Amitav Ghosh's Book Reading At Victoria Memorial

The Portrait Gallery of the Victoria Memorial was the venue of the book reading of Amitav Ghosh's latest book River of Smoke on the 19th of June, 2011. As a member of The Anthonian Literary Club, I was privileged to cover the event. It was a great opportunity to be in close quarters with the creator of characters like Alu, Tridib, May, Murugan, Piya, Fokir, Kalua, Deeti, and Ah Fatt. The reading session was chaired by the eminent historian Sabyasachi Bhattacharya and the other panelists were the academicians Supriya Chaudhuri and Rimi B. Chatterjee.

Under the hallowed precinct of the colonial mansion, which Amitav Ghosh termed as the "Opium Memorial", since it was the British opium trade that funded its construction, the writer read an excerpt and spoke about his new book, the second of the Ibis trilogy. The first book of the trilogy was Sea of Poppies, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2008.  

Amitav Ghosh has written seven novels till date. His first novel, The Circle of Reason, was awarded France’s Prix Médicis in 1990, and The Shadow Lines won two presitigious Indian prizes the same year, the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Ananda Puraskar. The Calcutta Chromosome won the Arthur C. Clarke award for 1997 and The Glass Palace won the International e-Book Award at the Frankfurt book fair in 2001. In January 2005 The Hungry Tide was awarded the Crossword Book Prize.

Ghosh said that it was his love of history and a tactile sense of the past that made it possible for him to blend history with his fiction. At the academic level history is written much like philosophy, he surmised.  Whereas he is trying to reconstruct the past in his fiction. He acknowledged the difficulties of writing the second book of a trilogy, since it is always in media res, but Ghosh sees his book both as an independent work and as part of a trilogy. It is perhaps this important facet of his writing that each of his work has a life of its own, the characters come out of history, inhabit the present and go into posterity. The power of this writer to create in the mind of his reader a world of his characters is what makes him special.



Rabindranath Tagore means too much to too many Indians for the writer of this post to encapsulate within the limited space available here all they feel for arguably the greatest poet India has ever produced. I am going to eschew the regular paeans people have a tendency to weave about their favourite literary figure. Rather, I will dwell on what the Renaissance Man means to Indians in the 21^st century.

Yes, remix versions of Rabindrasangeet are available for the listening pleasure of the new generation of initiates who have resisted the influence of the man and his ideas as it has been handed down to them by parents or teachers or others belonging to a different time. Filmmakers, like Rituparno Ghosh, still dip into the literary oeuvre of the master to get material for their films. Shantiniketan is still the favourite haunt of the discerning Bengali scholar and hordes of tourists, who want to bask in the Tagorean sunshine that warms the portals of that hallowed institution. Plays, in Bengali as well as other Indian languages, based on his immortal works are still staged at the Academy of Fine Arts among other prominent theaters all over the country. And come Rabindra Jayanti and the lay man is literally haunted with images of Tagore, from youth to old age, staring severely at him from hoardings all across the city. Tagore still lives! And how!

As the city geared itself to reel with traditional jubilation on the 150^th anniversary of the bard’s birth, I realized, as I drove past Rabindra Sadan early this morning,  that Tagore is just around the corner, waiting to be discovered by those who are yet to make their acquaintance with him. The sound of Tagore’s “Tomar Holo Shuru” floated in the air making the entire atmosphere radiant and blissful.

Rabindra Jayanti was celebrated by The Anthonian Literary Club at St. Anthony’s High School with the traditional homage the institution pays to the Nobel Laureate every year. A short biography of the poet was read, followed by the garlanding of the bard’s portrait by the Headmaster, Fr. Devraj Fernandes.  A recitation of “Where the mind is without fear” was followed by a Rabindrasangeet sung by the teachers of the school.

The programme ended but the memory of it lingered on and as I came to write this blog post I could not help but be drawn towards Satyajit Ray’s documentary of Rabindranath Tagore. It is the auteur’s homage to the bard - one master’s tribute to another.

