events

Through the eyes of cartoonists, the film chronicles democracy in India from its nascent stages to recent times under the leadership of different Prime Ministers.

Direction        : Vimay Rai

Production      : PSBT and Prasar Bharati

Language       :  English

Duration         :  30 minutes

He stands alone as the greatest entertainer of modern times! No one in earth can make you laugh as heartily or touch your heart as deeply… the whole world laughs, cries and thrills to his priceless genius!

The film is a satire on modern industrialization and the way it trivialized and dehumanized human beings. The movie boasts of several famous images, from the opening shot where a group of factory workers are juxtaposed against the image of a flock of sheep, to the tramp being literally swallowed by the machine, to the famous feeding machine that feeds the tramp and becomes maniacally uncontrolled. Set in post-depression America, the tramp and the waif (Paulette Goddard) remain endearing outcasts in the troubled, frightening landscape of economic deprivation and unrest, and the parallel emergence of an efficient mechanization in industry that was viewed by

For generations, Patua (or Chitrakar) communities of West Bengal, India have been painters and singers of stories depicted in scrolls. The Patuas tell the stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, of Muslim saints (pirs) as well as Hindu Gods and Goddesses. They are Muslims but of a rather special kind, and travel from village to village receiving rice, vegetables and coins from both Hindus and Muslims for their performances. They also make songs and scrolls of 'newsworthy' events, whether it is the Bangladesh War, the Floods of 1978 or the Disasters of 9/11.

In response to the loss of Audience to cinema, radio and TV, and as a means to make extra money, recently a group of women from Naya village near Calcutta formed a scroll painters' Co-operative. The film follows their daily lives as they paint, sing, cook, tend to their children and have business meetings. They discuss the problems and rewards of practicing their art, and speak freely about the social, religious, and political changes in the village and the world beyond. Their wisdom, artistry, and good humor amidst many difficulties illuminate the lives around them.