“Painting is not made to decorate apartments; it is an offensive and defensive instrument of war against the enemy.” ---Pablo Picasso Art plays a pivotal role in shaping the nature of protests during any social upheaval. It allows the people to give a new direction to their political imagination and make powerful statements challenging authorities. … Continue reading Documenting Dissent Through Art—Rayan Chakrabarti
Jukti Takko Aar Goppo (1974) “And somewhere under some new moon we shall learn that sleeping is not death.” Remembering Ritwik Ghatak on his 95th birth anniversary warns against deifying him as a cult figure. "Pakami korona" (Don't try to be too smart) would have been the spontaneous retort, if the man had been alive … Continue reading Challenging Reason, Identities, and Nations: Situating Ghatak’s Jukti Takko Aar Goppo—Sujato Datta and Ananyo Chakraborty
Fantastic Planet (1973) Something funny happened a few days back. I watched an online streaming of Frankenstein by the National Theatre (thanks to the current circumstances) with some excitement and it was quite an experience. I had never seen something that magnificent on a stage before—with rolling steam engines and all grand elements on display, … Continue reading Society Spectacular—Monjima Kar
Picture Courtesy: Malda Malancha “Deshta kore bhagabhagi, abar cholchey jhogra jhati, Bharot holo shoshan, hey panchanan, purey hinshar oi aguney.” (The country was divided up, now people continue to bicker, India has become a crematorium, O Panchanan (Shiva), engulfed by violent flickers.) “Sommilito jatipunjer niom bhengey Dhonsompoder ohankarey korchish Baghdad akromon Besh to khush, ohey … Continue reading The Curious Case of Gambhīrā: Evolution of a Folk Performance from the Indo-Bangladesh Borderland—Asmita Sarkar
James Baillie Fraser's 'Views of Calcutta and its Environs', Plate 24, Aquatint; 1826 The word ‘Battala’ evokes a range of meanings. Literally, it means ‘under the banyan tree’. Historically, it has been both a metonym of commercial print culture as well as a misnomer for obscene and vulgar vernacular literature in nineteenth century Calcutta. It … Continue reading Strange Bedfellows: Battala Print and the Bengal Renaissance—Suchintan Das
Picture Courtesy: Reuters The father who fears identifying the corpse of his dead child, I despise him. The brother who is still unperturbed—without shame, I despise him. The teacher, intellectual, poet, or professional Who does not ask for avenging these deaths in public, I despise him. Eight lifeless bodies Lie across my consciousness, I am … Continue reading Nabarun Bhattacharya’s ‘This Valley of Death is No Country of Mine’—Translated by Suchintan Das
Image Courtesy: The Covai Post As a student of history, I have been interested in the devadasi system in general and its relevance in the genealogy of contemporary Indian classical dance forms in particular. In my opinion, existing approaches and appraisals fail to adequately historicise the evolution of these dance forms. It is only when … Continue reading Temple Intrigues and Classical Dances: Historicizing the Devadasi System—Arnaaz Zaman
Courtesy: The Whiskey Farm's 'Songs of Resistance' Album As Rancière said, “everything in politics turns on the distribution of spaces... political action always acts upon the social as the litigious distribution of places and roles.” But re-figuring of space, particularly physical space, is difficult in many orientalist nations, like India and Japan. This can be … Continue reading Politics, Spaces, and Aesthetics: Some Thoughts on the Genre of Protest Music—Debayan Das
Lokayata 