Pune sheds light on NE burning issues

Abdul Gani Guwahati: Far away from the killing fields of the Bodo heartland and volatile valleys of Manipur, a one-act play staged at Pune has evoked keen interest and discussions on Northeast’s troubled times. On Sunday, people in Pune were discussing Northeast and Assam as a one-act play on the life and struggles of “Iron Lady” Irom Sharmila was staged.  The poster of the play  Besides, noted scholars discussed the current situation prevailing in Assam in a bid to find a solution. “We are very proud and absolutely thankful to Ojas SV for her generosity and love for performing her acclaimed one-act play La Mashale,” Diganta...

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The bard’s voice flows with the Red River

Abdul Gani Guwahati: I know, long ago/ the River used to speak/ but when he realised/ every drop of pain/ flows above horizon of words/ he surrendered to silence…” The voice of the River is the “voice” of Bhupen Hazarika — the “baritone communicative” voice of the legendary balladeer. It is also the voice of Assam. A voice speaking out to the world from the silver screen. Cultural icon Bhupen Hazarika’s last recorded voice will finally reach his countless fans across the world when national award-winning director Bidyut Kotoky’s debut feature film Ekhon Nedekha Nodir Xipare is released on September 14. Sanjay Suri and Victor Banerjee The...

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Age has not withered Lalit Chandra Ojha, nor life of tribulations

Abdul Gani Guwahati: He gave up everything in life for the sake of Sukananni Ojapali, a folk dance drama of Assam. His life-long devotion enabled the dance drama survive the test of time. Now, at the age of 90, Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Lalit Chandra Nath Ojha is hopeful of seeing the dance drama going global. And he is ready to go to any extent to make it a reality. Lalit Chandra Nath Ojha is honoured along with his wife in Guwahati. Photo: Subhamoy Bhattacharjee Here, noted filmmaker Prabin Hazarika and senior journalist Manoj Kumar Nath tried to make his efforts known to all via a documentary film – Haate Mudra Mukhe Pod...

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Bollywood mixes ‘Assamese’ with English Vinglish

Abdul Gani Guwahati: How does it feel for an Assamese to learn English Vinglish? “Feels good,” according to the man who has done it. Adil Hussain, the ‘face’ of Assam in Bollywood at present, is going places. And how. After a globe-trotting venture in the action-thriller Agent Vinod starring Saif Ali Khan, Hussain is now playing the role of Sridevi’s husband in her comeback movie set against the backdrop of London. Sridevi, once the heartthrob of the country, is making a comeback to Bollywood after 15 long years. English Vinglish, an R Balki produced film, is slated for release on October 5 after its global premiere at the Toronto...

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Budding filmmaker ‘pedals’ into crowdfunding for The Bicycle

Abdul Gani Guwahati: After an invitation to the prestigious Producers’ Lab organised by the Cinemart International Film Festival of Rotterdam 2012, budding Assamese filmmaker Khanjan Kishore Nath’s project, The Bicycle, has been selected for Mumbai Mantra Screenplay Lab now. It is the first Assamese film to be invited to Rotterdam Festival. Khanjan Kishore Nath The filmmaker is now waiting for crowdfunding for production. It was also selected for Goa Film Bazaar organised by the International Film Festival of India. “This film is now at its pre-production stage. The script is complete. All that it needs is financial help. Unfortunately,...

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Tabu Taid stresses on preservation of mother tongue

Abdul Gani Guwahati: Sahitya Akademi Bhasa Samman awardee Tabu Taid has urged youths of various communities to study and preserve their mother tongues to safeguard the identities of their respective communities. Attending at a felicitation programme organised by All Guwahati Mising Kebang (AGMK) at Guwahati, the veteran scholar said that this award would encourage ten other people from the community to come up to do something for the society. “I thank you all for giving me this honour. I hope awards like this would encourage the other youths of the community to come up and do something which helps in developing the community,” said Taid who plays a major role in preserving the Mising language for which he was awarded the Bhasa Samman by Sahitya Akademi this year. He also urged...

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Tagore National Fellowship for Prof Bhagabati

Abdul Gani Guwahati: Noted anthropologist AC Bhagabati, who has been conferred on Tagore National Fellowship for cultural research, stressed the importance of traditional perceptions of land records to find out causes of ethnic clashes. He also said that studying history helps understand modern problem better. Professor A C Bhagabati (left). Credit: Seven Sisters Post “There is a mismatch of data between modern tools of demography and traditional perceptions of land records. In Bodo people’s perception it has been tribal land, but now we say it is not their land. So, the problem lies there. One has to look at the records to see...

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