Issuu

With Best Compliments from

FROM THE EDITORS DESK

Bidisha Datta Trustee Bengal Heritage Foundation

Post lifting of restrictions we did our first physical event –commemoration of Dwarakanath Tagore in Kensal Green Cemetery. Following that in August this year we did the first ever ISL (Indian super-fans league) Footbal Tournament, where teams from different sections of the Indian diaspora participated ; representing the different teams of the Indian Super League.

Thank you for your continued support of London Sharad Utsav (LSU) and Bengal Heritage Foundation (BHF).

Durga Pujo is the biggest event in the LSU-BHF Calendar and this year, we are excited to host a full fledged Durga Pujo open to public at Ealing Town Hall from the 14th to 17th October. LSU-BHF started off in 2009 as a handful of Our theme this year is aptly about ‘Celebrating Bengali families organising Durga Pujo at Ealing Womanhood’. In the magazine, we have a wealth Town Hall. Since then our remit has grown far beyond our imaginations. We are now one of the of interesting articles including one by Smt. largest Bengali Diaspora organizations in UK. The Sharmila Tagore. We also have articles by our vision of Bengal Heritage Foundation (BHF) is to fabulous BHF ladies who are amazing women and worth a celebration. promote and preserve the heritage of Bengal, globally through events and initiatives in the The cover for the magazine has been designed by spheres of culture, art, architecture, sports, Anwar Chitrakar of Naya village in Bengal. Many of food and fashion. Anwar’s paintings are in V&A museum. He kindly agreed to paint a Durga which represents the As we slowly came to grips with the pandemic traditional and the modern persona of women in this year, as an organization we managed to all her glory. Lets celebrate the Devi, lets deliver a number of digital and physical events celebrate Womanhood. ending with Durga Puja at Ealing Town Hall. Happy reading. Sharaad Shubechha! We continued with our webinar series THINK TANK celebrating the likes of Soumitra Chatterjee and Satyajit Ray in his birth centenary year. The webinars were a huge success. They were attended by eminent personalities of Bengali and Indian cinema, national award winning actors Special thanks to the Editorial team and directors and supported by The Indian High Poulami Basu and Shubham Pal Commission, Nehru Centre, British Council, Kolkata Literary meet, and London Indian Film festival. Beginning of the year we organized a digital event ‘Fagun Fest’ where we promoted local art, artists and handicrafts from Bengal. Here we showcased many forgotten art forms like ‘Toppa Gaan’ and ‘Chou Naach’.

INTERESTED IN JOINING LSU-BHF? Please write to us at BHFLondon@gmail.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

From the BHF President’s Desk (9)

About the Cover Page (10)

Messages of Support (11)

Making of the new BHF Logo (17)

Durga Pujo Essays & Stories (20)

Celebrating Womanhood (26)

BHF Events (39)

BHF THINK TANK Webinars (43)

BHF Kids (46)

BHF in the Press (51) 5

DURA PUJO 2021 PROGRAMME SCHEDULE

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK Sourav Niyogi Chair of Trustees Bengal Heritage Foundation

Charities, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, Banchbo - a charity supporting kids in Sunderbans, Calcutta Rescue, West Bengal State Emergency Relief Fund for Amphan relief, directly supporting book sellers of College Street, weavers 2021 is a year that will be etched in our memories in villages of Bengal, theatre artists in Bengal in for long. It has been an year of hope and despair at trying times for all to sustain livelihoods, setting up the same time. a CPAP machine in Apex hospital in Kolkata - we We lost our priest of last 12 years at London Sharad have tried to help in our own small way. Utsav - Amiya Bhattacharjee. Amiyada, as he was As a charity, we were steadfastly focussed on our lovingly known, was popular with members of BHF objectives - being the living bridge between UK and LSU and beyond. Amiyada connected all of us to India by bringing to fore our shared heritage Durga, in a way that many priests fail to do. He was through art and culture. The past one year saw the face of the Pujo in Ealing Town Hall. He will be some of our most brilliant online productions in missed always. This year, we symbolically welcome the Think Tank series and the Fagun Fest - our two NHS doctors as Priests for London Sharad annual flagship folk festival as well as the Amader Utsav – Dr Pancho Ghatak and Dr Parijat Baithak sessions for our core members. We Bhattacharjee. commemorated in person the pioneering Covid 19 continues to be around with new variants. We have lost about 4.8m people globally to the pandemic. Our heart goes to each, and every family impacted by the pandemic. However, vaccination brought us hope and I urge everyone to get vaccinated. We here at London Sharad Utsav have planned the festivities keeping the government recommendations for Covid 19 in the forefront of our minds. The UK will host the COP26 in Glasgow, starting later this month - uniting the world to tackle climate change. As we start recovering from Covid 19 it is timely to focus on climate change. Science dictates that by the second half of the century, we should be producing less carbon than we take out of the atmosphere. This is what reaching ‘net zero’ means. In our own way at London Sharad Utsav, we have worked to eliminate non-recyclable plastic from 2019 and we carry on that journey. The last 18 months has been tough for the charitable sector. As a small charity, we did our best to support the needy across the last two years. I am immensely proud of our fundraising efforts over the last 18 months that helped diverse causes - NHS

entrepreneur, Dwarkanath Tagore. We followed it up with a brilliant and pioneering cross community football tournament, the first ever Indian Superfans League in UK as part of FA’s community football initiative. In the same arena, we provided the platform to 17 budding entrepreneurs to showcase traditional handicrafts and products at London Sharad Mela. And last month we joined hands with 50 odd Bengali organisations to usher in the first ever UK Bengali Convention (UKBC), where we staged our acclaimed production - Prerona | Inspirations. The lead up to London Sharad Utsav is always exciting. Core member families come together to plan and execute every aspect of the Durga Puja, including the cultural activities. I have been enthralled to see this take shape over the last few months. Equally the rigour in planning, together with the authorities in Ealing was important. I join all members from the Bengal Heritage Foundation family in welcoming you all to London Sharad Utsav 2021. Shubho Sharadiya. 9

