১৪১৬ সালের প্রথম কালবৈশাখী
- Category: এই সময়, এই জীবন
তেসরা মে, ২০০৯, রবিবার। ২০০৯ সালের , এমনকি বাংলা ১৪১৬ সালেরও প্রথম কালবৈশাখী এল কলকাতায়। চৈত্র- এবং বৈশাখ মাস এই বছর কলকাতাবাসীদেরকে , বলা যাতে পারে পুরো পশ্চিমবঙ্গের মানুষকে বুঝিয়েছে "প্রখর দাবদাহ" কাকে বলে !কিন্তু আজ দুপুরে ফিরে এল সেই বহু পরিচিত, বহু আকাংক্ষিত দৃশ্য। চারিদিক অন্ধকার করে, সূর্যের মুখ ঢেকে দিয়ে, ধূসর মেঘে ছেয়ে গেল আকাশ। হু হু করে উত্তর দিক থেকে ধেয়ে এল ঠাণ্ডা হাওয়া। শুকনো ধুলো উড়ল পাক খেয়ে খেয়ে। বারান্দার তারের জামা-কাপড়গুলোকে যেন কোন শক্তিশালী দৈত্য টেনে উড়িয়ে নিয়ে যেতে চাইল। ছুটে গিয়ে দরজা-জানালা বন্ধ করার আগেই আমার ঘরে ঢুকে পড়ল দস্যু হাওয়া। উড়িয়ে নিয়ে গেল খবরের কাগজ, রুমাল আর দিনমানের গ্লানি। সত্যি সত্যি এসে গেল কালবৈশাখী।
আমি যখন খুব ছোট ছিলাম, সেই সময়ে কালবৈশাখী হলে মাঝে মাঝে শিলাবৃষ্টি হত। বৃষ্টিতে ভিজে সেই সাদা সাদা ন্যাপথলিনের বলের মত ঠাণ্ডা বরফের গুলি গুলোকে কুড়োনোর মধ্যে আনন্দ ছিল যত, তার চেয়ে বেশি ছিল প্রকৃতির ভয়ঙকর সৌন্দর্য কে অনুভব করার এক নাম না জানা শিহরন।
একবার, আমি যখন অষ্টম শ্রেনীতে পড়ি, ১৯৮৮ সালে এক অভাবনীয় ঘটনা ঘটল। দুপুরবেলা ঘন্টাদুয়েক ঝমঝমিয়ে বৃষ্টি পড়ল, আর তার সাথে হল শিলা বৃষ্টি। এত -এত-এত শিলা পড়ল, যে, সেগুলি আমাদের স্কুলবাড়ির দেওয়ালের ধার ঘেঁসে বরফের স্তূপের মত জলে গেল। স্কুলবাসে করে বাড়ি ফেরার পথে দেখলাম চারদিকের মাঠঘাট জুড়ে চাপচাপ বরফের স্তূপ। আমাদের সাদামাটা গড়ানে মফস্বল যেন হটাত হয়ে পড়েছে সিমলা পাহাড়, অথবা দার্জিলিং। সেইবার এত শিলা জমেছিল যে তিনদিন ধরে সেগুলো একটু একটু করে গলেছিল। আমাদের বাড়ির পেছন দিকের বাগানের দরজা খোলা যায়নি সে কয়দিন।
গ্লোবাল ওয়ার্মিং এর দৌলতে আজকাল আর শিলাবৃষ্টি তো দূরঃস্থ, কালবৈশাখীরই খবর পাইনা। কলকাতা শহরে বসে তো এমনিতেও ঋতু পরিবর্তনের খবর বিশেষ পাওয়া যায়না। শহরের ইঁট-কাঠের ফ্রেমের মধ্যে ব্যালকনিতে রাখা মরসুমি ফুল বা ঘরের কোনের শৌখিন ইন্ডোর প্ল্যান্ট এর মধ্যেই যেন সাজিয়ে রাখা প্রকৃতির উদাহরণ। কিন্তু যখন আজকের মত একেকটা দিন আসে, তখন যেন হটাত করে বুঝতে পারি প্রকৃতির ক্ষমতা, তার বিশালত্ব। খোলা বারান্দায় দাঁড়িয়ে দুহাত বাড়িয়ে দুরন্ত কালবৈশাখীকে আবাহন করতে করতে নতুন করে, আরেকবার করে অনুভব করি প্রকৃতির তুলনায় নিজের ক্ষুদ্রতা, নিজের অপারঙ্গমতা।
স্কুলে পড়তে হয়েছিল মোহিতলাল মজুমদারের কবিতা 'কালবৈশাখী। সেই সময়ে পুরোটা মানে বুঝতাম না, এখন বুঝি। সেই কবিতার প্রথম দশটি পংক্তি যেন আজ প্রত্যক্ষ করলাম আরেকবার -
"মধ্য দিনের রক্ত নয়ন অন্ধ করিল কে?
