The Legacy of Tagore #KLF2015

Photograph – Anirban Saha | www.anirbansaha.com

Rabindranath Tagore’s name is synonymous with Bengali culture. His contribution to literature, especially to Bengali literature is unquestionably towering. However, the worth of Rabindranath Tagore cannot just be measured in the songs, novels, poems, stories, plays and essays he has composed. The legacy of Tagore lingers on even today, more than seven decades after his earthly demise. His influence is still evident in modern works of literature.

As a Bengali kid growing up in a culturally inclined household, Tagore was always a part of every little aspect of my childhood. I knew that he was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature before I even knew what the Nobel Prize was all about. I grew up listening to his songs, listening to his poems, appreciating his art, and watching his plays. The fact that I grew up in a culture so entangled with the works of Rabindranath Tagore allows me to see exactly how vivid, how obvious his influence is among modern writers and poets.

Tagore reshaped Bengali literature with the introduction of revolutionary themes in simple languages. He was a writer than the common people could relate to, breaking the shackles of elitist language that was prevalent among authors before him. His fluency of thought, combined with his presentation, made him a crowd favourite. Some of the themes he introduced still resonate very strongly with modern writers – the most obvious examples being the doctrine of women empowerment, the tenderness of love and the intricacies of human ties, and worship through good deed. These basic aspects continue to find their importance in modern writings. The influence of Tagore is unmistakable in this regard.

Rabindranath Tagore is credited with putting Bengali Literature on the international radar. The Nobel laureate paved the way for generations to come, generations of Bengali authors who would find a global audience for their works. Their works reverberate their take on the themes that were highlighted by none other than Gurudev himself. Because of his unthinkable variety in composition, there always seems to be a Tagore work to fit any mood, any emotion, any season, any time. He has firmly established himself as the backbone of modern Bengali literature, and as such, his influence in modern works is all-enveloping.

Tagore was more than a writer. Tagore was a visionary. He looked forward to a world way ahead of his time, a world that we are only beginning to comprehend today. Such was the genius of the man that he foresaw the social, economic and political scenarios that are proving true almost a century after his compositions. In his writings, Tagore spoke of a world that the modern writer has grown up in. If we are to accept that a writer is undeniably influence by his times, we directly understand the quintessential influence of Tagore on the thought processes and sensitivities of the 21^stcentury author. Rabindranath Tagore, by sheer genius, is both a reference point and a benchmark for the modern writer. He is the beginning and the end of thematic brilliance.

There is no escaping the fact that Rabindranath Tagore is the greatest influence for a modern writer, even more so for a Bengali writer. His simplistic approach and his graceful tones can never be overlooked. The new millennium welcomes his words with open arms and a glad heart. 

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This is an entry to the Marathon Blogging Contest organised by Kolkata Literature Festival (www.facebook.com/kollitfest) and Kolkata Bloggers (www.facebook.com/KolkataBloggers)

Let’s Football

The Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata lights up during the Opening Ceremony of the inaugural Hero Indian Super League. Photograph – DNAIndia

The Indian Super League is here, and off to a flying start. The much-awaited football tournament, consisting of eight newly-formed teams, is set to become a part of the sport’s annual calendar with its two-month-long inaugural season garnering more popularity than ever anticipated. With bollywood personalities owning various teams, and cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly doing their bit to promote the game, the glamour behind the tournament was never in doubt. The stupendous amount of revenue invested in every team too is an indicator of the sort of popularity this League was earmarked to achieve. With an average 15 crore rupees being the annual franchise cost, this league has got the economic backing that so many other Indian leagues in other sports did not.

Football has always been a point of passion for the Indian youth. Photograph – Aishwarya Das

The razzmatazz associated with the Indian Super League has further been accentuated by the influx of marquee players – players who have featured in prominent games for club and country, and have won the highest of honours in the game. Even a couple of years ago, the prospect of watching the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, Robert Pires, Juan Capdevilla, Luis Garcia, David James or Nicolas Anelka playing on Indian soil would have been unthinkable. These players, though well past their prime, undoubtedly still retain enough of a reputation to fill a stadium simply on their own accord.

The owners of the Kolkata franchise pose with Atletico de Kolkata shirts. Photograph – ExPin

The League was created, as the organisers have repeatedly mentioned, with the purpose of a “new dawn in Indian football.” Its objective is to raise the bar and improve footballing levels amongst the emerging Indian players, and to give them the exposure needed for their development. Many have raised questions about why this monetary backing was not provided to the existing Indian football clubs competing in the I-League. What happens now to these comparatively cash-stripped clubs of the Indian first division? Are we going to allow these clubs steeped in history to die a slow death, because our new clubs are flashier? Was there really any basis for creating a new league in the first place?

Like it or not, the ISL is here to stay. This is the face of modern football – consisting of marketability, economic viability, star attractions, and above all a higher standard of the game. While the requirement of the league may be debated upon, there is no denying that spending time with a Del Piero or a Luis Garcia can only be helpful for a young Indian footballer. Let’s hope the ISL brings about a marked improvement in the standard of football that Indian audiences are used to expecting. Most importantly, let’s hope India becomes a force to reckon with as far as the beautiful game is concerned, in the days to come.

