'Jyoti and Joymoti' selected to Bogota Short Film Fest: Sight & Sound

Prantik Deka

Enacting Stories

Assam's puppet show performed in Andaman's Port Blair

Puppet dance, popularly known as 'Putola Nach', was once the most popular form of entertainment, especially for children, but the tradition has struggled to survive against the onslaught of modern popular culture. For some years now, people in the State have been able to enjoy the ancient art form of puppetry due to the tireless efforts of the artistic couple, master puppeteers Binita Devi and Simanta Sarma. This couple has invested a great deal in reviving this art form with their clever and refreshing approach by adopting new but simple techniques, enacting stories through glove puppetry that act as a bridge between the child's world and that of the adult.

It has also enabled children to discover and build an emotional rapport with our rich folk tales and fables, mythological tales, as well as commentaries and stories about social issues, among others, that are interspersed with drama, poetry and songs. "Nowadays children are so glued to mobile phones and television that they hardly have any time for other activities. They can be introduced to a range of glove puppets to work on as an extra-curricular activity, which will allow them to experience the world of imagination," Binita Devi said. "They can manipulate the puppets themselves to tell their own stories," she said, adding that one needs that much enthusiasm, drive and dedication to imbibe the intricacies of the craft.

The skilled artiste, along with her husband, has been imparting training in glove puppetry to a number of pupils from all over the State at their cultural institution Surajit Academy, which is located in Jalukbari, Guwahati. Binita Devi has been making a lot of effort to teach her students in the art since its very inception in 1997. She has been conferred with a Junior Fellowship Award from the Ministry of Culture, New Delhi, on her research project – 'An analytical study of Puppetry of Assam with special reference to Nalbari District'. She had also received a project from ASTEC (Assam Science Technology and Environment Council) – 'Modern technique and innovation of Puppetry making' on the basis of magnetic puppet. Interestingly, besides participating in international exhibitions and various seminars all over the country, her research works have been published in international, national as well as regional journals.

It has to be noted that five of their students have earned the CCRT (Centre for Cultural Resources and Training) Scholarships, under the aegis of Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. A number of students from the institute have also acquired lucrative government and private jobs. It has to be noted that well-known celebrities like actor Himangshu Prasad Das, actress Chandana Sarma, NSDian Rajib Kalita, Prag News correspondent Diganta Sarma among others, are former students of the institute.

It's to their credit that common people, especially children and enthusiasts, who once strayed away from puppet shows, are now coming in droves to enroll at her institute. Both Binita Devi and Simanta Sarma deserve immense credit for this transformation.

It needs quite a lot of practice and agility to master the art of glove puppetry, which involves the manipulation of three fingers on the puppets worn like gloves on both the hands. It has always been the primary objective of their cultural institution to promote and create awareness of this vanishing art form. The couple hopes to exert a strong influence on the imagination of the coming generations of puppeteers. Over the years, they have been enthralling audiences enjoying their puppetry in Assamese, Hindi and Bengali. It's interesting that Surajit Academy has been staging puppetry shows all over the country, winning accolades everywhere.

On the occasion of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the students of Surajit Academy performed a glove puppetry play called 'Praisitta' in a function titled 'Bapu Smaran' held in Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, recently. The half-hour play, written and directed by Binita Devi, showed some memorable incidents from Mahatma Gandhi's childhood, which were enjoyed to the hilt by the audiences. The play's music was provided by Papu Gohain. The pre-recorded dialogue of the play, performed in Hindi, was rendered by Hardik Sarma, Swapan Das, Niharendra Sarma and Binita Devi. The glove puppets were manipulated and maneuvered by Simanta Sarma, Dhrubajyoti Kalita, Hridayjyoti Das, Hardik Sarma, Anita Devi, Manomati Boro and Gitima Das.

'Jyoti and Joymoti' selected to Bogota Short Film Fest

Assamese short film 'Jyoti and Joymoti' got selected in the final list of 20 films by competing against 3924 films from 110 countries for screening at the 16th Bogota Short Film Festival to be held in Bogota, Colombia from December 4 to 11.

