Meeting Paulami DuttaGupta of Ri - Homeland of Uncertainty

This Tuesday I got invited to attend the book release of Paulami DuttaGupta's Ri - Homeland of Uncertainty at Abar Baithak Cafe, Kolkata. I had read quite a couple of favourable reviews of the book and was eager to know more about it because the premises of the book are quite unusual and very interesting. What piqued my interest even more was the fact that Ri (meaning ''my land'' or "my country") was originally a screenplay for a Khasi movie which was later rewritten as a novella by Paulami herself.

 Unfortunate as it was, I was lost trying to figure the exact address and arrived a little late to find Mr. Badshah Maitra, veteran Tollywood actor, the chief guest delivering the keynote address. Paulami came running to welcome me, despite being so busy, the moment she noticed me entering. I settled down to listen to Mr. Maitra's opinion and views about the book and the subject it discussed.

You can watch the video here (it is in Bengali) -

Mr. Maitra discussed how ignorant most of us are when it comes to the North Eastern states of India. Most of us are aware and concerned about the rest of the country, the floods in Kashmir but only a very few of us are even cognizant of the flood problem in Northeast India. The conflict between the group of extremists and the administration, he notes, is a universal one, which Paulami deftly handles in her book.

Paulami DuttaGupta's father, Retired Professor, Mr. P. R. Dutta said something which had occurred to me before. He mentioned how ill-informed and generally indifferent we are to the Seven Sisters. Most of us know about Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, but people hardly know about freedom fighters from the Northeast like Rani Gaidinliu, Haipou Jadonang or Kiang Nongbah. They too fought for the freedom of their country. Unfortunately, nobody remembers them or their contribution to the freedom struggle. He told us an anecdote about a certain meeting where he was asked by a certain gentleman about the place he was from. He promptly answered "Shillong", a place the former failed to have even heard of. Mr. Dutta added how alarmed he feels when people think of it as a place in Assam (and not Meghalaya where it correctly belongs to). 

Paulami DuttaGupta also spoke about her book and the amount of research that went behind it. She informed us how she wanted to name her book "2004" and later decided against it because that would delimit the scope of the book as the issues brought forward are not merely about one year, they are eternal questions which have been asked over and again. She also noted that her book isn't an entirely fictional one because the incidents and the issues mentioned are very real and are a part of everyday life for the people of Meghalaya.  Paulami also answered a few queries and questions asked by the audience who wanted to know more about the book and its context.

The book release event was a really enriching experience where I came to know a lot of new aspects about the North Eastern states of India I myself was ignorant about. Paulami was a lovely host who came and talked to everybody present at the event and thanked them personally which is something I really loved. I couldn't talk much because she was really busy. I'm hoping to catch up with her real soon. As it turns out, Paulami happens to be a distant cousin of one of my classmates, Chandreyee!! The world indeed is a small place.

For those of you who are in Goa, you can catch the movie at the 45th International Film Festival, Goa on 24th NOVEMBER, 2014 AT 3:30 pm. VENUE: INOX-II, OLD GMC BUILDING, CAMPAL, PANJIM, GOA

Abar Baithak is this charming cafe near Dhakuria in Kolkata. It makes for a great place to gather with friends for a cup of coffee and chit chat. Do check out the place if you are around, you'll love it.

P.S.- My friend Gaurav Dutta took the book from me before I could read and review it. He has agreed to review the book for us (you see, I don't give books for free, I make people work for it ). Keep watching this space for his take on the book.

Till Then,

Website Review : Collegedunia.com

The time before admission to a new college is a really stressful and confusing one for both students and parents alike. I remember how thoroughly stressed I was after I finished school. The innumerable options available in terms of subjects and colleges were really bewildering. Both my parents and I had a tough time selecting the colleges and the subjects I wanted to apply for. Infrastructure, fees, timings and a lot of other criteria had to be looked. Finding the perfect college was some challenge!!
The exact same was repeated when my sis had to apply for colleges. I'm pretty sure a lot of others have gone through or will have to go through similar situations.

Now, what if I told you there was a solution for the problem? Wouldn't that be absolutely wonderful? The answer is Collegedunia.com , a website founded by Sahil Chalana who noticed the huge gap in the information that is available and decided to go a step ahead and create a website to cater to all the queries that students and parents looking for colleges may need to get addressed.

