City of rickshaws

Arindam Sarkar

Even before river Teesta could flow into Bangladesh, the theme-makers of the Durga puja pandals here picked up one of the most popular symbols of Dhaka and turned it into a ravishing pandal.

The talks on sharing the Teesta between India and Bangladesh began in early 2012, the same year during Durgotsav, the Mangalam-Bondhusree Club of Behala designed their pandal as a rickshaw with all its motifs and colours that are now so common and famous in the Rickshaw Capital of the World – Bangladesh.

Bhabatosh Sutar is the artist who crafted the rickshaw art in the rickshaw-shaped Behala Durga puja pandal and depicted popular folklores and film scenes that are found on the body of the Dhaka rickshaws.

In 1919, rickshaw first reached Chittagong from Myanmar. European jute exporters introduced rickshaw in Narayanganj (Dhaka) and Netrakona (Mymensingh) in 1938 by importing it from Calcutta. In 1940s, the rickshaws began to be painted and decorated in East Pakistan. The rickshaw art, showing decorative motifs and floral designs in bold, bright and fluorescent colours on the backside of the pedi-cabs, today burn the streets of Bangladesh.

Each district has its own distinctive style of rickshaw art. Rajshahi and Dhaka, from where rickshaw art first began, is most adventurous artistically. Chittagong and Sylhet are conservative and Comilla displays simple designs.

Taj Mahal, minarets, mosques, birds, animals, boats, natural scenery, flowers, pictures of film heroes and heroines, aeroplane, Mukti Joddhas and religious motifs are painted with enamel paints on rickshaw bodies. At times, designed appliqués are strewn on the rickshaw hoods. Today roughly 4 lakh rickshaws ply in Bangladesh, of which more than a lakh is in Dhaka alone.

Rickshaw art with its blaze of colours has attained the status of Bangla folk art. Branded lifestyle shops such as Aarong and Jatra in Dhaka today sell small prototype models of rickshaws. South Asian and foreign tourists buy these as souvenir. These are also exported to Europe.

“The models are inspired by the big rickshaws which is the most popular mode of transportation in Bangladesh. The rickshaw art motifs is also used on bedcovers, table clothes, cushion covers, curtains, etc.,” said Majuri Sanchita Sriti, a designer of Jatra.

These rickshaw souvenirs that measure roughly 11inches in height, 10 inches in length and 4 inches in width are made of galvanized tins, rot-iron, bamboos, silver-coloured galvanized wires, cane and wood. Those made of cane, wood and bamboos are not painted but polished. “For painting the rickshaw toys and other products displaying the rickshaw art motifs, we use non-toxic paints. It is a very popular item on the shelf,” said Aarong Export Manager Parveen Shahnaz. The price of these rickshaw toys varies from 500 Taka to 1,000 Taka.

Incidentally, the rickshaw art motifs are so popular that Aarong is using the art form on top of trays, saucers and plates, suitcases, boxes, domestic water tanks and filters, photo-frames and candleholders. “People are fond of these motifs,” said Parveen Shahnaz. “In Bangladesh, rickshaw art has influenced the truck art and today similar motifs are found on the body of big vehicles,” added Majuri Sanchita Sriti.

If Kolkata’s hand-pulled rickshaws enthused Dominique Lapierre to write the bestseller City of Joy that became a Hollywood movie, contemporary painters and shooters have framed and exhibited the colourful Dhaka rickshaws in many art galleries of the world.

Durga Diplomacy

Arindam Sarkar

When formal talks fail, exchange of art and culture thaw the ice. With Delhi faltering in talks with Pakistan over infringement in Line of Control, terror strikes in J&K and border stability, Kolkata is riding Durga to usher in bilateral-peace and harmony with the neighbours in the eastern and the western fronts.

During Durgotsav 2013, the country saw for the first time the gorgeous truck art of Pakistan in the Nabin Pally Durga Puja pandal at Hatibagan in North Kolkata. The truck-shaped pandal on an innocuous small lane with its vibrant and bold colours, designs and decorations is set to captivate the eyes of the pandal-hoppers.

“Kolkata is open to ideas. It is the true culture capital of India. Given the relations between India and Pakistan, we thought soft power diplomacy would work. Bringing Pakistani truck artists here is a small step towards that,” said Regional Director of Rabindranath Tagore Centre, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Rajashree Behera.

Hatibagan Nabin Pally tied up with Art Illuminates Mankind (AIM) that promotes arts and crafts and the ICCR to get the Karachi-based truck artists Haider Ali, Mumtaz Ahmed and Mohammed Iqbal Mahar to show the famous “Moving Art” or the “Jingle Art” of Pakistan. “Truck artists are participating for the first time in such a mega-event,” said AIM’s Sonali Chakraborty.

Artist Gopal Poddar, who conceived the theme of the Pakistani truck-shaped Durga Puja pandal, said he was so impressed by the gorgeous trucks plying in Pakistan that he wanted artists from Karachi or Rawalpindi to execute them here. “Pakistanis are so passionate of truck art that a truck owner spends about Rs 12 lakh on external decoration over and above the truck cost,” said Gopal Poddar, who is making the Ekchala Devi out of copper, iron and metal scraps of trucks and is casting the face in the traditional way.

The Nabin Pally pandal, which is 100 feet long and 16 feet wide, is made of tin, wood, iron rods and steel. Like in trucks, the tops are left open. Amitava Roy of Nabin Pally explained that walking inside the pandal would be like seeing two trucks standing on either side of the pathway and the third truck facing the people on whose cockpit is placed the Devi. Apart from the heavily decorated sides, every truck with its frontal top raised is designed exuberantly.

Truck artist Haider Ali, who exhibited his expertise in 2006 Commonwealth Games, 2012 London Olympics and held workshops in Kolkata, Ankara, Toronto, Instanbul and New York, said he is happy to display the truck art of Pakistan during Durga Puja. Haider and two team members worked 12 hours everyday for 16 days in September to complete the three trucks that would be on display.