ABOUT THE COVER PAGE ARTWORK The artwork on the cover of this magazine reflects the theme of this year’s London Sharad Utsav: “Celebrating Womanhood”. The painting is a modern Kalighat Pat by Anwar Chitrakar, a patua from the village of Naya in Medinipur, West Bengal. The painting shows the ten-armed Durga with traditional weapons in her right hands while on her left hands she holds accessories that a modern women might wield in her daily battles at work and home: a laptop, a pen, a mobile phone, and a stethoscope. The village of Naya is called “painters village” because nearly everyone here is an artist. The walls of their mud houses are covered in paintings and all of them use the surname Chitrakar. Traditionally, these artists or Patuas travelled from one village to another, unfurling long painted scrolls while singing a song they composed to narrate scenes from the painting. Some Chitrakars still paint narrative scrolls and compose songs, but many also paint single rectangular scenes. The themes of the paintings range from images of deities, to mythological stories, societal issues, and social commentary. Anwar Chitrakar is one of the most interesting and accomplished painters in Naya. He is a National Award winner, his paintings have been exhibited in major cities both India, Europe, and the US, and are part of collections at the Mumbai Airport and at the V&A Museum in London. He paints in a unique style that is his version of the famous Kalighat paintings of the late 19thcentury. And just as Kalighat painters created satirical paintings about Bengali Babus, zamindars, and the British, Anwar too uses his art as satire and social commentary. His famous painting at the V&A “The Policeman’s Bribe” shows local policemen arresting a villager, pulling her to a police car while her friend stands with a rupee note ready to bribe the officer to let her go. During the Coronavirus lockdown, Anwar painted a series of 13 paintings on the strange and transitory nature of the lockdown, exhibited at the Emami Gallery in July this year. One of the paintings “Shakti Rupe”, shows Durga as a ten-armed nurse holding various medical astras in her hand and vanquishing the Coronavirus demon. Another satirical painting shows a 'Babu' or Bengali gentleman dancing with a wine bottle in his hand. He is trying to explain the usefulness of drinking as it acts as a sanitiser against Covid. But his wife is furious and ready to flog him with a broom.

Article by Amit Guha

MESSAGES OF SUPPORT

Shri Ram Nath Kovind President of India

MESSAGES OF SUPPORT

Gaitri Issar Kumar High Commissioner of India, London

Namaste !!! I am delighted that the Bengal Heritage Foundation will celebrate London Sharad Utsav 2021 one of the largest Durga Poojas in Europe at the Victorian Gothic Ealing Town Hall. Navaratri - or the nine nights of the Devi - represent the most holy days in the Hindu calendar, celebrated in many different ways across the country. Bengalis all over the world celebrate these days as Durga Puja. India and the United Kingdom share a modern partnership bound by strong historical ties. Cultural linkages between India and UK are deep and extensive, arising out of their shared history. I laud the contribution of the Bengal Heritage Foundation as a valuable part of the living bridge between India and UK. I also greatly appreciate the care being accorded by the Bengal Heritage Foundation to ensure that this year’s Durga Pooja is celebrated in a ‘Covid-safe’ way - as the UK emerges from the pandemic. This year’s theme “Ya Devi: Celebrating Womanhood” is close to my heart – as it is to all women in India and our sisters abroad. With these warm sentiments, I wish the Bengal Heritage Foundation, its members and friends Shubho Sharadiya !!

MESSAGES OF SUPPORT Nick Low British Deputy High Commissioner Kolkata

“I’m delighted that our friends from the Bengal Heritage Foundation and London Sharad Utsav will celebrate one of the largest Durga Pujas in Europe at Ealing’s beautiful Town Hall. After such a difficult and trying year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the triumph of good over evil, of light over darkness. I’d be lying if I said that there wasn’t part of me that would love to be with you in West London. But you’ll understand that I can’t complain about joining the celebrations in West Bengal, where I live and work. There could not be a more exciting time to be the British Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata. Our people-to-people links – our Living Bridge – exemplified by the thousands of you who will celebrate Durga Puja in Ealing and across the United Kingdom have, and will always be, the beating heart of relations between the United Kingdom and India. You are the oil in the engine of the relationship between our two great countries. And nowhere is that more true than in West Bengal and the UK’s vibrant, talented and very special Bengali diaspora. But our commercial, institutional and political relationships have for many reasons never quite got into top gear…… ……Kolkata is many things – the cultural, culinary, intellectual, literary and sporting capital of India. So, I feel a deep sense of privilege to be here for Durga Puja, which we believe to be the largest public arts festival in the world, as well as a sacred and inclusive religious festival that celebrates women’s power and embraces diversity of faith. My colleagues at the British Council have worked with the Government of West Bengal, and specifically its Tourism Department, to create a first-of-its-kind “creative economy mapping” of a major festival in India - around 10 creative industries around Durga Puja. The economic value of the week-long festival is estimated at $4.53 billion/£3.29 billion, and more than 2.5% of West Bengal’s GDP. I very much hope that this report is able to clinch the coveted UNESCO inscription of Intangible Heritage For Humanity for Durga Puja. The research is an exemplary collaboration between two of the finest education institutions of the UK and India – Queen Mary University of London and IIT Kharagpur, and supplemented by a data research company from Bangalore.