Satyajit Ray's Documentary on Rabindranath Tagore

Celebrating Shakespeare

It’s time to celebrate the birth of one of the world’s most renowned writers ever. Although it is still debated whether 23^rd April can be historically ascribed as the birth date of the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare lovers all over the world celebrate this day as his birth anniversary. It is only a matter of coincidence that the same date also marks his death anniversary. The Anthonian Literary Club would like to pay homage to one of the greatest writers that ever lived, and especially because his relevance to world literature has increased manifold in the centuries that have rolled after his passing.
William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. Shakespeare was most likely educated at the Stratford free grammar school. He was likely apprenticed at the age of thirteen when the family's financial situation was going downhill. He married Anne Hathaway in November of 1582.
As a playwright, Shakespeare was not well known until 1592. Stages were closed then because of the plague, but by the time they reopened in 1594, he had written Venus and Adonis, as well as Lucrece. Although he was also an actor for the company, he was more famous for his writing. Frequently, his plays were requested by Queen Elizabeth, and later, by King James I.
Shakespeare retired in 1610, returning to Stratford from London. He busied himself with the community and was comfortable with the large fortune he had earned. William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616.

A list of Shakespeare’s plays: -

COMEDIES	HISTORIES	TRAGEDIES
All's Well That Ends Well As You Like It Comedy of Errors Love's Labour's Lost Measure for Measure Merchant of Venice Merry Wives of Windsor Midsummer Night's Dream Much Ado about Nothing Taming of the Shrew Tempest Twelfth Night Two Gentlemen of Verona Winter's Tale	Cymbeline Henry IV, Part I Henry IV, Part II Henry V Henry VI, Part I Henry VI, Part II Henry VI, Part III Henry VIII King John Pericles Richard II Richard III	Antony and Cleopatra Coriolanus Hamlet Julius Caesar King Lear Macbeth Othello Romeo and Juliet Timon of Athens Titus Andronicus Troilus and Cressida

Even though Shakespeare lived and wrote in a world far remote from today’s, his relevance has not waned. This is because Shakespeare was an entertainer of the people and his work was enjoyed by peasant and king alike. He could be likened to a modern television network, offering comedies, tragedies, history, political commentating, criticism of the hypocrisy of clerics in government, mental illness, murder, lust, adultery, sloth, wit, slapstick comedy, racism, betrayal, valor, integrity, vanity and just about every other human emotion and behavior known to man. He was equal to men and woman, believing both could be treacherous and honorable.¹ Shakespeare’s plays are adapted into films even today. Some recent examples being Baz Luhrman’s Leonardo DiCaprio starer Romeo and Juliet, Al Pacino starer The Merchant of Venice and our very own Vishal Bharadwaj’s Maqbool and Omkara.²

Shakespeare had such a profound impact on world writing that even Tagore as a young man was inspired enough by Macbeth to make a translation in Bengali.

Shakespeare is being studied by the students of class 9 (“Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind”) as part of the syllabus prescribed by the WBBSE and those of class 8 (an excerpt from “Julius Caesar”).

CHECK OUT THE LITERARY CLUB NOTICE BOARD ON THE FIRST FLOOR FOR A QUIZ ON SHAKESPEARE. THE FIRST TEN CORRECT ENTRIES WILL WIN TOKEN PRIZES.

1Relevance of Shakespeare's works: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/804493/is_shakespeare_relevant_in_the_21st.html?cat=9

2 Relevance of Shakespeare’s works: http://www2.le.ac.uk/ebulletin/features/2000-2009/2006/02/nparticle-9c4-yz3-zjd

Event: Screening of "Offside"

The Anthonian Literary Club has film review writing¹ (which is not an easy job) as part of its agenda. One needs patience to watch a film with a critical eye, perceive all the information about it and then write an analysis from the perspective of one who knows the art of cinema. A good review is not just a summary of a movie, but a critical analysis that examines why and how a movie succeeds (or does not) in its presentation.

As part of the exercise the first film chosen to be screened was Jafar Panahi’s acclaimed “Offside”². The film was screened on April 13, 2011 in the school library and was restricted to the students of classes 9 and 10. The Headmaster, Fr. Devraj Fernandes inaugurated the event and instilled in the students the need to view cinema as a medium of social change and artistic expression.