“The decorative materials such as peacocks, reflector tapes, glitters, glass plates, ship, roses, horses, eagles and jingles are being imported from Karachi. We will attach it at the last moment,” said Haider Ali, 33, who began truck-art from the age of seven.

The truck-art of Pakistan began since the Raj days in the 1920s. The truck companies hired artists to embellish their trucks in the hope that these would bring more business. Over the years, truck-art has become culturally deep-rooted and an ethnic identity of the various regions of Pakistan.

Artists use elements of daily and national life and convey religious messages as truck-art motifs. Images of birds, animals, flowers, mountains, lakes, roads, trees, actors, cricketers, politicians, helicopters, aircrafts, etc. are found on the truck bodies. The truck artists also depict the existing times. During the Afghanistan War, images of war scenes, AK-47 and F-16s were very common as truck art motifs. Also, murals and decorative pieces adorn the truck bodies.

“Moharis of Punjab love Taj Mahal, Lahore prefers Minar-e-Pakistan, Quetta likes dates and camels, nature and roses are very popular in Karachi. Religious calligraphy, messages of love from Heer-Ranjha and Sher-Shayari are also painted on the truck bodies,” explained Haider Ali.

Interestingly, every region has its distinctive style of truck art. For instance, Karachi trucks have lot of reflective tapes, Sindh artists love to use camel bone decorations, Peshawar and Quetta trucks have lot of wood trimmings and those from Rawalpindi and Islamabad use lots of plastic decorations. Pashtun truck drivers prefer to paint the pictures of pheasants and eagles, leaders like Ayub Khan and cricketers like Imran Khan. Talismans, trinkets and clothing are also heavily used to deck up the trucks.

“The trucks are painted in fluorescent colours of pink, red, orange, yellow and green. We also use enamel paints like white, black, yellow, golden yellow, crimson maroon and a mixed blue, green and red,” said truck-artist Mumtaz Ahmed, 35.

Nabin Pally puja organizers are impressed by the speed and accuracy in which the truck-artists have executed the pandal. General secretary of Nabin Pally Durga Puja Committee Souvik Bhar said their puja would highlight peace and communal harmony between India and Pakistan and Hindus and Muslims. The organisers lamented despite hitting upon such a wonderful theme and in spite of a paltry budget of Rs 22 lakh, there has been a death of sponsors to spread peace.

“Both Hydar and Mumtaz are spontaneous artists. They finish a canvas with dazzling colours and designs at a rapid pace without looking into any design book,” said Souvik Bhar. Haider wanted to paint a Kolkata tram as a gift of Pakistani truck-art to the city, but there has been no response from the State Government.

With Pakistani artists leaving the city this week, Haider said Durgtsav is a festival that brings joy to both the Hindus and the Muslims. “This is our gift of love to India. Being a Hindu or a Muslim is not an issue. We have same culture and tradition. Let there be peace,” said Mumtaz Ahmed.

Iqbal, 27, an apprentice, said he hopes to return and do a solo truck art someday in this city of culture.

From the Nawab's Kitchen

Arindam Sarkar

Nawab Wajed Ali Shah was an epitome of Awadhi culture and cuisine that he flagged with much pride till he breathed his last. He left behind for Kolkata the aristocratic tahzeeb and shayari for posterity and over the years, the tongue-smacking Awadhi royal cuisine has become a culinary craze in the city.

“Apart from his family and nobles, hundreds of bawarchis accompanied Nawab Wajed Ali Shah when he was deported from Awadh by the British and exiled to Garden Reach,” said Mirza Nissar Hussain, the caretaker of Shahi Masjid where the nawab did his namaaz, at Metiabruj.

Wajed Ali Shah’s 14 buildings – including his palaces – and many imambaras and masjids have all vanished from the face of Metiabruj. A passerby could easily miss the Shahi Imambara, which houses his innocuous-looking grave, on the busy Metiabruj street and the Shahi Masjid is now lost in the web of buildings and lanes.

The small Awadh with a zoo that Nawab Wajed Ali Shah built during his stay in Kolkata from 1856 – on a paltry pension of Rs 1 lakh from the British – is now a fable and the sepia pictures are the only evidence that give a glimpse of the nawab’s lifestyle.

The loss of Awadh and the melancholy of the exiled nawab, however, did not rob the royal kitchens of its magnificence. At Metiabruz, opulence of Dastarkhwan (the ceremonial dining spread) dipped, but not the taste or the variety of delicacies that were prepared by the royal chefs. Experimentation with food continued and though the ingredients remained the same, spices reduced.

According to Nawab Asif Ali Mirza, the great, grandson of Nawab Wajed Ali Shah, his grandfather changed the traditional biryani into a pulao by introducing potatos into them. “The original biryani comprised rice and meat blended with spices. But on the advice of his chefs, the nawab added potato to make the biryani healthy and tasty,” said Asif Ali Mirza.

Wajed Ali Shah also introduced Anar Pulao (made of crushed pomegranates), Malai Kofta, Bharva Kofta, Kashmiri dishes (Rogan Josh and Tabakhmaaz) and desserts like Safeida, Zarda and Muzafar in Kolkata. The scrumptious Awadhi kebabs, such as Tunde and Galauti, retained their original recipes and cooking style here.

“The cost of ingredients and spices, quality of chefs and the changing cooking style has brought in a variation to the Awadhi dishes of Wajed Ali Shah. But there is no doubt that Awadhi food culture has influenced the city gastronomy,” claimed Asif Ali Mirza.

Like his predecessors who ruled Lucknow, Wajed Ali Shah was a connoisseur of food. During Awadh’s heydays, six kitchens prepared delicious food for the nawab and his begums. Apart from the salaries of the noble in-charge, cooks, chefs and helpers, an additional sum of Rs 60,000 were spent every month for the upkeep of the royal kitchen that cooked for the nawab. Food after being prepared were brought out on an elaborately, decorated trays from the kitchen and Dastarkhwan was ready.

