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Business and Politics of Not Eating!

By CHINMAY CHAKRAVARTY - September 17, 2011

Thanks to the crusader against corruption Anna Hazare, fasting or basically not eating has become a hot selling property. Almost everybody ranging from politicians to spiritualists are vying to have a tryst with this phenomenon. The craze is simply explained by the media attention amounting to hype the act of fasting generates. Add on benefits are also apparent where politics take over.The fasting personalities catapult themselves in the national or even international platform for future aspirations. The state of Gujarat in north western India is presently witnessing fast and counter fast. The Chief Minister of the state, Narendra Modi, has launched his three day fast at an air conditioned auditorium on a goodwill mission for communal harmony. Justifiably so, since the Chief Minister belonging to the main opposition party at the national level has been ravaged by communal controversies since last nearly ten years with several court cases running. But his actual progress initiativ

Now Showing: The Greatest Fasting Spectacle On Earth!

By CHINMAY CHAKRAVARTY - August 17, 2011

Anna Hazare was arrested early morning yesterday and was reportedly allowed to go free by evening. But since then, Anna Hazare has been refusing to leave Tihar Jail, Delhi that has meantime become a tourist spot globally. Apart from people of all walks of life having an electrifying time out there bestowed with generous attention by the ecstatic news channels 24 hours a day, famed spiritualists, self styled saints babas sadhus and what not have congregated there to mediate and convince Anna that the jail was not a very healthy place to live in for long and that too inhabited by very embodiments of corruption he was fighting against.Even the harassed jailors politely asked Anna to leave as soon as possible. But Anna is not convinced at all. He wants to fast unto death wherever he is and will leave only if he is allowed to carry on at a prime venue of the national capital. The problem does not stop there as the question of how long to fast is the basic issue. The hapless government o

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Trust Award

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty was a writer and a celebrated translator of world epics. He translated Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad and Virgil’s Aenid into Assamese. These books were published in the seventies and eighties in Assam, India; and even now are bestsellers going into multiple editions. Doubled with a flowing original language and strict authenticity these translated epics are hailed in Assam as trend setting translations.

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty had a hard life. Being a farmer’s son he went to the nearby town for studies and after graduation set off for Calcutta (now Kolkata) for post graduation in English. His ambition was to become a college teacher so that he could devote his life to education and writings. But due to economic hardships he had to come back half way and was forced to join Assam Civil Service of which he could not ever come out. He also contracted diabetes after forty years of age. Uprightness, honesty and efficiency ruling his career he always struggled for economic stability. He never had enough money and always took pride in telling that his only investments in life had been on his four children's education. Burning a lot of midnight oil, literally, and waging a constant war against mosquitoes he continued his writing activities and apart from the three translated epics he also wrote numerous short stories and a half completed novel. His exemplary honesty remains a source of inspiration for his admirers in today's environment of rampant corruption.

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty passed away in 1991. His family and local literary bodies in Guwahati formed a memorial Trust in 2002 and decided to institute an Award for excellent literary translations in Assamese on a biennial basis. The first Award consisting of cash prize and certificate was given in 2003 to one of the nominated books. This gave a tremendous boost to promote genuine translation works in Assam.

The Trust has announced the Award for 2011 to eminent author Dr. Prafulla Kataky for his outstanding contribution to Assamese literary translation work.

The Award was presented at an august function held on October 09, 2011 at Veterinary College Auditorium, Guwahati.

For 2013 the Sixth Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Translation Literature Award was presented to Author-Translator Bipul Deuri at a dignified ceremony held on 6th October, the 22nd Death Anniversary of Amulya Kumar Chakravarty, at Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati. The Award was handed over by Imran Shah, President of Assam Sahitya Sabha. A Painting Competition for Children was organized by Shrutinaad earlier on the day as a part of the event.

The Seventh Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Translation Literature Award has been presented to Dhrubajyoti Borthakur for Assamese translation of Hermann Hesse's book 'Siddhartha'. The award was ceremonially handed over by the President of Assam Sahitya Sabha, Dr Dhrubajyoti Bora on 4th October, 2015 at Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati

Music and More>>>

Ragini Chakravarty is a Hindustani Classical Vocalist of the famed Kirana gharana and a disciple of Padmabhushan Dr. Prabha Atre. Ragini has been performing all over India with her classical recitals, light compositions and sangeet se sangeet tak concerts. She can be consulted here for program details. Under the banner of Shrutinaad Ragini also conducts regular classes on vocal music.

Ragini's second audio album 'Bhoyai Oi...Kahani Ahiba Ghuri' (O' My Beloved...When Are You Coming Back Home!) was released at Guwahati on 4th January by renowned writer-author Lakshminandan Bora. This album consists of ten immortal Assamese songs of poet-composer-author-freedom fighter Kamalananda Bhattacharyya. Beauty of words and melody make these numbers irresistible.

Contact: info.shrutinaad@gmail.com