ChinmayC Blog

We, talking about our generation specifically, grew up with the history of Mahatma Gandhi—how he made India independent through complete non-violence a movement based on truth and how the greatest Indian leader of all time was assassinated on the fateful day of 30 th January, 1948. We grew up with Nelson Mandela hearing about his movement against the racist policy of Apartheid in South Africa based on the same Gandhian ideals, later watching him go about his noble ways and hearing his inspirational speeches—in India and everywhere. How he finally won like Mahatma Gandhi ending Apartheid and becoming the first black President of South Africa in 1994. He has been our Gandhi live and heart wrenchingly we lost him on Thursday evening, the 5 th of December, 2013—losing a continuous source of leadership, indomitable spirit and inspiration. Of course, we knew that he had not been keeping well for the last few months being in and out of the ICU, and that he had reached the ripe age of 95. Bu...

Legendary Bollywood playback singer Prabodh Chandra Dey (1 st May 1919 − 24 th October 2013), known by his stage name Manna Dey, passed away in the early hours of Thursday in Bangalore. The veteran artiste had been suffering from old age related problems for a long time and today he breathed his last today at the ripe age of 94. Manna Dey had been a part of the classic trinity of legendary male playback singers of India— Mohammed Rafi , Mukesh and Manna Dey. Kishore Kumar and later Mahendra Kapoor were also around in that classical era. While Mahendra Kapoor more or less settled down as the best 'Rafi Voice’, riding on the first superstar of Bollywood wave, Rajesh Khanna , Kishore Kumar's popularity exploded and he became the No.1 playback singer from, to be exact, 1969 when movie Aradhana that launched Rajesh Khanna was released all over. Rafi died in 1980, Mukesh in 1976, Kishore Kumar in 1987 and Mahendra Kapoor in 2008. Of these five all-time greats Manna Dey become...

Veteran actor and the most beloved villain of Bollywood (read Hindi Cinema) passed away at 93 in a Mumbai hospital on the evening of July 12, 2013. He had not been keeping well for a long time and could not attend the National Awards Ceremony held in New Delhi on May 3, 2013. In an emotionally charged function at Pran's Residence in Mumbai on May 10, 2013 the Indian Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewary accompanied by top officers presented the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award to the ailing legend.  The legendary actor and the classic villain of Bollywood had been cremated with full honors at Shivaji Park in Mumbai around noon yesterday. His body already in a deteriorating state could not be taken home and therefore directly transported to the crematorium in a symbolic last journey. Apart from thousands of fans cutting across the age barrier top stars of Bollywood including Amitabh Bachchan offered their tearful tributes. The national TV channels have been offering...

Morning today brought shocking and very sad news. Extremely talented and iconic film director Rituparno Ghosh passed away in Kolkata at 7.30am after a massive heart attack. He had not been keeping well for the last few days and was reportedly suffering from pancreatitis. He was just 49. An irreparable loss for his native state of Bengal, for the whole of India and Indian Cinema. Rituparno Ghosh was known for his sensitive portrayal of interpersonal relationships in his films. Making his directorial debut in 1994 Rituparno never looked back and went on to make nearly 20 movies in nearly as many years of his career—many critically acclaimed movies in Bengali, Hindi and in English. Even when he was not well in recent months he was actively engaged in his production work. He has a superlative record of winning 12 National Awards for Best Direction, Best Screenplay and Best Film. His films brought in more National Awards in other categories involving his artistes and technicians. He chose ...