According to Abdul Halim Sharar, in his book Lucknow – The Last Phase of an Oriental Culture, “The collective name for foods selected for feasts at home or sent out was tora. It is said pulau, muzafar (rice dish with saffron), mutanjan  (meat, sugar and rice with spices), shir mal and safaida (a sweet, rice dish), shir bhanj (a sweet, rice dish boiled in milk), qaurma (fried vegetables with meat), shami kebab (croquettes of meat and lentil) along with murabba, achar, pickles and chutney comprised a tora.

The same fare continued when Wajed Ali Shah was exiled in Metiabruj. The much-liked Awadhi biryani – meat and rice are cooked separately then layered and baked in wood fire to prepare this pukki biryani – became an instant hit.

Awadhi cuisine is incomplete without kebabs. Tunde, Galauti, Boti, Sheekh, Shami, etc., are some popular kebabs that were cooked by mixing minced meat with marinated yogurt and spices. The Awadhi kebabs are cooked in a tawa and not grilled in tandoor like the Mughal kebabs. The kebabs are served with a variety of Awadhi breads such as rotis, naans, sheer mals, kulchas and taftans.

“In those days, bawarchis cooked food in large quantities. The rakabdars prepared small amount and the nanfus made breads,” said a city-based Awadhi chef Md Akbar of Bashir Hotel, whose father Rafiq Ahmad and uncle Shafiq Ahmad are renowned bawarchis. “Preparing food over slow fire – dum style – in copper and brass utensils is the Awadhi form of cooking.”

After Wajed Ali Shah’s demise in 1887, the Lucknavi cuisine came out of the royal kitchens and began to be prepared in the small eateries of Metiabruj, Zakaria Street and Park Circus. Kolkata taste buds, which were familiar with the Mughlai fare, soon took to the Awadhi food.

By 19^th century, several eateries selling exotic Awadhi dishes came up around Nakhoda Masjid. And by early 20^th century, with Awadhi food gaining popularity in the city, bawarchis shifted from Lucknow to Kolkata to work as cooks. “I am the fifth generation bawarchi cooking Awadhi dishes here. We shifted 130 years back,” said Md Akbar.

Initially, the eateries that made name for selling biryani and kebabs in Awadhi style were Aminiya, Shiraz, Royal, Aliya and Shabir. Rahmaniya and Arsalang were late entrants to this league of not-so-high-profile restaurants selling tasty Awadhi delicacies in the city.

“Metiabruj has a locality of bawarchi or khansamah. They are traditional Awadhi chefs who came with Nawab Wajed Ali Shah. Our late chef Md Shamsuddin was one such bawarchi. Cooks trained by him now prepare food at Shiraz,” said Director Shiraz Hotel Pvt Ltd Ishtaque Ahmed.

Soon, city five-star hotels also added Awadhi menu to their repertoire. Taj Bengal does not have a separate Awadhi section. “But in our Indian restaurant Sonargaon, we serve Kakori kebab, Murgh malai kebab and Kebab Sonargaon,” said Taj Executive Chef Sujan Mukherjee.

ITC Sonar, however, has a signature outlet Dum Pukht that serves top-of-the-line, well-researched Awadhi delicacies prepared by their Executive Chef Mayank Kulsreshtha. Dum Pukht is famous for such Awadhi culinary cuisine as Subz Mioni (a mélange of seasonal vegetables cooked in fresh, green spinach and fenugreek), Dum Pukht Kakori (minced lamb flavored with cloves, cinnamon and drizzled with saffron), Dum Pukht Koh-E-Awadh (chef’s quorma made of lamb shanks and flavoured with cardamon, tinged juices, marrow and saffron), Mahi Qaliya Dum Pukht (marbles of rohu cooked in mustard oil gravy and garnished with fenugreek seeds, fresh coriander, ginger and lemon juice) and Dum Pukht Biryani (Basmati rice simmered with lamb in mace, ittar and kewar in a handi).

The last unputdownable from Awadh Masterchef Mayank is the Shahi Tukra (an exotic saffron rabri dessert). “The cuisine has its own taste and flavour. It has the right blend of spices and herbs. It is our traditional food that is cherished by a foodie,” said Mayank Kulsreshtha.

What’s more, over the years the city has been dotted with a number of small restaurants such as Daawat-E-Shiraz, Chhote Nawab, Haka, Mirch Masala, Anokha Bagicha, Naushijaan, etc., which are trying to titillate the taste buds with Lucknavi food. But while most serve Awadhi dishes along with Indian and Mughlai cuisines, there are very few dedicated Awadhi food joints.

Finding there was a big gap existing between the low-priced hotels and the five-stars that served the Awadhi fare to the city, “Oudh 1590” was opened recently to cater to the upper middle-class with exotic and niche Lucknavi delicacies.

To make their restaurant cuisine most authentic, they hired cooks from Tundewali Gali in Lucknow and also created an Awadhi ambience inside the restaurant. “It is an effort to recreate the old Awadhi charm in culinary taste and atmosphere. We serve exotic and wholesome Awadhi cuisine. It is the first Awadhi period restaurant in the country,” claimed Director of Oudh 1590, Shiladitya Chowdhury.

Today, Oudh 1590 has a steady footfall and people are fond of their Awadhi handi biryani, galauti and kakori kebabs, mutton brain masala, nargisi kofta, keema-kaleji, nihari and keema paratha. “We called it Oudh 1590, because this gastronomic delight got its recognition here around that time,” Shiladitya said.

Oudh 1590 perhaps is not the last Lucknavi food junction here. With more and more people falling for the spicy and tasty dishes, Awadhi food is here to stay. Ironically, the British who stripped the Nawab of Oudh off his kingdom and crown by illegally violating a treaty in 1856, could not prevent the kitchen of Nawab Wajed Ali Shah to conquer the palates of the Subcontinent and the United Kingdom (The Curry Country) with Awadhi A la Carte.

It appears culinary imperialism of Nawab Wajed Ali Shah has outlived British military imperialism.

SHAAM-E-AWADH

Dastarkhwan of Wajed Ali Shah was a majestic spread with all its nafaasat and nazaakat (delicateness).