ধরনীর পরে বিরাট ছায়ার ছত্র ধরিল কে?
কানন-আনন পান্ডুর করি জলস্থলের নিঃশ্বাস হরি
আলয়ে-কুলায়ে তন্দ্রা ভুলায় গগন ভরিল কে?
আজিকে যতেক বনস্পতির ভাগ্য দেখিযে মন্দ
নিমেষ গনিছে তাই কি তাহারা সারি-সারি নিঃস্পন্দ
মরুত পাথারে বারুদের ঘ্রান এখনি ব্যাকুলি তুলিয়াছে
প্রান পশিয়াছে কানে দূর -গগনের বজ্র-ঘোষোণ ছন্দ"
[অনেকদিন আগে মুখস্থ করা, বই হাতের কাছে নেই, তাই যতিচিহ্ণ ভুল হতে পারে]
Slumdog Millionaire
- Category: Film Reviews
Well, now that Slumdog have won eight Oscars, and the whole world knows everything about it, I do not need to write again how great the photography is, or how realistic the shots are. I have just two points to discuss. Firstly, the film reminded me of the 2002 Argentinitian film City of God, in terms of editing and story telling. If you get a chance, watch City of Gods.
Varanasi...Life and more...
- Category: Travel Diaries
Along with my brother and a few of his friends, I went to spend a few days in the last week of January 2009 at Varanasi [Benaras]. Varanasi is the oldest living city in the world, with its history tracing back almost 3,000 years. Mythologies say that the city of Varanasi sits on the trishul of Lord Shiva. Varanasi is situated on the west bank of the River Ganga.
Children of Heaven : Innocently Sublime
- Category: Film Reviews
I was about to switch off my television after the telecast of the 81st Annual Academy Awards, when the film started. I was not very sure whether I would watch it. It was around 10:30 a.m in the morning, I had lots of pending household chores waiting for me. The glimpse of a pair of dilapidated pink girl's shoes on the screen, caught my attention. The illegible scripts informing about the film's cast and crew indicated it was a film from the middle-east. Could be one from Israel or Iran? My interest grew and I stuck back to my chair. I thank myself that I decided to watch the film. It was a sublime journey through the realms of innocence. The film was Children of Heaven ( Bacheha Ye Aseman ), made in 1997, written and directed by the acclaimed film director from Iran, Majid Majidi. I got these last information from IMDB.
Slumdog Millionaire poem
- Category: Film Reviews
Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars in the 81st Annual Academy Awards. And I am yet to watch the movie!! Hoping to catch up with the movie soon. After watching the telecast of the Academy Awards in Star Movies, I rather saw a different movie....I'll discuss it in the following post.Meanwhile, seeing all the flow of Oscars to India, I felt critically inspired enough and drafted this rhyme:)
কেড়ে নিয়ে ডলার
দিচ্ছে খালি অস্কার
বড় দাদার চাল বুঝতে
বাকি নেই আর।
অস্কারের মত যদি
কাজও প্রচুর আসে,
আমরা সবাই হতে পারি
Middleclass Millionaire!!
India'a 26/11 - We are bleeding...
- Category: Life and Times
Leaving few hours in between, I have been more or less glued to the television since Wednesday late night. It has been beyond 48 hours, and a bizzare drama is still going on in front of my eyes - almost the likes of hollywood thrillers - with fire blazing out of one of the most magnificent structures of the country, random explosions, gunshots and security forces- NSG, MARCO, RAF, and others.... the financial capital of the country, Mumbai, was attacked by terrorists, who by now we know are in all probability backed by a militant group from Pakistan.
