Star Jalsha’s mega serial Ishti Kutum recently bagged several awards at the Star Jalsha Parivaar Awards 2013, including Best Show. A total of 9 out of 17 awards have been won in the mainstream award categories by the show. The leading pair Archi-Baha both got two awards each, which is a record of sorts, Archi […]
TEDxITMU I was recently invited as a speaker at TEDxITMU, the TEDx event at the Institute of Technology and Management University, Gurgaon. I shared the stage with a range of very interesting speakers like, Actor Vipin Sharma (of Taare Zameen Par fame), Delhi FM station Hit 95′s popular RJ Suroshree Dasgupta, Jazz musician duo Adil […]
How does a typical Indian middle class joint family deal with a divorce? With paranoia, hypocrisy double standards and melodrama. As exposed through the story of Ishti Kutum – the Mukherjee family is shattered on hearing the DIVORCE word from Archi. Broken marriage mean different thing for family’s sons and daughters. Ironically, the patriarch of Mukherjee family who is so concerned about Archi’s broken marriage and its effect on his family, have never uttered a single word regarding his own daughter’s estranged marriage. The legal position of both of Archi’s marriages, legal requirement of divorce and validity of Tribal marriage.
Panchasayar, Garia, one of Asia’s largest housing societies, a cooperative society for the staff of Accounts and General West Bengal and Income Tax Department of West Bengal, is the place where I spent the first 7-8 years of my life. Once upon a time this place was a wet land with just shrubs and bushes […]
It’s 3 am. The sky outside is thundering and pouring. I can’t sleep. I find the night so much more interesting than day, that I don’t feel like sleeping over it. Right now, all is quiet. Am alone in my room, on my bed. This space is so secure, so comfortable, so completely mine. No intruders, […]
(Ishti Kutum is written and scripted by Leena Gangopadhay. The following is a narration of the story so far in order to set the context for my forthcoming analysis. Click here for Part 1 – Introduction to the Analysis) Archi, Baha and Mun – main protagonists Archisman Mukherjee (Archi), 29 is a renowned journalist, known for his honesty […]
A very rigorous week of study just concluded at the BIMTECH campus, Greater Noida where 35 of us women entrepreneur were attending the 1st module of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 women scholarship. 10,000 Women is a 5 year initiative by Goldman Sachs, the leading global bank, to provide “business and management education to underserved female entrepreneurs in developing and emerging […]
This blog is back in action with its original content, feelings and emotions from the bottom of my heart, bare truth for the world to read. I spent all of 2010 and 2011 so far worrying over the fact that everybody who knew me in real life, all the friends, the family members, colleagues, read […]
“A 100 years from now, who are you to be, reading me with curiosity?” ~ Rabindra Nath Tagore If I could paint I would make a painting. Four walls and me, leaning on a corner, screaming. Scream till I lose my voice. Just scream. On the final day, when all of this will be over, […]
The first part of this post is inspired by Child King’s Return from Exile. The second part is a follow up to my previous post ‘This is what Hope does.’ Part 1 The news has reached the purple sea, child king has picked up the brush and is about make a new painting. Kaefen, the […]
You will know when you will meet your soul mate, you’ll just know. There’s no way you’ll be wondering, “Is this my soul mate?” A soul mate is a part of you which you didn’t even know exist, which was lost but you didn’t realize until you found it. Like sometimes while moving your furniture […]
I don’t know if its a coincidence or not but I happen to write whenever it pours unexpectedly and beautifully in the National Capital. And these writings always come in mind while I am coming home from work. In 2005, I used to work in Nehru Place, I thought of this post while sitting in […]
Post the Star Jalsha Parivaar Awards show the Ishti Kutum storyline is going a downward spiral. The story doesn’t progress, important characters are losing their basic characteristics, the story is shifting from its central plot and seems to be lost in the now irrelevant non-existent Archi-Mun-Baha Bermuda triangle. At times the episodes are just so […]
I dedicated the last 7-8 months of my television viewing to just one show, Ishti Kutum, a Bengali mega serial on Star Jalsha.My passion and indulgence is not unknown among friends and family, when I fall for something there is no looking back, or front or above or below, its just one deep dive I […]
Dear Madam, These days on Star Jalsha, promos of the forthcoming Star Jalsha Parivaar Awards 2013 have started making rounds. In that we see you and actor Ronita Das (the actor playing the lead character Baha) talking to, smiling at and hugging each other. On the papers also we saw both of you taking photos […]
Oye Lucky Lucky Oye that Abhay Deol starer film was one of my all-time favourite films. Not anymore for I met a Lucky in my real life. It happened in broad day light at the Hauz Khas – IIT gate traffic signal, opposite to Essex Farm, amidst a heavy Monday evening traffic and right under the nose […]
what is wrong in revealing real identity? And this question is not to media or public but the survivor herself, or the family members in case she is no more. Why do we hide our face and identity in shame in case of rape? We don’t hide in shame in case of murder, theft, robbery, cheating. Then why in case of rape? Shashi Tharoor was right in his tweet where he questioned, “what interest is served by hiding the name?” Really ever wondered what interest? Whose interest?