Mutton

Raan

Kundan Kaliya

Shahi Mutton Korma

Haleem

Rizala

Nehari Khas

Nargisi Kebab

Shami Kebab

Patili Kebab

Pasanda Kebab

Parda Nashin Kebab

Kakori Kebab

Poultry and birds

Murg Musallam

Murg Jahanara

Gulnar Kebabs

Murg Korma

Murg Do Pyaza

Fish

Machli Ke Shami Kebab

Kanta Gali Machli

Khatti Machli

Dum Machli

Zamin Doz

Vegetables

Tamatar Ka Dulma

Dum Bhindi

Gobhi Musallam

Subz Aloo

Lazeez Lauki

Kathal Ke Kebab

Karela Ka Dulma

Pulses

Dal Masoor Musallam

Maash Ki Dal Khasgi

Sultani Dal

Rice

Kofta ulao

Mutanjan

Lucknavi Biryani

Zarda

Ananas Ka Muzzafar

Sheesh Ranga

Yakhni Pulao

Breads

Roomali Roti

Sheermal

Taftan

Dal Kachori

Bakarkkani

Warqui Paratha

Kulcha

Dessert

Sheer Kadhi

Sheer Branj

Halwa-e-Badam

Balai Ke Tukre

Shakramba

Jauzi Halwa Sohan

Sewain Ke Muzzafar

Curd dishes

 

Boorani

Kheere Ke Raita

Falon Ka Raita

Makhane Ke Raita

Baigan Ka Raita

Great Expectations

Arindam Sarkar

It is little known that when eminent Nazrul Geeti exponent Firoza Begum died on September 9, 2014, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had thought of visiting Dhaka to pay respect to the departed singer. But at the last moment, Mamata changed her mind. On December 22, 2014, Mamata again expressed her desire to visit Dhaka to Bangladesh President Md Abdul Hamid during the latter’s visit to Kolkata.

A fortnight later, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali sent a written invitation to Mamata Banerjee, inviting her to participate as guest of honour in the celebrations of Bhasa Divas on February 21.

Having twice missed the opportunity to visit Dhaka, Mamata accepted the invitation from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. “I am happy. I have accepted the invitation. We have an emotional bonding with Bangladesh. It is mutually beneficial to have good relations with each other,” Mamata said. She is leaving for Dhaka on February 19.

But Mamata knows, this will not be just a goodwill visit to Dhaka. Once the cultural razzmatazz is over, the Sheikh Hasina-Mamata Banerjee talks are going to determine the fate of the long-pending Land Border Agreement (LBA), bilateral trade and commerce, Sunderbans and most importantly sharing of Teesta waters that Mamata has been opposing since 2011 – so much that she did not accompany Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Dhaka in September 2011 for signing of the Indo-Bangla Teesta Water Sharing Treaty. A disappointed Sheikh Hasina described it as “unfortunate”.

For more than three years Mamata remained cold to Hasina. “This visit is of great significance. Bangladesh needs Mamata Banerjee’s cooperation to sign important agreements with India. Teesta, LBA, duty-free trade and removal of tariffs and para-tarifffs are important issues that need to be addressed,” said Bangladesh’s Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed.

That the ice was melting became apparent when Mamata declared that she was ready for exchange of enclaves (LBA) with Bangladesh in December 2014. There are 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladesh enclaves inside India. In November 2013, when LBA – a Constitutional Amendment Bill – was tabled in the Parliament, Trinamool Congress MPs opposed it because it would lead to loss of land for the State. But Mamata changed her stance and said she wanted the people of the enclaves to get their rights and supported the LBA with Bangladesh.

Sheikh Hasina appreciated it. “The LBA is almost through. I think the security of the region and Teesta are going to be the principal issues in Hasina-Mamata talks. Rise of terrorism should be a common concern for both,” said Professor Jayanta Kumar Ray of Institute of Foreign Policy Studies, Calcutta University.

River Teesta that originates in Sikkim flows for 315 km, of which 130 km flows in Bangladesh. River experts have told Mamata that Teesta will not fulfill the unrealistic irrigation command area in either Bengal or Bangladesh. There is not much volume of water in Teesta during the lean season from November 1 to May 31, however it is abundant during the monsoon from June to September.

What’s more, sharing of the Teesta would severely affect the ecology of the river, lives of the people and irrigation of the land in North Bengal districts, especially Jalpaiguri. No wonder, Mamata is opposing sharing Teesta with Bangladesh.

Bangladesh complains that India is channelising a large volume of water to meet her irrigation needs through a barrage at Gazaldoba. With inadequate flow of water into the Bangladesh side, the Teesta Irrigation Project is suffering and farmers are living in utter poverty.  

“Mamata is not against the Teesta treaty. She refused Manmohan Singh because the draft treaty was prepared without consulting her. I think, once Mamata and Hasina address the real concerns scientifically, the treaty is a possibility,” said Professor Amiya Chowdhury of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies.

Mamata knows, like her illustrious predecessor, she is on the verge of being a part of history. Former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu visited Dhaka twice. First in 1997, after the signing of the historic India-Bangladesh Ganges Water Sharing Treaty and in 1999 during the launch of the Kolkata-Dhaka bus service.

Bangladesh and Hasina remember Jyoti Basu for the major role he played in the signing of the India-Bangladesh Ganges Water Sharing Treaty in 1996 and praise him for the support he extended to the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. When Basu died on January 17, 2010, the Jatiya Sansad of Bangladesh paid a rich tribute to him and declared to preserve his house at Barodi in Naraynganj as a library and a museum. Hasina flew down to Kolkata to pay respect to the departed leader.

“Jyoti Basu will be remembered for facilitating the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty. We want Mamata Banerjee’s visit to be positive. Now, irrespective of political parties, we want the Teesta treaty to come through,” said Moudud Ahmed, a Standing Committee Member of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Sheikh Hasina is expected to raise the looming threat of cross-border terrorism during her talks with Mamata. The Burdwan Blasts on October 2, 2014, caused tremors in Dhaka. The discovery that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operatives were involved in the blasts and that they had spread their tentacles in Bengal shocked the Sheikh Hasina government.

