This Children’s Day, one of our members, Mrs Ruby Banerji, shares her experience of espousing the cause of underpriviledged children with Mousumi Gupta.
“Will you come to meet us every ...
This Children’s Day, one of our members, Mrs Ruby Banerji, shares her experience of espousing the cause of underpriviledged children with Mousumi Gupta.
“Will you come to meet us every day Dida? Will you come with us to our house?” That was the first reaction Mrs Banerji got when she became associated with Divine Life Mission, several years back. Though their house is nothing but a plastic cover over their head, yet they felt proud and happy to show it to her. Their unconditional love made her feel that they too deserved to feel safe, valued, and loved and she began to work to better the lives of these street children. Mrs Banerji empowers the street children with skills and attitude to make them socially acceptable and have a positive outlook in life. She arms them with skills that will help them to at least earn enough to meet their basic needs in future, and also helps them to envision goals for themselves and motivates them to achieve their dreams.
She is associated with two schools that work for street children—one at Swinhoe street and the other at Garcha. She had initially decided to teach children under 10 years because she thought, and was also advised by her mentor at Divine Life Mission, that if something is taught to children at such a tender age, it gets reflected in their moral behaviour. But one day, she saw a few children between 12 to 14 years watching her from a distance. When she went up to them and enquired, they replied “Can you please teach us? We are all school dropouts”. That was the biggest reward for her sincerity and efforts, and that was the kind of attraction they felt towards her. She couldn’t ignore their earnest plea and decided to take them under her wing. And now she is excited to mention that one of them is preparing for class 10 board exams. The children are so attached to her that now, when she gets down from her car near the school, they are eager to help her and compete with eachother about who will carry her bag, who will help her to climb the stairs and so on. It is indeed heartwarming to see the sparkle in her eyes when she talks about them.
Mrs Banerji now has some volunteers, who are as dedicated as her, and help her to teach these children different subjects like drawing, dancing and singing. They also provide meal for the children every day. The children celebrate all the important calendar days, which not only gives them the opportunity to showcase their learning and talent, but also teaches them about the importance of those days. New clothes are distributed during festivals for Mrs Banerji believes that just like the privileged section of this society, they too deserve to wear new clothes during festivals.
Mrs Banerji is extremely happy to do something for the society and feels amply rewarded by their love and respect for her. Mrs Banerji does not celebrate children one calendar day but the whole year around!
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Our member Kumkum Banerjee talks to Rimjhim Bhattacherjee about her illustrious career with the All India Radio.
As a young girl, did you always aspire to join the AIR?<...
Our member Kumkum Banerjee talks to Rimjhim Bhattacherjee about her illustrious career with the All India Radio.
As a young girl, did you always aspire to join the AIR?
- No, it was entirely serendipitous. I had completed my Masters and was working on a patrika named Ekaleen with great zeal. A few of my friends and I had started it and we handled the all the work— from gathering material to arranging for its publication. Writers like Sunil Gangopadhyay, Shirshendu and Shankha Ghosh wrote for us.
Meanwhile, a brother of mine heard of the vacancy at AIR. He himself filled the form, made me sign it and delivered it. When I received the joining letter, it was for AIR Siliguri. It wasn’t possible for me to join there. I let AIR know that. Finally, Indira Devi herself wrote to me to join AIR Kolkata. I couldn’t believe it. It was as if the job was meant for me.
What was your work like at the AIR?
- It was challenging in the beginning, like all new jobs are. I had to learn the art of queuing, fading in and fading out and so on. I learnt quickly and well. Soon, even artists were praising my work. I usually didn’t do announcements; I worked for special shows like Mahilamahal and so on. I got transferred to various departments as the years wore on but everywhere my work was met with enthusiasm and praise.
Can you share with us some of your golden moments at work?
- I worked with the AIR for a long 38 years. Asking me to relate a few golden moments would be like looking for needles in a haystack. (laughs)
I cherish the entire journey and the people I had the opportunity to meet, interact and work with. I still cannot forget the day I spoke to Pankaj Kumar Mullick. I stood staring at him in total awe. I was a little child when he had composed the music for ‘Diner sheshe ghumer deshe.’ When I asked him about it, he told me how he had visited Rabindranath Tagore and presented the composition before him with a lot of trepidation. Can you imagine the good fortune of meeting such people and hearing stories like these almost every day?
The day I met Birendra Krishna Bhadra also remains indelible. Nobody would look at the slim, fair man and imagine that he would have as powerful a voice as he did.
Tell me some more about the people you had the opportunity to work with.
- (laughs) This can take ages. People like Kanan Devi and Manju Dey left deep impressions on me. I have never met a woman as genteel and as warm as Kanan Devi.
Did you know Manju Dey drove and could even change the tires of her car herself?!
