Saturday, September 20, 2008

Cholo Pal(t)ai!

Once again, revolution is in the air in Bengal. And no, I am not talking about Mamata di’s resistance movement to thwart Tata’s “evil plan” to set up a car plant. No. The mamata-tata issue is way too nano compared to what I am talking about. I am talking about the cry for change by a new bangla channel, Star Jalsha. The new dawn is here. And the world better know it. So we sing and dance and celebrate the Notun Bangali, fronted by the most original of them all, drumrolls…err…I mean dhakrolls…Pritam. Bengal is changing and what better way to showcase it than a spanking new channel. This channel, believe me you my friend, is the true face of the new Bengal. Modern, yet rooted in its authentic Bengali roots. Look at the house and attire of people in one of the soaps, as authentic and as real Bengal as it gets. That’s how the women of Tollygunj Rajbadi dress and that’s no set but their own house, mind you. True to the old adage, what Bengal thinks today, India will think tomorrow. So what if the programs look like they are borrowed straight out of one certain Ekta Kapoor’s factory. Remember, she borrowed it from the famous bangali genre of entertainment , Jatra. Jalsha is only reclaiming back what rightly belongs to them. Needless to say, such a noble cause has phul saaport from all the ‘notun’ bangalis of the world, from Bombay to Bansbagan. So we have a host of Bengali celebrities asking the bangalis to ‘cholo paltai’(Lets change) in such joie de vivre that it fills one’s heart. And when Ritu da(?) asks for the change, one chokes with emotions unexplainable. If Bengal ever goes to war, all we need is Ritu da to ask in his inimitable style, and a generation of bengalis will lay their lives on the line like kamikaze pilots. So sit back and enjoy whatever they have done of the ‘modern’ Bengali. But if you ask me whether this is the modern Bengal, then I’d rather put my best running shoes and guru, cholo palai!

In case you wondering which song and dance i am talking to you about, here's the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO5feg558vY












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