The JMB, which is against the ruling Awami League, was banned in Bangladesh in 2005. Not surprising, after the Burdwan Blasts, the Hasina government, Awami League and the Bangladeshi intellectuals condemned the use of Bengal soil to carry out terrorist activities in Bangladesh. And Bangladesh also expressed shock as to how such elements could flourish right under the nose of the Bengal government.

Speaking about the rise in terrorism, Bangladeshi writer and activist Shahriar Kabir said, Sheikh Hasina is fighting against terrorism and fundamentalism, and has also handed over militants to India. Dhaka expects that Bengal should not allow its land to be used for terrorism against Bangladesh. “We don’t support Jamaat-e-Islami. They should not get support from Bengal. Hasina and Mamata should work to end terrorism in this region,” said Shahriar Kabir.

Meanwhile, Awami League leaders believe the time was ripe for Mamata and Hasina to focus on striking the Teesta treaty and deliberate on how to tackle terrorism in this belt. “We expect bilateral-talks to resolve the crucial issues. Bengal CM should take the initiative. And as neighbours, we want Bengal to check terrorism on its soil,” said Awami League’s Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Haque Hanif.

So a common border, history and language are bringing Mamata and Hasina together in Dhaka this week. But this is one dawaat, where the Bengal CM would find her plate more than full. Given the high ask rate, it is to be seen what Mamata has to offer in return to the Bangladesh PM at the end of her three-day visit.

The Missionary Position

Arindam Sarkar 

Nothing seems to disturb the tranquility inside the Mother House at 54A AJC Bose Road. And like Mother Teresa in her lifetime, the sisters now living without her inside the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity (MC) are undeterred by criticisms and controversies about them and their Catholic Order.

On February 23, 2015, when Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat fired at Bharatpur that the service rendered by Mother Teresa was good but there was a motive behind such social service and that the motive was to convert those she served to Christianity, all hell broke loose. The remark on Mother Teresa shocked the Catholic Church and rocked the Parliament. But the MC maintained a stoic silence.

However, Navin Chawla said Mother Teresa was actually given $1,000 by Duvalier’s daughter-in-law and not millions. When Navin Chawla asked Mother Teresa why she took money from shady characters like Duvalier? She replied: “In charity, everyone had a right to give. I have no right to judge them. God alone has that right. I accept no salary, no grant, no government or church funds, nothing. I do not ask for money. But people have right to give.”

“Mother Teresa served the poor, the dying, the destitute and the sick irrespective of their religion. Homes set up by Mother Teresa accommodated everyone. When the physically and mentally challenged at these homes passed away, they were cremated or buried according to their faith,” claimed Sunita Kumar.

However, Navin Chawla said Mother Teresa was actually given $1,000 by Duvalier’s daughter-in-law and not millions. When Navin Chawla asked Mother Teresa why she took money from shady characters like Duvalier? She replied: “In charity, everyone had a right to give. I have no right to judge them. God alone has that right. I accept no salary, no grant, no government or church funds, nothing. I do not ask for money. But people have right to give.”

“Also, Mother Teresa’s position on abortion, divorce and contraception was ultra-reactionary and fundamentalist even in orthodox Catholic terms,” said Christopher Hitchens. He ridiculed her stand that abortion was “the greatest destroyer of peace”.

Mother Teresa faced a slew of criticisms in her lifetime. Yet, she and her MC never reacted to the diatribes. Silent work has always been their strength for survival and glory. Today with 754 homes in 130 countries, the ever-expanding MC is quietly praying and keenly waiting for Pope Francis to make Blessed Teresa of Kolkata a saint.
 

“Superior General Sister Mary Prema will not comment on the conversion issue,” said Sister Ita of MC. Spokesperson of MC Sunita Kumar, who has worked with Mother Teresa and MC for 50 years, said the RSS chief was “misinformed” about Mother Teresa.

Meanwhile, Superior General of MC Fathers in Tijuana, Mexico, Father Brian Kolodiejchuk said: “Mother Teresa believed that conversion is a work of God and that faith is a gift. She respected every person, including atheists or agnostics, and respected the faith they had or even lacked.”

The Constitution of the MC states: “We shall not impose our Catholic Faith on anyone, but have profound respect for all religions, for it is never lawful for anyone to force others to embrace the Catholic Faith against their conscience.” “This is very much in accord with the thought of Mother Teresa herself,” added Father Brian,

Echoing similar views, former chief election Commissioner of India and biographer of Mother Teresa, Navin B Chawla observed: “Although staunchly and devoutly Catholic, she reached out to people of all denominations irrespective of their faith, or even lack of it. She did not believe that conversion was her work. That was god’s work, she said.”

It was Malcolm Muggeridge in his BBC documentary Something Beautiful For God who first told the world about Mother Teresa’s work in Kolkata in 1964. But along with praise, came brickbats. Mother Teresa, arguably the most celebrated woman of the Catholic Church in the 20^th century, faced a good share of criticism in her lifetime.

From Professor Serge Larivie to Christopher Hitchens to Tariq Ali to Robin Fox and the latest being Mohan Bhagwat have all criticized Mother Teresa “for her rather dubious way of caring for the sick, her shady political contacts, her suspicious management of huge funds and donations, her alleged involvement in conversion and her dogmatic views on abortion, contraception and divorce”.
And even eight years after her death, Mother Teresa continues to be dogged by controversies and her critics do not stop to tarnish the life and works of the Albanian nun. 

Mother Teresa drew the ire of the medical journal The Lancet that criticized her for the quality of medical care provided to the terminally ill in her homes. In 1991, Editor of The Lancet Robin Fox visited her homes. He observed that the MC did not distinguish between curable and incurable patients and those who could otherwise survive were at the risk of dying from infection and lack of treatment. He was appalled by the manner in which the MC sisters attended to the wounds and provided pain management to the patients. The German magazine Stern criticized the champion of the downtrodden for using donations to expand her convents but not alleviating the condition of the poor in her homes.

“Also, Mother Teresa’s position on abortion, divorce and contraception was ultra-reactionary and fundamentalist even in orthodox Catholic terms,” said Christopher Hitchens. He ridiculed her stand that abortion was “the greatest destroyer of peace”.

