60 years of glory: Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali turns 60!

Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali turns 60!

Devika Sharma

Student, IIMC, New Delhi

Satyajit Ray in Action (Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

60 years ago, a film based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 iconic Bengali novel ‘the Apu Trilogy’, about a family settled in rural Bengal, released in India. The director was a new entry, the cast was unheard of, but the film went on to create a legacy in India and abroad. Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’, considered one of the greatest films of all time released in Bengal on 26th August, 1955- 60 years back.

2015 marks, six decades of Ray’s vividness behind the camera, Subrata Mitra’s cinematography and brilliant performances, that lets an average viewer, feel the simple joys and sorrows of everyday life. Pather Panchali (Song of the little road), presents to us the complexities of life in all their rhythmic harmonies. The film, directed by Satyajit Ray, is a poignant story of poverty at various levels and yet, a story that challenges the notion, that poor are devoid of happiness. 

The film is infused with moments of abject poverty meeting moments of small joys. The whistling train, running behind the ‘mithai wala’ to steal sweets, dancing in the rain, picnics in the forest, eating with friends and many such joys make for the nuances in the film that demolishes the elitist notion, that, there is no joy in poverty.  

Chunibala Devi is pragmatic as the aging woman Indir and Subir Banerji is captivating as Apu. (Courtesy: Google Images)

Karuna Banerji as Sarbajaya is impeccable as the mother who is highly distressed by poverty and frustrated for not having her wishes fulfilled by her spouse. Uma Das Gupta is beautiful as, Durga, whose name itself is symbolic of the Indian goddess, symbolizing strength. Chunibala Devi is pragmatic as the aging woman Indir and Subir Banerji is captivating as Apu.

The story, set in Bengal, takes the viewer into the life of a typical poor family. Sarbajaya is the perpetual worker in the kitchen and has no other life except that. She naturally makes Durga follow her footstep. She is also an inconsequential thief who regularly steals from the neighbor’s orchard to feed her aunt which reflected the constant theme of respect and social standing which seemed to have permeated among Indians since colonialism.

The mother, Sarbojaya adores her daughter, but strongly disapproves of her defiant ways. Durga is outgoing, while Sarbojaya is more interested in preparing her for a life of domesticity. Ray does a phenomenal job of making these two rebellious characters into more than just clichés and their relationship remains stimulating despite their stubbornness. Ray’s use of non-professional actors, use of natural locations, no make-up and complete renunciation from the exaggerated emotions and practices of popular cinema is what makes the film realistic. 

Ravi Shankar's music perfectly gels with Ray's images, converting plain shots of dirty ponds and playing kittens into instances of high art. His music gives the film a melancholic tone.

Ray has woven a rich cinematic experience for the viewers to experience the protagonist’s joys and sorrows. The two characters that truly stand out in the film are that of Durga and her aged aunt, Indir. Ironic to Indir’s wrinkled features, her presence lights up the scenes with vitality Durga on the other hand is a spirited girl who absolutely enchants the viewers not with her liveliness but her imperfections.

There are some high points capably conceptualised by Ray that take the story forward. One such being the train sequence, wherein, on one hand were Durga and Apu, who experience an almost magical phenomenon of watching a train hurtle down the railway track which symbolized the increasing modern age which showed that there is life outside the village. Parallel to this ecstatic moment is the sad scene of Indir’s demise.

The film’s visuals, like that of the stormy night depicted the commotion that was going to hit the family. The visual of the dead frog outside the house was symbolic of what was going to happen inside the house. Monsoon is symbolic of change because it brings relief in the heat. However rainstorms can bring about destruction as well. Hence, monsoons in the film symbolize promise with a speck of threat. Ray builds up this narrative beautifully accompanied by a montage of images of lotus flowers, dark clouds and tiny aquatic insects.       

The film is a social commentary on rural life that existed in India in the Nehruvian era of the 1950s. It is a slice-of-life story about impoverished conditions that prevailed in villages. It talks about the endless modern possibilities that existed beyond village life.

Ray’s stories hold a universal appeal even to this date, cutting across geography and language, and warming hearts of all generations since then.

Ray and his films, both, are relevant because human emotions, values and feelings are universal and rise above generations. Ray’s work will continue to converse to those whose human instinct allow them to glance deeper into society and human cognitive. The images created by him in Pather Panchali might turn yellow like books do, but the emotions that the film conveys will continue to remain fresh in the mind and hearts of the people. Ray weaved magic with his film making just like Tagore did before him.

Alarming rates of antibiotic resistance observed in a new CDDEP report

Soaring incomes in developing nations mean more people can afford medical facilities, but a new study has found that this is also helping swell resistance to antibiotics. Misuse and overuse of antibiotic drugs has already created a huge challenge in developed parts of the world, and now low and middle income countries are catching up.

Courtesy: Google Images

Researchers have mapped dangerous trends in antibiotic resistance on a global scale for the first time. Online mapping tool and new report by Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), shows a perilous rise in drug-resistant infections and use of antibiotics.

