Biswa--Shilpi displays laudable valour in adhering to its manifesto of social activism by exposing a local politician who tried to cover up the teasing of women by his cronies. When Sananda printed Siddhartha Singha’s thinly-veiled story in 1993, the culprit harassed the author and sued the publisher for Rs 5 crore. Satyajit Kotal dramatises Singha’s tale as Ban Hat-er Buro Angul. His direction and the cast’s acting are relatively amateurish, but the aim is commendable. The victim’s husba-nd marshals his friends into a neighbourhood watch, takes his complaint to the local councillor, thana and Lalbazar, all in vain, painting a recognisable picture of the law-abiding Calcuttan’s helplessness against the nexus of crime and politics.
Ananda Lal
Given her current form you can trust Pramita Mallik blindfold for a masterly interpretation of Tagore melodies. And those unheard are always sweeter. At a Suchitra Mitra felicitation programme organised by Tagore Research Institute on January 17 (Sisir Mancha), Mallik reiterated her tryst with lesser known Tagore gems. It was in this time of the year that Tagore rendered the Khamaj-based Hate laye deep aganan at the Adi Bramho Samaj congregation. Full credit to Mallik for her regal handling of this jhamptal composition, giving due to the song’s spiritual aura. However, the same aura was bruised by the tabla player’s loud fireworks during Kabe ami bahir halem. Earlier, Sugata Sen and Rama Basu came up with a polished performance. Alumni of Jadavpur University dealt with the cosmic abstraction in Tagore music with competent ease.
Anshuman Bhowmick
The 35-minute delay of Arohan foundation’s classical session at Jnan Manch on January 23 was compensated by Raka Mukherjee’s tuneful recital of Alahiya-Bilabal. Even with her repetitive vilambit bistar and tans, she presented this occasionally heard raga well. She was more comfortable in trital, along with some intricate tans. Next was a bhajan (Bramhanand) based on Bhairabi. Her accompanists were Sujit Saha (tabla) and Ranjan Mukherjee (harmonium). The second half had the jugalbandi of Barun Pal and Steve Gorn in hansa-veena and flute repectively. They played Nat-Bhairav—alap, and gats set to rupak and trital. Senior artiste Pal overshadowed his counterpart. Steve has possibility of a bright future through proper training. Samir Chatterjee’s tabla daserves mention.
Anuradha Sanyal
