Prof. Aloke Kumar - Blogs

Sitaram Yechury

Sitaram Yechury was the epitome of Jaques Derrida’s 'Deconstructed Marxism', which he propounded in his book the Specter of Marx. Derrida seeks to do the work of inheriting from Marx, not Communism, but a Marxist philosophy of responsibility, and of Marx's spirit of radical critique.

With the chime of ‘Vande Mataram’ in the air, remembering Rishi Bankim. Searched for the engraving by Babu Ramchandra Das showing the only image of Rishi Bankim Chatterjee without his head gear. I think it appeared in the Journal ‘Bharati' , Bengali date 1317.

Sagarmoy Ghosh, was a writer and editor of Desh, India's foremost literary magazine, from 1976 until 1997. Gentle and affable, Ghosh was with the magazine for more than 50 years and made it an institution amongst Bengalis. Bengal's finest literary figures contributed to the magazine and Sagarmoy made Desh a launch pad for young writers.

Samuel Beckett and David Friedrich

Samuel Beckett had a great love for the visual arts, and largely as a consequence of a love affair during the 1920s and 1930s made several trips to Germany, followed by a longer trip in 1936-7, in which his diaries detail extensive visits to art galleries.

Anasuya & The Shameless

We woke up to the news that Anasuya Sengupta, who grew up in Kolkata has become the first Indian to win the Cannes Best Actor award in the Un Certain Regard section. She won it for The Shameless, directed by the Bulgarian-American filmmaker Konstantin Bojanov.

Neel Pujo

Neel Pujo celebrates Neel Chandika or Neelabati's marriage with Neel. The marriage of Shiva and Parbati. Shiva's other name is Neelkanth or Neel. Many people believe that a traditional ceremony was held on the occasion of the marriage of Shiva with Neelachandika or Neelabati Parameshwari.

Vocalist T M Krishna

In recent times, TM Krishna has made the headlines for various reasons - from music releases to his books. Earlier this month, the vocalist triggered a row after he was invited to the Chennai Music Academy to receive an honourable award at their annual festival.

Kumar Shahani (7 December 1940 - 24 February 2024)

It was end 1986. I was working in the ABP Group and to my surprise, received an invite from Father Gaston Roberge of St. Xavier’s College to a special screening of Maya Darpan. Released in 1972 the film did not do well in public halls, caused in part by Satyajit Ray’s scathing review of the film.

PARBATI BARUAH, from Jalpaiguri, West Bengal; honoured with Padma Shri.

Parbati Baruah, India's first female elephant mahout, has been honoured with the Padma Shri award for her dedicated efforts in addressing human-elephant conflicts through the application of scientific practices and her commitment to animal welfare.

An Event, Perhaps by Peter Salmon

A slim intellectual Life effectively summarises Derrida’s thought and the origins of deconstruction. It was as much his style as the concepts it supported that seduced, or repelled, the Anglo-American academy and made of deconstruction – the name Derrida had given to his non-method – such a teeming and contentious field, especially in the 1970s and 80s.

Kumar Gandharva

When Kumar Gandharva fearlessly Sings Kabir's Formless Form, you get the strength to face the world fearlessly.

Kumar Gandharva begins to sing Kabir’s Nirbhay nirgun with a flourish, a quick statement of abstract intent that lasts barely two seconds, a flawless enunciation of the swaras pa-dha-ni-sa-re, an arc in the broad ambit of what may be characterised as Raag Maand, which in Kumar’s style could well be Nirguni Maand.

Caricatures. Left: Alfred Hitchcock. Right: Nirmal Chandra Kumar.

My father Nirmal Chandra Kumar, the famous antiquarian and bibliophile smoked pipe and occasionally cigar. The cigar was mostly Davidoff. A Swiss premium brand of cigars. His friend Brigadier Nambier, hailing from Kerala, whenever in town came over home to discuss with Kumar, Military Books and Army Maps. In one of these visits he presented to my father a box of Trichinopoly Cigar.

Grief on parting with Book

Nothing, except, perhaps, the flip side to amassing a library: the emotional attachment to the books. You start loving them as your children. And as my father, Nirmal Chandra Kumar, the famous antiquarian said: you don’t have to feed them: morning, afternoon and night. Only take care of them.

Kālī Kirtan

Kālī Kirtan is a separate genre of a musical form of narration devoted to Godess Kālī . It should not be mixed up with Shyma Sangeet. Kirtan, Sanskrit: कीर्तन; is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story.

Painting of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by Ashit Paul

Some original thoughts propounded in a discussion on Chaitanya Deb for a National Programme on All India Radio (AIR) on 14th. March ’23, for which I have received many calls, including a call from the Director AIR for original thoughts.

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