Kumartuli or Kumortuli is located in the northern part of the city of Kolkata . The locality is a traditional habitat of the potters for nearly three hundred years. The potters or the artisans or the artists settled here during the restructuring of the Kolkata colonial region by the British East India Company . Earning a livelihood by making earthen pots and utensils first they gradually shifted to the making of the idols of Gods and Goddesses for various festivals round the year. With increasing demand and quality of their creations over time the artisans became famous and Kumartuli came to be known as the hub of idol makers supplying thousands of idols, particularly of Goddess Durga , to whole of the state of West Bengal and to NRIs of around 90 countries across the globe. At least three months before Durga Puja , the biggest festival of West Bengal and one of the biggest across Eastern India, more than five hundred workshops come alive with hyper activity day and night. Fir...
The man in the blue suit
He was more of a dear friend than a boss. Raghu Krishna, the former Chief Producer of Films Division, Mumbai and Director of MIFF(Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films) for 2004 and 2006 versions, passed away today following a brain stroke and coma.
I first knew him as a film director in Films Division, Mumbai. As we became close we started playing table tennis. He was an attacking player specializing in smashes. Once I was defeated by a colleague and next game Raghu defeated him. Later, Raghu came over to my room for a fag and told me proudly, ‘I wanted to beat him because he beat you!’ I sensed his love for me instantly.
Raghu appeared for an interview for the top post and finally got selected. He joined as Chief Producer in January 2004 and immediately took charge of MIFF 2004 as Festival Director.
Till MIFF 2006 I worked under him and enjoyed every bit of it. He showed tremendous faith in me in the role of a writer-editor. Once I showed him an article to be printed in the official festival book. He read it intently and uttered, ‘Fantastic! See to it that not even a comma gets changed in the final print!’ For any kind of meetings and festival inaugurations he always insisted that I write his speeches.
He had a great heart and believed people easily. So, he got entangled in admin complexities and was eventually disillusioned.
As I moved out of Films Division in 2006 we hardly met after that. Today his death came as an absolute shock. Fond memories rushed to my mind and I realized how dearly I missed him.
We pray for the eternal bliss of his noble soul and offer our condolences to his family.
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