|THE PHENOMENAL WOMEN| 5 women who have worked relentlessly for women’s empowerment.

The Phenomenal Women.

All around the globe, there is this wave of feminism going around, women standing up for they believe and what the deserve- equal pay, equal rights, equal consideration and equal status. All stereotypes are being broken, women in burkha coming forward upholding the torch of progress, while staying true to their values. Such a brave daughter is Malala Yousafzai.

Source: http://www.biography.com

 

Fought against the Talibans, guarded her Pashto values and yet stood stubborn in the face of death. She was not afraid to te the world her story and even a bullet through her couldn’t take her essence away. Malala right now is fighting for women’s educational rights all over the globe and will continue to do so and aspire to become like her predecessor, the first female prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto. If a girl can hold so much power so as to believe that one child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world, they imagine how powerful are those amazing women across the globe working towards the shining future of Humankind.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz

Winnie Byanyima has known oppression and the despair one feels when away from home territory from an early age. This shaped her values for equality and democracy. Serving the parliament of  Uganda for over 11 years, championing major changes towards equality and multi-party democracy.Now head of Oxfam International, she is a recognized leader on women’s rights, democratic governance and peace-building, and has played a major role in putting inequality on the world agenda.

The ongoing stereotype that is continuously portrayed by the popular media is that women as dim-brained. Well, it’s time that we let go of that notion and look at the phenomenal achievements that women around globe have got.

 

Source: Wall Street Journal

 

Jennifer Doudna is one of them, professor of chemistry and cellular and molecular biology at University of California, Berkeley, her scientific research on a DNA module technology called CRISPR-Cas9 has made groundbreaking progress in medical domain.The CRISPR-Cas9 system could one day be used to treat a range of hereditary disorders such as sickle cell anaemia, cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease. Doudna was one of six scientists awarded the 2015 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences, which honours transformative advances towards understanding living systems and extending human life.

Coming back to national front, even India isn’t behind in production of Women working for women. One such shining example is Kiran Bedi, one of the first female commissioner of Police,  who un-dauntingly lead a cantonment of proud jawans on the Republic day parade and with same conviction strives to better the lives of the subjugated women of her country.

 

Source: thebetterindia.com

 

Another such epitome is Meira Kumar, the Chairperson of Lok Sabha, presiding over the representatives of the whole country, she continues to handle matters with diplomacy and grace, telling women all over, that no job is just a man’s job.

 

Source: The Asian Age

 

With such phenomenal examples in front of us, we can only hope that the future generations will not know of the shadow called inequality and be distinguished amidst pink and blue.

 

• Shalinee Das for Photo_Scene_Thesis

Phenomenally a woman! The story of the women forest rangers of Gir.

Source: The Hindu

What is the definition of an ideal woman?

Who is an ideal woman?

Our society has a really beautiful and ancient answer for this.

Women should be understanding, passionate and emotionally available for lending a shoulder whenever in need. She must also be well groomed to raise a child and take care of a family. On stepping into the 21st century, this definition slightly weathered into a ‘ make-believe ‘ concept which majorly deals with women empowerment. Also, a lot of limelight has been showered on and off camera on the women who managed to make it big in our world.

But, the real question comes next. What about the section of women who work day and night but either way remains in the dark? We know really little about many such people and their stories inspite of the fact, that they are the backbone of many important arenas of our society.

source: http://www.indiatoday.com

How much do we know about the Lion Queens of Gujrat? The women forest rangers of the Gir Forest? Yes, you heard it right ,’Women Forest Rangers’. In Gir’s Sasan division, there are currently seven women rangers and many more has been stationed in other parts of the forest. Their work commence with the breaking of dawn and mostly ends up late in the night. This rough and tough job comes with a lot of hardships. After all,they are working with big cats- the kings and queens of the jungle. They also have to suffer a tough fight with the poachers,but above all they have to leave their families behind and work amidst the wilderness for months. (Paucity of leave is just 12 days annually for first five years)

While in a constant battle with these hardships, they stand upfront with their job commitments everytime. For them, the abode of the 523 Asiatic lions is their sacred ‘Karmabhumi’ and they respect the forest and love the animals living there. Especially the big cats.

source: http://www.mid-day.com

At the break of the dawn 25 year-old Kiran Pathija starts her patrol while cruising through her motor bike looking for new pug marks and animal carcases. She also observes- births, pregnancies, fresh kills- before continuing to prowl. 31-year old Rasila Vadher is the most experienced of all the other women in the Gir Forest section. In the Documentary series telecasted by Discovery Channel, she recalled one of the rescue missions, which left her unconscious when chased by an injured lion. Although, later on, she persisted in the mission and rescued the injured one. She also exclaimed that one of the many upsides of their job is getting to nurture the orphan leopard and lion cubs and how they come running like pet animals when she calls them. Among them, her favourite is a female lion cub, whom she  named Ragini. Her relationship with the cubs is the most delightful memory she has from her experience of being a forest ranger. Darshana Kagda, the 24- year old forester recalls the tough time for one of the lioness, which had killed a farm labourer and injured the other. The villagers almost succeeded in making attempts to kill  her, considering her as a man-eater. But Darshana along with her team of rescuers, exempted the lioness back to her cubs.

source: the hindu

Their dedication to their jobs and the love they have for these extraordinary wild creatures are commendable. They not only sacrifice their sleep and comfort but also sacrifice their families. They do not often get to meet them. Like warriors in the battle-field, they leave behind their loved ones to perform their duty.

