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Durga Puja Pandal and idol of Salt Lake, BE (East). This pandal had the China Town as their theme. Look at the mesmerising set-up that gives the real China Town a competition good enough!

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Puja Pandal of Salt Lake AE Part1 block committee. You can also see the close-up view of the idol of this pandal.

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My free limit on Flikr is exhausted. So, I am now uploading images here. Hope my blog readers won't mind. :)

This image is of the pandal at Salt Lake AD Block.

Durga Puja - photographs

Keeping the tradition of my pandal hopping intact , I have already covered quite a bit of the city, the images of which you can see at my flickr account.

So, I invite you all to pay a visit and leave your feedback there.

Happy Durga Puja to you all.

Ghajini bhoot on Radio Mirchi

This is a curious case. As I am an ardent Radio Mirchi fan and keep tuning into this Radio FM channel, as and when I get time, I noticed this case about a month ago (haven't kept the exact count of time though).

It goes like this - without any notice, the song that's on air suddenly stops and the Ghajini song-"kaise mujhe tum mil gayee" starts playing. As far as I remember - it first happened with Rupsha's show Coffee House Classics, and then has affected almost every RJ's show on Radio Mirchi - be it Deep's Kolkata Express, Neel's Harano Sur, Sree's Nobboi Not Out - et all!

The most embarrassing part is when this modern song pops up for shows meant exclusively for old classics like Neel's Harano Sur or Rupsha's Coffee House Classics. Wonder why this bug is yet to be fixed!!!

Image courtesy: mumbaiotf.blogspot.com/

Ajnatobaas - Nandikar's play

Name of the play: Ajnatobaas

Theater Group: Nandikar

Story: Sukanta Gangopadhyay

Direction: Sumanta Gangopadhyay

Directorial Adviser: Rudraprasad Sengupta

Nandikar - the name itself symbolises and stands for unmatched quality in the Bengali theater arena. Being witness to their play for the first time, I am enthralled and wish to return as and when their plays come the next time round near my home's theater.

Ajnatobaas adresses the plight of the elderly of these days who are often turned out of their own homes by their kin and have to fend for themselves, at an old age, despite spending the best part of their lives to raise their children who become so selfish when they need their help the most - in their old age. The dilemma faced by the old people is played beautifully by the veteran actress - Swatilekha Sengupta, but the viewers don't realise what's going on in her life till the very last scene that has a surprise stored for the viewers.

The story is simple and then not simple enough if you delve deeper into the message that it desires to convey. Homemaker Payel (Sohini Sengupta) is alone in home one afternoon, when an elderly lady (Swatilekha Sengupta) turns up at her doorsteps. Offering the lady a glass of water, the lonely Payel brings her inside into the verandah, and starts chatting, albeit with suspicion. However, she lets her guard down soon and starts enjoying the company of the lady. She comes to know that the lady remembers nothing of her past, and yet feels a bond with her that forces her to allow the lady to stay in till her husband Soumik returns.

What happens next is a twist-and-turn of events, that finally culminate into a message on life, and how the elderly and even the younger generation need to traverse the road of life. Yes, the story is contemporary - giving the apathy that our society doles out to the elderly people. The play touches the heart for sure. Hats off Nandikar, for giving me the chance of enjoying a wonderful evening watching this magnificent play of your production house. Hope you keep the flag flying high for years to come.

BEST OF LUCK!!!

Aapad by Nandipat-a review

Name of the play: Aapad

Theater Group: Nandipat

Source: Bimal Kar

Play: Rajat Ghosh

Direction: Bimal Chakraborty

I have heard praises of Nandipat's theater for long but this was the first time that I had the chance to catch up on one of their plays. I had great expectations and needless to say that the 2 hour play (with a 10 minutes interval thrown in between) was rivetting enough to keep me guessing what's going to happen next.

To tell the story in brief - it's about a rags to riches account of poor grocer Raghunath of Nishipur village. How a chance encounter with a stranger changes his life and why he has to wait for an entire year, suffering the conscience-pinch to finally understand what the event of that stormy night really meant, makes for an interesting watch.

Cast wise, Bimal Chakraborty as Raghunath is simply superb. He brings the character to life and helps turn a somewhat mundane story into an interesting watch with layers of emotions depicted in the right dosage. Biplab Naha Biswas as Satyadas, plays another major role, and enthralls with his short presence on the stage.

I also liked the way this play used the stage space, creating a 3-in-one arena: one where Raghunath's shop is situated, the front space with some benches for villagers to sit and gossip, and Raghunath's home at a little distance away from the shop.

In brief, YES, I liked Aapad very much but won't spill the beans who or what this aapad (problem) is in the play. You have to see it for yourself and believe me - you won't be disappointed for sure!!!