Pothorughat saga now brought before the world

Abdul Gani

Guwahati: The only book in English on the historic peasants’ rebellion at Pothorughat in Darrang district in which as many as 140 peasants belonging to Hindu and Muslim community laid their lives for the sake of their country has finally found its place in the Library of Congress in America.

“It’s great news for all of us. It really meant a lot for us because the sacrifice made by our forefathers never got recognition the way it should have. Now the people in the world will come to know about it in detail,” said Bhargab Kumar Das, a member of Organising Committee for the National Level Seminar on the Pothorughat uprising by Agricultural Peasants, who published the book.

The author of the book – Pothorughat – is eminent writer Arup Kumar Dutta and it was released on September 28, 2010 by senior journalist Dhirendra Nath Bezbarua and Asam Sahitya Sabha president Rong Bong Terang.

The link for the Library of Congress catalogue record for the book is: http://lccn.loc.gov/2012493997.

“In this regard we would like to thank Hiranya Kumar Nath who is presently working as an Associate Professor of Economics at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) in Huntsville, Texas, USA for taking the initiative with the authority who after going through the book, readily agreed to catalogue it at the Library of Congress. We were trying hard to organise a national seminar in New Delhi on the Pothorughat issue but this development would help us to make the sacrifices of the peasants known at the national and international level. We are also thankful to Arup Kumar Dutta for writing the book,” Das further added.

Locals rued that though as many as 140 peasants belonging to Hindu and Muslim community had sacrificed their lives at the hands of British on January 28 of 1894 at a sleepy village of Pothorughat or Patharighat – some 16 km to the west from the district headquarters Mangaldai while raising their voice in a peaceful manner against the hiked land revenue, yet this chapter of the history of the Indian freedom struggle is little known in other parts of the country.

“The entire nation is well aware of the Jalliwanwala Bagh killing, but people outside the state of Assam are not aware of the Pothorughat rebellion which is significant in many ways. It took place much before the Jalliwanbalabagh massacre; the village farmers adopted the policy of non violence which was adopted by Mahatma Gandhi many years later and the entire rebellion was spontaneous without any prominent leader,” said another member. (Seven Sisters Post)

http://sevensisterspost.com/pothorughat-saga-now-brought-before-the-world/

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Father of Nehru Stadium pitch no more

Abdul Gani/Kausav Baruah

Guwahati: The grass on Nehru Stadium in Guwahati wept silently on Monday as their mentor bade his final goodbye, putting an end to his three-decade-long affair with them. Even the soil and workers at the pitch will miss him.

A  glorious chapter in the field of sports in Assam came to an end on Sunday when one of the senior-most and renowned pitch curators of the country, Sunil Kumar Baruah, left for his heavenly abode at the age of 70.

Dr Sunil Kr Baruah with BCCI pitch committee chairman Daljit Singh and other workers. Pic: Dasarath Deka

Their relations had started three decades ago when Team India faced the mighty West Indies at Nehru Stadium on December 17, 1983.

“Sir was very close to us. Working with him was a nice experience. He never forgot to wish us on every occasion in our lives. We learnt a lot by working under him,” Bhabesh, a member of the ground staff at Nehru Stadium, remembered his superior on Monday after paying his tributes with tearful eyes.

“Last night, he suddenly had problems after having dinner, and he left us before we could do anything,” said a close aide of Baruah. He left behind his wife Dipali Baruah, a son and a couple of grandchildren.

From childhood he was attracted towards the game of cricket and used to follow it passionately till his last breath.

“The game taught me the lessons of life, and I will always be in debt to cricket for what I’m today. It taught me to be disciplined in life and to face the challenges with a cool mind,” Baruah had told this correspondent in a chat a few months back.

He used to cut the uneven fields to play cricket during his childhood days at Shillong, and those activities drew him towards the job.

During his college days, he went all the way to Kolkata, Kanpur and several other venues to watch test matches, and used to talk to the people involved with pitch and ground preparations.

Dr Baruah with BCCI pitch committee chairman Daljit Singh during the later's visit to Guwahati. Pic: Dasarath Deka 

“Once Krishti Bikash Sangha of Guwahati organised a friendly cricket match between film stars and cricketers featuring several big names, including Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, and I was involved in preparing the pitch of that match. That was the first cricket pitch I prepared in my career with the help of veteran Badal Thakur,” he had said.

Then he got the opportunity to prepare pitch for the India-West Indies match. After that no-looking back as he prepared the wicket for all the 16 matches played at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati. Besides, he also prepared the wicket for Ranji and Duleep Trophy matches. He was also invited for several national seminars at various places in the country.