Not forgetting the fact that no human being is perfect and there is no mortal who can live up to the literal meaning of being “ideal”, it can be very well declared with total responsibility, that these women had made a change in the society. They have chosen to live a life that is fruitful to both nature and other animals. Hence, creating a balance in to ecosystem. Who else would you call perfect? Where else would you find a woman any less ideal?

POUSH PARBON AT AAHELI

This is a time of happiness , a time of giving and sharing , a time of joy that arises out of a belief , regardless of how distant that may be , to forget for a while the cares of life . A festival which has a true Cosmopolitan spirit and also unites a diversified land like India is, ‘ Sankranti’. In Bengal we call it as ‘ Poush Sankranti’ or ‘Poush Parbon’. Though different regions of India have different names for the same festival, the core theme is same everywhere. They also have different ways to celebrate but again they share the same happiness and love. It is probably the only time when a country with a large geographic area like India gets the similar kind of climate all over which makes it possible for the farmers to harvest on the same time. Hence it is one of the biggest festival of India.

Poush Sankranti, the last day of the Bengali month Poush, is also known as Makar Sankranti and marks the day for harvest festival in Bengal. According to the Hindu philosophy, this day is the beginning of the sun’s northward journey from Tropic of Capricorn to Tropic of Cancer (also called Uttarayan) . Poush Parbon (or the Festival of Poush) holds immense importance, specially in rural Bengal, where the first grains of the year are stocked up and Nabanna (Naba means new + anna is rice) is worshipped. Notun guud (jaggery) and rice form an important part of this festival, as the prime ingredients of the delicious sweets.

To instigate the mood of ‘Poush Parbon’ festivity even more , ‘ Aaheli’, The Peerless Inn Kolkata, has a lavish spread of Traditional Bengali food.  Team PhotoSceneThesis had a great time experiencing the roots and culture of Bengal through the amazing Bengali cuisines at Aaheli. The menu has a great variety, which help us to reach the core of Bengal . The Menu starts with some amazing fried delicacies like ‘Muchmuche Kumro Phooler Bora’(flower of red pumpkin batter fried), ‘Hingche saak er Bora’( leafy vegetable batter fried ) , ‘Bahari Bok Phool-er Bora’, ‘Palong Seem Bhaja’ ( spinach and flat beans fried ). The veg delicacies include dishes like ‘Seem sorsher bahar’ ( green seasonal flat beans cooked in mustard gravy), ‘Bete saak posto’ ( leafy vegetable cooked with poppy) . The non veg delicacies include dishes like ‘Chingri Piyaz Kolir Milmish’( prawn cooked with green onion leaf ) , ‘Palang Moorgir bhino swad’ ( chicken cooked with leafy spinach), ‘Mangsher ghoogni’ ( Mutton mince cooked with Bengal grams).

What’s ‘Poush Parbon’ without Desserts? Aaheli has a curated list of Authentic Bengali dessert :

• Kheer er Malpua ( Fried pancake stuffed with kheer )
• Natun gurer Rabri ( Rabri made of date’s jaggery)
• Natun gurer chanar Payesh ( Tiny cottage cheese dumplings simmered in thick date’s jiggery flavoured milk)
• Kheer er Patisapta ( thin pancake wrapped with Khoya )
• Doodh Puli ( dumpling of rice flower stuffed with khoya and soaked in to thick milk )
• Rossbora ( dumpling made of rice flower and lintel deep fried and soaked into sugar syrup)
• Bhapa Pithe ( steamed speciality from the grand mother’s recipe)
• Natun gurer bhapa Sandesh ( jaggery flavoured sandesh, steamed in a cover of banana leaf )
• Natun gurer Rajbhog ( cottage cheese dumpling simmered in thin syrup made of date’s jaggery )
• Natun gurer Chom Chom
• Natun gurer Doi Kalash ( All time favourite )
• Natun gurer Payesh ( sweetened milk made of date’s jiggery )
• Mulor Payesh ( grated tender radish cooked in sweetened milk )
• Poush er Puli Pither bahar ( Assorted sweets platter with Poush Parbon speciality ).
  

 

In brief, The ‘Poush Parbon’ menu at ‘Aaheli’, The Peerless Inn Kolkata keeps up with the true spirits of ‘Poush Parbon’ festivity and each dish in the menu is like a character from Bengali Folkloric Tales.

We thank ‘Aaheli’, for reviving the Folkloric culture of Bengal and reigniting in us the sense of tradition and bonding. The culture of ‘Poush Parbon’ kindles in us the simple desire to share a comfortable warmth and joy with family and friends. So this ‘Poush Parbon’, come to ‘Aaheli’ and enjoy the season of festivity even more.

“JASHN-E-HYDERABAD”- Hyderabadi Food Festival at Oceanic,The Peerles Inn ,Kolkata

 

“ Gastronomic Hyderabad in the Heart of Kolkata”, a one liner which may sum up the Hyderabadi Food Festival at ‘Oceanic’, The Peerless Inn Kolkata. The Peerless Inn,Kolkata has been known to showcase Culinary Art and tradition of different parts of the country. Regaling their guests’ palate, this time round the hotel endeavours to take you through a royal gastronomic journey of Hyderabadi Cuisine by featuring Hyderabadi Food Festival at Oceanic. By the help of this ten day long Food Festival, ( From 17^th November to 26^th November) the great tradition of Hyderabad can be seen through its Cuisine.