They were women who both inspired me a great deal. Apart from this, I have worked with the likes of Gouri Ghosh, Sarajubala Devi, Suchitra Mitra, Kanika to modern day artists like Moonmoon Sen and Rupa Ganguly.
And you are an artist in your own right…
- (smiles embarrassedly) I wrote and I used to recite but I was never one for self-publicity. I love poetry and I still recite when acquaintances ask me to. I have also written several songs and books of poetry, rhymes and other writings. As I said, I never liked to publicise but people close to me know that I write.
What would you say is your greatest achievement?
- I don’t look at achievement in terms of awards or as a solitary great event. For me, my achievement lay in my building friendships with certain artists, which went much deeper than the strictly professional. It lay in my work being deeply appreciated by artists and audience alike. My name used to be announced for some shows I hosted or organised. I had people writing to me from both Kolkata and Bangladesh telling me how much they liked my show and the way I presented it. I still have some of those letters. Once, a young boy from Bangladesh even visited my house to congratulate me on my work! I have had several letters inviting me to visit Bangladesh, but that has not been possible as yet.
Is there anything in particular that you would like to share with your readers?
- I’ve often been asked what I did to maintain my voice. I always laughed when I heard this question because I really took no special effort. I think that if we love our work enough so much so that it becomes a passion for us, it will always express itself in the work we produce. It becomes unnecessary then to focus on ancillary things.
I’ve learnt another thing from my interactions with all the artists and great people I’ve had the fortune to meet. The greater you grow in Art, the more humble you become and the more respectful towards others. When your profession teaches you so much, you know you’ve lived a fulfilling life and the journey, with its ups and downs, was completely worth the effort.
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Support Elders member Ratna Sen shares the story of her life with Rimjhim Bhattacherjee.
As a young girl, I grew up in a very conservative family where a durwan would accompany me ...
Support Elders member Ratna Sen shares the story of her life with Rimjhim Bhattacherjee.
As a young girl, I grew up in a very conservative family where a durwan would accompany me even if I had to go two houses down. Those were days when women didn’t venture out too much and my father, although he loved me like no other, was very strict about this. Life changed dramatically after I married. My husband worked for Bharat Petroleum and had a transferable job. Wherever he went, I went with him— Burdwan, Behrampore, Asansol, Gujarat, Bombay. Sometimes he used to be away on tour for as many as fifteen days at a stretch and I had to manage on my own. Can you imagine the leap this was for me? I enjoyed my freedom though. I liked travelling to new places. Each new city had its own idiosyncrasies, its offerings of happy and sad days and new friendships. Some friendships forged in these new cities stand strong even today.
I used to spend my days immersed in chores, books, embroidery and music. I was trained in embroidery and it had almost become an addiction for me. I loved stitching patterns on panjabis, table covers and so on. But music engrossed me like nothing else. Along with completing my Master’s in Home Science before I was married, I used to take singing lessons at Geetabitan. I even learnt to play the Hawaiian guitar from a young chap who gave me lessons at home. My husband always encouraged my love for music and tried to arrange for guitar teachers for me in every new city we visited. Some of my most precious memories are with my son in Bombay—the two of us playing music, he on his Spanish guitar and me on my Hawaiian—alo amar alo ogo aloye bhubon bhora…those were magical days…
But enough nostalgia. Let me now tell you of an incident that happened while I was in Asansol…
I used to live on the ground floor of a house. Another family of mother and daughter, who I was very friendly with, occupied the first floor. Three steps led to my room. My husband was away on tour. It was late evening. I had been reading a book and had dozed off for a while when I suddenly heard a rustling noise, like the crumpling of paper. My eyes were immediately drawn to the door which I had left open for the evening breeze to pass through. What I saw made me freeze on the cot for a second before I gathered up all my courage and ran up to the first floor. I was so scared that I was unable to speak. Very cautiously the daughter crept downstairs and ran up to report the vision to her mother— a gigantic snake, with its hood raised, was sitting calmly on the steps leading to my room! Immediately, the mother wrapped a thick cloth over a stick, dipped it in kerosene and setting it to flame, brandished it in front of the terrifying creature. It slithered away into the darkness with a hiss. I slept upstairs that night. The nineteen or twenty year old me cocooned in my natal home would never have imagined, in her wildest fancy, that she would one day have an experience like this!
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Our member, General (Retd) Shankar Roychowdhury, gives us the lowdown on the preparation of this special day.
Republic Day is momentous occasion in the life of the nation. On 26 January every year, ...
Our member, General (Retd) Shankar Roychowdhury, gives us the lowdown on the preparation of this special day.
Republic Day is momentous occasion in the life of the nation. On 26 January every year, the nation and the world is treated to one of the “Greatest Shows on Earth” as India’s Republic Day Parade rumbles majestically down Rajpath, in the capital, New Delhi. Leading the parade are the Armed Forces, the pride of the nation.