Mother Teresa faced a slew of criticisms in her lifetime. Yet, she and her MC never reacted to the diatribes. Silent work has always been their strength for survival and glory. Today with 754 homes in 130 countries, the ever-expanding MC is quietly praying and keenly waiting for Pope Francis to make Blessed Teresa of Kolkata a saint.

“I have not seen a single case wherein people were asked to convert to Christianity. It is sad that Mother Teresa is accused of being involved in conversion. All her life she worked amongst the poor for the cause of humanity and peace,” said Sunita Kumar.

After Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997, Pope John Paul II put her Cause for beatification and canonsiation on a fast track. Pope John Paul II beatified and canonised more people than any of his predecessors in 27 years as pontiff. He beatified 1,300 and made nearly 500 saints. An admirer of Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II bypassed the five-year wait for beginning the sainthood process and beatified her on October 19, 2003.

The church took 400 years to cannonise Joan of Arc and 40 years to make Polish priest Maximillian Maria Kolbe a saint. After Pope John Paul II, the Cause of Mother Teresa is on a backburner. Nevertheless, the Archdiocese of Kolkata believes God would provide the miracle for her sainthood.

Postulator for the Cause of Sainthood of Mother Teresa, Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, has submitted his report on Mother’s life to Vatican. According to him, the MC is hoping and praying but so far there hasn’t been a case that is strong enough to pass the medical board of the Congregation of the Cause of Saints at Vatican. The beatified Mother Teresa is called Blessed Teresa of Kolkata. She needs another miracle to become a saint.

In 1994, two British journalists Christopher Hitchens and Tariq Ali produced a critical documentary Hell’s Angel on Mother Teresa on British Channel 4. Former Vanity Fair writer Christopher Hitchens launched a scathing attack on Mother Teresa in his book The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice.

Subsequently, Christopher Hitchens criticized Mother Teresa’s beatification process in an article in Slate. He says: “It’s the sheer tawdriness that strikes the eye first of all. It used to be that a person could not even be nominated for `beatification’, the first step to `sainthood’, until five years after his or her death. This was to guard against local or popular enthusiasm in the promotion of dubious characters. The Pope nominated MT a year after her death in 1997.”

“As for the `miracle’ that had to be attested what can one say? Surely any respectable Catholic cringes with shame at the obviousness of fakery…Monica Besra claims a beam of light emerged from a picture of MT and relived her of a cancerous tumor. Her physician Dr Ranjan Mustafi said she didn’t have a cancerous tumor in the first place and tubercular cyst she had was cured by a course of prescription of medicine. Was he interviewed by Vatican investigators? No,” argued Christopher Hitchens. He claimed there was an attempt by Pope John Paul II to make Mother Teresa a saint during his lifetime, but the Vatican turned it down.

According to Professor Larvie, the hallowed reputation of Mother Teresa does not stand up to scrutiny on many counts. Mother Teresa faced serious criticism for taking donation from Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, who stole millions of dollars from the poor country. She was nailed for taking funds from British publisher Robert Maxwell, who embezzled millions of pounds from employees’ pension funds. Mother Teresa also faced flak for demanding leniency in Charles Keating of Lincoln Savings and Loan case. Keating gave huge donation to Mother Teresa and a private jet when she visited the USA.

“She was a friend to the worst of the rich, taking misappropriated money from the atrocious…Where did that money and all other donations go?” asked Christopher Hitchens.

Mother Teresa drew the ire of the medical journal The Lancet that criticized her for the quality of medical care provided to the terminally ill in her homes. In 1991, Editor of The Lancet Robin Fox visited her homes. He observed that the MC did not distinguish between curable and incurable patients and those who could otherwise survive were at the risk of dying from infection and lack of treatment. He was appalled by the manner in which the MC sisters attended to the wounds and provided pain management to the patients. The German magazine Stern criticized the champion of the downtrodden for using donations to expand her convents but not alleviating the condition of the poor in her homes.

 

 

 

 

 

The Importance of Being Adhir Chowdhury in Murshidabad

Arindam Sarkar

The Congress is in awe of him. For the manner in which he goes about the panchayat, Assembly and the Lok Sabha elections. AICC president Sonia Gandhi is all praise for his MP. He is the Congress' Robin Hood in Murshidabad. 

But the Murshidabad Congress is always scared. It apprehends that the CPI(M) might play dirty tricks to derail Adhir and upset the chances of the Congress in recapturing the Zilla Parishad board of Murshidabad and other parliamentary segments.

Looking out of the window of his blue Scorpion speeding past a village, Congress' Murshidabad strongman and MP Adhir Chowdhury is a man possessed.

Adhir says, he does not rule out the CPI(M) trying to sabotage his panchayat election campaign by slapping another false case against him and putting him behind the bars. But even that, he says, will not upset the Congress chances here.

"The CPI(M) can go to any extent to stop me. But the CPI(M) doesn't realize that ever since the Congress won the Zilla Parishad in 2003, every day has been an election day for us. We fought with the CPI(M) daily to work and keep the board going," said AdhirChowdhury. "And so the last 14 days before the polls is no different."

Adhir is in a spin in this scorching summer of Murshidabad. In fact, for the last one month, Adhir has been pushing himself to the last frontiers of human endurance by campaigning for 12 hours daily from 8 am to 8 pm.

His day's campaign over, Adhir meets party leaders at his residence to take feedbacks and suggests corrective measures. He also discusses the deployment of the party workers in the Gram Panchayats and orders additional force if it is required to take on the CPI(M) in that area. Adhir is the general who is leading a Congress army in Murshidabad against the CPI(M).

During panchayat polls, everyday, Adhir addressed seven meetings and according to his campaign schedule he would be covering 2,290 villages that together form the 154 Gram Panchayats, 26 Panchayat Samitis and 60 Zilla Parishads. A similar rigorous campaign he does for the Asembly and the parliamentary polls. In 2011April-May, his day breaks at dawn and ends at wee hours of the morning.