This short film, which is creating quite a buzz in the national and international film festival circuit, emerged as result of independent filmmaker Mehdi Jahan's distinctive blend of artistic vision and technical skill, as well as a passion for working with collaborators.

The film recently won the 12th John Abraham National Award for Best Film-Short Feature at the prestigious SiGNS 2018 Film Festival held in Trichur, Kerala, where some of the best short films and documentaries from India competed for the top prizes.

A fatally shot rebel stumbles upon an old woman in a mysterious forest. The old woman brings him back to life by telling a tale she has told several times to such rebels. Her husband, who never returned from the Sino-Indian war, used to tell the same tale to soldiers. Personal memories and collective histories blend into one entity as the old lady's story unfolds, transforming the landscape into a theater of dreams and memories where several scenes from the history of Assam play out again.

The film's casts of artistes include Pratiksha Gogoi, Prashanta Bora, Rahul Rabha, Aabha Bai, Kathale Deepak Chandrakant, etc. Based on a script by the director himself, 'Jyoti and Joymoti's music is scored by Niladri Shekhar Roy, while the photography is by Ranabir Das, sound is handled by Rahul Rabha and the art direction is by Prashant Deshmane.

The Guwahati-born filmmaker Jahan completed his MA in Mass Communication from the Mass Communication Research Center AJK, Jamia Millia Islamia, in 2011. He is a professor of Film Studies at various institutes, including the Gauhati University, the Seamedu Media Institute, Pune, and the Assam School of Journalism, Guwahati. 'Jyoti and Joymoti' is his first short film.

The 27 minutes long film will be screened in the International Competition Fiction Category of Bogota Short Film Festival and is also the only Indian film in this category.

Nahid Afrin Appointed Youth Advocate by Unicef

UNICEF Assam appointed popular Assamese singer Nahid Afrin as the first ever 'Youth Advocate' at a public event held recently. The singer from Biswanath Chariali made her playback debut in 2016 in the Bollywood film industry and won several awards. Recently Nahid also won an award in the Assam State Film Awards 2018.

As a youth advocate, Nahid would act as a role model to inspire children and young people to act in making the world a better place and ensuring that their rights are respected. She will be playing a positive role in supporting initiatives of positive change that include access to quality education, basic healthcare, ending violence against children, and addressing the issues of equity and inclusion.

It is to be mentioned that UNICEF India appointed Hima Das as India's Youth Ambassador recently.

Bishwaratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika Award for Singaporean Filmmaker Eric Khoo

Asam Sahitya Sabha, the apex literary body of Assam, has announced the name of the recipient of the Bishwaratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika International Solidarity Award. As per report, the Bishwaratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika International Solidarity Award for this year will be presented to Eric Khoo Kim Hai. Eric is a renowned film director and producer from Singapore, who is credited for the revival of the Singapore film industry.

It has been reported that the award will be presented to Eric Khoo during March-April in the coming year. The award consists of a citation, souvenir, 'Seleng chador', and a bundle of books and a cheque of Rs 5 lakh.

Asam Sahitya Sabha will present the award under the aegis of Numaligarh Refinery, which sponsors the award.

The Bishwaratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika International Solidarity Award 2017 was conferred on acclaimed filmmaker from Sri Lanka, Prasanna Vithanage at Rabindra Bhawan in Guwahati last year.

The award, instituted in the name of Assam's cultural icon Dr Bhupen Hazarika, was given by the Asam Sahitya Sabha in association with the Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL).

Eric Khoo, now 53, is the first Singaporean to have his films invited to major film festivals such as Berlin, Venice and Cannes. Khoo's '12 Storeys' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. His movie 'Be With Me' premiered as the Director's Fortnight selection in the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

Khoo was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Letters, from the French Cultural Minister and his feature, 'My Magic' was nominated for the Cannes Palme d'Or in 2008. In 2011, he released his first animated feature, 'Tatsumi', which was invited to the 64th Cannes Film Festival and made it's North American premiere at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). He is also the first film director from Singapore to be selected as a member of the jury at the 70th Cannes Film Festival 2017 for short and student films.