If we time travel through these delicious ethnic culinary art of Hyderabad we will get to know about Hyderabad’s preoccupation with food. A 400 year history is behind the culinary delights of Hyderabadi food. The Nizams of Hyderabad were great connoisseurs of food, feasting on an elaborate 10 course meals on a daily basis. The first Nizam chose the  ‘Kulcha’ as the official emblem of the Asaf Jahi dynasty. Hyderabadi Cuisine even has different recipes for different events, and hence is categorised accordingly ,from banquet food, for weddings and parties, festival foods, travel foods. The category to which the recipe belongs itself speaks of different things like the time required to prepare the food , the shelf life of the prepared item. In the past, the food was called ‘Ghizaayat’.The cuisine was linked to the nobles, who religiously maintained the authenticity of the past, and the recipes were a closely guarded secret. The royal cooks known as ‘Khansamas’,were highly regarded by the nobles.

The Culinary Art of Hyderabad, evolved in the Kitchens of the Nizams , who elevated food to a sublime Art. We can say that Hyderabadi Royal ‘Khansamas’(chefs) were  great Expressionist artist, The Royal kitchen being there Studio & the Cuisines being there Canvasses.

Hyderabadi Cuisine, is like the city’s culture ,which is an amalgamation of Mughal, Turkish, Arabic along with the influence of the native Telegu and Marathwada cuisines. Hyderabadi cuisine comprises a broad repertoire of rice, wheat and meat dishes and the skilled use of various spices, herbs and natural edibles.The use of dry coconut,tamarind,and red chilies along with other spices are the main ingredients that make Hyderabadi cuisine different from other parts of India.

 

Team Photoscenethesis had a great experience at ‘Jashn-e-Hyderabad’, savouring amazing Hyderabadi cuisines and through it perceiving the roots of Hyderabadi tradition. ‘The Shahi Dastarkhana’ ( The Royal Dining Hall)  of Oceanic, The Peerless Inn Kolkata was looking splendid with sumptuous buffet filled with Handpicked Hyderabadi cuisines. Some of the dishes for the evening were:

• Khatti Dal
• Subz Kofta in Palak Gravy
• Bhagara Baingan
• Paneer Lababdar
• Macchi Methi Masala
• Dum ka Murgh
• Mirch ka Salan
• Subz Dum Biryani
• Kacche Gosht ki Dum Biryani
• Double ka Meetha

All dishes were Great and amazing in their own way. In other words we can say that all dishes were ‘Star performers’ of the evening . The Cuisine emphasizes the use of ingredients that are carefully chosen and cooked to the right degree and time. Utmost attention is given to picking the right kind of spices,meat, rice etc. Therefore , an addition of a certain herb, spice,condiment or combination of all these add a distinct taste and aroma.

Of all the Muslim cuisine,Hyderabadi is the only cuisine in the sub-continent that can boast of a major vegetarian element. The dishes for the evening like ‘Khatti Dal’, ‘Subz Kofta in Palak Gravy’,’Bhagra Baingan’, ‘Paneer Lababdar’. ‘Subz Dum ka Biryani’ are the testimonials of some of the Unique Vegetarian dishes Hyderabad possesses.

Next, we will say about the USP of Hyderabadi cuisine , ‘The Hyderabadi Biryani’ and the Signature style of cooking ‘ Dum-Pukht’ method. There is a saying in Hyderabad, ‘ithmenaan se’ or cooking patiently . ‘Dum ka Murgh’, ‘Subz Dum Biryani’ , ‘ Kacche Gosht ki Dum Biryani’ were the flag bearers of this unique style of ‘Dum-Pukht’.  Biryani was accompanied by ‘Mirch ka Salan’, a traditional Hyderabad Salan ( Gravy) made in shallow wide flat bottomed handi. Proper use of Spices and right degree of cooking, made these dishes one of the Hallmarks of Hyderabadi cuisine.

Traditional Hyderabadi meal is never complete without the bread from the kilns of the local bakers. So our team ended our meal with a  very popular Bread based sweet dish called ‘Double ka Meetha’ or Shahi Tukda .

 

These Food Festivals, projecting Ethnic and traditional cuisines are the Flag bearers of the Culture & Ethnicity of a region. Nowadays, due to our Cosmopolitan Culinary culture , rare recipes and dishes are getting lost and in some way the ancient flavours are dying out slowly. In a way we can say that, we are losing our Ethnic and traditional taste buds. An initiative like these by the Peerlees Inn , Kolkata will definitely revive our Ethnic and Traditional tastebuds.

Thus . we thank The Peerless Inn , Kolkata for such initiatives and we look forward to more Traditional food festivals like “ Jashn-e – Hyderabad’, that will improve our sense of Traditional Culinary Art & Culture.

Some Important Information about ‘Jashn-e-Hyderabad’:

What: Hyderabadi Food Festival
Where: Oceanic, The Peerless Inn Kolkata

When: From 17^th November – 26^th November during Dinner and on Saturday, Sunday Lunch & Dinner

Pocket pinch: Rs 1, 299 plus taxes

Timings: 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm (Afternoon)

7:30 pm to 11:00 pm (Evening)

 

For reservation kindly call:

Suraj:9903034456,Ashim:9831780403,Sanjib:9163308730;Pradipta: 9007770841

Find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePeerlessInnKolkata/

Website: www.peerlesshotels.co.in/Kolkata

এপিজে বাংলা সাহিত্য উৎসব। দ্বিতীয় পর্ব

এপিজে বাংলা সাহিত্য উৎসব, বাঙালির সাহিত্য চেতনাকে উন্নতির শিখরে পৌঁছে নিয়ে যেতে যার অবদান অনেকখানি।