C’mon India. Let’s Football.

A promotional banner for the Hero Indian Super League

The Freshers’ Tale

CSE during their Ten Minutes to Fame. What you cannot see in the picture is how loudly the crowd cheered for Suchismita. Photograph – Ankit Mukhopadhyay.

Eagerly anticipated, strewn with controversy, yet enthusiastically executed – Freshers’ 2014 has now come and gone. The single greatest night for a college student in freshman year is inevitably looked forward to with unmatched anxiousness. With pieces falling apart from the puzzle that held the picture together, the fire ignited in hearts and minds culminated in a blast on stage that saw each department fighting it out against the other in a quest for supremacy. 

Huddling around my mates, cheering for CSE, dancing my heart (and legs) out, shouting till my throat got sore, it was a pretty eventful day. Freshers’ is the day to celebrate being a first year student in the college. Disregarding all the culture, or the lack thereof, on display, it was always going to be an event to remember for freshmen like myself.

Meet the team that took the stage by storm, well after the designated ten minutes were done.

It was, however, disappointing to note that some of the most talented seniors I have come to know here at Heritage were left with no choice but to boycott the event altogether, owing to a complete antonym of pleasantries from the existing Council. As a result, we the freshers were denied what I am sure would have been some electrifying performances. That bit apart, the respective participants from every department, as well as the seniors who stole the spotlight, truly did justice to the stage and to their art. Add to that the razzmatazz of crowning Mister and Miss Freshers’, and the flair of loosening up everybody present on the dance floor, at the DJ Night, and you get a concoction of happiness that is bound to stay for quite some time.

Harshita strikes a pose. DJ Night, Freshers’ 2014.

The lights have now dimmed. The crowd has now moved away. The music no longer plays on. But the friendships still remain. The relationships still strengthen. The love still flourishes. This is me, letting every one of my batchmates know how much I love you. We are in this journey together, and I could not have asked for better companions. This is one of many such nights to come – occasions when we leave our differences behind and celebrate in unity. 

Here’s to us.

Men in Black. Siddharth Bose owns the stage for CSE. Freshers’ 2014.

Let the Festivities Begin! #DurgaPuja2014

Photograph: Saimantick Bhadra | www.saimantick.com

“Maa ashchhe!”

If you’re a Bengali, or you’ve lived in Bengal at some point in your life, or been here in the city at least once during the festive season, you know exactly how much passion and excitement those words carry.

The most anticipated days of the year are finally here. After the long and anxious year of awaiting, Maa Durga is amidst us again, taking the usual five-day detour on her heavenly destination. But Durga Puja, to us, is so much more than five days of paying homage to the goddess. It has evolved from being a religious occasion to a cultural celebration. Puja is a span of five days when everybody, irrespective of their social coverings, come together in one gala frenzy of joy and celebration. It is a week of delving into happiness, forgetting sorrows, keeping aside all petty worries, all trials and tribunals.

This is the week when the city of Kolkata comes to life like no other. The clock never stops, and you can see people pouring out by the millions onto the streets every single minute of every day – be it in the heat of the afternoon, or the wee hours of night. Durga Puja brings with it sights, sounds and smells that you would not find anywhere in the remaining 360 days of the year.

Photograph: Saimantick Bhadra | www.saimantick.com

A look around the various “Pandals” (temporary structures that house the clay idol of the deity) fills you with wonder. The amount of planning, precision and effort that goes into making a structure that will be taken down after just five days is astonishing, almost unbelievable. And this keeps going on, year after year, the pandals getting better, more decorated, more innovative every year.

Words fail to describe the atmosphere that prevails in every nook and corner of the great city during the Pujas. If you haven’t experienced it, you will never understand. These are moments that last a lifetime.

The situation in my birthplace, Kolkata, during the great festival of Durga Puja can better be imagined than described. I would like to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very happy and enjoyable Durga Puja. Have a great time, and make memories that keep you smiling all your life. Bring out the new clothes, show off those new shoes. These are the days when the whole city decorates itself to perfection. Live the annual spectacle, soak in the grandeur.

Sharodiya Shubhechha. 

Photographs: Saimantick Bhadra | www.saimantick.com

Decoding the Collegiate Jungle

“Remember the words Arjyak, these will always be the best days of your life. These will be your best classmates. You look around now and you can see men with ambitions of becoming sportspersons, musicians, scholars, you name it. In six months you’ll be in college, and all you’ll see around you will be careeristic engineers. Enjoy your days.”

Heritage Institute of Technology. The Central Block.

When I first walked into Heritage Institute of Technology, I had a fair idea of what the wanted my college life to be. I also had another idea of how I would have to juxtapose that with what it would realistically turn out to be.

Life, so far, has been good. The transition from a school-kid to a college-student has been seamless for the most part. The transition from being the seniormost at school to the juniormost in college is a tougher task. The toughest of them all is the transition from knowing everybody in your batch, to having to introduce yourself to everybody you meet. Although one does get used to it eventually.