The finished product which dazzles the spectators is the result of many hours of hard work and intricate behind the scenes coordination by the Armed Forces which commences several months ahead of the event. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. The troops, tanks, artillery guns and other equipment as also the series of bands which pass in review before the spectators have to be moved to New Delhi in early January and concentrated in the Republic Day Camp established in the vicinity of the Army Parade ground in New Delhi Cantonment. The rehearsals commence on the Parade Ground in early January. Marching, driving, and saluting in parade formation by horsed cavalry, Army Dog Squads, tanks, artillery, infantry as well as flight rehearsals by helicopters of the Army Aviation Corps are rehearsed almost without a break every day, until due results are achieved. It is hard and precise work, but the troops carry it out willingly and with enthusiasm, often even after night has fallen. These rehearsals are of course not seen by the public, and are put on display for the first time at the Army Day Parade on 15th January every year held on the Army Parade Ground in the cantonment. The Army Day parade is the Army’s own dress rehearsal for its participation in the Republic Day Parade and is commanded by the General Officer Commanding Delhi Area. The Chief of Army Staff takes the salute at the Army Day parade, which is attended by large numbers of veterans, school children, as also service families, not all of whom will get a chance to attend the main Republic Day Parade at Raj Path. The Army Day parade concludes with a display not seen during the main Republic Day Parade – a demonstration of an attack by an integrated combat team of armour and mechanised infantry, supported by artillery. It is display as realistic as possible within the area available and is greeted enthusiastically by the spectators.
Army Day over, the Army contingents are concentrated at camps established near the Republic Day parade venue on Rajpath, where rehearsals continue, this time with the total parade contingents from the three services, the paramilitary forces, as well as other participants from schools and colleges, together with colourful cultural floats and contingents of folk dancers, as well as fly past by the Air Force. The weather is a very important factor here, and many anxious glances are cast sky wards hoping the Air Force flypast can take place as scheduled. Finally, the big day, with all its ceremony, shown to the country and the world, and the crowds stream home. Another Republic Day over and the Republic is a day older.
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Support Elders’ member, Mr Malaynil Dasgupta, shares with Rangana Bhattacharya his remembrance of a festival close to his heart.
I remember coming to Kolkata in 2001. It was a mixed experience. Leaving Northeast ...
Support Elders’ member, Mr Malaynil Dasgupta, shares with Rangana Bhattacharya his remembrance of a festival close to his heart.
I remember coming to Kolkata in 2001. It was a mixed experience. Leaving Northeast where I had stayed for so many years, I didn’t enjoy the experience of relocating to Kolkata. It was a compulsive move, driven primarily by career choice. The very idea of leaving my cousins and relatives behind on the eve of Bhai phota (or bhai dooj) and settling so far away was particularly painful.
Bhai phota has always had a special significance for me. Celebrating it with my younger brothers and sisters, Bhai phota has always been a complete family affair. Sitting around in a circle on the floor, we brothers used to take turns in taking the ‘phota’ (or the holy dot) from our sisters. Sitting in a row, they used to take turns in putting phota on our foreheads and we used to shower them with blessings. It was imperative for us to give gifts to our younger siblings on this special day. I used to work in the Railways and needed to travel extensively around Northeast, especially Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Assam. Many a times I had important work commitments, but I always made it a point to be with my sister for Bhai phota.
Let me share an incident about Bhai phota. I have a sister who is very attached to me. Like every year, she had planned to gift me a shirt. Deciding beforehand on a shopping trip together, we excitedly went to a shop and started looking for a good shirt. Suddenly, one of her school friends walked into the shop with her mother. Not liking too much social attention, I tried to shy away from the ladies, much to my sister’s annoyance. She held my hand and pulled me into their conversation. I was very uncomfortable with the idea of interacting with girls and tried to escape my sister’s grip. Finally, I succeeded in freeing myself from her grip and in the middle of an engaging conversation, I walked out abruptly. I did not care that she was angry at my sudden departure and came back home, leaving her with her friends. A quarrel ensued and our fight was so terrible that I remember not taking phota from her that Bhai phota!
The tradition of Bhai phota has always enthralled me. Other than Raksha bandhan this was the only occasion where I could show my love for my sister. I have stayed in Siliguri for fourteen years and that is a place where Bhai dooj is celebrated with great pomp and ceremony. It is a token of love between brothers and sisters. I will always fondly remember celebrating Bhai phota with my family; and till date, barring the one incident mentioned above, I have always tried to be present for the occasion to earn my sister’ love and affection. Even at this age, it is a festive ritual I do not miss under any circumstance.
pic courtesy: By Aashish Jethra - Flickr: Mithai, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29529481
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