Researchers at CDDEP, a health think tank based in New Delhi and Washington DC, have released new data documenting alarming rates of bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics that can lead to life-altering infections across the world. Though wealthy countries still use far more antibiotics per capita, high rates in the low and middle-income countries like India, Kenya and Vietnam sounds a warning to the world. In India, 57 per cent of the infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae, a dangerous superbug found in hospitals, were found to be more than 60 percent resistant in India.

According to data, Klebsiella pneumonia’s resistance to carbapenems, an antibiotic of last resort, was 57 percent in 2014 compared to just 29 per cent in 2008.

The findings were released through CDDEP’s Resistance Map, an interactive online tool that allows users to track the latest global trends in drug resistance in 39 countries, and antibiotic use in 69 countries. It includes infections caused by 12 potentially fatal bacteria, including Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Resistance to other antibiotics in bacteria like E. coli is high, in some cases over 80 percent. 

CDDEP also issues a first of its kind report that looked extensively at the current state of global antibiotic use and drug resistance in humans, livestock and the environment. The biggest surprise was the quantity of use of antibiotics in the animal sector—about 64,000 tons, which is expected to go to about 105,000 tons by 2030. 

“A rampant rise in antibiotic use poses a major threat to public health, especially when there’s no oversight on appropriate prescribing,” said Laxminarayan. “Antibiotic use drives antibiotic resistance.”

“Humankind will need to focus 80% of our global resources “on stewardship and no more than 20% on drug development”, he added.

Authors say antibiotic stewardship is the key action to be taken, and they challenge the frequently perceived notion that the problem with antibiotic resistance is a lack of new drugs in the antibiotic pipeline. CDDEP doesn’t believe inventing new antibiotics alone can help. They’re expensive and they only perpetuate the cycle of bacteria developing resistance to every new drug. Rather, hospitals, public health officials, and doctors have to save the effective antibiotics for when they’re really needed. Instead of being the primary treatment for mild issues like coughs, colds, and basic diarrhea, antibiotics must be treated as precious life-saving medicines, to be used rationally under medical supervision when needed.

JAI BHIM COMRADE: A FILM REVIEW

JAI BHIM COMRADE!

Courtesy: Google Images

By
DEVIKA SHARMA
Student, IIMC, New Delhi

Anand Patwardhan has given us landmark films in past on some of the most pertinent issues prevailing in our times. And the biggest accolade to the films came from the Indian state which tried laughably to block them every time just because they held a mirror to it to them their real picture, a picture they never wished to see.

Interestingly, Jai Bhim Comrade, his Documentary is his first documentary that glided smoothly through the government pipelines and the Censor Board of India.

The film is a heart wrenching experience of the caste carnage of Dalits in Ramabai Colony, Mumbai (Maharashtra). It provides a sneak peek into their circumstances and the way in which the section of Dalits are still downtrodden and looked down upon in a democracy that claims to be the largest and one, which does not discriminate.

In the wake up to the very recent and shocking case of Rohith Vemula’s suicide, the film helps to understand the way caste atrocities are still embedded in the society. What the film further helps to understand is how these subtle atrocities have become institutionalized.

The documentary that took Patwardhan 14 years to make, runs for over three hours.

The film is a metaphor to acknowledge a revolutionary singer Vilas Ghogare, who in the film, anchors the depiction of the plight of Dalits. The film starts with Ghogare singing a ballad with his choir. He is symbolic of the Dalits in Maharashtra who are famous for their exclusive democratic dissent with their rousing music.

The very next shot shows him dead, having hanged himself in protest of killing of 10 innocent Dalits by the police at Ramabai Nagar on July 11, 1997.

The very same day, a statue of the Dr. B R Ambedkar, a Dalit leader was dishonored with a garland of footwear put around his statue. Many Dalits peacefully demonstrated on the highway demanding an investigation into who was responsible for the shameful act. But flouting all democratic rules, a police van was positioned and Manohar Kadam, the officer in charge gave instructions to fire. Around 10 unarmed protesters were killed, leaving many injured. The police officer was let out on bail and further promoted as the incident doused down.

The act of desecration of the statue and the manner in which police under the Shiv Sena-BJP government killed blameless Dalits, the defenselessness with which Dalits had to take it all without any support from their leaders moved many Dalits to righteous anger. The sense of injustice would have let anyone to committing suicide as a natural reaction. But Vilas through his brutally honest lyrics and high pitched riveting voice compelled many to rise against injustice against their Community.

The scope of the film is not limited just to Maharashtra but India as a whole. This film at a time when Rohith Vemula, a Dalit scholar in Hyderabad University committed suicide for being denied of his rights, represents the position of Dalits in the country!