Born in Shillong in 1942, Baruah was awarded with PhD by Gauhati University for his research on “Certain problems of Fertility among Khasi Women of Meghalaya”. Besides cricket, he also worked in several fields of academics and retired as assistant director, Directorate of Census. He also wrote several books on sports. He was also associated with Dibrugarh University, and was the academic director at the Assam Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research at Guwahati.

Meanwhile, cricketing fraternity of the state, both past and present, have expressed grief and shock at the demise of Baruah.

“It is a big loss for Assam cricket. We have lost one of the best curators of the country. It will be a tasking time for the state to fill the void as there is hardly anyone of his caliber. He was very dedicated and his passion for the game pegged him to carry on with his job till such an advanced age. Whenever we sought for a pitch to suit our game plan, I don’t remember him saying no at any stage. His experience in pitch curating will be always missed,” said former Ranji player Gautam Dutta. Senior curator Badal Thakur recalled his association with Baruah saying that his passion for the game drove him towards pitch curating.

“There was time when I used to prepare the wicket in the Nehru Stadium and that was when I took him along with me. He adapted very nicely to the new techniques of pitch preparation. I don’t think anyone in the state stands to his stature to prepare pitches for the international standard today. I don’t know to what extent he played as a cricketer but certainly his passion for the game could be seen in his work. He will be missed in a big way by Assam cricket,” recalled Thakur.

Another ex-ranji player Javed Zaman attributed the development of cricket to the highly-rated curator. “I was in a state of shock when I heard about it this morning. Just two days back I had a long conversation with him at the stadium regarding the wicket at the Barsapara stadium,” stated Zaman.

Ratul Das, present curator in the BCCI’s zonal curators’ panel lamented on the demise of his colleague. “We worked together for a long time and shared a very good relationship. He will be missed by the cricketing fraternity.” Das remarked.

“It is a great loss for Assam cricket and Sir was always there for us whenever we needed him any assistance from him regarding the pitch. His service for Assam cricket is unforgettable and whether he can ever be replaced,” said Gokul Sarma, an Assam Ranji player. The Assam Cricket Association (ACA), Ankurjyoti Club of which he was the former president, Assam Sports Journalists’ Welfare Association (ASJWA) have also condoled the demise of Sunil Kumar Baruah. (Seven Sisters Post)

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Adil picks up best actor award in US fest

Abdul Gani

Guwahati: This one couldn’t have come at a better time! Very much in news for his latest release English Vinglish, Adil Hussain has added one more international accolade to his trophy mantle — the best actor award in New Jersey Independent South Asian Cine Festival (NJISACF). Hussain picked the best actor award on Tuesday for his role as JA Krishnamurthy in Unni Vijayan’s Lessons in Forgetting.

“It means a lot to me… Because the film is based on a very serious social issue of female foeticide. It’s a great pleasure to play JAK’s role. It would have been a typical boring character, but was directed very well to make it interesting. I’m thankful that it is received well by the viewers. I feel the Indian viewers, too, should watch it,” Adil told Seven Sisters Post from New Jersey on phone.

In Lessons in Forgetting, Adil plays a single father, J A Krishnamurthy or JAK, as he is fondly called. The story revolves around JAK and his relentless trail to find out how his teenage daughter, Smriti, played by debutante Maya Tideman, ends up on a hospital bed, almost dead. Helping JAK in his chase is a single mother Meera, played by Roshni Achreja, who is unable to make sense of her husband’s callousness; he walks out of their marriage, out of the blue, leaving her alone to bring up their two growing children and take care of her aging mother and grandmother, all on her own.

“It is JAK’s desperate attempt to unveil a gruesome incident affecting his daughter and his need for redemption that takes both Meera and him through a rocky trail that turns his life upside down. In the event, it gives JAK a peek into his daughter’s world,” Adil said of his character.

The subplot, subtly touches the subject of female foeticide and how fiercely guarded the issue is. The film is based on a novel by Anita Nair with the same name. The script is also written by her. “It’s a great thing to happen to the film and the entire team. But it’s Adil who made the film come alive,” Nair told Seven Sisters Post.

After collecting rave reviews for his role in English Vinglish, Adil will be seen in a meaty role in Vikramaditya Motwane’s Lootera which also features Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha. Besides, he will be seen playing a more dramatic role of Mustafa Fazil in Meera Nair’s Reluctant Fundamentalist.

