Tag: The Bengal

Pronam round the clock support for senior citizens...
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Pronam round the clock support for senior citizens…

Feb 25, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Chairman, #Dr Debasish Roy, #Indian Police Service (IPS), #Shri Hari Mohan Bangur, #Special Commissioner of Police, #The Bengal

Kolkata: Kolkata Police will provide round-the-clock support to the senior residents of the city through Pronam project which is a joint initiative of Kolkata Police and The Bengal – a leading NGO – said Dr Debasish Roy, IPS, Special Commissioner of Police, Kolkata Police, in his first meeting on senior citizens after assuming charge of the project recently.

“The Pronam initiative is a noble cause espoused by the Kolkata Police and The Bengal and professionally executed to help the elderly citizens who are vulnerable and dependent due to age-related infirmities. The Kolkata Police through Pronam will maintain a round-the-clock vigil and stand by the elderly residents of the city to keep them safe and healthy. It is our objective to not only protect the senior citizens and add years to their lives, but also add life to their years,” said Dr Debasish Roy, Indian Police Service (IPS), Special Commissioner of Police (CP).

Dr Roy has been actively involved with the Pronam project in its earlier days which was started in June 2010 in collaboration with The Bengal – an NGO which has eminent personalities of Bengal on its board. Pronam, which currently has over 20,000 registered senior citizens on its roll, has a 24-hour dedicated helpline and a special team to address the needs of the elderly citizens of the city.

“People and communities should come forward to support the concept of healthy ageing considering the higher risks confronted by older persons especially in the wake of the outbreak of Covid 19 pandemic. Awareness of their special needs must be raised through policy and programmatic interventions. Initiatives undertaken as part of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030) will go a long way to change how we think, feel and act towards age and ageing,” said Shri Hari Mohan Bangur, Chairman, The Bengal. The Pronam project is supported by Shree Cement Ltd as a part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.

The Bengal, which is a partner of Kolkata Police in Pronam project, is a Kolkata-based NGO which was founded in 2008 when a group of conscientious and eminent citizens of West Bengal, drawn by the common zeal for social good and community service, came together. From its inception, The Bengal has been represented by leading men and women who are experts in their respective fields – may it be education, industry, art, culture, fine arts or performing arts.

The United Nations General Assembly on 14 December 2020 proclaimed from 2021 as the Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030) aiming to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being of all at all ages”. Globally, there are more than 1 billion people aged 60 years or older at present with most living in low and middle-income countries.

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Theatre comes alive in a new avatar with first open-air play at EZCC Kolkata since lockdown

Sep 26, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Abhijit Chowdhury, #Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) Kolkata, #Rangamancha amphitheatre, #Sundeep Bhutoria, #The Bengal

26 September 2020, Kolkata: In a first live and unique show since the onset of COVID lockdown, The Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) Kolkata, in association with The Bengal, celebrated open-air theatre performance to a packed house at its Rangamancha amphitheatre in Salt Lake, Kolkata, fully complying with the stringent social distancing norms and protocols and aided by specially trained volunteers in PPE gears with thermal guns and sanitizers. The theatre performance displayed innovative elements of social distancing like avoiding physical touch and maintaining distance.

Theatre group Purba Paschim broke the standstill in theatre activities in the city by staging their play “Jwarasurbadh Pala” directed by Saumitra Mitra following the state government’s announcement to start theatre in open space from 21st September 2020.

EZCC Kolkata, Chairman, Gauri Basu said, “We are among the few to have an open-air theatre in Kolkata. The entire audience wore masks, even the microphones were sanitized after every speaker left.”

“EZCC provided the rehearsal facilities and other logistics. Alternate seats and rows were marked for guests who were ushered in in batches wearing masks; going through the sanitization drill and observing social distancing protocols,” said Abhijit Chowdhury, programme executive, EZCC Kolkata.

“Theatre is Kolkata’s heartbeat and has been at a standstill since March with the onset of the COVID pandemic. It is great to see the innovations of social distancing norms being factored into the art form while staging the play. It is really a challenge to adapt aspects such as avoiding touch while performing. This form of experiment, in contrast to the traditional form of theatre, is a turning point and even kind of a sub-genre,” said Sundeep Bhutoria, Honorary Secretary General of The Bengal which is an NGO of eminent Kolkatans promoting social work, literature, art and culture.

“All theatre activities had come to a standstill in Kolkata since March. But theatre itself teaches us to be in motion and find out a new path or process to register presence in its own ever searching school of art. While our journey of relief activities for poor masses, full-time theatre workers who were in fix for joblessness due to continuous lockdown and for the victims of Amphan Super Cyclone one thing always haunted me how to be within theatre and the idea of a script based on the present pandemic of COVID 19 came in mind,” said Saumitra Mitra, director of the group.

“I shared my view with eminent playwright Ujjwal Chattopadhyay who penned such a beautiful script. Sukalyan Bhattacharya did the choreography, Abhijit Acharaya gave the music and the costumes were designed by Malabika Mitra. My team was determined to prepare the production following all norms and guidelines to fight against COVID 19. Since the first day of the rehearsal, we followed a work-to-home safe journey, rehearsal room sanitization, personal sanitization at regular intervals and so on. We also arranged special mediclaim policy ‘Corona Kavach’ for all artists and technicians of the team. Now I feel proud for my team for successfully completing the production,” Mr Mitra said.

Prerna Centre for Performing Arts team staged especially-designed choreography and solo performances informed Luna Poddar. Director of play “Tatha thoi thoi” Niladrishekhar Banerjee reiterated that some changes, deviating from the traditional style, had to be made to keep distancing protocols and personal hygiene of the performers.