 

What they say about themselves-

Collegedunia.com has been created to fulfill a vision of empowering students with knowledge so that they make a wiser decision while choosing their career and alma mater. The website has a repository of more than 20,000 colleges and 6000 courses categorized in different streams like Management, Engineering, Medical, Arts and much more.

Things I loved -
1) The clean and crisp look of the website.
2) The ratings of the colleges is provided right next to their names along with fee details and the timings.
3)  Innumerable filters to narrow down your searches to make things really easy.
4) Detailed description of the colleges including infrastructure, subjects provided, photos, eligibility criteria, course timings and other details provided.
5) There is a section where exams are listed and the upcoming exams under each category are listed which will help students appear for admission tests and check the eligibility criteria for the same.

Suggestions for improvement-
Since the website is quite new, a lot of colleges have not been documented as yet. Major colleges are the only ones listed and a few others have not been rated as yet. I'm really hoping they add more colleges and cities to their list so that people from all around the country get to benefit from it.

I would give a thumbs up to this website and the thought that went behind the making of it. This is going to be a major help for a lot of students who can get really baffled by the number of options available. Give the website a look and tell us what you think.

Till next,

Pocketful of Sunshine

Aniesha and I were talking on Saturday and we were both cribbing about how busy I've gotten lately and how the mess at her university (she studies at Jadavpur ) wasn't getting any better. We decided to meet and crib some more over breakfast. So, we met this Monday at Park Street's Au Bon Pain (I highly recommend this place if you haven't been there...the quirky decor, super comfy seats and delicious orangeade shouldn't be missed). While the two of us sat there munching on our delicious egg and pesto croissants and yapping at the same time, I spotted these kids running around with a tray.

I pointed to this bunch of three six-or-so year olds who by the appearance looked like they had dressed for Eid. Aniesha giggled and remarked how excited kids get when they find food, a lot of it.
"The poor parents must be going crazy trying to control them". We continued talking when my eyes wandered to another counter where I spotted the three carrying this tray with one Onion and Garlic Bagel on it. I overheard one of them say "Ye wala le le...30 hai (take this one...it costs 30) " and I poked Aniesha saying , "They aren't here with their parents!! ". I could see that she looked really worried and started scanning the place trying to find them. "Oh there they are", she said pointing to the cash counter. We saw the three hand over one ten rupees note each to the guy at the counter who looked really amused. "Bhaiya, 30 huye na? (it is 30 bucks right?) ". What they didn't notice was that the bill was not 30 but 35 rupees with the added tax. The guy at the counter was really kind and nodded his head in affirmative and took the 30 rupees handed to him.

These three then clambered into the seats right behind ours. One of them divided this one bagel into three parts as the other two slathered ketchup all over it. The two of us watched them highly amused as they laughed and nibbled the bread. I nudged Aniesha to go and ask them if we could take a picture of them. And guess what? These three not just said a yes with big grins but one of them smartypants flashed a "V for Victory" when Aniesha clicked the picture.

Aniesha and I wanted to buy them muffins but they sped the moment they finished their bagel. Kids these days are way smarter, I swear. I'm pretty sure I would have never had the courage to go to a place located on such a busy street all alone!!

Do you have a similar story to tell? Share it with us in the comments

Till next,

Arise, Awake, and Stop not till the Goal is Reached #HOKKOLOROB

source- Swami Vivekananda FB page

It has been a really long time I posted anything here on the blog, something that I was extremely passionate about. I've been extremely busy working day in and out for my Bachelors in Education course, so didn't get the time to blog. But, recently a great number of shocking events happened in my city (or for that matter the entire nation) which made me pull my socks and I decided I just had to write something abut it. I don't know what difference it makes but I needed the few readers I have to know what is happening and come out and join us in the protest if they believe in the cause. 

 Here is what happened -

A bunch of hostel students from the prestigious Jadavpur University in Kolkata dragged a girl to the hostel premises and assaulted and molested her on the grounds of indulging in indecent behavior. Her male friend was not spared either and was beaten up too. This happened somewhere around the end of August.

No action was taken when the girl reported the matter to the Vice Chancellor of the university or for that matter when she could identify one of the criminals and registered an FIR at a nearby Police station.

The students of the university decided that they had to do something to make the authorities recognize the wrong done and bring justice to the girl. The students had 'gherao-ed' (surrounded) the faculty building and were sitting outside with slogans and peacefully protesting. The VC, instead of doing what is right, was supposedly so scared for his life that he decided to call the police in the middle of the night, who blindly brutally lathi (batons) charged the innocent and unarmed students and molested, groped and assaulted the female protestors. 

