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A New Translation of Tagore’s “Rakta Karabi”– The Red Oleanders
“Rakta Karabi” by Rabindranath Tagore has been considered by many pundits as one of the pillars of modern Bengali drama. The universal appeal of the play needed to transcend beyond the confines of the...
View ArticleA Mini Theater Festival
On June 28th and 29th, ECTA Inc. will be presenting a mini theater festival of three plays. On 29th June, an encore presentation of the highly acclaimed play “Satyameva” will be held at 3.30pm. This...
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Vijay Tendulkar : A Real Indian Playwright
I was deeply hurt to hear the news of the death of Vijay Tendulkar, one of the greatest playwrights of Indian theater. It was only last year, at the South Asian Theater festival, I had the opportunity...
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ECTA Festival: Satyameva
After receiving wide critical acclaim and audience appreciation in Kolkata, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, ECTA offers an encore presentation of “Satyameva”, a play by Sudipta Bhawmik. Sanjoy, a young...
View ArticleGas and Us
Couple of years ago, I wrote an article on how to save gasoline by changing some of our driving habits. I have republished the article again with the faint hope that it may help us again. I say “faint...
View ArticlePodcast: “Baad Protibad” A (Hilarious) Play in Bengali
Last week I wrote about our new radio play “Baad Protibad” that was broadcast on EBC Radio 1170AM during the Sunday morning Bengali program “Probaho” conducted by Abhijit Sanyal. The play received...
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Bangamela – The Festival for the Midwestern Bengalis
Just as the excitement and euphoria of the recently concluded BangaSammelan (Toronto) dies down, Bengalis living in the middle western states are preparing to get into a festival of their own –...
View ArticleSome Reviews on ECTA’s Theater Festival
Recently a bunch of reviews on ECTA’s mini Theater festival plays have been published in various news and online media both in USA and India. I would like to share them with you, since many may not...
View ArticleECTA Looking for Actors and Actresses
ECTA (Ethnomedia Center for Theater Arts) is looking for actors and actresses for their upcoming production to be staged in late November 2008. Previous acting experience is nice to have but not...
View ArticleBSL : Bangla as a Second Language
I had often been requested to write plays for our children. With our kids in mind, few years ago I wrote a play titled BSL or Bangla as a Second Language. BSL is a hilarious short play for children...
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Banaprastha and AIDS – The Genesis
I think it was in 2004 when I met Pranay Dutta, an AIDS activist from Calcutta who was on a world tour attending several AIDS conferences in Europe, Asia and America. Pranay Dutta was then (and I...
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Banaprastha Rehearsals in Final Phase
After a long preparation phase, the end is now in sight. In two weeks time, ECTA will be launching their latest production, “Banaprastha” or “The Retirement”. ECTA’s play have always generated interest...
View ArticleCommunity News Bites: Banaprastha and Urhalpool
ECTA’s latest production “Banaprastha” premiered at the Edison Valley Playhouse on May 16th in front of a full house. The play was very well received by the audience as you can see in the accompanying...
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Thank You
I’d like to express my sincere thanks to all those of you who came to watch our play “Banaprastha” (The Retirement). We had full houses on all the four days and it was a testament to the fact that New...
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Habib Tanvir : The Legend Lives On
Very few theatre personalities in India have become legends in their life time. Habib Tanvir was one of them. Born as Habib Ahmed Khan on September 1, 1923 in Raipur, Chattisgarh, Habib Tanvir has...
View ArticleBannya Concert in New York
A unique concert of Tagore songs with the accompaniment of Indian and Western musical instruments is planned for Saturday, July the 18th, 2009, at 6-30 P.M. at the fabulous sanctuary of the futuristic...
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Goat and the Bengali Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia (as defined by Wikipedia) is a social class of people engaged in complex mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing...
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Durga Puja and Cultural Events: The 2009 New Jersey Lineup
In New Jersey, Durga Puja is a special time when the festive mood brings with it a flurry of entertainment and cultural programs across the state. This year too the line up looks very promising...
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New Jersey Durga Puja 2009 : A Review
Finally the annual Durga Puja celebrations are over. I was mostly present at the Kallol pujo but also paid (no pun intended) short visits at the Bharat Sevashram Sangha and Anandamandir. Kallol, just...
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Loss of a Friend
Three months ago, when I lost my mother, I received the following email from a close friend: Tonight at the Sahitya O Alochana meeting I heard the very sad news of your mother’s passing away. I offer...
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