Tribute to a director

Filmmaker Asit Sen will always be remembered for evergreen hits like 'Dweep Jele Jai', 'Uttar Phalguni' and 'Mamta'. Last week, a book on Sen titled 'Smriti Sonali Rekha' was released at Nandan in the presence of a host of film personalities. Rich tributes were paid to the director who made a mark in Mumbai as well.
Cinematographer Ramananda Sengupta, director Goutam Ghose and actor Arjun Chakraborty were present along with the late director's son Partho Sen.
"I remember watching his films as a child. He inspired me a lot as a director. Apart from being an excellent director he was really humble and down to earth, interacting with everyone on the sets," recounted Chakraborty.
Being a renowned director and a screen-writer with films like 'Sharafat', 'Maa aur Mamta' and 'Safar' under his belt, Sen worked in 17 feature films in Hindi and Bengali, and directed prominent actors like Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Ashok Kumar and Sharmila Tagore.
"He was a really wonderful person and I enjoyed working with him. He was a visionary and had no dearth of ideas while filming a scene," said Sengupta, who worked closely with Sen in films like 'Purbaatra' way back in 1947.
Sen was nominated twice for the Filmfare award in the best director category, and he won it in 1971 for 'Safar'. One of his main features as a filmmaker was the use of low-angle shots, thereby giving an imposing look to the character.
"My father has been touted as one of the most under-rated directors in the industry by Mahesh Bhatt. This book deals with the memories of my late father and the various episodes of his life," said his son.
In Pancham's memory
He might have passed away nearly two decades back, but his music never died. He lives on in the hearts of fans across the country. Euphony, set up by some die-hard R D Burman fans who met on the Internet six years ago, pays a tribute to the master on his birth anniversary in Kolkata every year. It was followed by another tribute to Pancham which was organized by the R D Burman Foundation on June 30.
This show was a continuation of Euphony's celebration of Panchamda's 73rd birth anniversary that fell on June 27. In the show, Kishore Sodha entertained the audience with some RD numbers on the trumpet. Raj Sodha carried the legacy of the great Manohari Singh's saxophone on his able shoulders, while Rajendra Singh Sodha, too, enthralled the audience. Drummer Franco Vaz and Uttam Singh, whose association with R D Burman as a solo violin player dates back to the mid-Sixties, sang his own composition to pay a tribute to his idol Panchamda. To add to the zing, Sushma Sresohtha alias Poornima Chandra sang some a few memorable RD numbers. The audience got a treat of not only the music but also got to hear anecdotes of R D Burman from these men who have spent quite a significant part of their lives with their beloved 'boss'. The show was hosted by Ankush Chinchankar.
Beating all odds
On Thursday, everybody at the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) in Kolkata cheered when 28-year-old Shrihari Tapkir handed over the Tricolour to chairman S K Beri. This was the same Tricolour that Tapkir had unfurled on the summit of Mt Everest on May 19 this year. Not only was he the first OFB employee to summit the highest peak in the world, Tapkir was the first Indian climber in this season to do so.
It was pure grit and determination that allowed this employee of the Ordnance Factory in Pune's Dehu Road to achieve his goal. He still owes Rs 8 lakh to people who lent him money for the expedition with a private club in Pune. Tapkir had used up all his sanctioned leave during practice and when he finally left for the attempt, he was forced to opt for leave without pay. On return, he received only Rs 48 for the 80 days that he had taken to reach the summit. But then, Tapkir was not disappointed. He is still thankful to the OFB for having 'backed' him.
"Such expeditions bring out the best in people. During my final climb, I met a Spanish climber whose Oxygen kit had developed some problem. For the next three hours, I shared my Oxygen with him. He would draw Oxygen from my flask for 10 minutes and then I would take over for another 10. I could have refused him the Oxygen and he would have been forced to return to camp. But, I am an Indian and we don't behave in that manner," Tapkir said.
Now, the OFB is considering an out-of-turn promotion and increment for Tapkir. He will also be part of the Ordnance Factories Sports Promotion Board team that will attempt to summit Mt Menthosa in Himachal Pradesh in the end of July. This expedition will be headed by Prosenjit Bagchi from Rifle Factory, Ishapore.
Mango fest at coffee shop
Who can resist 'the king of fruits'? The mango has found its way to a Howrah coffee shop with a unique mango festival 'Mangolia' being held from June 22 to July 21 where a melange of mango-based delicacies are on offer. Apparently a huge demand from customers forced the coffee shop to introduce the new trend of mango dishes, both in its raw and ripe form, prepared by executive chef Rajarshi Guria. Some of the dishes on offer are the Mango Cheese Cake - especially recommended by the chef - the Mango Patishapta, the Mango Fool, Thai Rice Pudding With Mango Topping, Mango Sago Pomelo and the Mango Kulfi With Falooda.