We look forward to celebrating 75 years of India’s Independence with State Governments across East and Northeast India, and hopefully steer a course for the next 75 years. This programme is titled “India-UK Together or “Saath Saath”. I am pleased to see that one of the first collaborations for India UK Together has already started between Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata and Natural History Museum in London. Let me finish by taking this opportunity to thank the Bengal Heritage Foundation and London Sharad Utsav for their leadership and for being such great supporters of Bengal and Britain working together to build a better future for our people.” 13 Excerpt from Nick Low’s message of support to Bengal Heritage Foundation

MESSAGES OF SUPPORT Barbara Wickham OBE Director, British Council India

I am delighted that Bengal Heritage Foundation are organising what is possibly the UK’s largest Durga Puja festival in Ealing. Lovely to hear from you and to hear that the Durga Puja festivities are indeed taking place this year, hopefully a bit more open and relaxed this year. Many thanks for your invitation to join in your inclusive celebrations. I’m not sure whether you know that Ealing is my home town so I would have loved to actually attend in person. But I am in India now and won’t be able to travel back. However, I have done the next best thing. Your warm invitation spurred me to come and experience Durga Puja at the epicentre of the world’s largest public arts festival – Kolkata! I am happy to share with you that my colleagues and I at British Council India are working on India / UK Together with the Ministry of Culture, and with several state govts for celebrating India's 75th anniversary, and West Bengal is one of the key states in that joint celebration. We hope to work with BHF to co-create content and deliver some of this exciting programme from 2022 to 2023. Speaking of Durga Puja and West Bengal, I am delighted to share with that the creative economy mapping of Durga Puja in West Bengal - BHF was involved in the initial discussions at the onset - has now been published. According to 2019 data, the report, published in partnership with Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal, the Durga Puja has total economic value of INR 32,377 crores, or GBP 3.29 billion. The 10-day festival contributes about 2.58% of the state’s GDP. One way to charge up the exchange of ideas and strengthen the “Living Bridge” that the West Bengali diaspora in the UK represent would be to try and map Durga Puja celebrations from a creative economy, crafts, and festivals perspective across all of the UK. Even a comprehensive list and location of all the Durga Pujas in the UK, including those celebrated by the Bangladeshi diaspora, would be a great resource for linking up our narrative across sectors, and score a huge win for cultural relations. We are really proud of the collaborative programmes we did with you during the height of the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 and in early 2021. Some of them, like the memorial of the legendary actor, writer, painter Soumitra Chattopadhyay, attracted huge audiences from all over the world, a testimony to the soft power and presence of the Bengali diaspora across the globe. It was a pleasure for us to have brought the Bengali diaspora closer the UK alumni chapter based out of Kolkata, the Indo British Scholars’ Association. I am very thankful to Bengal Heritage Foundation for your friendship and the partnership. I hope we continue to work together with BHF to build better trust and understanding between Britain and Bengal, and further the cause of cultural relations. I shall write to you about how my first experience of Durga Puja goes in Kolkata. 14

MESSAGES OF SUPPORT

Councillor Dr Aysha Raza Cabinet Member for Tackling Inequalities London Borough of Ealing’

It is such an honour for Ealing Town Hall to host the London Sharad Utsav annual event every year, the largest Durga Puja in Europe. This year, this Puja is particularly poignant with increasing concerns about women’s safety as well as the need for more respect for women in our homes, communities and wider society. The need to empower women is greater than ever before and I am so proud that the rich and diverse culture of our borough is leading the way.

All my very best wishes on this auspicious occasion to the whole community.

THE MAKING OF THE NEW BHF LOGO Inspired by Bengali Nakshi Kantha and Rose Window of Gothic churches

Has the colours of the Indian and British flags

Selected by BHF members through Online Poll

We are delighted to formally launch the new Bengal Heritage Foundation logo on the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja. Many of you will have noticed our new logo on Social Media and on our Website. As we emerged from a global pandemic and a period of great hardship for many, the BHF trustees felt it was an opportunity to renew the BHF mission and rediscover what Bengal Heritage Foundation stands for, and we wanted to reflect this in a brand new logo. Our new logo incorporates several themes that reflect the essence of BHF. The motif is from an antique Nakshi Kantha that was created by Suraiya Rahman in the 1980s and is currently in the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, in Sydney. This reflects BHF’s interest in preserving and promoting Bengal’s cultural heritage

The colours in the motif are from the national flags of India and the UK, reflecting our mission of connecting Bengal and the UK, through collaboration and mutual appreciation of music, film, cuisine, arts, architecture, sports, and industry.

The round and foliate design can be found both in Gothic church windows in the UK as well as in the ubiquitous lotus motifs seen in Indian art and architecture.