"It is true I do not put in so much effort even during the election campaign for my Bahrampore Lok Sabha seat. My party men take care of my election. But during panchayat, Assembly and parliamentary polls, I carry the entire responsibility of my party candidates on my shoulders. It is very stressful," said Adhir Chowdhury.

There are three Congress MPs in Murshidabad district, including Adhir. But though Pranab Mukerjee and Mannan Hossain are holding public meetings, the responsibility to run the Congress election machinery and party organization has been left on Adhir by Pranab.

The district Congress in February passed a resolution unanimously that selection of candidates and the Congress strategy for the Murshidabad panchayat polls would be determined by Adhir. "This sounds very flattering but you cannot fathom the kind of pressure that comes with it," said Adhir.

Congress' faith on Adhir is understandable. Murshidabad had been a CPI(M) belt from 1978 to 2003. And it wasAdhir who single-handedly built the Congress organisation in the district, prepared a correct voter's list and organised a Congress militia of party workers to stand up to the terror unleashed by the CPI(M) cadres here.

Adhir's strategy paid off. And in a bitterly fought panchayat battle of 2003, the Congress beat the CPI(M) in all the three tiers of the panchayat in Murshidabad. West Bengal panchayat polls in 2003 witnessed maximum violence in Murshidabad.

But in spite of that Congress emerged as the single-largest party here by capturing 1,908 out of 4,096 Gram Panchayat seats, 342 out of 697 Panchayat Samiti seats and 33 out of the 60 Zilla Parishad seats.

"For the first time in 25 years, the CPI(M) lost the Zilla Parishad. I know this time too, it would take recourse to violence to stop people from voting for the Congress. But we are ready for all eventualities," said Adhir.

Refusing to spell out the details of the Congress miltia that would check the rampage of the CPI(M) cadres on the eve of the panchayat elections, Adhir just said that if CPI(M) plays foul it would get the taste  of its own medicine.

"No matter what happens, the Murshidabad Zilla Parishad would remain with the Congress.  We are here to stay by any means," said Ahdir with a wink and a smile on his sun-burnt face. "And this spirit extends to the Assembly and parliamentary seats too."

In Lok Sabha polls 2009, Adhir ensured all three parliamentary seats in the district, including that of Pranab Mukherjee in Jangipur and his own in Bahrampore (the third was won by Mannan Hossain), went to the Congress. In 2011, Adhir is again the main force taking on the CPI(M) and is out to wrest most number of Assembly segments up for grabs in the Murshidabad district.(EOM)

Rabindra Sangeet lives on. A long playing record!

Arindam Sarkar

Summer of 1920. It was past midnight. Moon was shining bright in Shantiniketan. A tall man with flowing white hair and beard stepped out of his cottage and briskly walked towards the house of Dinendranath Tagore. 

Dinu Thakur was no ordinary man. Rabindranath Tagore described his Principal of Visva Bhaarti Sangeet Bhavan as: Amar Shokol Ganer Kandari. Amar Shokol Shurer Bhandari. A man with a baritone voice and trained in Hindustani Classical Music, Dinu Thakur picked up the music and notation from Rabindranath after he conceived it and passed it on to the students, what was to become a gharana and famous as Rabindra Sangeet.

No wonder that night, and many nights afterwards, Gurudev used to be in a hurry to catch Dinu Thakur, lest he forgot the music he had just arranged for one of his new songs. "Aaj Rater Belai Gaan Elo Mor Mone, Tokhon Tumi Chilena Mor Shone," Tagore wrote when he could not find Dinu Thakur one such night.

Seventy years after the Nobel Laureate poet's death, his songs remain immortal, soul-searching and divine. Tagore wrote some 2,230-odd songs. The collection of his songs is compiled in a book called Gitabitan (Garden of Songs). Tagore's songs have been categorized into four parts: Puja (worship), Prem (love), Prakriti (nature) and Bichitra (diverse). 

"The songs are subtle. It is difficult to categorize the divine from profane and love from worship," said the renowned Rabindra Sangeet exponent Dwijen Mukhopadhyay. Lamenting the death of Suchitra Mitra, the last of the Holy Quartet of Rabindra Sangeet – Debabrata Biswas, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Kanika Bandopadhyay being the other three – he emphasised that by no means should we deviate from the notation of Rabindra Sangeet and the songs should be sung the way Rabindranath wanted them to be rendered.

History has it that Shantideb Ghosh, Sailaranjan Majumdar, Anadi Dastidar, Shubinoy Roy, Nilima Sen and Shubho Guha Thakurta were principal disciples of Tagore who learnt Rabindra Sangeet. And from them, Pankaj Mullik, Kanika Bandopadhyay, Suchitra Mitra, Dwijen Mukhopadhyay, Maya Sen, Sumitra Sen among others learnt the virtuosity of Rabindra Sangeet. But it is Debabrata Biswas and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay who popularised Rabindra Sangeet among all strata of Bengali society.

Suchitra Mitra had said notation is the structure, but one has to understand the song first and then express it while singing Rabindra Sangeet. Die-hard Rabindra Sangeet exponents say they cannot accept deviation from Tagore’s compositions in songs such as "Diner Sheshe, Ghumer Deshe, Ghomta Pora Oi Chaya", "Jodi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Ashe, Tobe Ekla Chole Re", "Hey Bhairab Shakti Dao, Bhakti Pane Chao", "Kharo Bayu Boye Bege, Chari Dike Chaye Meghe", "Krishna Koli Ami Tarei Boli", etc.

But with the Holy Quartet no more, is Rabindra Sangeet witnessing a transformation? Will the experimentation by the new genre of singers, composers and Bangla Bands break the legacy of Rabindra Sangeet? This has raised a debate among the old and the new school exponents of Rabindra Sangeet, both of whom vouch by the poet and his Gharana.

The traditionalists believe Tagore songs are sacrosanct and cannot be tampered with. "How can we play around with such Tagore songs as "Purano Shei Diner Kotha", "Je Raate More Duar Guli Bhanglo Jhorey", "Akash Bhora Surya Tara", "Tora Je Ja Bolish Bhai, Amar Sonar Horin Chai", etc. Experiment, but no one has the moral right to change the notation and lyrics. Rabindra Sangeet's sense of aesthetics has to be maintained," said a keen Rabindra Sangeet follower Nirbed Roy.