This morning when I woke up to the news of her death, suddenly I realized all my thoughts had stopped at me. I could be her, I could be dead. One evening I was there, and then I was dead, because I was a woman, because some men decided to have sex with me by force, because…whatever, point is I am dead.
So before my soul rests in peace, which I doubt is going to be anytime soon, let me ask a few questions to myself, and to all you girls out there
The countdown has begun for celebration of love in Palashboni. Drum rolls are on, the air is filled with love. Ishti Kutum audience are eagerly waiting for the latest episode (8th October) of Ishti Kutum. But why is it so special? Because today is the opening day of a week long romance. When the last episode on Saturday, […]
On returning to Kolkata, he wrote a heart wrenching piece on Satya the hero and raised a storm. The ordinary people were overwhelmed by the truth of Satya’s life. This man, Archisman Mukherjee today stands in front of a Satyakam who is determined to kill him. What happened, that after everything that Archi did for Satyakam this is how Satya pays back? – Ishti Kutum Analysis – Satya’s patriarchal mindset and mixed up personal and political vendetta.
[Excerpts from a book I am writing] [Part of the Manoshi's story thread] Moving on is easy, there is so much work to do. You remain so preoccupied you don’t even have the time to think about anybody or anything. Manoshi certainly had moved on. It was almost a year since he last called. Before leaving Manoshi […]
Comedy of a Woman’s carnal desires. Breakaway from middle class India’s obsession with the fair skin. Meenakshi desires the dark.
Hyderabad Police has denied permission to carry on LGBT Pride Parade in Hyderabad. Every citizen in a democracy has the right to peaceful protest, and here we are not even talking about a protest, this is a Pride March. That one needs permission to be proud of one’s identity is weird enough, to deny permission […]
Madhur Bhandarkar makes films for the dummies. In the wake of the release of yet another cliched film for the dummies, Heroine, I am republishing my feminist film review of Fashion and other Bhandarkar Films. I have not seen Heroine yet, but I can predict what’s is it about. Not only does he make films […]
“Promoted status updates! That’s the lowest Facebook have stooped.” If you haven’t already met someone online (I am assuming you no longer meet people offline), shrugging their virtual shoulders and typing those words on their social networking walls, doors and windows – you soon would. Because ever since Facebook introduced ‘Promoted Posts’ for individual users, […]
Latest episode marked a major shift in the story and the future of these lives and their relationships. It launched Ishti Kutum’s TRP driven ‘divide and rule’ policy by creating two major camps among its audience and inducing fierce rivalry between them – the Archi-Mun camp and the Archi-Baha camp. My idea is to defend Archi-Baha and Archi the revolutionary hero.
23rd July 2012 I would never be able to explain it to anybody, including myself, how much it helps, writing a blog post at the most vulnerable times of my life. The only way I can ever express myself is by typing my heart out right here, away from every human eyes. So what happened […]
A lifetime went by. Passion were in plenty. Heart skipped easy beats, love came handy. Sex came in packages, safety and pleasure guaranteed. A lifetime went by but that kiss on the forehead, that embrace, she never found again. And she still loves the man like a man loves a woman.
Update dt 3-Jun-2012 – This is a rant. — Its about 1.30 am, in exactly 12.5 hours I am required to present my Business Plan at our 10000 women program, in front of a special panel. My B-plan is not even 40% complete. And yet I am on this blog. I am here because I […]
[Excerpts from a book I am writing] [Part of the Manoshi's story thread] “Always bid strong goodbyes. Don’t stand and stare. Just say goodbye, give a hug and leave.” Prithvi would always say to Manoshi. But this morning’s goodbye was rather long. They had spent the whole of yesterday’s evening, night and this morning with […]
Why don’t we have many such songs or poems? Why is there no female version of a love song like “Chaundvi ka Chaand” or “Chandan sa badan?” In Abhigyaana Shankuntalam Kalidasa wrote verses after verses in praise of Shakuntala’s physical beauty, which included vivid description of her bossom, waist, bust and other body parts of […]
The heart is so not where my dick is. If I were a man, I would have said that about my current situation. So change the ‘vital instrument’ to something more befitting my gender, but you get my point right? I don’t know what else to call this but love and I just feel so […]
Manoshi’s story – the novel in the making. In bits and pieces on my blog for now, and to be in print soon, soon enough.
Conversations with my readers