Gothic Church Window, London

Lotus Motifs on the Adina Masjid, Pandua, West Bengal

The logo has been designed by the famous Bengali illustrator Debasis Deb, who worked very closely with us to understand the ethos of the organisation and then embodied this in several draft designs based on Bengali folk terracotta and textile motifs. The BHF members then voted for the best logo in an online poll and finally Debasis Da refined and coloured in the design to create the final artwork 17

Logo Conceptualisation: Amit Guha, Koushik Chatterjee

CAKE BOX - Suranjan

DURGA PUJA - HEARTBEAT OF A COMMUNITY AND A THRIVING CREATIVE ECONOMY

Debanjan Chakrabarti Director British Council, East and North-East India Few festivals excite all the senses like Durga Puja in the eastern part of India. Bollywood blockbusters like Parineeta and Kahani and a maestro like Satyajit Ray have put the spotlight on this opulent festival where faith mingles with public art on a scale perhaps not seen anywhere else on the planet.

festival in the last three decades. The 10-day megaevent now provides the livelihood for hundreds and thousands of people from various professions, arts and crafts. The complex creative economy that props up the Durga Puja festival includes clay sculptors, pandaal makers, electricians, lighting designers, mise en scène professionals, printers and publishers, the retail trade – especially garment and fashion, crafts and design (e.g. elaborate puja utensils), food and beverage, advertising and media, and the whole of travel and tourism industry, not only for domestic tourists but now increasingly international ones.

The visitor economy around Durga Puja in the state has witnessed significant influx of international tourists, particularly from the UK and Europe. As a result, West Bengal has moved up to 5th rank, overtaking Rajasthan for tourists, both domestic and international. (Source: India Tourism Statistics at a For me as a child growing up in a copper mining glance – 2020). Durga Puja was also adjudged the town in Chhotanagpur plateau, a visit to Kolkata best Festival Destination in India at the India Today every alternate year during Durga Puja was akin to Tourism and Survey Awards 2020. Tourism in West be taken to a theme park of mindboggling Bengal now contributes 12.6% of the state’s GDP, proportions. In our three and half years in the UK as compared to 4% of the GDP nationally. students in the early 2000s, my wife and I used to look eagerly forward to Durga Puja every year, so The credit goes to West Bengal’s tourism different from what we were used to in Kolkata, and department for its very proactive and creative yet so familiar. This involved getting up at the crack promotion of the festival. For example, “Bengal’s of dawn on Mahalaya (parents in Kolkata would Durga”, an outdoor photography exhibition alert us to the day over email, in the days when a commissioned in partnership with British Council, videocall over a mobile was unheard of, and very was seen by 270,960 viewers over the 43 days it complicated even with a desktop computer) to tune was up on the South Bank of London as part the into Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s sonorous Totally Thames festival in 2018. In fact, Bengal Chandipaath on the web. As research students we Heritage Foundation, the sister organisation of had slightly more flexibility than most professionals London Sharad Utsab, contributed greatly to the of the Indian expat community to participate in the success of the exhibition, and the initial idea of an Pujas wholeheartedly. We noticed with some economic research around Durga Puja was hatched amusement how the Puja days were adjusted to fit at the end of the opening of the festival. Like most into the weekend. Debnita and I had immense fun good ideas, over a meal and some good ale. The experiencing Durga Puja in the Northwest, where partnership between the Department of Tourism we have extended family - in Liverpool, Manchester, and British Council has now produced a report, Bury – and also up in Scotland, where we had very “Mapping the Creative Economy around Durga close friends. I don’t think many Bengalis have been Puja”, which estimates that in 2019 Durga Puja to the Durga Puja in Kirkcaldy in Fife! festival in the state was worth a whopping INR 32,377 crores, ie GBP 3.29 B or USD 4.53 B. Durga Puja has grown impressively in stature as a 20

DURGA PUJA - HEARTBEAT OF A COMMUNITY AND A THRIVING CREATIVE ECONOMY The 10-day long festival accounted for 2.58% of the state’s GDP. The report is based on two separate pieces of research, the first one led by Queen Mary University of London in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur, and the second one by a data research company.

sectors. Among 240 respondents to the QMUL and IIT KGP survey done with Durga Puja organisers across the state, 35% of responding artisans reported they earn over 80% of their annual income from the festival month. Such spikes and flares are detected in virtually every sector that was surveyed. Over 2 lakh travellers arrived at Kolkata airport Why is a creative economy approach to festivals during the 5 days of the Durga Puja festival in 2019, important? The creative industries are among the and nearly 10 lakhs travellers arrived by train. most dynamic ones in global trade. It fuses Kolkata airport witnessed a rise of nearly 10,000 creativity, culture, economics and technology passengers on the puja days compared to regular together. It tends to create more jobs, distribute days. There is a significant spike in power surpluses more widely and boost export earnings, consumption during the festival days. From about while at the same time contributing to social 8000 MW , the average daily demand surges to inclusion, cultural diversity and human 8700 MW between Panchami and Dashami, the development. These are the key drivers behind the main days of the festival. The publishing houses do UN declaring 2022 the International Year of the brisk business too with Puja Barshikis or Festival Creative Economy for Sustainable Development, and Numbers, and the value of that business is around British Council is a partner in this programme. INR 270 crores. The UK is a world leader in mapping and measuring The Durga Puja report puts forward a number of its creative economy and the contribution the sector policy recommendations for all stakeholders. These makes to the country’s GDP. A recent report by the are around measuring the environmental impact of UK’s Department of Culture Media and Sports the festival, incentivising more ecologically indicates that creative industries contributed £111.7 sustainable materials that eliminate all pollutants, billion to the UK, equivalent to £306 million every strengthening inclusion and diversity and easing day. This was up 7.4% on the previous year, access to the pandals. More data is required on meaning growth in the sector is more than five remittances into and out of the state, both domestic times larger than growth across the UK economy, and international. Backward and forward linkages of which increased by 1.4 per cent. the mega Durga Pujas in Kolkata to the villages will strengthen rural tourism and drive up employment In the backdrop of the UK India Roadmap signed between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Boris while stemming urban migration. Creation of tourist Johnson, the UK and India has much to offer to each trails, from the Sunderbans to the Himalayas, and other as both countries build their economies back training guides to support international will boost the tourist experience of the bounty of creativity better. that Durga Puja offers. The report on Durga Puja maps out 10 creative industry verticals. These include installation art, idol The report is based on a transparent methodology and can be replicated across other states and for making, lighting and illumination, literature and festivals across India. publishing, films and entertainment, retail, sponsorships, food and beverages, and Let the festivities begin, from London to Kolkata, advertisements. While the idols, the pandals and the from Dhaka to New York, uniting Bengalis through illumination captures our imagination, it is the retail khichuri bhog, dhaaker taal and dhunuchi naach. industry that generates the highest turnover at over INR 27,000 crores, followed by F&B at almost INR https://www.britishcouncil.in/programmes/arts/Mapping3000 crores. Retail witnesses a whopping 100% hike 12.Creative-Economy-around-DurgaPuja 21 in September-October, buoyed by bonuses that DCMS – Creative Economy employees receive across the formal and informal

