Virtually remembering the maestro of Indian cinema

Kolkata: The birth centenary of the maestro of Indian cinema Satyajit Ray was observed silently because of the nationwide lockdown due to COVID- 19 pandemic. Ray's family members marked his 100th birth anniversary quietly and garlanded his photograph at Nabanna.

Unlike every year on March 2, The Bishop Lefroy Road in south Kolkata wore a deserted look which under normal circumstances would have witnessed thousands of people waiting in long queues.

People coming to Bishop Lefroy Road, where the maestro has spent many years has become a practice since his death nearly 30 years ago. People visit Ray household to get a glimpse of the filmaker's life: his library, the verandah where he used to take a stroll in the morning and evenings and the old fashioned staircase.

Many people who were close to Ray said, "Manick da had celebrated his birthday privately and never wanted his admirers and followers to visit his house on that day. He was dead against his publicity and felt visibly embarrassed when people spoke about his genius in front of him."

However, the lockdown failed to dampen the spirit of his fans and admirers. They chose the digital platform to celebrate the occasion. Films Division is celebrating the occasion by organising Masterstrokes, an online film festival from May 2 to 6, which will showcase rare documentaries and a television film made on or by Satyajit Ray on Film Division's website and YouTube page (www.filmsdivision.org).

Some of his widely acclaimed films will be screened including Inner Eye on Benode Behari Mukherjee, a well-known painter; Sadgati--a television film based on the story written by Munshi Premchand and Rabindranath Tagore, which Ray was made on the poet's birth centenary and documentaries, namely Satyajit Ray and Ray by Shyam Benegal and Gautam Ghose respectively.

Debashis Mukhopadhyay presented a unique show on Satyajit Ray of whistling in a youtube channel as Ray always used to whistle before composing any music and his assistant Aloke Nath Dey, a famous flute player used to prepare the notations.

Kolkata Police also paid tribute to Ray by using the tune of a song "Ar Bilambo Noye" to spread the message to fight against COVID- 19 pandemic. Through the song, the Kolkata Police requested the people to stay indoor, except extreme emergencies.

Ishkule Bioscope, 30-minute crowd-sourced documentary and 'Maharaja Satobarshe Tomare Selam', is the first of its kind work on Ray was inaugurated digitally. The documentary was made on the answers received via questions on Ray sent through e-mail and WhatsApp. Sandip Ray said that because of the lockdown Ishkule Bioscope could not be shown to the students. It will help the students to discover their hidden talent and their cultural roots.