Ben Zephaniah at a performanceTushar Gandhi at the launch. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

The British Council has managed to lure performance poet and rap artiste Ben Zephaniah to Calcutta, again, with the Birmingham born Rastafarian holding two performances on Monday. The first will be at Jadavpur University at 3 pm, while the second will be at JD Birla Sabhagar at 6.30 pm. Zephaniah is no stranger to Calcutta. He received a standing ovation at the 1999 Calcutta Book Fair.

Zephaniah writes on a wide range of subjects, from veganism to racism. The 49-year-old dismisses being “the black voice of Britain”, but there is little doubt that he has been one of the defining voices of his generation. He was responsible for some of the first music that The Wailers produced after the death of Bob Marley.

Zephaniah is also famous for turning down British civilian award, the Officer of the British Empire (OBE), saying that the title reminded him of “how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised”. Don’t miss the next instalment from this outspoken man.

Killing Gandhi again

Tushar Gandhi at the launch. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

As Nandigram burns, perhaps we need the Mahatma salve more than ever. Two books on Gandhi have been recently launched, one that dwells on his final years, and another, a biography of his first son Harilal that throws light on the father-son relationship.

Let’s Kill Gandhi, written by Mahatma’s great-grandson Tushar, focuses on the conspiracies, the murder trials, the inquiry commissions, archival material, records and books written by lawyers and judges, apart from the family stories that he inherited. “The title is naughty and emphasises the elaborate planning that went on to kill Gandhi and the complete official apathy to protecting Gandhi even after several attempts on his life,” said the great grandson.

The second book, Harilal Gandhi: A Life, a translation by Tridip Suhrud of a Gujarati biography by Chandulal Bhagubhai Dalal provides glimpses into the turbulent relationship between the Mahatma and his elder son.

Place has a role

Ramanjit Kaur (in picture) is the founder of The Creative Arts, a group that is dedicated to promoting theatre in the city. Kaur’s most interesting works are site-specific theatre productions, such as Is Job Charnock Coming to Dinner and The Merrygoround.

“In these productions, the site is woven into the play, so that it becomes a character. In Is Job Charnock Coming To Theatre, Swabhumi became the Mukhopadhyay house, and the audience was led from one part of the park to another, almost as if to see life unfold in different rooms of the house,” she says.

Kaur’s contribution to theatre has won her the Sangeet Natak Akademi Yuva Award 2006, introduced for young talents. She will be felicitated in New Delhi on March 23 by the President.