আজ এই উৎসবের তৃতীয় দিনের শুভারম্ভ হয়েছিল আরজে রয়ের সঞ্চালনায়,’শব্দবাজি’ প্রতিযোগিতা দিয়ে।

শব্দবাজি প্রতিযোগিতা মাত্রই শব্দ নিয়ে খেলা, বাংলা শব্দকে কেন্দ্র করে, আভিধানিক ভিত্তিতে এই প্রতিযোগিতার আয়োজন। নানা পর্ব সম্মেলনে প্রতিযোগিদের নিয়ে এক অভিনব খেলা এটি।এরপর প্রধান অথিতি শ্রীজাত এর উপস্থিতিতে, ‘কথা কম কাজ বেশি’ প্রতিযোগিতার ফলাফল ঘোষণা ও পুরস্কার পর্বের সূচনা হয়েছিল। অনুগল্পের সেরা তিন প্রতিযোগী দ্বীপান্বিতা মুখোপাধ্যায়, শুভ্রা ভট্টাচার্য ও মহুয়া সেন এবং অনুকবিতার তিন শ্রেষ্ঠ প্রতিযোগী ছিলেন নন্দিনী সেনগুপ্ত, স্বাগত মিত্র ও মধুপর্ণা দে।

পরবর্তী অনুষ্ঠান ছিল ‘তক্ষুণি তাৎক্ষণিক’। এই অনুষ্ঠানের পরিবেশনায় ছিল কবিতা ক্লাব। বিচারকের ভূমিকায় ত্রিদিবকুমার চট্টোপাধ্যায়ের অবদান অতুলনীয়। সত্তর জন প্রতিযোগীদের মধ্যে সেরা তিনজনকে বেছে নেওয়া নিঃসন্দেহে কঠিন, তবুও সেরা তো আর সবাই হতে পারে না এবং তাই, রোহিত দে, সুব্রত মাইতি ও সুপম এই তিন তরুণ এদিনের

তক্ষুণি তাৎক্ষণিক এর শ্রেষ্ঠের শিরোপা অর্জন করতে সক্ষম হয়।

এরপর ত্রিদিবকুমার চট্টোপাধ্যায়ের সঞ্চালনায় আরজে রয়,আরজে সায়ন ও আরজে পৃথা এই তিন ব‍্যক্তিত্যের বক্তব্যে প্রকাশ পেয়েছে বাংলা ভাষার মর্যাদা। ‘আরজেরা কি বাংলা ভাষাকে এগিয়ে নিয়ে যাচ্ছে’ এই বিষয়টির অভূতপূর্ব ব্যখ্যা পাওয়া গেছে এদের কথোপকথনে।

এর পরবর্তী তে ‘বই পাগলা’ প্রতিযোগিতার ফলাফল প্রকাশে সর্বশ্রেষ্ঠ প্রতিযোগীর আসন পেয়েছেন জয়দীপ ভট্টাচার্য্য, যার বই প্রীতি মনোভাবের আয়না ধরা পড়েছে আলোকচিত্রের আঙিনায়।

 

‘ইতিহাস আজও টানে’ – অনীশ দেবের সঞ্চালনায়, ইমদাদুল হক মিলন , দেবতোষ দাশ ও হিমাদ্রিকিশোর দাশগুপ্ত বক্তব্য রেখেছিলেন বাংলা সাহিত্যের ইতিহাস নিয়ে ।

এরপর ছিল এক অভিনব আলোচনা, যার বিষয়,’ফেসবুকে হিরো, বাস্তবে জিরো’।

ত্রিদিবকুমার চট্টোপাধ্যায়ের সঞ্চালনায় নচিকেতা, প্রচেত গুপ্ত, শ্রীজাত ও তন্ময় মুখার্জির মত অতি পরিচিত ব্যক্তিত্বদের বক্তব্যে ধরা পড়েছে ফেসবুকের ভালো খারাপ দিকগুলো।

এরপর পিউ রায় এর সঞ্চালনায় নবনীতা দেবসেন, বীথি চট্টোপাধ্যায়, অনীতা অগ্নিহোত্রী ও যশোধরা রায় চৌধুরীর কথায় প্রকাশ পেয়েছে ‘দাঁড়িপাল্লায় খুন্তি কলম’। এটি একান্তই লেখিকাদের প্রতিনিয়ত জীবন ভিত্তিক। এরপর অনুষ্ঠানের শেষলগ্নে সঞ্চালক আলোকপ্রসাদ চট্টোপাধ্যায়ের সঙ্গে বিষয়ভিত্তিক আলোচনায় মেতে উঠেছিলেন অরিন্দম শীল, আবীর চট্টোপাধ্যায় ও পম্পি ঘোষ মুখার্জি।

‘সাহিত্যের গোয়েন্দারা সিনেমায় পাল্টে গেল’, এই নিয়ে বিষদ আলোচনায় এই বিশেষ ব‍্যক্তিরা।

সর্বশেষে, আনুষ্ঠানিক ঘোষণা পর্ব দিয়ে এবছরের মতো ইতি টানলো এই উৎসব। আসছে বছর আবার হবে, এই প্রতিশ্রূতিতে খুশি আমরা।

 

Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob Day 2.

