly the first female physician.

kadambini Bose was born on 18th July 1861 at Bhagalpur, British India.Her father's name was Braja  Kishore Basu a Bramho reformer.The family was from Barisal which is now in Bangladesh.Her father was the Head Master of Bhagalpur school. He and Abhay  Charan Mallik started the movement for women's emancipation at Bhagalpur . Kadambini Gangly and Chandramukhi Bose were the two female graduates from India and the entire British empire.She was also the first south Asian 

female physician trained in western medicine . Ganguly studied medicine at the Calcutta Medical college. In 1886 she was given a graduate of Bengal medical college degree.She thus became one of the two Anand Gopal joshi being the other Indian women doctors who qualiified to practice western medicine. Kadambini went to the United kingdom in 1892  after qualifying as LRCP,LRCS and GFPS from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Durban respectively.After working for a short period in Lady Differing hospital she started her own practice. In 1883  she married the Bramho reformer and leader of women's emancipation Dwarkanath Ganguly . They were  actively involved in female emancipation and social movements to improve work  conditions of female coal miners in western India.She was of the six delegates to the fifth sessions of the Indian National Congress in 1891 and also organized the women's conference in  Calcutta in 1906.she formed an association to.  collect money to assist the workers.She died in 1923.

P. C.Sarkar (Senior) the father of magic in India.

p. C. Sarkar was the stage name of Pratul Chandra sarkar. He was widely and very popularly known as P.C.Sarkar.He was internationally famous magician throughout 1950s and 1960s performing his famous Indrajal  show before live audience and Television. He was born on 23rd February,1913 in the small town Tangail in    Mymensing  which is now  in Bangladesh. His father's name was Bhagawan  Chandra Sarkar and mother Kusum Kamini.

Sarkar was a brilliant student. He passed his matriculation examination from Tangail Sibnath High school in1929.In 1931 he  passed I.A.Examination in Arts ,he then joined Ananda Mohan college for B .A.with honours in Mathematics.

From the very childhood he was interested in magic. He became famous from mid 1930S  when he preformed shows in Kolkata and also in Japan and several other countries.

He was awarded padma Shri in January 26, 1964. Sarkar died of a heart attack at the age .of 58  in Japan.

Dr. Mahendra Lal Sarkar , the foremost medical personality of eighteenth century.

  Mahendra  Lal Sarkar was born in 1833 in Howrah near Calcutta.He lost his parents at early age. He lost his father at the age of five years and  mother at the age of nine years.His mother shifted to his maternal uncle s house at Nebutala in Calcutta . Subsequently Mahendra lal was brought up by his maternal uncles .He was admitted as a free student in Hare school in 1840 .In 1849 he passed Junior scholarship examination and joined Hindu college where he studied up to 1854.
He was transferred to Calcutta Medical college where he was so esteemed by his professors in the second year of course that he was invited to deliver a series of lectures on optics to his fellow students.

He performed this task honourably .He had a brilliant career at that college, where besides winning several scholarships , he passed the final examination in 1860 with highest honours in medicine and surgery.He obtained his MD degree with special success.

Surprisingly Mahendra lal turned to Homeopathy. In the course of his career he treated several notable persons of those days.including the author Bankim Chandra Chaterjee , Ram Krishna Dev and Maharaja of Tripura.

The Indian Association for the cultivation of science was established in 1876 and  Sarkar was the first Secretary.Sarkar supported higher education for women in nineteenth century when higher education for women was rare . He died in 1904.

Soumitra Chatterjee , A versatile personality.

It is very difficult task to write about Soumitra since lots have  been written about him by  many wise persons while I am a very common man  .

Anyway I will try my best to give an outline about him.

He has various identities , actor , poet ,theatre actor and director , Recitator and editor of little magazine. 

He started his film career almost sixty years ago in Apur sansar in 1959.Since then he has been working in Bengali films. He is possibly  the actor of longest period of Bengali film. He has worked in plenty of films with many film makers including satyajit Roy .He is the only actor who worked in highest number of flims of shri Roy.

During his long carieer he worked with many actors and actresses. During our college days there was a common debate who was the better actor between uttam and Soumitra.

Though I have no direct experience Bout acting yet I feel this comparison seems to be meaningless  since the style of acting differs from one  actor to another. Uttamkumar was the victim of premature death. He died only at the age fifty four. He started character role leaving role of romantic hero. He would have presented beautiful character role if he would had been alive and he himself would have got enough scope to experiment about his acting.

Uttam kumar and Soumitra worked together in around five films and undoubtedly both of them acted superb .While Soumitra in his long Careere has acted in plenty of characters and and has got enough scope to experiment. Besides for his acting ability satyajit Roy in his good number of flims took Soumitra and he did very well.

It can't be denied that Soumitra has become now an institution of Bengali film and he genuinely deserves it due to his longest experience and possibly for working with highest  number of film  makers.

He is the only actor who worked in highest number of films of satyajit Roy . He came to personal contact with the legendary theatre personality Sisir Kumar Bhadhuri and also acted with him in theatre .

He has rightly achieved the most prestigious award Dada Saheb Falke award for his excellent contribution in cinema.

In the present day context Soumitra is the most experienced ,senior most actor of Bengali film  industry and close associate of Satyajit Roy and worked all reputed film makers namely Mrinal Sen ,  Tapan Sinha  etc.Considering such an experienced person would have been successful  in direction of film .

Soumitra holds all the factors of success . Firstly he is very handsome with extra ordinary fair complexion.He is very intilligent , smart and his  voice is very good , an
expert in recitation and  his long association with shri Satyajit Roy has benefited him towards acting to a maximum length.