  

Jafar Panahi is an Iranian filmmaker and is one of the most influential filmmakers in the Iranian New Wave movement. He has gained recognition from film theorists and critics worldwide and received numerous awards including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

  

Panahi's first feature film came in 1995, entitled White Balloon. This film won a Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His second feature film, The Mirror, received the Golden Leopard Award at the Locarno Film Festival. His most notable offering to date has been The Circle (2000), which criticized the treatment of women in Iran. Jafar Panahi won the Golden Lion, the top prize at the Venice Film Festival for The Circle, which was named FIPRESCI Film of the Year at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, and appeared on Top 10 lists of critics worldwide. Panahi also directed Crimson Gold in 2003, which brought him the Un Certain Regard Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Panahi's Offside³ (the story of girls who disguise themselves as boys to be able to watch a football match) was selected for competition in the 2006 Berlin Film Festival, where he was awarded with the Silver Bear (Jury Grand Prix).

1 About Film Review Writing http://www.essay-paper.net/film_review.html
2 About "Offside" http://www.parstimes.com/film/offside.html
3 New York Times Review of "Offside"  http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/movies/23offside.html  

The Anthonian Literary Club is a small endeavour in the realm of writing to encourage students to express themselves through the literary medium. The Club was envisaged as a channel through which the gregarious Anthonian could wield the pen to give vent to his feelings and reflections on the arts and life in general.

The Club, therefore, has planned film screenings and seminars, visits to art galleries, the theatre and a general exposure to the audio-visual fine arts as a way to hone not only the writing skills of students but also to create a wider perspective of the diverse forms of expression available to man.

The Anthonian Literary Club owes its existence to the Headmaster of the institution, Fr. Devraj Fernandes. Himself a visionary, he understands the need for today's youth to express itself. And what better way than to use the literary medium. The Literary Club thanks Fr. Devraj Fernandes for his zealous support and indefatigable enthusiasm in making us what we are- THE ANTHONIAN LITERARY CLUB!

With all due respect we would like to thank the Assistant Headmaster, Fr. Anthony Patrick Paul for the dynamism he has imbued the institution with. The Literary Club is merely an offshoot of his greater plan for the educational process of the institution. 

Although we have begun in a humble way, our plan is to make the blog a movement of sorts. For that purpose we invite comments and writings from everyone who takes pride in calling himself, and herself (teachers who are and were a part of the Anthonian family), to actively make this blog the medium through which they express their views.

 POILA BOISHAKH- TAGORE ONCE AGAIN

The celebrated Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, wrote a beautiful poem in 1896 entitled "1400 Shan" in which he anticipated the link he would have with poets yet unborn, writing a hundred years later. The writer's work embodies his spirit and thus becomes the soul he "left behind".* Since the composition of the poem more than a hundred years have passed and new writers still look upon Tagore as their muse. The endearing quality of literature lies in its ability to be pertinent in times way ahead in the future, in places once alien and to people culturally diverse.

 On the occasion of Poila Boishakh,1418 (2011) Tagore's poem still inspires countless writers all over the globe ( the poem is translated into many languages) to pursue the never ending magical realm of literary thought.

  '1400 Shan' from ‘Chitra’

 Who are you reading curiously this poem
 
of mine
 
a hundred years from now?

Shall I be able to send to you
 
-steeped in the love of my heart-
 
the faintest touch of this spring morning’s joy,
 
the scent of a flower,
 
a bird-song’s note,
 
a spark of today’s blaze of colour
 
a hundred years from now?
 


Yet, for once, open your window on the south
 
and from your balcony
 
gaze at the far horizon.
 
Then, sinking deep in fancy
 
think of the ecstasies of joy
 
that came floating down
 
from some far heaven of bliss
 
to touch the heart of the world
 
 a hundred years ago;
 
think of the young spring day
 
wild, impetuous and free;
 
and of the south wind
 
-fragrant with the pollen of flowers-
 
rushing on restless wings to paint the earth
 
with the radiant hues of youth
 
a hundred years before your day.
 


And think, how his heart aflame,
 
his whole being rapt in song,
 
a poet was awake that day
 
to unfold like flowers
 
 his myriad thoughts
 
with what wealth of love!-
 
one morning a hundred years ago.



A hundred years from now
 
who is the new poet singing his songs to you?
 
Across the years I send him
 
the joyous greeting of this spring.
 
May my song echo for a while,
 
on your spring day,
 
in the beating of your heart,
 
in the murmur of bees,
 
in the rustling of leaves,-
 
a hundred years from today.


   -Rabindranath Tagore
  February, 1896
 

 
* John Keats (1795-1821) in his "Ode to the Poets" (1817) celebrates the immortality of poets. Their souls have a double life, existing both in heaven and on earth (in their poetry).