The attempt to preserve the rich cultural heritage and the prestige of Bengali literature, Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob (ABSU) has been a highly successful endeavour. After the end of previous two days, came the final day. On the third and final day, ABSU began with the session of “Shabdabaaji” competition under the coordination of RJ Roy. The concept behind “Shabdabaaji” is to revive and jerk our memory in terms of Bengali vocabulary; since it is a competition merely based on the juxtaposition of bengali words. There were 45 teams out of which only three teams were declared winners and runners-up respectively. The immediate following event was “kotha kom kaj beshi” led by the eminent personality Srijato and the was a session was dedicated to declare the results of the online short story competition. The top 3 winners were : Dipannita Mukhopadhyay, Shubhra Bhattacharyya and Mohua Sen. This session also focused on declaring the winners of the online poetry competition of which the top 3 winners were : Nandini Sengupta, Swagato Mitra and Madhuparna De.

The next session which was organised by the team of Kobita club was “Tokhhuni tatkhonik” and the judge of the event was Tridip Kumar Chattopadhyay. Out of an odd of 70 participants, top 10 were shortlisted and they were judged for the final round and after a meticulous briefing time had arrive to chose the top 3, of which the results were declared in favour of Rohit Dey, Shubhrata Maity and Shupom respectively. The preceding session “RJ ki Bangla bhasha me egiye niye jacchey?”, accompanied by RJ Roy, RJ Pritha and RJ Ghosh under the coordination of Tridip Kumar Chattopadhyay. This powerful 45 minutes session concluded with the note that yes, RJs play a vital role in taking forward the Bengali essence.

The following event was dedicated to declare the results of the online photography competition “Boi Pagla” which was organised by PhotoSceneThesis (PST) who were also the official photography and blogging partners of ABSU. Souryakiran Paul and Sayantani Adhikary from team PST were invited to come up on stage to declare the winner : Joydeep Bhattacharyya.

“Itihash aj o Taney”, under the coordination of Anish Deb, along with the respective speakers Imdadul Haq Milon, Debatosh Das and Himadri Senguta was the next session of the day talking religiously about how historical essence of Bengali literature and culture is still a jewel. The preceding session was a unique one, keeping in mind the younger generation of our times; i.e. “Facebook e hero, bastob e zero”. The speakers were Nachiketa, Pracheta Gupta, Srijato and Tanmoy Mukherjee under the coordination of Tridip Kumar Chattopadhyay; discussing about the pros and cons of Facebook in our daily lives.
“Daripallay khunti kolom”, under the coordination of Pew Roy was the next session. The speakers of this session were Nabaneeta Dev Sen, Bithi Chattopadhyay, Anita Agnihotri and Yasodhara Ray Chaudhuri. This 45 minutes session talked about the role of a woman in social norm, about her struggle and trying to keep a balance between home and the world. This was the penultimate session leading to the ultimate session of “Sahityer goyenda ra cinema e palte gelo”. Tollywood personalities were a part of this session, followed by Abir Chatterjee, Arindam Sil and Pompi Ghosh Mukherjee. The day was wrapped up by the final address and ABSU’17​ was declared a massive success and it promises to come back again in 2018 and continue to hold the prestige and essence of our culture intact.

Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob, Day 1

Bengal is known for its rich cultural background and its literary attachment. Such a rich heritage needs to be preserved over generation which most of us fail to do, but this legacy can be only carried forward with the acceptance of its essence by the millennial. With an attempt to do so, Oxford Bookstores created India’s pioneering Bangla Literary Festival titled Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob (ABSU) in 2015. Originally the event started at the Oxford Bookstore, Park Street. And today it has been the 3^rd year for ABSU which has been shifted to a bigger venue of the Apeejay Lawn, all thanks to the love and support for this growing endeavor.

Day 1, 3^rd November 2017 was the inauguration ceremony of ABSU by Shankha Ghosh. Day 2, 4^th November 2017 was the day which was scheduled to have 8 sessions. The very first session of the day was “Bangla Sahitya Quiz” conducted by Saurav Ranjan Dutta. It had first a preliminary round consisting of 8 teams of which the winning team won with a score of 185.
The second session of the day was “Bhromonroshik bangali” and “Bhojonroshik Bangali”. Though both of these sessions were held separately, one after the other, we are here to talk about it collectively. By birth bengalis are known to be adventurous. They were always experimental in two fields despite of the pocket pinch-travel and food. Do you Bengali really think twice before spending on food and travel? Let us find out!Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utshob took the responsibility to make us more aware by conducting two interesting events- Brahmonroshik bangali and Bhojonroshik bangali.

Speaking of the former, the respected speakers were as follows- Nandita Bagchi, Shankar Bose and Rangan Datta. The session went for forty-five minutes discussing how the passion for traveling has changed over the years-even the food craving-from “mach bhaat” to Biryani and tandoori”; from amusement and adventure; and finally coming to the evoking question “Will travelogue be ever valued as literature?” On the other hand, the latter preceding the former spoke about the eternal love for food lying deep within the heart of all bengalis. Respective speakers for this event were: Shiladitya Chowdhury, Rajib Ghosh, Debashish Mukhopadhay, Bikash Mukhopadhay. The session was followed by a meticulous discussion about the roots of different popular cuisines which we consume on a daily basis: from chilli chicken to belur math’s khichidi. The session ended with the interesting discovery about culinary culture in colonial India.

