A golf protégé, a budding filmmaker, an artist and an actress. Four stars are rapidly rising in Calcutta and beyond. Young Metro takes a look at these young achievers who are worth keeping an eye out for in the coming year:

DIVYANSHU BAJAJ

His amazingly consistent short game had surprised one and all when he teed off his career three years ago. Now this 14-year-old, who came first in east India at RCGC in 2003, has his sights fixed on the top slot of the national junior merit list this year. Currently training under Indrajit Bhalotia, Divyanshu plans to play at least seven of the 10 tourneys on the national junior circuit in 2004, which would provide him a launching pad to drive into the Asia Pacific Juniors and the World Junior Championships the following year, he feels.

SUMITRO BASAK

He is the recipient of the fourth Biennial Bose Pacia prize — from the New York-based art gallery — for contemporary art in 2003. This 29-year-old master of fine art from Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, has participated in three exhibitions at CIMA Gallery and recent shows at the Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendra and the Birla Academy of Art and Culture. Basak’s art has a very rare quality – humour. He borrows images and ideas freely from popular and folk culture but ends up cocking a snook at it. His medium is paper and watercolour. He creates a 3D effect with paints, or anything that resembles whatever he wants to create. Some of his distorted images are almost cartoonish. For inspiration, he looks no further than his neighbourhood in east Calcutta or his East Bengal background.

RIMLI SANYAL

She’s only 11 years old, but quite an accomplished young lady. The girl from Howrah is already adept at being in the spotlight — or on centrestage — on the small and big screen. Acting with the likes of Debashree Roy, Rituparna Sengupta and Firdaus doesn’t faze her, nor does being directed by Rupa Ganguly. Winning elocution competitions from the age of about four has made her comfortable with her rising stardom. Although acting is her forte and her passion, Rimli likes to diversify her interests — she has been training in Nazrulgeeti and Rabindrasangeet, learning drawing, taking part in dance contests, writing poetry and short stories and is a teachers’ pet to boot, especially in science and history. And two bagfuls of laurels and certificates are testaments to her multiple talents.

ANANDI GHOSE

She had her hands full as assistant director of Abar Aranye, apart from running the odd errand for her filmmaker father during the shoot, like script-reading to the actors, keeping an eye on continuity and checking out the costumes. The 22-year-old English (hons) graduate from Jadavpur University will assist Goutam Ghose in his forthcoming films this year, too. “I am also working on a script and hope to make my own film in 2005,” says the die-hard fan of Krzysztof Kieslowsky and Ram Gopal Varma.

 

The victorious team with school officials. Soumya Banerjee is on the extreme left

Courting victory

Come March 27, students from 80 countries will argue it out at Wyndham Hotel in Washington D.C, the stage for the finals of Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the world’s premier law advocacy contest. One of those representing the legal acumen of young India will be city boy Soumya Banerjee.

The theme for 2004 is the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. “This is a grey area of international law,” says the fourth year student of Indian Law Society Law College, over phone from Pune. “The case we were given had to decide whether a genocide trial falls within national jurisdiction or is under the ambit of the International Criminal Court.”

The arguments built up on the road to the finals. The five members (others being Amit Shetye, Vera Ghadiali, Suchindran D.N. and Anirudh Rajput) were chosen on the basis of round-the-year performances. Once the team was in place, the groundwork started. “We dug into the college library, scanned the Net and talked to legal experts for four-and-a-half months.” The solid research reaped dividends from the beginning. “The memorial (a summary of the pleadings) that has to be submitted at the beginning fetched us a record 96 per cent.” So it was a confident five that took the court room at the Army Institute of Law in Mohali for the final round.

In the prelims pool of 16, the participants had to argue for both sides. After making it to the semis cut of four, they drew lots that decided which side they would argue for. “In the semis, we were the applicants, fighting the National Law School of Jodhpur. In the finals, we had to switch sides, defending against the team from Amity Law School.”

Sweeping the north India finals was a special honour for two reasons. “It gave us the passport to represent our country. Second, our feat was achieved under the eyes of legal luminaries like former Supreme Court judge Kuldip Singh and former Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court S.S. Sodhi,” stated the boy who stepped into his 24th year on Monday.

Now, of course, it is back to the research room with a bigger challenge ahead. “We plan to go to Delhi to consult international criminal law experts.” The defender in the law school’s football team does not want to leave loopholes in his team’s defence.

 

Field day

The Heritage School celebrated its third annual sports day recently, with Olympian hockey player Gurbux Singh as guest of honour. The march past was followed by the hoisting of the school flag and the release of white pigeons.

The various items included drill display, martial arts and track and field events, long jump and shot put. The taekwondo performance — under the training of teacher Mrityunjoy Roy, a Limca Book of Records holder — with its high, fast and spinning footwork, stole the show. The arts of Chonji, Dangun-tal and tactics of self-defence against a knife attack, were on display.

Thirteen-year-olds Sourav Biswas and Akshat Bothra broke solid marble slabs, winning gasps from the audience.

 

Sporting moves

Students of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy also celebrated their annual sports day on February 1, at the Eastern Command sports stadium. Former footballer P.K. Banerjee was the chief guest. The houses — Vayu, Agni and Jal — swung into action for the marchpast. The pre-school students took part in fun races. The students of Classes II through VII put up a drill synchronised to a Las Ketchup song. The seniors started off with a 100m dash. This was followed by a host of races like the 400m and 200m, hurdles, slow cycling, a sack race and the relays. The 113 Infantry Rajput band performed the grand finale. While Agni house bagged the athletics cup and won the marchpast, Vayu was adjudged cheering champ and Jal aced the decorations. Pratik Atlani and Akhilesh Bhagat were named best sportsmen of the year, and will be sports captain and vice-captain respectively for the next academic year.

— Nihar Jain,
Class IX, Lakshmipat Singhania Academy

 

Fest fun

Little Harts was the first Hartley’s Private School fest. Eight city institutions contested in categories like eastern songs and fancy dress, short plays, eastern and western dances and a quiz. The contemporary mingled with the traditional in the dances and formed a fitting finale. Parambrata Chatterjee (Topse of Bombaiyer Bombete) made a brief appearance at the show. Hartley’s was the champion. The function at Uttam Manch ended with the promise of it becoming an annual event.

 

Romantic queries

It is time for the most popular literature quiz on the circuit. The CSRL Know Your Romantics Quiz, which deals with the age of Wordsworth, Keats and company, takes place on February 10 at the HL Roy Memorial auditorium of Jadavpur University. Two-member undergraduate teams are invited to register with the Centre for Studies in Romantic Literature at 2247-6324 by Sunday.