A special report from Monojit Lahiri in Kolkata
Once upon a time – maybe up till the end seventies, even early eighties – Kolkata and creativity were the made-for-each-other blend! More than any other city, it loved, admired, respected, revered, fostered, nurtured, protected and celebrated its creative community as no other. This was an accepted and acknowledged fact. Kolkata may not have had Delhi’s power or Mumbai’s glamour but the magic and mystique, clout and charisma of its creative quotient invariably worked as a magnet to anyone, anywhere, blessed by the spirit of creativity. In Kolkata 2010, does the creative person still enjoy the same kind of recognition and respect?
Kunal Basu is first off the block. The Oxford-based academician (who leads an exciting double life by teaching management while continuing to pursue writing as a calling and presently winning kudos for his short story, "The Japanese Wife," made into an awesome film by Aparna Sen), says that for a long time he proudly boasted to his friends in the West that Kolkata was one city that still had her heart in the right place. He elaborates, “During an adda with pals, if a millionaire friend or a Fortune 500 CEO buddy dropped in, he would be greeted with nothing more than a casual 'Hi'. However, if it was a poet, painter or musician, there would be general and genuine excitement. It’s simple. There was a huge premium to be in the arts! That has mostly disappeared. The city’s vibrant, exciting, intellectual spirit of enquiry is under siege. However, Basu confesses all is not lost. “My personal book-reading experience in Burdwan, for example, was a startling and heartwarming eye-opener!”
Distinguished and respected social scientist and commentator Ashish Nandy refuses to believe that Kolkata has either abdicated or disowned its umbilical connect with creativity. “The Kolkata Book Fair is the best proof. Until two years ago – when it played in the maidan – it attracted an audience (over three lakhs everyday) that was a hundred times more than the ones at either Frankfurt or Paris! It was difficult to enter some of the stalls! I have seen over a hundred fans follow Tasleema Nasreen because she was perceived as a literary star. Would that happen in Delhi or Mumbai?”
Up next is Bengal’s iconic film maker Aparna Sen. “Let’s face it. We live in a totally media-driven era. Having worked closely with both, a publication house and a TV channel, I can tell you that media is in constant need of fodder to survive and therefore does something which would have been considered both shocking and vulgar in an earlier era … manufacture its own band of celebrities!
Once upon a time – maybe up till the end seventies, even early eighties – Kolkata and creativity were the made-for-each-other blend! More than any other city, it loved, admired, respected, revered, fostered, nurtured, protected and celebrated its creative community as no other. This was an accepted and acknowledged fact. Kolkata may not have had Delhi’s power or Mumbai’s glamour but the magic and mystique, clout and charisma of its creative quotient invariably worked as a magnet to anyone, anywhere, blessed by the spirit of creativity. In Kolkata 2010, does the creative person still enjoy the same kind of recognition and respect?
Kunal Basu is first off the block. The Oxford-based academician (who leads an exciting double life by teaching management while continuing to pursue writing as a calling and presently winning kudos for his short story, "The Japanese Wife," made into an awesome film by Aparna Sen), says that for a long time he proudly boasted to his friends in the West that Kolkata was one city that still had her heart in the right place. He elaborates, “During an adda with pals, if a millionaire friend or a Fortune 500 CEO buddy dropped in, he would be greeted with nothing more than a casual 'Hi'. However, if it was a poet, painter or musician, there would be general and genuine excitement. It’s simple. There was a huge premium to be in the arts! That has mostly disappeared. The city’s vibrant, exciting, intellectual spirit of enquiry is under siege. However, Basu confesses all is not lost. “My personal book-reading experience in Burdwan, for example, was a startling and heartwarming eye-opener!”
Distinguished and respected social scientist and commentator Ashish Nandy refuses to believe that Kolkata has either abdicated or disowned its umbilical connect with creativity. “The Kolkata Book Fair is the best proof. Until two years ago – when it played in the maidan – it attracted an audience (over three lakhs everyday) that was a hundred times more than the ones at either Frankfurt or Paris! It was difficult to enter some of the stalls! I have seen over a hundred fans follow Tasleema Nasreen because she was perceived as a literary star. Would that happen in Delhi or Mumbai?”
Up next is Bengal’s iconic film maker Aparna Sen. “Let’s face it. We live in a totally media-driven era. Having worked closely with both, a publication house and a TV channel, I can tell you that media is in constant need of fodder to survive and therefore does something which would have been considered both shocking and vulgar in an earlier era … manufacture its own band of celebrities!
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