14th Kolkata Film Festival
- Category: Film Reviews
After a hiatus of nine years, I went back to enjoy the thrills of the Kolkata Film Festival this year. It was almost like going back to university days, hopping from one hall to another in the Nandan-Rabindra Sadan complex, sipping sugar- infested tea and munching popcorns in between. I skipped the morning shows. I went in the afternoon, and most of the days, I watched three consecutive shows. I watched some really good new international films. I am enlisting here the films which I watched. I will write about them more in my next posts:1. Three Women -Manijeh Hekmat-Iran
2. I served the King of England-Jiri Menzel-Czech Republic
3. Dinner for four [short]
4. Made in USA- Claudio Llosa-Peru
5. Run -[short]
6. Blind- Tamar Van Den Dop- Netherlands
7. Firaaq- Nandita Das- India
8. Aboard the Pater Noster [short]
9. The Pope's Toilet - Enrique Fernandez and Cesar Charlone- Uruguay
10. Sparrows- Abhaya Simha- India
11. Three Monkeys- Nuri Bilge Ceyalan-Turkey
12. Love It Like It Is [Short]
13. Iska's Journey -Csaba Bollock-Hungary
14. The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around The Corner- Stephan Komandarev-Bulgaria
15. Tricks- Andrzej Jakimowski-Poland
16. Sleepwalking Land- Teresa Prata- Mozambique
17. The Green Ray- Eric Rohmer-France
18. El Camino-Ishtar Yasin-Costarica
19. Gulabi Talkies-Girish Kasaravalli-Kannada
20. The Edge Of The Heaven- Fatih Akin-Germany
21. Chaturanga- Suman Mukhopadhyay-India
22. Killing Time [ short]-Haritz Zubillaga- Spain
23. Taxi? [short]- Telmo Esnal- SpainI watched a few more Spanish short films, the names of which all I don't remember.More on the festival in my next posts.
The Last Lear :unputdownable AB once again!!
- Category: Film Reviews
Last Monday I, along with my cousin, went to watch The Last Lear at Nandan. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal, Shefali Shah , Divya Dutta and Jishu Sengupta, The Last Lear is director by Rituparno Ghosh. The story is adapted from veteran actor and director Utpal Dutt's drama "Ajker Shahjahan". I missed out the first couple of minutes of the title scroll; I later found this information on imdb.Harish Mishra aka Harry [Amitabh Bachchan] is a retired Shakespearean actor, who comes in contact with Siddharth [Arjun Rampal], who is a film director. Siddharth wants Harry to perform in a role in his upcoming film.
Welcome Or Get Lost!!...and a few thoughts about Hindi Film Comedy
- Category: Film Reviews
Last Sunday I watched another much famed movie "Welcome" on star plus. It starred Akshay Kumar,Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor and Mallika Sherawat in main roles. The film was a huge hit when it released. I have read about the capabilities of Anees Baazmee as a comedy writer in some magazines too. So I had sat to watch the film with a bit of expectation. You may ask, expectation of what? Well, expectation of some sense. But as usual, I was disappointed to find the same old gags and farcical elements so much used in Hindi films nowadays and often proclaimed to be high comedy!!
A few films I watched...
- Category: Film Reviews
I managed to see quite a few films in the last two months- a couple of them quite olf, but never seen before, and a few new ones. Let's summarise them one by one.Bachna Ai HaseenoCast: Ranbir Kapoor, Minissha Lamba, Bipasha Basu, Deepika PadukoneLots of babes, skins, exotic locations and unnecessary punjabi songs. The film could have done away with atleast three of the songs. But the director was perhaps under pressure from the producer to allott atleast two songs to each of the heroines. So, in the film, one song started even before the other could leave any impression.
Saawariya : An Epic Failure
- Category: Film Reviews
It could have been one of the masterpieces in the history of Indian Cinema. It could have woven a never ending magical web of narration. It could have been eulogised as an work of art. But no such things hapenned. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's much hyped film Saawariya failed miserably to achieve the height it was aimed for.It has been almost a year that Saawariya was released, but I had not got the chance to view it earlier. Only last week, I found the time to go through the film, and after the completion, I felt a great sense of loss- loss of integrity, loss of coherence.
Sarkar Raj
- Category: Film Reviews
Somehow I did not like Sarkarraj as much as I like the previous film. It lacked the crispness and cutting edge flow of Sarkar. I felt uncomfortable about the camera work in various scenes, especially crowd scenes, where the continuously moving and sweeping camera was creating a nauseating effect - I am not sure whether it was intended or not, surely the director had something in mind, when he decided to take such weeping shots, but I did not like them. And finally somehow, Aishwarya Rai failed to convince me of her character, however much she tried.
Holi and Taare Zameen Par
- Category: Film Reviews
A few days back, in some tv programme, I had seen a viewer who had come just out of the hall, to say that the film has turned him into a better father. I think he spoke out his heart. The film teaches you so many things about life and parenthood.Here I must write a few lines about Aamir Khan. I never was a great fan of his chocolate kid look:) until I watched Sarfarosh.
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd
- Category: Film Reviews
In one line, HTPL is a good movie :).It deals with a serious matter like marriage, which is not simply the union of two bodies, but the union of souls too. And it shows how the union of two souls does not necessarily follow a rose strewn path, and how often, marriage turns out to be more of a contract of existnece between two grown up individuals .But the movie does not lectures the viewer, rather presents the dilemmas and conflicts with much humour and subtle tinge of pathos.