His another highprofile project Life of Pi, directed by Oscar winner and Hollywood director Ang Lee , is slated for November release. Dedicated to South Asian independent films, the NJISACF first started in 2007.

The annual festival is produced by the Asian American Film and Theatre Project, a US based non-profit organisation committed to promotion, production and exhibition of film and theatre works that reflect the diverse experiences of the South Asian Diaspora across the globe. (Seven Sisters Post)

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Film documents Mayong’s magical history

Abdul Gani

Guwahati: An average youngster in the capital city of Assam may have made his umpteenth trip to Pobitora, just about 50 km from Guwahati and famed for its thick one-horned rhino population, but ask him about Mayong – chances are that he may not have even heard of the small village with an alluring history of magic and sorcery, albeit the fact that he has to travel through the area to reach the wildlife sanctuary.

Or at least Utpal Borpujari, a national-award winning film critic, would have us believe when he carried out an informal survey among 200 youths in Guwahati in 2011. “On July 15 last year, the day Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, released in India, we carried out an informal survey among 200 youths in the city to know whether they heard of Mayong. We were shocked, most of them had not,” he said.

This prompted Borpujari and a host of youngsters to come out with a film on the small cluster of villages in Morigaon district of Assam and the age-old practices and legends associated with black magic in the area. The result was Mayong: Myth/Reality, a 53minute documentary, which traces the cultural and historical elements of the area widely neglected so far in spite of being so rich in folklore.

“It also highlights the ancient manuscripts, books and tantric images in a bid to evoke the mind of researchers or even common tourists to visit the place,” explained Borpujari. “We got involved in a mission to explore Mayong visually – to see whether all those myths about black magic were just those or otherwise, and why despite its legendary status in Assamese folklore, the place remains largely unknown, and what locals think about their magical heritage,” he added.

“The irony is that most people with whom we interacted have travelled to Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary more than once, without knowing that they have travelled through Mayong. So, it was very important to throw light on the region,” said Borpujari, who is a member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) and has served as a jury member in several leading international film festivals.

It is believed that the elements which have not been touched so far will be helpful for the research scholars. The documentary has tried to depict all these, said Borpujari. The documentary is being produced by Jayanta Goswami under the banner of Darpan Cine Production.

While the cinematographer is Biswajeet Changmai, the film has been edited by Parveen Sharma. The music has been composed by Anuraag Saikia and the narration has been done by Robin Kalita. Now the director is hoping to screen the film in film festivals in India and abroad before releasing it on DVD. (Seven Sisters Post)

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Ekhon Nedekha Nodir Xipare: An honest attempt to tell the truth

Abdul Gani

Finally there is an honest attempt to deal with a subject which not many people here in Assam wish to talk about. Through the film ‘Ekhon Nedekha Nodir Xipare’, which released last week, debutant director Bidyut Kotoky has taken viewers to Majuli, the troubled island in the river Brahmaputra.

Over a course of 90 minutes, the director has convincingly portrayed the trauma of the people of Majuli, which once enjoyed the status of being the world’s largest river island. From flood erosion to insurgency, the inhabitants of Majuli have suffered a lot. Inspired by the ‘unfortunate’ incident of kidnap and murder of social activist Sanjay Ghose in 1997, a brave step has been taken to raise the issue once again by Kotoky.

It was a difficult task to make a host of Bollywood actors deliver dialogues in Assamese, but Kotoky managed to do it in a commendable manner. Sanjay Suri depicted the character of Abhijit, a journalist who comes from Mumbai in search of Sridhar Ranjan who has been missing in the island. Despite Suri being in the lead role, it’s Raj Zutshi who stole the limelight with his brilliant work. Zutshi played the role of Jayanta Doley, a surrendered militant turned peace activist.

Veteran actor Victor Banerjee as a strife-ridden grandfather was better than average. However, Abhijit’s guide Sudakshina, played by young Bidita Bag, needed a bit more effort to smoothen her Assamese accent. 

Otherwise, she looked natural as a village girl. Her brother Jyotiraj who is a part of the insurgent group, played by Nakul Vaid, and Naved Aslam, who played the character of Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sameer Agarwal, were able to do justice to the characters.

Another big name associated with the film is four-time National Award-winning cinematographer Madhu Ambat, while sound recording was taken care of by Nakul Kamte, who has two National Awards under his belt. Rajesh Parmar, winner of two National Awards, was in charge of editing.

Music was given by Zubeen Garg. If you believe that cinema is more than a mere source of entertainment, ‘Ekhon Nedekha Nodir Xipare’ is a must-watch for you. (Seven Sisters Post)

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