The Buxa Fort

The Buxa Fort is located at an altitude of 867 m in th Buxa Tiger Reserve. It was built by the rulers of Bhutan and was used by them to guard the trade route that passed through this area.

During the British Rule this was used as a high security prison and was the most notorious and unreachable prison in India after the Cellular Jail in Andaman. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was said to have been imprisoned here for some time. The prisoners had once wrote a letter to Rabindranath Tagore from this prison and the venerated poet had sent them a reply. The replicas of these letters enscribed in marble can be seen in the ruins of the fort.

The fort was last used by the police to keep the Naxal rebels during the Naxal rebellion in the seventies.

Only ruins of the fort can be seen today. What remains of the formidable fort and prison of the yesteryears are three small cells where prisoners were kept. We were lucky enough to spend a night in these cells.

This is one piece of our history which is very much worth preserving.

The Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"Let us use love and compassion to win the world" - Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa is one of the greatest champions of peace and charity the world has ever seen. Born to Albanian parents as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, she came to Kolkata in 1931 as a teacher. But soon she was so moved by the sufferings of the poor ans especially of the children and the lepers on the city's streets, she started working in order to help them and to raise awareness and consciousness around the city about those who were not as blessed as te most of us.

Her voice slowly was gradually heard across the city and the country and in some time she became the Mother of the whole world.

She formed the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and devoted her life to the poor and the needy. The mission of the Sisters of the mission is to help the poor and the needy. The Sisters dressed in blue-bordered white saarees have become a symbol of hope all over the world. The Missionaries have centers all across the world.

Mother Teresa recieved the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the Bharat Ratna in 1980 for her humanitarian work.

Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II following her death and was given the title the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

The Story of Satyajit Ray, Ramesh Sippy and Sholay

This is a story I heard somewhere but I do not remember the source. I was told it in such a way that I tend to believe that it is true, in fact it was claimed to be a true story. But I, until this point, have not had the resources or the determination to find the trutth behind the story for myself. I must, however, admit that I like the story the way it is and if I come to know that it isn't true, I shall be sad because the story is some kind of a hero worship for me.

It is about the renowned film maker Ramesh Sippy when he came to visit the master of them all, Satyajit Ray in Kolkata.

Ramesh Sippy had just made the best movie of his career, Sholay. With the release of Sholay, the whole of India was caught in a frenzie never seen before. It was a blockbuster the likes of which was never to be seen again in Bollywood. It was the making of a megastar: with this film Amitabh Bachhan had become the heartthrob of millions. It was also the flm to give Bollywood the most notorious villain in its history. Amjad Khan had made a sensational debut. Dharmendra, the big star as he was had delivered one of his best performances and so did Sanjeev Kumar. There was not a flaw to be seen in the movie. Everyone was watching it over and over again and Ramesh Sippy was the proud creator of the masterpiece of his career.

Sippy had come to Kolkata on a business trip. He decided to visit Ray, the biggest and most respected figure in the entire Indian film fraternity. Sippy was tentative and nervous about meeting Ray but he was truly surprised to find the man comfortably approachable. They talked for some time about many things. Finally with some effort, Sippy managed to ask Ray the question he wanted to aak. He said, "Sir, I have just made a movie named Sholay. ave you seen it?"

"Yes."

"Did you like it Sir? I would definitely like to know what you think of it."

"You have made a good movie Mr Sippy but there is a problem with your film."

Sippy was taken aback. There was a problem with Sholay? No one had told him that. The whole country was watching the movie. "What Sir?"

"This is a film in present day India about a village in Central India infested by bandits and dacoits, right Mr Sippy?"

"Yes Sir. Absolutely."

"Do you think there is electricity in those parts? I don't believe you do. You have yourself shown Radha the daughter-in-law of the Thakur lighting oil lamps in the evening. Haven't you?"

"Yes Sir. I have."

"Then, Mr Sippy, how do you think water is pumped into the huge water tank at such a height where you showed Veeru jumping around trying to commit suicide?"

Sippy was awed by the observation power and the minuteness with which Ray noticed avery single detail of a film. He said, "I am flattered by the fact that my film is lucky enough that you have seen it with so much interest." Thank you Sir for your feedback."

I think this is a true story at least the essence of it, if not all the words which I have placed just to make it coherent and readable.