At Five In The Afternoon : A Review
- Category: Film Reviews
"At Five In The Afternoon" is the second film of Samireh Makhmalbaf that I watched.I do not have much theoretical ideas about the inception of New Iranian Cinema and the ways paths they are following, Earlier I have seen "The Blackboard" by the same director, and a couple of films by her father, Mohsen Makhlambaf, including "Once Upon A Time Cinema".I must say it was quite an experience watching the film, which evolves in the backdrop of Afghanistan in the post Taliban regime . Devastation rules ; poverty, hunger and helplessness looms large.Nogreh is a young girl in her twenties, whom her father sends to an institution which feeds young women on conservative theories of ideal womanhood.
Playing Doll's House
- Category: Life and Times
A few days back, I was with my niece Srijani and nephew Rick, on the formers birthday, and I gifted her a pair of dolls, which she had secretly wished for from me. They had brought out all their dolls and kitchen sets and we were playing, scattering things on the floor. Srijani is more interested in dressing up her dolls, and changing their dresses, while Rick is the one who takes charge of organizing things in place, and even cooking and making tea with his toy utensils. They reminded me of my own childhood.I am an avid lover of dolls, and I used to play with dolls even when I was quite grown up.
Rick's First Attempts at Writing Paragraphs
- Category: Life and Times
Rick is only five years old and studies in KG. His elder sister Srijani , who is about one and a half year older than him, studies in Class I. She has started learning to write small paragraphs about people and objects around her. Rick, in his stance to imitate whatever elder sis does, also tried his hands in writing paragraphs - about himself and about a cow.
Rick's World
- Category: Life and Times
At five years of age, my nephew Rick is one of the most intelligent, thoughtful and senstive kid around. He is an ardent fan of Tintin, though he can not read properly yet, and enjoys the graphics more . On his 5th birthday, I gifted him a CD of Tintin's Red Rackham's Treasures. He got very excited, then brought out the book version of the same from his collection.
A New Year Story
- Category: Life and Times
This evening, I had gone to Lake Market to get some medicines. I had plans to get back to Hindustan Mart, the conglomerate of handicraft and embroidery raw material suppliers at Gariahat, and then come back home. Availing an autorickshaw for the same, I got to seat beside the driver. There was an old gentleman sitting in the back seat, along with a young couple. In continuation of his conversation with the young man, he was saying that he was 81 years old,and he wanted to go to Jodhpur Park. He asked if the vehicle will cross Jodhpur Park, to which the young man informed him that he will have to get down at Gariahat to go to Jodhpur Park.Then he asked the young man whether he was a Bengali. The young man also asked him where he was from, and he said he was from Kanyakumari, and had left that place in 1940!!
Dus Kahaniyan
- Category: Film Reviews
Last week I went to watch "Dus Kahaniyan" , a bouquet of ten short films from Sanjay Gupta. A praiseworthy and unique effort, the film was surely interesting to watch [ far better than Karan Johar :) ], and I thanked myself for changing my decision in the last minutes to watch Dus Kahaniyan instead of Om Shanti Om. I watched the latter by borrowing a dvd from a friend, and realised , I did a good thing by not spending Rs 200/- [150/- FOR TICKET +REST FOR SNACKS ] :) on OSO !!
Web Design Blues
- Category: Life and Times
A few days back, I finally updated our website http://www.auroramedia.in . Earlier it was a flash website, but this time we decided to make a full XHTML/CSS site, with minimal flash, and made sure both the XHTML and the CSS passed the w3c validation. In fact, I was quite happy to be able to put up the w3c validation icons on my pages.
Rootlessness - a few drifting thoughts
- Category: Ruminations
A couple of weeks back, my parents had come to spend a fortnight with me.After they arrived, my father asked for something from me. He wanted to get a colour printout of a particular area of Bangladesh from the wikimapia or any other site that provides detailed political map of any country. He said he was very troubled after hearing from somebody that the small town in Bangladesh, where he had spent his childhood , had been washed away by the flood, more after the devastating g attack of Sidr, the mini Tsunami which hit Bangladesh last month. He said he was losing his memory gradually, and didnt want to forget his utopia of childhood, and as a last resort, wanted to get a coloured printout of the area in the map - which I knew, would in no way compensate or stand up to the verdant memories of childhood.
Kerala Diary
- Category: Travel Diaries
I wrote down this travelogue after my trip to Kerala.
I simply copy pasted the text from a doc file, which had the font- style pre defined. I know this page is not looking good, with two types of fonts, but right now I am too busy to sit and make the changes :) So , please overlook the issue.
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