The film also highlights earlier and long forgotten atrocities on Dalits. Like the killing of a Dalit Panther revolutionary, Bhagwat jadhav by Shiv Sena in a protest rally in 1974 and the Khairlanji Massacre.  The film documents the twisted Khairlanji case where young men high on testosterone and the lucky tag of them being an upper cast are lurking on the roads, carrying swords made of cardboard and demanding job reservations.

When asked about the Khairlanji murder, one Maratha manoos defended the act by saying that the girl’s character was loose and the village decided to teach her a lesson!

The film is replete with thoughtful shots like that of  a chocolate wrapper dug in a heap of garbage when a Dalit sweeper is talking about  the lack of basic amenities like gum boots and masks for sweepers and his struggle to make ends meet and provide food and water to his family. The shot is a commentary on the stark contrast in the privileged and the not so privileged sections of society.

The film apart from these instances also reflects upon the way in which Indian Constitution is misused by the hegemonic powers, i.e. the ruling class, the appropriation of Dalit activists into mainstream dirty politics and also the role played by leftist parties in the way they deal with caste issues in India.

Jai Bhim Comrade is a film that will continue to converse to those whose human instinct allow them to glance deeper into society and human cognitive. There will be many other Vilas Ghogare and Rohith Vemulas if the outlook of the state towards the minorities remains the same.

Above everything, the film pays a tribute to music and poetry it is a film about music, poetry of those who have less of other things in life. The music of the Dalit revolutionaries in the film cannot be easily forgotten. Optimistically, the rebellion can’t be either. I can only end the review by saying, Jai Bhim Comrade!

first Podcast!

Image courtesy: Google Images

LENNON UNPLUGGED!

John Lennon’s name will always be synonymous with peace and political activism. In his early days, he was rumored to have engaged in fistfights when the Beatles, dressed in black leather jackets, played the seedier clubs in Hamburg sailor bars, as they were sometimes known. It might have been hard at the time to predict Lennon’s meteoric rise to fame and his ultimate espousal of peace and political activism, although he was always an iconoclast and a bit of a rebel, even from his early days in Liverpool. His song “Give Peace a Chance” remains an anthem for the anti-war movement – and probably always will. Listen to all this and much more in this podcast- Lennon Unplugged
 (link below)

Podcast- John Lennon

PDA- What's wrong?

Public display of Hypocrisy?

Okay so we need to get this right. Peeing in the public is acceptable but a peck on the cheek isn’t. The skewed moral attitude of the people of this land has continued to baffle me for years.

Have you ever faced harrassment in the hands of the police for indulging in so called public display of affection? If no, then well and good but if yes, you will know exactly what I am talking about.

In 2009, a Delhi court threw out the case against a young, married couple who were picked up by police allegedly for kissing near the railway station. In 2007, people burnt effigies of Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty because the Hollywood actor publicly embraced her in a "sexually provocative" way. Also, I recently stumbled upon an article on the net wherein members of a organisation allegedly assaulted a boy and a girl belonging to different communities in January 2014, when they were holding hands while walking on a beach near Surathkal on Wednesday. 

Public display of affection, the most common word used in FIR registers of our police stations has always been a debatable issue in society. So, why can’t we kiss? Why can’t we hold hands?

We are given the right to vote, to choose a government but not the right to be responsible for our actions. In the garb of preserving our Indian culture , we have been subjected to a number of unreasonable restrictions.  The ancient history of India has never ever had such impositions and restrictions. Furthermore, there i an entire book of the ‘art’ of sex named Kamasutra, written by Indians. So, doesn’t that make us hypocrites?

We want to promote and give our children sex education but we, of course aren’t comfortable with PDA. Now that’s called irony at its best!

Every now and then we come across news of the police and self recruited guardians of public morality, bashing up young couples holding hands, hugging or showing any kind of affection.  I got to thinking why this is.

Courtesy: Google Images

 The law of our land stands in guard of this claim that pda is immoral.  According to Indian Penal Code Section 294 (a): Whoever, to the annoyance of others does any obscene act in any public place, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine, or with both.

Now this law is contentious. What may be obscene for one may not be for the other. The definition of what’s obscene and what’s not can be debated at length. In my view this is violation of our fundamental right to expression, Expression of love in this case.

We live in a society where public display of hatred is not given much attention. No person would give you rueful looks if u hit somebody on the road, or get into a fight. However if they see you getting close with your boyfriend, they would judge you like they have been especially appointed for the task. It is deemed acceptable  for a mother to publicly hug her son or for two friends of the same gender to hold hands but for two lovers to hold hands or hug becomes a moral concern in our society.  

Talking about the self appointed moral police lurking all around. Now everybody wants to be a hero. And what are the tasks  for which they do self appointing for? Protecting the Indian culture I guess. I don’t think of any other thing because I haven’t read or heard about anything that they do except Imposing Indian culture on people and in its inauthentic form that too.  Harassing and humiliating young couples is unacceptable. Every person has right to express his/her love and go out to spend sometime together – without offending anyone and also maintaining self respect.