THE NOT-SO-SUBTLE ART OF THE BENGALI DURGA PUJO

Poulami Basu BHF Member

Collins Dictionary describes “Durga” as a Hindu goddess and an embodiment of the female energy of Siva. I find this a wholly insufficient explanation for the term. These two syllables embody a vast gamut of emotions for us. Yes, “Durga” is an emotion!

When in rage she is fierce and frightening wielding her many weapons intent on wiping out evil but she is also benevolent and kind to her devotees. Every year she gathers her children and prepares for a journey home and Bengal embraces her with warmth and gaiety.

Come Ashwin, the quintessential Bengali shakes off his daily stupor and gets down to organizing the Sarbojonin Durga Pujo. Every self-respecting Bengali answers to this universal call and care is taken so that no one is left behind. Venues are For most of the world, the word conjures up booked, subscriptions requested and images of a magnificent deity astride a fearsome preparations kick into high gear. Pujo meetings beast. She is ready for battle, armed and are set up (always accompanied by endless “cha” ferocious. Funnily enough, in Bengal, we take a and “chaanachur”) and committees are formed very different view of her. Make no mistake she and reformed. Cultural programs are finalized is still revered as “Durgatinashini” but she is also with Tagore and Kishore jostling for prominence our prodigal daughter who eagerly awaits her amicably. Rehearsals for said programs are yearly visits to her parents' home. It is this very planned with enthusiasm. Dadagiri, Antakshari, thought that has so endeared “Durga” to us. Dance Bangla Dance form the basis of many a Pujo evening entertainment. Bengali women plan their Pujo wardrobe with the same passion they dedicate to selecting their trousseau. Countless Pujo Melas are organized where the silk count of the nine-yard is debated with as much seriousness as one would discuss “Babai’s” ongoing exams. Blouse designs, phal, peeko, jewellery are procured and “matched” with military precision. Men are not left behind either. Rare is the Bengali man who does not look good in a dhutipunjabi. But the procurement of the said garment and the eventual donning of it is a feat in itself.

THE NOT-SO-SUBTLE ART OF THE BENGALI DURGA PUJO I can safely proclaim that every Bengali household has their own “dhuti” story. More often than not, one assistant is roped in to help with the task, sometimes even two! The tale of the “shonar Punjabi bottam”, often an heirloom, is whispered in revered tones. It’s eventual appropriation and attachment to the famed “Punjabi” is peppered with nostalgia and fond reminiscence. These heartwarming anecdotes weave through the very fabric of our Durgotsav and are recounted for many a year.

when the adventurous Bengali embarks on a food crawl. Punctuated by pandal visits, the best phulkopir singhara, double egg chicken roll, biryani and ghugni stalls are hunted down and devoured. They do not forget to update their preferences and recommendations on social media either. Depriving a fellow Bengali of good sustenance is sacrilege!

Undoubtedly, Durga Pujo is an unparalleled celebration of valour, endurance and bravery. In the daily grind of life, one often struggles to find And, finally, we come to our most revered topic, these qualities within oneself. The festival second only to Durga Pujo, Food! Food is BAE!! reminds us that Durga resides within us all. Come Tripadvisor and Facebook posts are meticulously let us celebrate this kaleidoscope of tradition, scanned and restaurants serving Bengali food are bonhomie and mirth the Bengali way! carefully researched. Even though most Pujo afternoons are reserved for Bhog, the evening is

Sketch by Joydeep Pal BHF member 23

CELEBRATING WOMAHOOD Celebrating womanhood is about honouring and acknowledging the contribution that women make to society, its about self love, its about supporting and uplifting women around us and its about speaking out against discrimination.

MY EXPERIENCES WITH DEVI [This article originally appeared in the May 2021 issue of the Bengali online literary magazine daakbangla.com, and is printed here with the kind permission of Malavika Banerjee and the Daak Bangla Team. It is from a daakbangla exclusive series of five articles by Sharmila Tagore on her experiences in Ray films. Her pieces on Aranyer Din Ratri and Nayak were published earlier this year.