Tagore songs became popular after it was brought out from the creamy layer of the Brahmo Samaj to the masses in 1903. The use of Tagore songs in films made it hugely popular. Songs sung by Pramotesh Barua, Kanan Devi, Kundal Lal Saigal and Pankaj Mullik became major hits. Ritwik Ghatak's use of Tagore song in Meghe Dhaka Tara and by Satyajit Ray in Charulata added to its popularity. But hardliners insist that earlier generation did not tamper with the essence of Tagore songs in films.

Criticising the experimentation being done in Rabindra Sangeet by the present generation, Dwijen Mukhopahyay said Tagore himself wrote his songs should be sung the way he has composed it. “People love the way Tagore composed his songs but there is madness among the new generation. In an attempt to create grandeur they are flouting rules,” claimed Dwijen. 

"There is restlessness among the new generation artists. Rabindra Sangeet cannot be mastered overnight. It is just not voice; they should read Tagore and present the lyrics in such a form that it touches the heart. You got to keep the instrument, notation and expression of the songs intact," argued Dwijen Mukhopadhyay.

Describing the new generation singers as escapists, he claimed that recordings of old school singers were still selling more. "The new crop tried Adhunik songs but when it failed to sell, they shifted to Rabinda Sangeet since it is popular. Tagore created five taals called Rabindra Shreshta Taals. They are Shoshti, Rupkrra, Naba, Ekadashi and Naba Pancha. So without a classical base, there is no short cut," claimed Dwijen.

Tagore repertoire of songs has the influenced of Baul, Bhatiyali, Tappa, Dhrupad, Western and Eastern music. "Prothomo Adi Tabo Shakti" is based on Dipak Raag. "Anando Dhara Bohiche Bhubane" is based on Maalkosh Raag. These songs are not attempted by new singers. "Where is the spirit of Kanan Devi when she rendered, "Hare Re Re, Amay Chere Dere". Or Pankaj Mullik's spirited rendition of "Kharo Bayu Boye Bege"," asked Nirbed Roy.

An old school Rabindra Sangeet exponent, Sumitra Sen is not opposed to experimentation within limits. She believes to compete with Jazz and Pop cultures, there is no harm in bringing change in instrumentation while presenting Rabindra Sangeet. If people accept it, where is the harm in doing it," asked Sumitra Sen.

Interestingly, the new generation singers are not only confident of keeping the legacy of Rabindra Sanget alive, but say the experimentation done in music arrangement does not affect the heart and soul of the poet's creation. One of the most successful exponents of Rabindra Sangeet of this generation, Srabani Sen says they are able successors of their great predecessors. 

"We have grown listening and learning the way they sang the Tagore songs. We do not want to deviate from Tagore style. We are making it more colourful. I believe in touching the hearts of the people and make them sing with me than hear them say sadhu, sadhu," said Srabani Sen.

Srabani says, the days of Mondira, Esraj, Khol and Tabla are gone. People love hearing the accompaniment of synthesizer, guitars and modern percussion instrument with Rabindra Sangeet. "Rabindra Sangeet is no less popular now. And if we deviate from the original, people will not accept it," she added.

Speaking on the same lines, singer Rupankar said after the expiry of Visva Bharti copyright, music companies are recording Rabindra Sangeet more compared to Adhunik, because Rabindra Sangeet's acceptability is very high. "My albums never deviate, nor do the works of contemporary singers. Keeping Tagore intact, we can do new arrangements. And why not?" says Rupankar, whose experimental Rabindra Sangeet number "Pagla Hawa Badal Diner" in Bong Connection is a hit.

Defending his generation, Rupankar adds he can show how Hemanta, Chinmoy Chattopahyay and even Pankaj Mullik deviated from the original Rabindra Sangeet. "So there is no reason to believe our predecessors were holy cows," he claimed.

That Rabindra Sangeet is the result of Tagore's experimentation is claimed by none other than the leading Rabindra Sangeet exponent Srikanta Acharya. Experimentation is not wrong, but it should not be misused. "Any deviation is bad. We cannot tamper the intellectual content. We cannot disrespect the sensitivity and structured compositions of Tagore," said Srikanta.

Claiming that Tagore's intellectual appeal is much more than Atul Prasad, Dwijendralal, Rajanikanta and Kazi Nazrul Islam, Srikanta fears threat to Rabindra Sangeet is not from experimentation in sound scape but from tampering of lyrics in the next 30 years. "People are more bothered about sound scape than the song content. This is dangerous,” he said.

Given the popularity of Rabindra Sangeet, Bangla Bands Bhoomi and Dohar have come out with albums on Tagore songs. Even percussionist Bickram Ghosh and sitarist Purbayan Chatterjee are coming out with albums on Tagore songs with their ownmusical experimentation. "Khara Bayu Boy Bege" is Blue Grass Country experimentation and "Jyotsna Raate Sobai Geche Boney" is Blues improvisation. "Sound is changing. Interpretation is changing. We are not qualified to do more. Lyrics and music are same," said Lead singer of Bhoomi, Surojit.

Ten years back, he experimented with classical music when he did Rhythm Scape. This January, he is experimenting with Rabindra Sangeet with his album Tagore Lounge. Percussionist Bickram Ghosh believes no music is static. Soul of the music remains, what changes is the listening habit. "We have to address the frequency comfort zones. Every generation has the right to interpret its tradition, as long as the aesthetics remains intact," says Bickram Ghosh.

He says Tagore aesthetics cannot be compromised. The idea is to present an easy-listening album experimenting with Rabindra Sangeet sound scape. "I have made "Ananda Dhara" into a regal grandeur and "Amaro Porano Jaha Chai" into a sexy blue number. But spirit of Tagore is intact," assures Bickram Ghosh.

So as the older generation frowns and goes into hiccups, the new generation of Rabindra Sangeet singers and arrangers say that experiment will continue but so will the legacy of its composer Rabindranath Tagore.