The next session after this was followed by Parama Dasgupta and Shyamali Acharya which was called “Gaaney Golpe Ponchobi”. This was a session that paid tribute to the Bengali music of the yesteryears such as Dwijendralal Roy and Rajanikanta Sen. The preceding session was one of the highlights of the Day 1, “Ordhoshodok Periye”(half a century has gone by) lead by speaker Shirshendhu Mukhopadhyay, Prafulla Ray, Samaresh Majumder and coordinator Oidiokumar Chattopadhyay. The session talked about how Bengali literature has changed over half a century and has been affecting our lives.

The following session was led by the respective speakers Shubodh Sarkar, Chumki Chattopadhyay, Rupa Majumder, Subhankar De under the coordination of Pew Roy : “Komboyoshi Bangla pora cherey diyechey”. This was a session which discussed about the most talked about short-comings of Bengali culture and literature coming to a conclusion that the younger generation is somewhat drawn towards the glitter of the modern literature rather than indulging themselves to the roots of Bangla sahitya.

Then came the session of “Ekhono comics sahitya” with the respective speakers- Sujog Bandopadhyay, Amrita Chattopadhyay, Ridhi Sen, Juran Nath; under the coordination of Anish Deb. The former session talked about different ways of how comic books has been playing a major role in preserving the Bengali literature.

The last session of the day ended with the dramatical representation of Bengali literature, along with a cosplay. This session was called “Natokiyo Sahitya” with the respective speakers : Bratya Basu, Bibhas Chakraborty, Arindam Ganguly, Arpita Ghosh; under the coordination of Pracheta Gupta. The session concluded with the point that though drama does not represent Bengali literature entirely, but Bengali literature is incomplete without drama as it helps to shape and add to its grandeur. With this, the second day of ABSU came to an end and we look forward for the final day that; i.e, 5^th November 2017.

এপিজে বাংলা সাহিত্য উৎসব। প্রথম পর্ব

বাংলা ভাষার গল্প, কবিতা, উপন্যাস, সিনেমা, নাটক , সব মিলিয়ে এক অভূতপূর্ব অধিবেশন এর আয়োজন করা হয়েছিল, এই বছরের এপিজে বাংলা সাহিত্য উৎসবে। তৃতীয় বছরে পদার্পনকারী এই উৎসব, বাঙালির খুব কাছের এবং খুবই প্রিয়।তাই প্রথম বছর থেকেই এই উৎসব শুধুই জনপ্রিয়তা পেয়েছে তাই নয়,বিশ্ব সাহিত্য চর্চায় এর প্রভাব ছড়িয়েছে অনেকখানি।

এই বছরের সাহিত্য উৎসবের দ্বিতীয় দিনের অনুষ্ঠানের প্রথমেই, বাংলা ভাষায় কুইজ সকলের নজর কেড়েছিল। কুইজ মাস্টার সৌরভ রঞ্জন দত্তর অবদান তাতে অনস্বীকার্য, বাংলা সাহিত্য ভিত্তিক প্রশ্নের তালিকা ভাবিয়ে তুলেছিল প্রতিযোগিদের। এরপর ভ্রমণরসিক বাঙালির প্রসঙ্গে,

ভ্রমণপিপাসু ভাবনার কথা তুলে ধরলেন নন্দিতা বাগচী, শঙ্কর বোস ও রঙ্গন দত্ত, সঞ্চালনায় ছিল সোমেন সেনগুপ্ত। বাঙালি শুধুমাত্র ভ্রমণরসিক নয়, ভ্রমণপাগল, আর রহস্যপিপাসু।তাই বারবার বাঙালি ফিরে গিয়েছে হিমালয়ের কোলে। বাঙালির ভ্রমণপ্রিয় মনোভাব আজকের নয়, সেই আবুল ফজলের লেখায় ও পাওয়া গেছে এর কথা।

এরই পরবর্তী অধিবেশনে এসেছে ভোজনরসিক বাঙালির প্রসঙ্গ। এশা চ্যাটার্জীর সঞ্চালনায়, শিলাদিত্য চৌধুরী, রাজীব ঘোষ ও বিকাশ মুখোপাধ্যায়ের বক্তব্য ছাপ ফেলেছে ভোজনরসিক মনে। বাঙালি মাত্রই ভোজনপ্রিয় কিনতু একটা কথা আছে না, “খালি পেটে ধর্ম হয় না”, তা ও সত্যিই বটে। ৪০ এর দশক থেকে আজও, বাঙালি তার ভোজনরসিকতা ভোলেনি, তার খাদ্যপ্রীতি, আজও তাকে করে তোলে অনন্য।

 

 

এরপর গানে গল্পে পঞ্চকবির গান পরিবেশনায় পরমা দাশগুপ্ত ছিলেন অতুলনীয়, কথনে শ্যামলী আচার্য এর ভূমিকাও উল্লেখযোগ্য।

এরপর ছিল, সবথেকে আকষর্ণীয় অধিবেশন , ‘অর্ধশতক পেরিয়ে’ ।ত্রিদিবকুমার চট্টোপাধ্যায়ের সঞ্চালনায় শীর্ষেন্দু মুখোপাধ্যায় ও সমরেশ মজুমদারের উপস্থিতিতে বাঙালি সাহিত্য ভাবনার কথা তুলে ধরা হলো। অর্ধশতক পেরিয়ে এই দুই লেখক আমাদের বিভিন্ন প্রজন্মকে নিজেদের লেখনীর মাধ্যমে অনুপ্রাণিত করেছেন।এনাদের সাহিত্য সৃষ্টি আমাদের বাঙালির কাছে খুবই গর্বের। এই আলোচনা বাংলা সাহিত্য উৎসবের অন্যতম সেরা পর্যায়।

 

 