I’ll always be a Bosconian at heart. Which is why it hurt so much when I heard the news of Mrs. Sikha Roy’s accident. Ma’am, wherever you are right now, I know you are watching over all of us. You will always be in our hearts and minds. The tragic news of her passing away was the pull that jolted me back to Bosconian senses, just as I had started saying “I’m from Heritage” instead of the oh-so-familiar “I’m from Bosco”.

Mrs. Sikha Roy. Forever in our hearts.

That said, college life is a lot different. It is that bridge between spoon-fed academics and reality. It is a portal of responsibility and freedom – not necessarily in that order. It is about prioritizing education over knowledge, about managing more than just books and slides. Not to be left out, it is about discovering talents, forming friendships, keeping associations, and remaining true to yourself. College makes you realise your true potential in so many spheres.

I’ve had a wonderful time on and off campus, for the past month or so. Moving away from the familiar faces clad in white and grey, and knowing new people – sharing a classroom, a playing field, a canteen and a stage with people of diverse origins, cultures and tastes has been an experience indeed. So here’s hoping the journey gets better with every passing day.

Bring it on.

Nineteen to the Dozen

Nothing is as self-reflective as a selfie. 🙂

When the clock strikes twelve, I will officially be nineteen years old.  Even though that is a far cry from my hair going grey, I feel like I have learnt quite a lot of stuff. And, like every old person, I feel the need to share my wisdom. So here are five things I would like to pen down about the year gone by. (Because I could not think of a sixth point.)  Some of this may be clichéd, some of it might still be in the unfinished stage (because I need something to talk about next year too, right?) and all of it will be pertaining too personally to me. But here goes.

1.  This was by far the most eventful year of my existence.  (I know, I say that every year. That’s supposed to be a good thing. It means my life keeps getting exciting.) It was the year of transition from school to college – a huge step in itself. It was about leaving the institution I’d called my second home for fourteen extremely short years, and moving on to new challenges ahead.
2. Its amazing, and frankly bewildering, to note that I’ve survived a year of adulthood. Other than sneering at minors and walking extra confidently into movie halls, I haven’t done much different. I guess the time to realize the change is now, with a new life ahead to look forward to.
3.  I voted for the first time in elections within this year. Voting inevitably gives you a different feel. Its like you are finally deemed worthy of contributing to the country’s decision-making. (I have my issues with the process, but this isn’t the time or place to discuss that.)
4. This was the year of the board exams and the competitive exams. While my performances weren’t exactly award-winning, they were satisfactory, and just a few hours ago, I did get into college. The days of floating between school and college, not belonging to either, are over.
5. On a personal note, this year did gift me great relationships, especially one which I hope to carry forward to the next. As always, bonding emotionally is tough for me, so I have to carry on and try to do the best I can to play my part better than I have done previously. (That force you just felt was all the “previously”s giving me the middle finger in unison.)

I was going through a note I had written about a year ago, about my thoughts on just becoming an adult. The last line there caught my eye. It went thus. “The good thing about turning 18 is that you are an adult and you GET to make your own decisions. The bad thing about turning 18 is that you are an adult and you HAVE to make your own decisions.”

When the clock strikes a dozen tonight, I will be nineteen. I still have so much to learn.

All The World’s a Cup

It’s here, it’s here! Speeding towards our collective brains like The Flash on steroids, the FIFA World Cup is here to unleash some glorious fanaticism, thus making it okay for a straight man to say stuff like “Cristiano’s ball-control is sexy.”

This is also the time you get to see the true colours of India – i.e. whether you unfurl the flag of Spain or Germany or Brazil or some other country whose only memory of India is a study in mismanagement. But enough about the Parliament.

This is a tournament I intend to follow day in and day out with all the dedication of a Facebook stalker, allocating vital portions of my brain to trivia, such as the number of assists provided by one Xherdan Shaqiri, who is either a Swiss midfielder or an imaginary childhood friend that I made up because I know nobody whose name starts with X and who is not Chinese.

After having survived the eargasm and consequent aural rape of vuvuzelas in the previous edition of the FIFA World Cup, its time for some Samba. Expect colour, expect loudness, and maybe expect Shah Rukh Khan expressing his desire to buy a country’s football team or so. But above all, expect yourself Tom Cruise-ing your sofa while watching 22 sweaty mean run after one ball.

The FIFA World Cup is here. The greatest show on the planet. Also the most watched event by Indians, if you ignore the Cricket World Cup, the Cricket World T20, the Indian Premier League, the Ranji Trophy, the Bangladesh Premier League, the College T20 Cup, the Inter School T20 Cup, the T20 Cup for the homeless, and search results for “Virat Kohli hot pixxx”.

I kid you, of course. There’s also the Sri Lanka Premier League.

That’s enough  with the jokes. Time to go kick some balls. Or watch the same on TV. Here’s wishing whatever foreign nationality you root for emerges victorious, thus giving you a sense of fulfillment that India never could.