Sharmila Tagore

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My first film Apur Sansar with Satyajit Ray made me a household name in Bengal. But it came with a price. I had to leave my Bengali medium school in Kolkata, because the headmistress Ms Das felt that now that I had worked in a film, I would be a bad influence on the other girls in my class. So my parents made me enroll in Loreto Convent in Asansol, where they lived. It was quite difficult for me to let go of my friends and begin life in a new school, this time an English medium one. It was quite traumatic having to get used to a new language. I The characters in Devi embody this conflict between remember that the first essay I was given to write blind Hindu superstition and the growth of cynicism was ‘On a Windy Day’ and I wrote it in Bengali and and eventual revolt of the era. The father dominating then translated it almost word for word into English, his weak-willed elder son represents Hindu with my grammar and syntax all haywire. I used to orthodoxy. The younger son, Umaprasad, represents hide from people at school because conversations the new generation influenced by Western learning had to be in English. and intellectualism. He studies in Calcutta and is influenced by the rational professor who advocates It was during the school vacations the next year that reformist thought. Yet, that this reformist voice Manik-da called me for Devi, which became my wasn't yet strong enough to stand up to the second film. I was fourteen at that time. It was made entrenched dogmatic beliefs and bigotry is clear in 1959. Today, so many years, so many films later, it when he arrives home upon receiving Harisundari's remains my favourite film, my favourite letter. The chanting priests, the fervent crowd of performance. Even the subject, set in 1860, in my worshippers and his father's will hold him at bay. opinion remains relevant today. Harisundari, the elder daughter-in-law, stands somewhere in the middle. She is a rational woman, In the second half of the nineteenth century, the yet unable to let go of centuries of orthodox period in which Devi is set, the confrontation conditioning. between Hindu orthodoxy and rational reformism was at its most intense. The conflict had permeated When I read the script this time, I realized what an the zamindar class and many young reformers in fact opportunity it would offer me in terms of originated from this class. It is no wonder that the performing. As far as I can discern, there isn't a false germ of the theme of Devi was given by note in the film, the sure way in which it moves to Rabindranath Tagore to Prabhat Mukherjee, who is the shattering climax, the haunting music, the credited with the story. cinematography which heightens the mood of impending doom. 27

MY EXPERIENCES WITH DEVI The opening shots reveal the fervid religiosity of the zamindar, Kalikinkar Roy, almost setting the mood for what is to unfold. As the zamindar watches the Durga Puja as if in a trance, the incense shrouding the air, the cymbals and the drum on the soundtrack, it is impossible not to have a feeling of unease. One is immediately aware that one is in the presence of one intoxicated by faith. I am immensely proud of this film. In fact, Manik-da also felt that Devi and Charulata were his favourite films because, as he himself said, he made less mistakes in these. Even today, when I go back to it, I am amazed at the skill with which Manik-da extracted such a performance from one who was still a novice. But then I guess that was his greatest ability, to make newcomers feel at ease and get them to emote the way he had envisaged a scene, without probably the actor even realizing it. That is why the performances in his films are so natural, they do not seem like performances at all. Somehow, the film’s set-up and character probably Just watch the scene where the father-in-law comes impacted me even during the shoot. In fact, unlike running to Doyamoyee, muttering ‘Ma, ma’, after his Apur Sansar, where I felt very energized on the sets, dream where he sees Doya’s face and eyes morph here I could not let go of a feeling of heaviness, of into that of the goddess. He falls at Doya's feet in carrying a weight on my chest, going through an abject worship, to be followed by Doya’s brother-in- ordeal of some sort; much of it must have been law. The revulsion and fear that Doya experiences is because of all the make-up, the garland around my depicted not by traditional cinematic forms. One neck, but I also dare say that somehow the sees her nails scratching the wall next to her even as oppression that Doya probably felt had infected me, her toes curl away and you know she is revolted by which worked for the character. the spectacle, her very being brutalized and shrinking, a feeling that as a viewer I feel when I The film was widely misinterpreted in the West at watch the film fifty years on. the time. While everyone in Bengal is familiar with Kali worship and is aware of the nature of the In the absence of her Western-educated husband orthodox Hindu family structure and its dos and who stays in Calcutta, Doya is simply not strong don’ts, the Western audience was not, and therefore enough to resist the fanatic will of the father-in-law. experienced a great deal of difficulty in following the She is as much a victim of the patriarchal set-up in course of events, as the development of the plot which she has grown up, where she has been taught grows out of this orthodox Bengali nature of the not to question what is asked of her by the men of theme. the house. Even as she is garlanded and decked up as Even in India, there was a lot of trouble at the time goddess, one needs just a look at her face to know of its release. The film became quite controversial as that she is full of doubts, though too timid, tooit was seen as an attack on Hinduism. The tradition bound, too young to assert her will of self- government too seemed unwilling to promote a film preservation. It is not long before the relentless that talked of what they deemed was outmoded assault of being worshipped disturbs her sense of superstition. More so, because Ray was a Brahmo, it reality as Ray proceeds to unfold the doom that is was hinted that he had chosen the subject to attack now Doya's fate. Hinduism, which was not true at all.. 28

MY EXPERIENCES WITH DEVI Manik-da had to clarify that the film was against the orthodoxy of Hinduism and not against Hinduism per se. Interestingly enough, about a fortnight after the subject was announced, there was a similar incident in western India, where a young village wife was declared to be a reincarnation of a minor local deity I agree with Andrew Robinson, Ray's biographer, who says that the film implies that it is humans who create and recreate gods and it is the human mind that decides whether they are used for the benefit of mankind or not.

In Devi, even when Umaprasad tells her to accompany him to Calcutta, she is unwilling to do so, thinking about her father-in-law, about the child. And even towards the end, she fails to let go of the myth of incarnation only because she is afraid that it might bring bad luck to her husband, as she says, ‘Jodi ami devi hoi, tomar jodi amangal hoy’.

