Children celebrate Sukumar Roy’s birth anniversary at Nehru Children’s Museum on Friday. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray

Does Sukumar Roy need garnishing? Does Abol Tabol really need a musical dip? The modest turnout at the poet’s 101st birth anniversary celebrations, at Nehru Children’s Museum on October 30, seemed to imply that perhaps Roy’s nonsense rhymes, too, need that extra something.

Of the nine or 10 children present, seven were students of Srutiangan (a Behala-based recitation school), who had come with their teacher Alok Mukhopadhyay to recite two of Roy’s poems.

Singer Shiuli Roy, who performed on the occasion, said that she deliberately set to music some of the Abol Tabol rhymes to help children discover the wonder of Roy’s writings. She presented Bhalo re Bhalo and Phoske Gyalo.

The event organisers, Mahul, had also been propelled by a similar desire. A group of young singers and musicians, Mahul has in the past five years made quite an impression with its recitation band. Recitation punched with original instrumental music makes poetry more accessible to the general audience, feel Shanoli and Palash. They have, thus, rendered poems by Rabindranath Tagore, Shakti Chattopadhyay, Satyendranath Datta and others.

“But Sukumar Roy has always been a favourite. We have included two poems in our first album — Dakche Mahul. It has done so well that we were given the Promising Recitation Band Award for 2008,” said Shanoli.

Mahul has also launched, with technical assistance from Animatezione, the animated versions of Huko Muko Hengla and Daare Daare Drum, which are being aired on television. “We are planning more such animations to preserve our literary past. We want Pagla Dashu to find a place beside Harry Potter,” said Palash.

But Sukumar Roy enthusiasts were not entirely missing. Monginis, for instance, had responded by gifting a king-size birthday cake with a Hukomuko Hengla decoration on the icing, much to the delight of Sukumar Roy addicts Surjo (10) and Rochishnu Pramanik (5). The cake was ceremonially cut and distributed while Mahul presented their amazing rendition of Chor dhora to the traditional Torja gaan style. The presentations of Abol Tabol, Shabdakalpadrum and Ramgarurer Chhana were also interesting. “We draw from all kinds of music — classical, folk, rock and Tagore. We manage to switch smoothly from singing to reciting. Only we stick to the same scale,” explained Palash. Accompanying them were musicians Satya, Babu and Choton.

Elocutionist Jagannath Basu showed the theatrical possibilities of Roy’s writings by reading out excerpts from Hajabarala. Writer Shankarlal Bhattacharya’s treatise, though beyond the understanding of most youngsters at the gathering, highlighted the linguistic control and richness, the intellectual brilliance and the underlying philosophy of Roy's work. Referring to Chalachittachanchari, Lokkhoner Shaktishel, Bhabuk Somaj and Shabdakalpadrum, Bhattacharya maintained that Roy was far ahead of his times and it is only now that we can begin to appreciate what his poems mean.

Sebanti Sarkar

Sport, cash & war of words

A student makes his point at the Eastern Zonal Inter-DPS English Debate Competition.Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray

It was a war of words as 16 DPS branches held forth on the commercialisation of sports at the Eastern Zonal Inter-DPS English Debate Competition on October 24. The event was held at Delhi Public School, Ruby Park.

Open to students from classes VIII to X, the contest had two speakers per team. Each was allotted three minutes.

The DPS Dhanbad team bagged the first prize. Speaking against the motion, Uma Pal from the school said: “Sport has become a commodity today. IPL was more of a money-making affair than a cricket tournament.”

Stutee Bordoloi of DPS Duliajal — speaking for the motion — shot back with: “Money is a necessity. Sport is a profession like any other and players need to support their families too.”

Abishek Ghosh from DPS Megacity claimed: “Commercialisation is bound to lead to the compromise of ethics. It begins with the trade in players and gives way to matches being thrown away for money.”

Navneet Lal of DPS Ranchi summarised: “Commercialisation is inevitable in high-stake sports like cricket and football. It is upon the players to use or abuse it.”

A special prize was reserved for interjectors, who crossed the speakers.

So, Shalini Basu of DPS Guwahati asked if the sums paid to cricketers was not too extravagant, while DPS Kalinga student Nawnika Upadhyay asked how commercialisation could be justified, when at an event like the Olympics, commerce has supplanted the original purpose — to unite people.

Snigdha Mishra, from DPS Dhanbad, was selected best interjector. Uma’s team will go to Delhi for the finals.

Chandreyee Bhaumik