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A priceless display for the flabbergasted spectators

Tonatuni Festival 2003 exhibits valuables of two legends of the subcontinent--Satyajit Ray and poet Jasimuddin
13 September 2003, 18:00 PM
LIFESTYLE
By Harun ur Rashid
13 September 2003, 18:00 PM
The collection of costumes used in different films of Styajit Ray attracted a lot of spectators at the exhibition.
With the ongoing cultural festival organised by Tonatuni, the National Museum has become an eventful rendezvous for visitors interested in Stayajit Ray and Jasimuddin. An unprecedented exhibit of valuables, photographs and other interesting items of the two personalities has attracted hundreds of visitors. Simultaneously, films of Satyajit Ray are being screened at the museum's auditorium.

The exhibition is being held at the Lalitakanta Bhattashali hall of the museum. The most attractive part of the exhibition is surely the collection of costumes used in Satyajit Ray's films. The collection displays mainly panjabis from films like Ashani Sanket, Pather Panchali, Apur Sansar, Tinkanya, Satranj ki Khilari, and Sonar Kella and Joy Baba Felunath of the most famous amateur detective in Bangla literature--Felu'da. Besides, there are the panjabis worn by the King of Halla and renowned actor Victor Banerjee in the Goopy-Bagha films and Piku. What makes one wonder about the costumes is their artistic embellishment and grandeur.

The exhibition also consists panjabis displaying several of Satyajit Ray's illustrations from his famous Kheror Khata (the Scrap Book) being embroidered on them. A panjabi shows the illustrious advancement of the genius of Satyajit Ray from Pather Panchali to his win of the Oscar award.

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A good collection of photographs shows the filmmaker engaged in different actions on sets of his films--explaining the sequences to the actors, accompanying Sandeep Ray at his first experience in direction, consulting with singer Anup Ghosal and similar other actions. The display has the first ever illustration done by Satyajit Ray for the story Attache Case by Kamakshiprasad Chattopadhyay, published in the Phalgun issue of the magazine Mouchak in 1943.

Besides, there are several of Ray's illustrations that he often did for designing the sets or characters' looks for his films. An illustration shows the Court of the King of Shundi. There is a clapstick used in the shooting of the Scene 7, Shot 88, and Take 3 on 9 March 1991 for the film Agantuk. There are also two stamps of poet Rabindranath Tagore published in India in which Ray did the portrait of the poet.

Poet Jasimuddin's photographs show some eventful moments in the poet's life, his family members, and other acquaintances.

Satyajit Ray's books are also on sale at the exhibition.