This thinking exists even now and religious dogmas kind of reinforce these. So, Devi continues to be relevant in the way it addresses the use of religious orthodoxy to victimize the woman. Underlying this is If anything, the subject remains relevant even now, the need for education, the kind of education that with dark pockets of ignorance and superstition still fosters rational thinking, an issue that Ray, like prevalent, not to speak of a societal order made by Tagore, believed in and which informs both Apur men where women are mere tools and end up as Sansar and Devi. helpless victims. For one, in large sections of the population, a woman remains captive, she has no Till such time that religion is used to perpetuate escape, no option. Two, she is mentally conditioned ignorance and superstition, till such time that the that whatever your family decides for you is the true tolerant, progressive nature of religion continues best for you, you are there to serve the family, you to elude mankind, Devi will remain extremely cannot have a mind of your own. relevant and a must see for anyone who loves meaningful cinema.

CELEBRATING WOMANHOOD! In general women's acceptance of domestic violence by their partners has decreased in almost 75% of countries, but laws to address DV are only available in 153 countries. All of us have celebrated 8th March as International Unpaid domestic and care work falls Women's Day, have given a thumbs up to quotes like disproportionately on women, restricting their "we are all wonder women, “future history makers" economic potential alongside the Covid-19 pandemic. Women make up 70% of workers in the health sector and "inclusion matters". But what is celebrating facing higher infection rates yet get paid 11% less womanhood actually about? We celebrate globally than their male counterparts. womanhood to spread awareness among people Women are still underrepresented in public life and regarding women's rights and gender equality. decision-making. International Women' Day, also known as IWD for Women are heads of state or government in 22 short, grew out of the labour movement in New York countries, and only 24.9% national parliamentarians in 1908 and later became recognised as an annual are women. The question has never been if women event by the UN in 1975. It has become a date to can lead as capably as men. Women have always led, celebrate how far women have come in society, in especially when the times are hard, and their politics and in economics. So my next question is how communities are in need. The question is why is far have we come? Below I present a small synopsis women's leadership invisible? We the women of the of a crucial report to help us understand this a little bit world want and deserve an equal future free from better. stigma, stereotypes, and violence; a future that's sustainable, peaceful with equal rights and The World's Women Report 2020 published by UN opportunities for all. To get us there, the world needs analyzed gender equality in 6 critical areas which were population and families, health and education, women at every table where decisions are being economic empowerment and asset ownership, power made. And this was the theme for IWD2021 "women in leadership: achieving an equal future in Covid-19 and decision making, violence against women and world“ girl child and the impact of Covid-19.

Dr Priyanka Bhattacharyya GP and BHF member

Evidence has shown that girls, once they have access to schooling, tend to do better than boys in academic achievements. Women outnumbered men in tertiary education. However, women continue to be underrepresented in fields of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. Only a third of the world's researchers are women and they only remain a minority in scientific research. 28% of women held managerial positions in the year 2019 which is the same as the year 1995 when the Beijing Declaration and the platform for action, was adopted unanimously by 189 countries for women's empowerment and gender equality. Around one-third of the global women population have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. 18% of them have experienced this in the last 12 months. Globally 137 women are killed by their intimate partner or family member every day. 200 million women and girls have been subjected to FGM. Reference: UN.org/UNwomen.org/BBC.co.uk

There is no better time than now to reflect on the progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by you and me who have played an extraordinary role in the history of our countries and communities. The world has made unprecedented advances. 50 years ago we landed on the moon, in the last decade we discovered new human ancestors, and photographed a black hole, but sadly no country has been able to achieve gender equality. How can you and I make an impact? Change isn't just about big headline moments, legal victories and international agreements. The way we talk, think and act everyday can create a ripple effect that will benefit everyone. Like Mother Teresa famously said "I alone cannot change the world. But I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples“ Let's make 2021 count for women and girls everywhere. This for me will be in the true sense30 a celebration of womanhood.

WOMANHOOD RE-DEFINED

Alankrita Gupta BHF member बालिका अहं बालिका नव युग जलनता अहं बालिका ।

The woman of spirit - The self reliant, the ever progressive woman. The never give up attitude नाहमबिा दु बबिा आलदशक्ति अहमक्तिका ।। and the quality to march ahead leaving all the speed breakers behind is a quality that comes naturally to her. She never lets anything come in I am a girl, a girl of modern times. I am not feeble way to ensure a protected and safe life for her or powerless. I am Aadishakti, I am Ambika. children and family.

I bow down to this almighty, the powerful yet affectionate, the fierce yet humble, the warrior yet compassionate, the courageous yet sensitive multi The woman of strength - always striving never settling, setting higher and new goals every faceted naari shakti. As we celebrate the homecoming of maa Durga , the victory of good day. Accepting challenges and winning over fear is over evil, we also pay a tribute to this aadishakti what she does. Our history has seen the strength of the woman of substance where to save the who has adopted and moulded herself to every situation and ensured success and victory in the country men she has fought in the battlefield or sacrificed selflessly for others. course of life. The woman of soul - The year gone by will never be forgotten by this generation and many to come, but she is the one who never felt unsettled or restless in these tough times. She took to multiple roles from a cook to a child minder to being the barber to being the cleaner and a professional she never gave up . She just added a little extra horse power to her daily life. The woman of courage- choosing the right over wrong and taking the right lane at a t junction is not easy. But they have proved the point to the world. They have made decisions and choices in life with a brave smile. They have chosen the difficult path over the easier one and have showcased their determination to break free from the orthodox. To let loose the chains of myth and taboo. They have shown the world to break free and live life on their terms.

