2003/
February 4-5th
Butchers
Colony - Torture Lane.
No
I am not trying to remind you of some of our better-to-be-forgotten
past of Holocaust and similar generality of our
world. But do you really belief that it's the 'past'?
Well I feel that the 'past' is still a definite
part of our present, only now its more presentable
to our consciousness because its had a perfect face-lift.
However hard we try to shut our eyes to the darkness
of 'our' deeds (if it's not us, then who? Some Alien?)
and convince our brains that it's bright around.
Still this is the reality, unless we: you and me
try to do something about the darkness with our
eyes and consciousness open!
'Kasai Basti- Zalim Gali' or in english 'Butchers
Colony-Torture Lane (BCTL)', is the name of the
place where 'Aamar Nijer - My Own' is presently
trying to do a little something with children and
women in the field of education, handicraft training
and giving a set of small businesses to them to
encourage their talents in the way they want.
For more about the education and the handicraft
training details you may easily get more information
by clicking on http://www.korakday.com/DirectWork.htm and the
other pages of the website. I would tell you about
the business I have helped the women to start up
here. There are so many women who are extremely
talented artists in painting on clothes, henna artwork,
needlework, batik designing, etc. But they need
some way to be able to use their talents to then
use them to earn money for themselves and their
loved ones. Thus achieving a little self-esteem
in their society. As one elderly lady told me once
here in BCTL, "you will not realize how 'painful'
and 'self destructing' this poverty is!" Instantly
I was engulfed by the feelings of all the people
who shared with me such poverty inside their soul,
which is also called spiritual poverty. (You may
get a glimpse of it outside your own soul by clicking
http://www.korakday.com/WorldYouth.htm).
These
women are asked to make cards and clothes and other
related material using their talents but given complete
freedom for art and experimentation. Then they tell
me how much they spend making them and also how
much they need for their hard work and I pay them
that money. Then Aamar Nijer - My Own will try to
sell these products in various places and countries.
How I will do that marketing I have no idea. All
I know is that I am trying to do something good
for these women and the children and also that I
believe in Divine Providence. We will see with time
how we will be able to sell them. If you have some
ideas and possible ways please let us know.
You
know the training school for the children of Aamar
Nijer (ANTS) is also very self-satisfying. In the
last week of January we had exams where the passing
marks was 80% and the children tried their best.
And as promised for the last day of the month after
the monthly exams we had the 'Bindaas Show'. This
time we gave prizes for studies, games and for 100%
attendance. I do not have much idea about the structure
and the ways of schools but I have the willingness
and also the dream of an ideal school, where education
is not much about the external quest but more about
educating to bring out what we already have within
our selves. We have to know those things better
and properly first to be better humans or we will
end our lives just being better sheep that are always
unhappy.
From
this topic of sheep, I come to the topic of the
sheep who becomes a human being, who is the central
character of my latest film 'My Karma' . http://www.korakday.com/MyKarma.htm
This film is finished in all respects of its making.
This was never a film for me as it was a responsibility
I had to accomplish. This I felt fully at 0200 AM
when the sound mixing was finished (by the best
sound mixer of the Kolkata film industry: Anup Mukherji).
As soon as he left the mixing room and the door
closed behind him and his assistant, I felt as if
all the energy and strength and all my powers had
left me. All of a sudden, I felt like a lump of
flesh melting on the chair. I felt for that moment
that my responsibility of making this film a reality
was finished. Then I felt something strike me again
and I was again with all energies, as I felt that
my next job had started: selling the film and starting
the next film 'The Songs of Life' which is the story
of a man who denies the Nobel 'Prize' to be a Nobel
'man'. The main character of the film will be either
an Indian actor called Amitabh Bachchan or an American
actor called Richard Gere. I know I can become a
laughing stock for telling it publicly but I am
only a channel for the films. That's why all the
films made under Aamar Nijer Productions are not
'by Korak' but are 'through Korak'. If you could
let me know of any ways to get these actors to do
the film, then please let me know.
| I
have an invitation for you. And that is for
my son's birthday. If you do not know Nitai
already then you may look into http://www.korakday.com/Introduction.htm
and Nitai's story http://www.korakday.com/Eternal.htm.
The family who lives upstairs had a birthday
for their youngest child and then later I showed
Nitai some stills from 'My Karma' where there
are some birthday shots. He started talking
about birthdays a lot. He always said he never
had a birthday in his life and he would talk
about cutting cakes and putting a needle in
the balloon and then something will fall on
his head. When I would ask for his day of birth,
he had no idea! Since the day I told him that
he became a part of my family (during last year
February) so we will calibrate his birthday
for the 28th of February. Try to imagine: he
is the happiest person now! He is telling everyone
about his birthday and is inviting everyone
he comes in contact with. |
Nitai cuts the cake
for his first birthday party.
© Aamar Nijer |
He has told my parents (who have accepted him like
another son) of all the things he needs as gifts
from them. As he is unstable in his brain, so I
do not feel this strange, but it is 'strange' for
other people to see this big man of a big age climbing
up the iron-work of the balcony and yelling at the
passing aircraft. He believes that all those friends
who are family members now, who came from different
parts of the world and stayed at Aamar Nijer - My
Own Home here in Kolkata, pass every night in airplanes
and he talks with them every night and invites them
also every night. So I invite you too to Nitai's
birthday party. Please do expect it to be small
with my small and limited capacity. Even if you
were unable to come my friend, please still think
of Nitai for once and smile. That's all he needs
as only a year ago he was regarded as only a piece
of trash in the streets.
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