Call of the mountains
Outram Ghat-based Sea Explorers' Institute will set out on a high altitude trek and rafting expedition on July 6. Christened 'Vivek Yatra' to commemorate the sesquicentennial celebrations of Swami Vivekananda's birth, the expedition will see participation of 10 youths trekking from Khanol in Himachal Pradesh to Chandra Tal (14,100ft) and back, and rafting in the Beas from July 6 to July 21. The institute is also planning for sailing to the Andaman later this year.
To Guruji, with love
Music is one of those crafts that cannot be mastered without the guidance of a guru. City-based Tabla player Parimal Chakrabarty has been training youngsters in the art for nearly two decades now. Today, he has disciples all over West Bengal, and even in states like Tripura and Jharkhand. On Thursday evening, all his students will come together to felicitate their Guruji at a function at the Birla Academy to mark the auspicious occasion of Gurupurnima. The function will feature a solo tabla recital by Chakrabarty, accompanied on the harmonium by Hiranmoy Mitra. "Spending each moment with Guruji is a learning experience. We learn from him not only the fine art of tabla playing, but also the fundamental qualities that are needed to succeed in any walk of life. His honesty, humility, self-respect and righteousness are exemplary," a student said. Chakrabarty, on the other hand, is overwhelmed at his students' efforts. "Music is a Gurumukhi Vidya. Besides teaching the basic skills of tabla playing, I try to inculcate in my students the andaaz of Hindustani classical music, which I learnt from my gurus, Pandit Shankar Ghosh and Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh among others. Only through this tradition, the art form lives and grows," he signed off.
Enter the Indian Pegasus
The No. 157 Helicopter Unit of the Indian Air Force that was inducted at the Barrackpore air base near Kolkata on Friday has chosen a very interesting crest. The unit has come up with Tarkshya, a mythical winged horse from the Rig Veda that personifies the Sun. It is alternately identified with Garuda. The crest displays Tarkshya flying across a bolt of lightning on a background of yellow and blue. The lightning bolt symbolises the unit's lethal capability to strike with integral avionics and weapon systems mounted on the Mi-17 V5 choppers. The yellow personifies the Sun whose mere presence is enlightening while the blue signifies the unit's ability to operate in complete darkness using the Generation III night vision goggles. The Saptarishi on the blue sky showcases the knowledge, wisdom and advanced navigation system thereby setting high professional standards. As the Sun fosters life yet can wither away the fiercest of enemies, the unit has chosen the motto: 'No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy'.
A knotty affair
The Vishwa Jagriti Mission Trust recently organised a mass wedding for 111 underprivileged couples from various areas of West Bengal, including Kolkata, Midnapore, Nadia, Hooghly, North and South 24-Parganas, Sunderbans and Mushidabad. Since electricity is yet to reach some of the areas from where the couples came, they received solar power systems as a wedding gift from the trust apart from food grains, toiletry, cosmetics and other households items like utensils and bed linen. The event was spearheaded by trust secretary Sushil K Goenka.
Lessons on Vedanta
Vedanta philosophy is now spreading overseas, reaching masses through American universities and spiritual organizations, thanks to the efforts of Sri Bhagavan, founder of International Vedanta Society, who propagates universal peace, truth and love. Impressed by the richness of Vedanta, American universities like Boston, Harvard University, New York University had invited Swami Probuddananda, one of his disciples, to deliver lectures on the subject. He also visited spiritual organizations like Ananda Ashram, Monroe, The Unitarian Church, New York and Vedanta Society, Hollywood, during his trip which commenced on April 14, and continued till June 22.
Sri Bhagavan's ideas inspired Americans to a great extent, due to which they accompanied Swami Probuddananda for the rest of his journey. Sri Bhagavan did not renounce the world but practised Vedanta in a simple manner. He had attained 'nirvikalpa samadhi' (highest stage of spirituality) in 1984 and 'mahabhava', (highest stage of divine love) in 1987, and is worshipped like a God, from which he derived the name 'Bhagavan', meaning 'the God'. "The man who transforms people's lives miraculously and instills positive changes in man is actually much superior to mankind. He is a manifestation of supreme power and can be rightly called 'Bhagavan'," said Snehamayee Maa, a monk and disciple of Sri Bhagavan who joined Vedanta six years ago.