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Whose land is it anyway
The circus of protest was
limited to Singur—at best to West Bengal—while the problem affects
millions across the country. The only outcome was to draw the
attention of those who could look beyond Mamata’s saline drip to the
larger problem of land alienation, writes Pratik
Kanjilal
 Now
that the dust has settled after almost a month of turmoil over Singur,
there seems to be only one positive outcome of the whole affair—
you, dear reader, are very unlikely to ask: "Singur? What’s
that?" Land alienation is already a noticeable problem in India
and as the economy continues to boom, the proliferation of special
economic zones (Sezs) and the plant and infrastructure associated with
them will only make it worse.
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Master of verse |
The passing away of poet Munir Niazi, composer of unforgettable Us Bewafa Ka Shehar Hai, left a vacuum in Urdu literature. Widely translated in European languages, his significant poetic voice
can not be replaced. |
Rhyme of the road
Driving down from Bombay to Goa
is an enjoyable experience, observes Ervell E.
Menezes as he relives one such journey
Sometimes
one gets a feeling one was born on the road for there are few
pleasures greater than being on the road, driving or being driven,
that is. To see the silver strip of road stretching endlessly over
hill and dale, rivers or lakes, villages or towns, is the very essence
of life. What we see around us is life in its infinite variety.
Speaking out
together
Augusto Boal, founder of
Theatre of the Oppressed, is a legendary theatre director, writer and
politician. In an interview with Sujoy Dhar during
his recent visit to Kolkata, the 75-year-old Brazilian, speaks about
his ideas
Inside
the sprawling apartment of an old Kolkata mansion, a huge rag doll and
some props scattered on one corner bear testimony to the presence of
some theatre people around. After a few minutes’ wait Augusto Boal
emerges out of his room and walks with a limp.
A lovely mistake
Sumter’s Swan Lake-Iris Garden
in the US, which came about by sheer chance, is one of its kind,
reports Peeyush Agnihotri after a visit
Sumter
city, situated on the US state highway 378 in South Carolina and
better known for Shaw Air Force base, also has a softer side to it.
The city that lies barely 40 miles away from the state capital
Columbia is as well a rare amalgamation of colourful petals and
vibrant feathers.
Mumbai meri jaan
Traffic Signal
is about streets of Mumbai where all kinds of people live, survive,
jostle and yet retain their basic humanity, reports Shoma
A. Chatterji
Madhur
Bhandarkar draws attention everywhere, all the time. Chandni Bar
shot him to fame. If his Page 3 bagged the top award at the
National Film Awards a couple of years ago, the slickly produced Corporate
was chosen to be the opening film at this year’s IFFI at Goa.
Unforgettable
Bimal Roy
For all his class, Bimalchandra
Hemchandra Roy was a film-maker of the masses, writes M.L.
Dhawan in a tribute to the maestro whose death anniversary
falls tomorrow
Bimal
Roy was hardly 20 years old when he migrated from East Bengal to
Calcutta with his widowed mother, two brothers and a trusted companion—his
camera. P.C. Barua, a noted film-maker, engaged him to do the
publicity stills of his films. His expertise with camera paid off and
he was elevated as a cinematographer.
‘If
I could redo anything in Sholay....’
Filmmaker Ramesh
Sippy on the scene that haunts him in the film
There’s
this one scene that was supposed to be entirely positive but it had a
negative effect. Amitabh died and Dharmendra discovers that the coin
Amitabh used to flip had two heads and suddenly realises the
implication of that.
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