Woman - She is the one who has so many avatars. She is beautiful and delicate as crystal at one instance and tough as tempered glass in another. She can charm to impress and kill to save. She can multitask with attention to detail. She can be homemaker or a bread earner in no time.. she is the supreme almighty .. Nammo nammo durge Sukh Karni.. nammo nammo dukh harini... Dugga Dugga ..

SALUTATION TO THE GODDESS!

Debarati Goswami BHF Trustee

“Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Shakti Rupen Sansthita Namastasyi, Namastasyi, Namastayi Namoh Namah” Translated as: To that Goddess Who Lives In All Beings In The Form Of Power and Strength. Salutations to her, Salutations, Salutations Again and Again. In a world which preaches about women empowerment, I feel extremely proud to be a member of Bengal Heritage Foundation (BHF); where we believe that modern women are already empowered and what we do is only a celebration of women empowerment. We do not boast of, as an organisation led by women but we bow to the innate leadership qualities that women possess. Back home in India, Bengal has been a pioneer in establishing women’s rights and abolishing wrong practices against women that’s clearly reflected in The Bengal Renaissance Period. While the rest of the country and interestingly several parts of the world, believed that the position of women is confined to indoors, Bengal stood out from the rest; thus leaving a legacy for generations of women to continue to excel in any sphere of life. A power to give birth, the patience to bring up and raise another human being, the strength to protect her family against all odds, the prudence to bring in prosperity, the wisdom to educate, the unconditional love ---she is just unstoppable! Gods and Goddesses can’t be seen they say; we believe otherwise---- They can be seen in the women, because she is divine. In mythology we see her as Goddess Durga or Athena

or Minerva. In history we see her as Rani Laxmibai or Ahilyabai or Boudica. In governance we see her as Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi or Queen Elizabeth II. In day to day lives, she is right in front of you. To the young mother who protected her baby girl from infanticide, to the young girl who stood firm against her molesters; to the girl who fled while being trafficked; to the lady who refused bribe; to the lady who stopped that hand from hitting her; to the lady who questioned adultery—We Salute You!!! To the girls who excelled in academics, sports, technology, economics, music, dance and art; to the female CEOs and would-be female CEOs; to the best cooks in the world; to our female civil servants; to the female country and world leaders; to the mothers---Take A Bow!!! We Celebrate Womanhod---We Celebrate You!!!

MEET OUR BHF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN HER HIGH HEELS! There is no denying that women entrepreneurs are on the rise. It does not matter if you are a professional simply wanting to indulge a long cherished passion or a new mom pursuing a labour of love, more and more women are starting home grown

businesses. In fact, there has never been a better time to do this! Come let us meet some of our very own BHF-LSU members who are successful entrepreneurs. Indeed, they are a force to reckon with!

BHF Women entrepreneurs interviewed by BHF member Poulami Basu

MEET OUR BHF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Sugar : SUGAR ADVERTORIAL Did you know that there was a time when humans only had access to sugar for a few months a year, when fruits were in season? Some 80,000 years ago, hunters and gatherers ate fruit sporadically and infrequently, since they were competing with birds. Now, our sugar hits come all year round, often with less nutritional value. Simply by opening a soft drink or cereal box, having a piece of cake, biscuit or processed food, we all gulp far too much sugar. Eating too much added sugar can have many negative health effects: it can raise the risk of obesity, worsen dental health, increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, accelerate the skin aging process, cause acne, and so much more. For these reasons, added sugar should be kept to a minimum whenever possible, which can be easy when following a healthy diet based on whole foods. Focusing on preparing healthy meals and limiting our intake of foods that contain added sugar can help us reduce the overall amount of sugar in our diet. Most of the time it is the craving for having something sweet which drives us towards something sugary, but is there a suitable alternative which doesn’t cause damage to our health? In my quest to find healthy alternatives to naughty treats, my research has concluded: YES! There are now some all-natural, zero-calorie alternatives to sugar available, such as stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, etc. These are natural, don’t have calories and are thus a good choice for people trying to lose weight. These sugar substitutes don’t disturb blood sugar levels so are also good alternatives for people with diabetes or those who are pre-diabetic. Although more expensive than sugar, having treats with these sweeteners in moderation won’t cost you your health. I’m Indrani, founder of KetoLush London, a foodie who is passionate about leading and endorsing a healthy diet whilst still enjoying the taste and comfort sweet treats bring. My recipes have no sugar and are low in carb, but there’s no skimping on taste and sheer indulgence.

BHF EVENTS

BHF KIDS

BANCHBO

BHF IN THE PRESS

WE THANK ALL OUR SPONSORS FOR THEIR SUPPORT

LONDON SHARAD UTSAV – ACCOUNTS (2020) INCOME & EXPENDITURE

TOTAL

Income Charitable activities Donations Event Ticket Sales Gift Aid Membership Donations Sponsorship Total Income

£ 18,313.83 £ 10,186.07 £ 1,657.30 £ 6,378.98 £ 15,286.50 £ 2,568.86 £ 54,391.54

Expenditure Charitable Contributions Operational Expenses Event Expenses Other Expenditures Total Expenditure

£ 19,379.52 £ 3,710.84 £ 24,411.16 £ 157.83 £ 47,659.35

Surplus for the accounting year

£ 6,732.19

BHF + LSU – CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES (Last 18 months)

CPAP machine in APEX Institute of Medical Sciences

Weavers in Sunderbans

Boi Para Amphan Relief

Theatre Workers’ support through Zila Fund & Samstab

LONDON SHARAD UTSAV 2021 – DOs and DON’Ts

ZEE -Suranjan