Sunil Gangopadhya the writer who never compromised with fascists

Writer of many parts

Caleidoscope

Designer Nil (above) and other participants at the Rainbow Carnival organised by Sappho for Equality at Rabindra Sadan on December 9. Several activists joined in the day-long celebration of human rights. The events included games, music, fashion show and a jatra-style production. Picture by Pabitra Das “Shudhu kobitaar janye aami amaratva taachchhilya karechhi (I have disregarded immortality for poetry alone)” Writers who knew Sunil Gangopadhyay well tussled long and hard with this line of his from the the poem Kobitar Janye at a memorial programme recently organised by the Sahitya Akademi. None of the interpretations satisfied everyone, and as the forum dissolved into personal reminiscences and tributes, it was clear that Gangopadhyay’s death on October 23 had left a void that would be hard to fill. Leading lights from Calcutta’s literary scene attended the event, divided into sessions for poetry, fiction and children’s literature. Nirendranath Chakraborty, who inaugurated the session, recalled writing to Gangopadhyay (then in his late-teens) to congratulate him for a poem he had submitted to an anthology. The two grew close over the years and used to meet every Saturday to watch films. They even travelled together to various places at home and abroad. Manabendra Bandyopadhyay recalled adda sessions with Gangopadhyay in various cabins and coffee houses. The late writer’s friends like Pranab Kumar Mukhopadhyay recalled his years of struggle and stand for the Hungryalists. Srijato spoke of Gangopadhyay’s search for poetry that would express spontaneous and raw feelings. Bani Basu suggested that Gangopadhyay’s style may actually have been a consciously honed “styleless” style. Debasish Bandyopadhyay, a former editor of Anandamela, recalled that Gangopadhyay never saw the Kakababu stories as detective fiction. They were to him adventures of a man who braves disability and danger. He did not like murder, corruption and complex plots in children’s writings. Though no one referred to it, one could not help remembering the beautifully illustrated and edited magazines and books brought out by the Sishu Kishore Akademi when Gangopadhyay was its president. Another recent memorial programme for Gangopadhyay, hosted by Crossword on Elgin Road, borrowed the title of his book Eka Ebong Koekjon. The evening of poetry and prose was interspersed with soulful Rabindrasangeet by Sohini Mukhopadhyay. Conducted and conceived by Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee, the programme presented those who are not familiar with Gangopadhyay’s writings an opportunity to understand their power. Bijoylakshmi Barman read out Jol Barchhe and actress Sreela Majumdar Jokhon Tumi Ashi. Pranati Tagore recalled how Gangopadhyay played Kabiraj Moshai in an audiobook of Moner Manush. She also read out Gaach tolai dariye and Ke Kake Taanchhe. Dipanwita Chatterjee read out an English translation of Neera Tumi, Chaitali Dasgupta Je Jai Boluk, Chaiti Ghoshal Ekti Grammo Drisho and Uttoradhikar and Sutapa Bandyopadhyay the poignant Saptam Garver Kanya. Recalling Gangopadhyay’s praise “Dibbo korechho” (You did very well) for Muktodhara, filmstar Rituparna Sengupta read out Naach Khela. Others who read out Gangopadhyay’s works were Biplab Dasgupta, Suchita Raychaudhury, Arindam Sil and Kanchan Moitra, who reminded the gathering of Gangopadhyay’s lines that roughly meant those who leave, leave; only those who stay behind know how, wiping away tears with the back of one’s hands, one ushers in a smile — “Jara jay tara jay jara thake tara janey, haater ulto pithey kanna muchhe kikorey hashi aante hoy”. (Contributed by Sebanti Sarkar) Sunil Gangopadhya was heckled and abused by Mamata Banerjee and her party Trinamool Congress as the esteemed writer refused to toe the line of fascist political leader Mamata Banerjee like other  'artists' e.g Suvaprassana, Arpita Ghosh, Bratya Basu, Nachiketa - who lend their support for personal gain like land,Govt.Posts and monetary allowances at public expense.

Mahima Khanna's Cambridge Honours brought back Kolkata's pride

A 23-year-old from Kolkata, who works as a trade analyst in Mumbai, has become only the third Indian after Amartya Sen and Sir Partho Dasgupta to win one of Cambridge University’s highest honours.

Mahima Khanna, who has often been involved in Planning Commission assignments, has topped the 2010-11 MPhil class of economics at Cambridge and will receive the prestigious Stevenson Prize. Nobel laureate Sen was the first Indian to win the award in 1956. Dasgupta, the other Indian recipient, is a Cambridge professor emeritus who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his contribution to nutrition and developmental economics.

“Imagine sharing the roll of honour with the gods in my field of study,” Mahima gushes after being informed of the award through an email from the dean’s office. Her talent and academic accomplishments will take her places, but Mahima wants to work in India. The changing matrices of the Indian economy post-liberalization, says the young economist who aspires for a career in the World Bank, are of particular interest to her. “My MPhil papers were related to trade liberalization and informality, based on evidences from the manufacturing sector in India. The size of the informal sector in India is growing. The government should patronize it. India’s fiscal deficits and interest rates also interest me,” she says.

For a daughter of doctor parents and with golfing skills that Annika Sorenstam would be proud of, economics was an unusual choice. But Mahima’s heart lay in the intricacies of numbers and logic rather than those of the human body. After her schooling at premier institutions like Loreto House and La Martiniere for Girls, she cleared the medical joint entrance examination, but eventually took admission in St Xavier’s College. When she graduated in 2009, she had topped Calcutta University. She went to Cambridge on a Commonwealth scholarship for her PG degree. She excelled there, too, ranking second, and stayed on for her MPhil.

When she isn’t cracking mathematical puzzles or solving economic riddles, Mahima loves to tee off. While in Kolkata, she played amateur golf at the RCGC and Tolly Club. She went on to play in golfing events in the UK, UAE and Kenya. But the focus remains firmly on her career. Mahima attributes her success to grandfather Swarn Kumra. An engineer who studied in London University, it was he who instilled the love of numbers and logic in her. “The day after the JEE results were out and I got the chance to study medicine, I held his hands and went and took admission in economics at St Xavier’s. He remains my pillar of strength,” she says.

Top class
Mahima Khanna, who works as a trade analyst in Mumbai, has been involved in several Planning Commission assignments. The 23-yr-old, who won the C’wealth scholarship to go to Cambridge, came 2 nd in MSc. She cleared med JEE, but chose eco at St Xavier’s & topped Calcutta University. Mahima is an amateur golf player and has played in the UK, UAE and Kenya.