আমার সকাল – diary post in Bengali

এই বছর আমার তিন নতুন বছরের সঙ্কল্প আছে | একটা – আমারকে আরো ব্যায়াম করতে হবে |

আজকের – সকল সকল – আমি ছুটলাম | বাইরে বাতাস, অন্ধকার ছিল – এত বাতাস সব জায়গায় ময়লার বালতি ছিল |

resolution – সঙ্কল্প (sōnkōlpō)

2011 – a year of reading

Last year many things, my Bengali study among them, were thrown slightly off course, largely due to my job hunting.

Although this was ultimately more successful than I could have imagined, it still consumed much of my attention over the summer and autumn, that thankfully not everything suffered.

‘Hindu’ films now available on iTunes

Forgive me a moment while I indulge my snarky tendencies to point out that if Apple is serious about a particular genre of world cinema then it would be well advised to ask those tasked with producing copy on its behalf to double-check their work.

Alternatively, perhaps the technology giant actually believes films produced by the Mumbai movie industry conform to a single religion.

(Bonus points to readers who spot the irony of listing Singh Is Kinng as a ‘Hindu’ film.)

Action Replayy (film review)

The glorious technicolour titles for Action Replayy, leaning heavily on an Austin Powers idea of retro, promise much more than the film can deliver.

In a little over two hours it under-performs with its script, jokes, songs and acting. And yet it still proved to be an enjoyable ‘time pass’, though unlikely to meet its billing by a lonely Amazon reviewer as one of the best Bollywood films of 2010.

But, rewinding the (ahem) action a little and, with no chance of a repeat of last year’s Channel 4 Christmas Bollywood season, I chose to browse YouTube’s free Bollywood films listings, finally alighting on a title I recognised.

5 Bengali words – work

After a good start to the year the frequency of my 5 Bengali words posts slowed from a steady stream to barely a trickle.

One of the reasons for this was my search for a new job, though I was lucky enough that the whole process took just four months.

Nevertheless, when my father-in-law asked recently about my চাকরি I knew it was time for some further Bengali revision.

Bollywood legend Dev Anand

The death of Dev Anand, reported just a few hours ago, is sure to dominate this morning’s Love Bollywood, which I shall shortly put on and listen to while getting breakfast for the family.

Introducing Channel 4′s screening of Guide last month Anand had more spark and vitality than should be expected of an 88 year old.

Perhaps it was the twinkle in his eye as he recounted the background to the 1965 film in which he starred alongside Waheeda Rehman, or maybe it was just the relentless desire to continue working until the end (Chargesheet, his latest film, was released in September).

Repackaging my youth

In the past month I’ve watched Upside Down: The Creation Records story, started reading Luke Haines’ book on Britpop and received the deluxe reissue of Suede excellent second album Dog Man Star.

Add this to the recent 20th anniversary reissue of Nirvana’s landmark Nevermind and the ongoing R.E.M. reissue campaign and it all adds up to the repackaging of a major part of my youth.

Although it’s striking to be reminded that 20 years have now passed since I was 16 – and it really does seem like several lifetimes ago – I can’t say I mind the repacking and revisiting that accompanies the milestones of decades.

Channel 4 to show Mrinal Sen’s Padatik

There’s a pleasing anomaly among the closing films of Channel 4’s current Bollywood season.

After the New Voices season segued into a Dev Anand retrospective, this Saturday will see the UK television station give a rare outing to a Bengali film that’s not Pather Panchali.

Padatik (The Guerilla Fighter) is the concluding part of Mrinal Sen’s Calcutta trilogy, which documented the social climate of Bengal in the 1970s.

Britpop and Luke Haines’ Bad Vibes

“Why is there a cabbage listing to headphones on the cover?

“Luke Haines is insane,” noted Son1 on seeing Bad Vibes: Britpop and my part in its downfall.

And perhaps that’s as apt a review as the book should get, though I would add that Haines’ ’90s memoir is also extremely, and bad temperedly, funny.

Channel 4′s Dev Anand season

Channel 4’s begins a short Dev Anand season on Saturday with the film noir-style Baazi (The Gamble).

Baazi was the directorial debut of Guru Dutt, subsequently himself a noted actor, and stars Anand as a small-time gambler who struggles to make ends meet.

His sister has TB and is in the care of his sweetheart, Dr Rajni (Kalpana Kartik, whom Anand later married).