If I am asked during his long career what is the best work?It will be  Certainly the characterisation of Feluda . Ever best acting . After Soumitra some other actors acted in this role but could not go near to him.He was superb.
Similarly it can be said Uttam Kumar was superb to characterisation of Bomkesh. Some Artists have worked in this role but could touch him.

We are fortunate that Soumitra has been still actively working .  I pray for his long  life .

The Poor Rickshaw Poolers !

At this moment the number of rickshaw plies through out our state is not known to me. The number should be few lakhs . I have seen in the paper only in Dakha city few lakhs rickshaw ply. In our state the same having been few lakhs and the exact number of families are dependent on the poolers. Our state being a victim of unemployment the rickshaw is an unofficial industry where such huge number of people are engaged. 

Unfortunately the administration doesn't seem to have taken any proper steps for the upliftment  of such huge number of people. Two types of Rickshaw poolers are found .

The first category are the owners of the Rickshaw and they ply themselves only  while the second category of poolers have to pay a reasonable hire charges  to the rickshaw owners.At present day rickshaw poolers are in immense crisis since they are in tremendous competition with the open riksha where few people may travel sitting in the rickshaw van.

This rickshaws Is comfortable for short distance and also very comfortable for sick and elderly people.
The present time is of speed only . A large number of people including young people do not prefer this mode of transport.
The rickshaw pullers suffer a lot during summer and monsoon.They require huge food.Unfortunately they don't get requisite food and nutrition.As a result,they are attacked with T.B. and their average lives are very short.

Newspaper and Hawkers.

We expect newspaper to reach our homes early morning before tea time so that reading newspaper and taking tea may continue simantaniously  . It is a great pleasure for everyone to read newspaper and take tea. If the newspaper reaches before taking tea there is no problem but unfortunately if the paper reaches after taking tea the hawker has to digest rebuke. We never think the struggling of the hawkers for reaching the papers timely.If we go into the details of the struggling life of the hawkers we may be bit sympathetic towards them.

The hawkers though human being but in reality they lead an inhuman life. Their day starts at three am when we are in sound sleep. After completing all works they return home at about three pm. After taking lunch they take rest at about four. This is more or less their daily routine.

They enjoy holiday on an average five to six only in a year. From this it can be guessed the inhuman and struggling life. They have no monsoon  cyclone, flood, winter, illness,  illness of any member of the family, any family festival and even death of any family member will not stop their daily attendance.

Despite so many hurdles they earn some commission only.If we think about their struggling we may be a bit sympathetic towards them and condone the delay if any in distribution of paper.

the deplorable condition of the hawkers came to my notice during my childhood.
It is my humble request to all appropriate authorities kindly to look into the struggle of the hawkers and  discuss the matter with  appropriate authorities  to arrange either higher commissions or to arrange for  some more holidays. 

It is very painful  and surprising that those who are carrying the news and reaching the same to  crores  of readers . However , nobody is  there to speak a single line in favour of the hawkers.
This is the irony of fate .
This system has been continuing from before independence. Those who are readers of newspaper or non readers of newspaper , nobody has minimum time to think for them.No political party has since spent a single word for these unfortunate hawkers.

What are the remedies?  It is my humble prayer to all appropriate authorities kindly to examine their demands on war footing basis and come to a permanent solution in regard to the demand for minimum human life they lead.  Why they will not be paid fixed salary? Group insurance, Provident fund,Esi  benefit may be introduced

Outstanding Talented Harinath De .

Harinath De was a surprisingly talented person. I personally feel Shri De was one of the most talented persons of his time. We are very unfortunate for having lost him only at the age of thirty four years.He was born in 1877 in  North 24Porganas. He studied in presidency college , Kolkata and Cambridge.

He was expert in thirty four languages such as Chinese,Tibetan,Pali,Sanskrit,Persian,Arabic,English,Greek, and Latin etc.He was M.A. in fourteen subjects . He was the first Indian Education Service officer among Indians . He was professor of English of Dhaka university and of presidency college, Kolkata.He was appointed as the first lecturer of the newly created department of linguistics of Calcutta university in 1907.He became the first Indian  Librarian of National library from 1907 to 1911.

It was  extremely unfortunate that Harinath was the victim of premature death. His death caused sever loss of Bengali literature and history.Another disappointing and surprising matter we have totally forgotten him . I personally feel only a few number of persons know his name. Whereas there is a doubt during last hundred years whether such talented Bengali was born.I pay my heartfelt regards to him.

Our religion Hinduism and some questions.

At the very outset I should honestly admit that I am   neither a religious person nor deal with any religious matters.

Only as an observer a question has been  raised in my mind and I would pray to scholar persons kindly to reply my question .I have seen almost all persons pray to God or worship with a view to get something like recovery from illness, for getting a job,marriage of the children  , win in a legal case  ,for earning profit in a business ,  for giving birth to a baby, for promotion in service place etc.

It may be appreciated that every time worship or prayer is being done only to get something. In every prayer some interest is involved. Whenever any puja is conducted where ever the place , the main object is to get something.When the disciples worship their gurus that is  also for getting something.  Besides there is a very popular custom named Mannat where if the demand  is met something will be given to God. What will be the explanation of  Mannat system.

From the above instances  our religious structure may be termed that it is based on give and take policy. While Ramakrishna Dev repeatedly advised that the love of God should be purely without any interest. As for example while Narendranath was in extreme financial crisis Ramakrishna Dev advised him to pray to Maa Kali for a job. Narendranath despite third attempt could not approach for a job.

This is the spirit of our religion while we experience the opposite trend everywhere.The basic of our religion may kindly be explained by the religious scholars.