Result - Some 40 students were put into jail, some 25 are admitted in the hospitals (with one of them in coma) and innumerable others suffered grave injuries with broken ribs and bones. (The numbers vary from source to source)

 Here is picture from TOI which gives the timeline of what happened on 16-17th of September 2014-

Source- www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

This picture from NDTV clearly depicts the truth-

Source- www.ndtv.com

 In protest to this heinous act, more than 1,00,000 people came out into the streets in Kolkata, braving the torrential rain, leaving behind every other important work to voice their concern and disgust in the form of a peaceful rally and to meet the Governor.

 

Source- www.youthkiawaaz.com

The entire incident got National and International coverage. See it here, here and here . Our protest demands justice for the girl and for those innocent students who were beaten into pulp.

Source - Hokkolorob FB page

It is disgusting how irresponsible, monstrous and inhuman our so-called teachers have become. As a would-be teacher I'm ashamed and disgusted. It is appalling how educational institutions which are supposed to provide quality education to the young generation and provide a peaceful and safe haven to them for the same have turned itno battle fields where students are assaulted, molested and cruelly beaten up by those who hold power. Here are a few reactions from people I know which will give you two different perspectives of the issue.

" I have been a student of Jadavpur University for the last five years, and to me it has always been a home away from home. My safety and my dignity having always been assured in this campus, I realized on 28^th August,2014 and 19^th September, 2014 that there are times when one’s home can also be intruded into. Standing beside my classmates, my friends, my juniors and my college mates who got beaten up by the same organizations that have promised us respect and safety for civilians, women and students, I understand that in Bengal and in India, all these promises are always smothered by these same people. A girl has been molested, in her own university, and yet the first questions raised are against her dignity, her integrity. Some even come to think of the entire situation being something she deserved. In such a land, there can never be any form of justice. We, as the students of Jadavpur University have always come across people, who being insecure of themselves, will always speak rot about the students. But when my friends were beaten up, my juniors were groped, and my classmates were physically thrown off, I sincerely doubt these people who call themselves ‘People’.

It is not a call to arms, neither is it a signal for chaos, all this movement is about is that one girl who deserves justice be allowed that space wherein she can claim her demand. I, as a student had kept faith in our Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Abhijeet Chakraborthy regarding the situation, and I along with all of my fellow students have been brutally let down. All this movement is about is to remove that person who had promised us our safety, because we have realized that unless there is no assurance of protection in our very own university, we cannot trust our ‘elders’ with ourselves. We have always sung our songs in the face of blows, and we continue to do that. "

~ Riti from Jadavpur University

"Welcome to the Fascist West Bengal where the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression is curbed. So you are EDUCATED? a FREE-THINKER? an INTELLECTUAL? Can express an UNDAUNTED FRAME OF MIND SANS any BIAS? Don't worry, you'll be labelled either a MAOIST or a NAXALITE. Or how about being rendered the exclusive treatment of brutalization, molestation and then imprisonment?

The students of Jadavpur University protested against the molestation of a girl at the institution. The output? They get brutalized mercilessly and are dragged behind the bars. AN ISSUE AS SIMPLE and NOBLE as this. Where on earth are the topics of alcohol consumption and weed emerging on the scenario? And the procession of the COUNTER "protest" today led by the ruling power... What was it for? MORALITY is DEAD for THESE PEOPLE and so are their humanitarian attributes.

Thanks goodness, T.S. Eliot that you're dead...because after witnessing this even you would have fallen short of words!

WE ARE STUDENTS.
WE ARE THE COMMONERS.
WE CAN'T BE FOOLED."

~Shreya from Calcutta University

It is Mohaloya today, Maa Durga has left her heavenly abode and come over to visit us earthlings. The ten days following are a celebration of the struggle and the victory of the good, the righteous and the brave over what is wrong, corrupt and evil. There is no better time to stand up and raise your voice against the wrong you see around you. No voice is small. Shout out loud and make it heard.

Source- Hokkolorob FB page

 Join the movement here - The Hokkolorob Facebook page

Sign here - Change.org petition

 #HOKKOLOROB

Read Aniesha's take on the issue here.

Shubho Mohaloya , everyone !!