Ranjeet Chowdhury
The more I learn, the more I realize how much I do not know..
Aversion to Admiration – My Affinity with Bangla Cinema
It all started with 2019 Bangla movie “Robibaar’ (On a Sunday) starring Jaya Ahsan, whose serene beautiful face looked so ‘familiar’ to me that I just couldn’t resist watching the movie. Robibaar was undoubtedly a wonderful movie and so was Jaya’s performance. She was just amazing and no wonder that the movie had got her the Best Lead Actress Award in Foreign Language Film category at Madrid International Film Festival, 2020.
Panchayat – The First Web-series I watched
Web-series have gained rapid popularity over the past few years especially with today’s generation due to their convenience, cost-effectiveness and above all their ‘uncensored contents’ and this is precisely why I never inclined to watch one. In case of ‘पंचायत’ however, my colleague was right. It was really very light-hearted and enjoyable series to watch..
Today is the Result of Yesterday (Part-IX)
Today I get scared when I see such religious and political fanaticism all around. I was only 21 then and, considering my impressionable age, I could forgive myself for holding such irrational and biased views against a particular minority community; but today when I see people of almost all age groups, from all strata of society and from all walks of life mindlessly pouring venom in the already poisonous environment, I feel sorry for the nation. By the time these people would realize their mistake, like I realize today, I’m afraid things may go completely out of hands.
Today is the Result of Yesterday (Part-VIII)
Chandra Shekhar was a fire-brand idealist leader who joined Congress in his late 30s and came to be known as the ‘Young Turk’ for his revolutionary ideas and his commitment to democratic values and social justice. Soon he became a ‘voice of dissent’ in the party. In fact, he was one of the very few Congressmen who were put behind the bars during the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975. Thereafter he left Congress and joined Janata Party in January 1977.
Today is the Result of Yesterday (Part-VII)
Back to anti-mandal agitation days, I remember, my response to the situation was quite passive, except towards the loss of young lives on the streets. So self-assured I was of my future prospects back then that I did not, in fact, perceive the recommendations as something which could put our future in peril. My anti-Congress mindset must also have been one of the reasons behind my aloofness. Surprisingly, however, the Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid issue did pierce my impressionable mind and steered my consciousness on a different course.
Today is the result of Yesterday (Part-VI)
I would conclude the instant part of my work quoting Shri Kuldip Nayar from his autobiographical work “Beyond the Lines” – “I did not know Rajiv Gandhi well but felt that India had lost him just at a time when he had matured as a leader. … Jawaharlal Nehru, his great grandfather, dreamt of a scientific temper enveloping India. Rajiv, to a degree, brought that dream to life.”
Today is the result of Yesterday (Part-V)
As I said, I’ll be recalling certain events which had taken place during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure as Prime Minister that had far reaching consequences on Indian polity. Like many others, I too believe that some of the decisions taken by the government during his regime had sown seeds for the country we are seeing today.
Today is the Result of Yesterday (Part-IV)
Rajiv Gandhi had a very charming personality with a disarming smile. A symbol of modernity, he was credited with providing the basis for telecommunications and Information Technology in India. In his speeches, Rajiv Gandhi often spoke about his dream of taking a strong, self-reliant and technologically sound India to the 21st Century.
Today is the Result of Yesterday (Part-III)
Knowingly or unknowingly, people were grossly indulged in spreading all sorts of misinformation and inflammatory statements by sharing them further without verifying their authenticity or trying to understand the evil intentions behind them. Just about the same thing we are witnessing today; only the means have changed, which are more sophisticated and lethal now.
Today is the Result of Yesterday (Part-II)
“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost”. So, more than the chaotic economic condition, which could be overcome and rebuilt with the passage of time, it’s the ‘character’ of the nation we must all be concerned about; because, once lost, we will never be able to regain it.
Today is the Result of Yesterday (Part-I)
A large number of people had gathered on both side of the road to watch the Jhanki which was about to approach from the Red Fort side. Burkha-clad women could be seen sitting on the edge of the side-walkways with small children by their side, eagerly waiting for the Jhanki to turn up. It was really heartening to see such large number of people from a community perceived to be the most orthodox in their religious beliefs participating in a Hindu festival.
Déjà vu – The Mystical Experience of My Life
… déjà vu is caused by some sort of disparity in the mind that causes it to take the ‘present’ for the ‘past’; while few others relate the phenomenon to the past life experience. Whatever may be the truth, the bottom line is – while the natural human tendency is to reason out everything, there are things which are beyond human perception and sometimes better be kept secret.
Cheers..
Here I must clarify that I do not have the slightest intention to promote drinking; though, I do believe that taking it in a limited quantity, following the 3Ds of Drinking, i.e., Duration, Dilution & Diet, will never really harm anybody in any manner unless and until one makes it a habit. Wish you all a very happy New Year. Cheers..
Vegetarianism – My Views
I don’t remember whether I had succeeded in my efforts to avoid consuming meat that day, chances of which were really very distant; but, it was for the first time that I realized that it takes a life of a living being to satiate our taste buds with non-veg food; and that was something I perceived as ‘not being human’.
Two of my all time favourite stories-II
In the story, the fest organized by the King is a metaphor for this world, which offers all the delicacies of life for us to enjoy. However, these objects of enjoyment act as distracters and keep our attention diverted from our real purpose in life (ultimate goal being to seek God and become a liberated soul).
Two of my all time favourite stories-I
The poor Brahmin in the story, despite facing such hardships in life, was such a kind hearted person that he, even in his sufferings, thought about the people who are less fortunate than him. Instead of complaining, he was rather grateful that he had two eyes to see the roughness of the surface and able to walk carefully.
Woman of Easy Virtue
Does the fact that the victim was a bar-dancer or, for that matter, a woman of immoral character, as alleged in the 1997 gang-rape case, in any manner, gives right to the accused to rape her? Then, why did I feel relieved?
Vipassana – As I experienced it (Part-IV)
Concluding my instant write up, I would only say that to know the ‘unknown’ you have to start with what is ‘known’ – what you are familiar with and that “watching is the key”. You have the ‘body’ and you have the ‘breath’ – watch them; just watching would lead you to every secret this Universe holds including the ultimate truth – “you are not in this world, the world is in you”.
Ananya
“Even chance meetings are the result of karma… Things in life are fated by our previous lives. That even in the smallest events there’s no such thing as coincidence”.
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Aversion to Admiration – My Affinity with Bangla Cinema
It all started with 2019 Bangla movie “Robibaar’ (On a Sunday) starring Jaya Ahsan, whose serene beautiful face looked so ‘familiar’ to me that I just couldn’t resist watching the movie. Robibaar was undoubtedly a wonderful movie and so was Jaya’s performance. She was just amazing and no wonder that the movie had got her the Best Lead Actress Award in Foreign Language Film category at Madrid International Film Festival, 2020.