The Bishnupur Gharana - The only Classical Gharana from Bengal

Bishnupur Gharana traces back to the classical dhrupad singer Ustad Bahadur Khan of the Senia Gharana established by the legendary Tansen of Emperor Akbar's court. Ustad bahadur Khan was brought to Bishnupur Raghunath II of Bishnupur in the early 18th century. Pir Baksh, maestro who played the mridanga or pakhawaj followed suite. Under these two great musicians, bothe vocal and classical instrumental music flourished in the court of Bishnupur and in course of time their disciples graced the courts of princes and nobilities throughout eastern India.

Gokul Nag of the Bishnupur Gharana : Image Credit

In the 19th century with the advent of the Brahmo form of religion in Bengal, the Bishnupur Gharana under the patronage of the this new religion. Dhrupad became a way of worship of the 'formless God' of the Brahmo people.

When Maharshi Debendranath Tagore formed the Brahmo Samaaj he patronised several musicians of this gharana. This gradually led to the formation of a branch of the Bishnupur Gharana of music at the Tagore residence at Jorasaanko. Ram Shankar Bhattacharya and Jadunath Bhattacharya (or Jadu Bhatta) were the most eminent among this group of artists. Jadu Bhatta had composed the music of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's Vande Mataram which became the rallying cry of the Indian freedom struggle.

The Bishnupur Gharana had huge influence on the music of the great Rabindranath Tagore.

Shantiniketan - The Abode of Peace

Shantiniketan was established by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, the father of the renowned poet Rabindranath Tagore. He had found the place very peaceful and named it Shantiniketan which means the abode (niketan) of peace (shanti).

Rabindranath Tagore established his school Patha Bhavana here as a Gurukul on the ideals of the Guru Shishya Parampara of ancient India. The underlying principle of the school is eduction in a natural environment.

Later on when Tagore received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetic masterpiece Gitanjali i 1913, he developed the school into a university in 1921 and named it Viswa Bharati.

This is what Tagore himself had to say on Viswa Bharati, "Viswa Bharati represents India where she has her wealth of mind which is for all. Viswa Bharati acknowledges India's obligation to offer to others the hospitality of her best culture and India's right to accept from others their best."

Mahatma Gandhi had once said, "If you have not seen Gurudev's Viswa Bharati then you have not seen India."

Some of the many notable alumnis of Patha Bhavana and Viswa Bharati are Satyajit Ray, India's greatest movie director, Indira Gandhi India's first woman prime minister and Noble laureate Amartya Sen.

Hill Schools - An Educational Tradition

Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong in the hills of Darjeeling have been home to some of finest schools in the country since the ninetinth century. These schools originally built by the British and Indian nobility by the ruling British in the lines of the aristrocratic private schools like Eton, Rugby and Harrows in Britain.

As the beautiful hill towns of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong started to develop as summertime residences for the British and Indian aristrocracy, the need for good schools for children emerged.

St Paul's School was first built in Calcutta (present Kolkata) in 1823 but later relocated to Darjeeling in 1864. It is Asia's one of the oldest schools and one of the most reputed schools in India.

Several schools came up one by one like Loreto Convent (1846), St Joseph's College ( 1888) and Mount Vermon School (1895).

Dow Hill (1879) and St Helen's School (1890) were set up for girls and Goethal's Memorial School was set up for boys in 1907 in Kurseong.

From the low and steamy plains 'Upward!' the old school calls;

Come share our joys and pains,

Come mould your lips and brains;

'Upward!' the old school calls.

- From the School song of St Paul's, Darjeeling

Uday Shankar : Pioneer of Modern Indian Dancing

Uday Shankar (1900 - 1977) often credited as the pioneer of modern Indian dancing was a world renowned classical dancer and choreographer. He was the pioneer of Indo-Western fusion music. He adapted the modern Western techniques into his dance form and took Indian classical dancing to a new level.

Uday Shankar did not have any formal training in dancing and his art was largely self educated from the different dance forms prevalent in India during the times, Mughal frescoes and rajput paintings and largely influenced by Western ballets. He brought both Western and Indian styles into a new dance form which he later called 'Creative dancing' which became widely popular in the West as well as in India.

His association with the legendary Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova gave the Indo-Western masterpieces like 'Radha-Krishna' and 'Hindu Wedding'.

He toured Europe and America for several years with his dance troup named 'Uday Shankar and his Hindu Ballet'. This made him immensely popular in the West and acclaims back home.

He married Amala Shankar with whom he made his only movie named Kalpana or imagination where he showcased his art form.

In the later half of his life he was awarded with the second highest civilian award by the Government of India in 1970.

His brother Ravi Shankar, the great musician, is credited for introducing and popularising Indian music in the West.