এরপরের প্রসঙ্গ ছিল , ‘কমবয়সীরা বাংলা পড়া ছেড়ে দিচ্ছে’ ,পিউ রয়ের সঞ্চালনায় সুবোধ সরকার, চুমকি চট্টোপাধ্যায়, রূপা মজুমদার ও শুভঙ্কর দে এর বক্তব্যে প্রাধান্য পেয়েছে কমবয়সীদের বাংলা চর্চার কথা। এখনকার ছোট্ট ছেলেমেয়েরা অন্য ভাষার প্রাধান্য দিতে গিয়ে নিজের মাতৃভাষা ভুলতে বসেছে।এটা শুধুমাত্র তাদের ভুল নয়,সমাজের গাফিলতি।

এরপর এর অধিবেশন প্রসঙ্গ -‘এখন কমিক্সই সাহিত্য!’বক্তব্য রেখেছেন সুযোগ বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়, অমৃতা চট্টোপাধ্যায়, ঋদ্ধি সেন,জুরান নাথ। কমিক্স এবং সাহিত্য দুই বিষয় একে অপরের পরিপূরক । এখনকার যূগ কমিক্স দেখে সাহিত্য শিখছে ।তাই সাহিত্য বাঁচাতে কমিক্স অনেকটাই দরকার।

এরপর আসে নাটকীয় সাহিত্যের প্রসঙ্গ।প্রচেত গুপ্তের সঞ্চালনায় নাটকের প্রসঙ্গে মেতে উঠলেন ব্রাত্য বসু,অরিন্দম গাঙ্গুলী,বিভাস চক্রবর্তী। সাহিত্য বলতে নাটকীয়সাহিত‍্যের কথা আসবেই, তবে সব নাটক সাহিত্য নয়।তবে নাটক সমৃদ্ধ করতে সাহিত্যের ভূমিকা অনেক, নাটক অনেক ভাবে উন্নত করে বা‌ঙালির সাহিত্যকে।

সব মিলিয়ে বাংলা সাহিত্য সমৃদ্ধি লাভ করেছিল এদিন এপিজে প্রাঙ্গনে, গুণময় ব্যক্তিত্ত্বদের উপস্থিতিতে,আমরা সমৃদ্ধ হয়েছি এবং শুধু তাই নয় আরও মর্যাদাপূর্ণ হয়ে উঠেছিল এই উৎসব।

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oceanic’s Awadhi Food Festival

Historically speaking, Awadhi cuisine goes back  to the city of Lucknow, which is the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India. It is somewhat related to Bhojpuri cuisine of it neighboring region, Bhojpur. The Awadh region has been greatly influenced by Mughal cooking techniques, and the cuisine of Lucknow bears similarities to those of Central Asia, Kashmir, Punjab and Hyderabad. The city is also known for its Nawabi khana which was introduced by the Nawabs of the Awadh, representing itself to be a true gift for all the foodies of the world. The history of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah introducing “aloo”/ potato in the biriyani since 1850s, which the city of joy grabbed it as a love.
Oceanic organised the grand “DAWAR-E-AWADH”, the awadhi food festival which started from 27th October and it is on till 5th November. On 30th October, our team Photo Scene Thesis was invited to be a part of this exciting event.
The awadhi food festival had a lavish spread of a variety of cuisines, starting from a live tawa section which was one of the main attraction of the evening. The aromatic smell of galouti kebab and guldan kebab were juicy and succulent- the former being a non vegetarian delicacy of the awadhi cuisine and the latter being a vegetarian option which had a unique layer of poppy seeds. These kebabs were served with lip-smacking mint chutney and salad.
Moving forward to the preceding counters, there was an entire section dedicated to finger food :

• Mixed fruit ghol
• Dahi Vada
• Plain Curd
• Cauliflower Mayo
• Kimchi
• Mixed Fruit Kashundi
• Carrot and Beans
• Egg Julian
• Seafood
• Chicken Sausages
• Dal Shorba
• Fuchkas (pani puris)

Followed by these, we were mesmerized by the mains as well:

• Steamed Rice
• Assorted Papad
• Sultani Dal
• Chili Basil Noodles
• Three Treasure Vegetable
• Mexican Vegetable
• Subji Kofta in Palak Gravy
• Khoya Mutter Makhana
• Paneer Khada Masala
• Dum Aloo Lucknawi
• Prawn Ball in Hot Garlic Sauce
• Poached Fish Ball in Tomato Basil Sauce
• Badami Murgh
• Awadhi Fish Curry
• Vegetarian Biriyani
• Gobi Salan
• Lucknowi Mutton Biriyani
• Raita

Out of all the above mentioned dishes, Lucknowi Mutton Biriyani deserves the most attention. So far it stands out to be the best dish out of all. The flavours were delicate and had a perfect balance with the tenderness of the mutton pieces.

For the dessert section, there were the following items :

• Swiss Roll
• Lemon Tart
• Honey yogurt mousse
• Sweet Curd
• Balushai
• Roshogolla
• Honey Ginger Pudding
• Chaler payesh
• Black forest cake

 

The costing for per person is Rs 1299 plus taxes, and the ambience of the place adds up as the brownie points to this sinful gluttony and gastronomic experience. We thank Soumi Sarkar for this wonderful invite, we hope to be a part of such events in the near future as well.

