Kolkata Tilottama: Plunge Into the Depths of Our City

On the 4 th of November 1925 in the state of Dhaka in the then East Bengal, now Bangladesh, Indubala Devi and Suresh Chandra Ghatak, a district magistrate and poet gave birth to a pair of twins, the youngest of their nine kids, Ritwik and Prateeti. The family shifted base to Kolkata before the woeful Bengal Famine of 1943 and the Indian Independence of 1947. This little boy, with the torments of the millions of refugees in his mind and his deep love for the banks of River Padma grew up to be one of the most free-spirited directors the world has ever seen with mostly all his films deeply influenced by the mental hysteria of the refugees from Bangladesh due to India’s Independence and Partition. Due to extreme alcoholism and the diseases following it, it became difficult for Ghatak to continue making films for a long time. What is Ghatak’s Films About? Indian Independence and Partition of 1947 and The Bangladesh Liberation war of 1971 had resulted in millions of

Close Your Eyes! Think of Kolkata! The frames that pass are of trams, yellow striped taxis, the city’s cultural diversity marinated in music, literature, art and theatre, the famous colossal Howrah Bridge, its massive “adda” culture on the famous and infamous “para rocks” and surely the beating of our very own “DHAAK” during the “DURGA PUJA” . It is since the renaissance of the 19 th Century that Kolkata has been the incubation centre for numerous mavericks, philosophers, and cultural dignitaries and thus been called as the “Cultural Capital of India”. It’s now even ranking to the number 7 th as per a Rediff Report that the city of Kolkata is now becoming the selected choice for real estate investments not only because of its affordability and the standards and costs of living but also due to its united diversity of culture and heritage. I would try and take you through this Journey! ·          The Lofty Heritage of Kolkata’s Literary Genius ! The beginning of the 19