যত কাণ্ড এপিজে লন’এ | ABSU’17

“এত ভঙ্গ বঙ্গদেশ , তবু রঙ্গে ভরা” ঈশ্বর গুপ্ত।

দুর্যোগের মেঘ বারবার ঘনিয়েছে বাঙালির ভাগ্যাকাশে, কখনও করেছে তার অস্তিত্বকে বিপন্ন, তবু ভাটা পড়েনি তার অফুরান আনন্দস্রোতে, নানা রঙে সে তার উৎসবমুখর দিনের আনন্দঘন মুহূর্তগুলোক ছড়িয়ে দিয়েছে জীবনের সুবিশাল আঙিনায়, তাই এই উৎসবপ্রিয় জাতির ঐতিহ্যবহনকারী সংস্কৃতির সাক্ষী থাকছে আরো একবার এপিজে সাহিত্য উৎসব- সকলের মধ্যেই বিরাজমান এই আনন্দউৎসবের প্লাবন। অক্সফোর্ড বুকস্টোর ও পত্রভারতির যৌথ *উদ্যোগে* আয়োজিত হবে তৃতীয় বর্ষে পদার্পণকারি এপিজে বাংলা সাহিত্য উৎসব।

‌ ‌আগামী ৩রা-৫ই নভেম্বর এই বাংলা সাহিত্য উৎসব অনুষ্ঠিত হবে পার্ক স্ট্রিটের এপিজে হাউসের লনে। উপস্থিত থাকবেন মাননীয় শঙ্খ ঘোষ, শীর্ষেন্দু মুখোপাধ্যায়, প্রফুল্ল রায়, সমরেশ মজুমদারের মতো বিখ্যাত সাহিত্যিকরা/ সাহিত্য প্রজন্ম  থাকবেন বাংলাদেশ থেকে আমন্ত্রিত সাহিত্যিক ইমদাদুল হক মিলন। এছাড়াও এই উৎসবের সাক্ষী থাকবেন সিনেমা ও *সঙ্গীত* জগতের আরো *অনেক শিল্পীবৃন্দ* / আরো অনেক শিল্পীরা।

সাহিত্য যাদের প্রাণ তাদের জন্যেই আয়োজিত এই বাংলা সাহিত্য উৎসব, নানাধী অনুষ্ঠান রয়েছে তাদেরই জন্যে, রয়েছে বাংলা সাহিত্যে কুইজ- পরিচালনায় সৌরভরঞ্জন দত্ত, আরো রয়েছে বাঙালির জীবনযাত্রা নিয়ে আলোচনা- ভোজনরসিক ও ভ্রমনরসিক বাঙালির সদাহস্যময় জীবন নিয়ে কথোপকথন। এছাড়াও রয়েছে নাটকীয় সাহিত্য, সঞ্চালনায় প্রচেত গুপ্ত ও বক্তাবর্গের আসনে ব্রাত্য বসু, বিভাস চক্রবর্তী, অরিন্দম গাঙ্গুলী ও অর্পিতা ঘোষ, এনাদের ন্যায় শিল্পীবর্গ।

আর বইপাগল মানুষদের জন্য রয়েছে বহুপ্রকার আয়োজন- বইপাগলা, কথা কম কাজ বেশি, শব্দবাজি ইত্যাদি প্রতিযোগিতা রয়েছে শিরোনামের আসনে। বইপাগলা হলো ছবির অনুষ্ঠান, বই নিয়ে সেরা ছবি জায়গা পাবে এই প্রতিযোগিতায়, আর নিজের মধ্যে লুকিয়ে রয়েছে লেখকের প্রতিভা? তাহলে বই লেখনী প্রতিযোগিতায় অংশগ্রহণ করতে ২০টি শব্দে গল্প বা ৬ লাইনের ছোট্ট কবিতা লিখে পাঠাতে হবে ২৭ তারিখের মধ্যে। ‘কথা কম কাজ বেশি’ প্রতিযোগিতায় স্থান পাবে এই সৃষ্টি। ‘শব্দবাজি’ বিভাগে নাম দেওয়া যাবে ৩১ তারিখের মধ্যে। শব্দপ্রিয় মানুষের জন্যে এই প্রতিযোগিতার আবির্ভাব।

এছাড়া নিজের শহরের খুঁটিনাটি চিনিয়ে দেওয়ার জন্যে আয়োজিত হয়েছিল একটি হেরিটেজ ওয়াকের। উত্তর কলকাতার বুকে শিক্ষক, ব্লগার, গবেষক, এছাড়া বিভিন্ন প্রান্তরের কর্মরতা মানুষের ভিড়ে জমে উঠেছিল ‘কলকাতার দর্পন’ ওয়াকটি। অবন্ধকারের জগতে নিজের শহরকে আবারও চিনিয়ে দিতে এই আয়োজন।

এপিজে বাংলা সাহিত্য উৎসবের সহযোগী ২৪ ঘন্টা, এছাড়া বেতার সহযোগী 94.3 Radio One, অধিবেশন সহযোগী Parag ও কবিতা club, ফটোগ্রাফি ও ব্লগিং সহযোগী Photo_Scene_Thesis, সোশ্যাল মিডিয়া সহযোগী Calcutta Cacophony সংস্থাগুলির সহযোগিতায় তৃতীয় বর্ষে পদারপনকারী এই উৎসব আবারও এক নতূন ভূমিকায় অভির্ভূত হতে চলেছে আগামী ৩-৫ই নভেম্বর। বাঙালির জীবনে বাংলা সাহিত্যের গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ভূমিকাকে আবারও উজ্জীবিত করার প্রচেষ্টায় রত এই বাংলা সাহিত্য উৎসব।