Ritwik joined the Pune Film and Television institute as a
visiting professor at the end of 1966 and later became a vice principal. He was
attached to two cinemas named 'Fear' and 'Rendezvous' during the tenure of his
teaching here. Ritwik placed his teaching life over his film career. He says,
'I feel, the few films that I made in my life, if kept in one side of weighing
balance and the teaching on the other, then the teaching would be heavier.
Because today my students are everywhere, Kashmir to Kerala, Madras to Assam.
The little contribution I could make for them was much important than making my
own cinema.'
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| Ritwik Ghatak at Pune Film Institute |
After that Ritwik was admitted in a mental hospital when
his condition became worse in 1969. Due to failure of business though he could
not make full-length feature film during this time, he worked on some
documentaries and short films. This includes 'Scientists of Tomorrow'(1967), 'Yeh
Kyon'(Why / The Question)(1970), 'Puruliar Chhau'(The Chhau Dance of Purulia)(1970),
'Amar Lenin'(My Lenin)(1970) on the occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of
Lenin, 'Durbar Gati Padma'(The Turbulent Padma)(1971) in support of the
Liberation war of Bangladesh and Ramkinkar(1975, Unfinished) about sculptor
Ramkinkar Baij in a later date. It is also heard that he took active parts in
collecting funds for the Bangladeshi refugees during the 1971 Liberation war.
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| Kabari Choudhury, Prabir Mitra & Ritwik Ghatak in Titash Ekti Nadir Naam, 1973 |
Ritwik came back to make full-length film in 1973. He made
the film 'Titash Ekti Nadir Naam'(A River Called Titash) from the novel of Advaita
Mallabarmana produced by a Bangladeshi producer. The story of the cinema is
based on the life of the fishermen at the banks of river Titash. From the very
childhood Bashanti awaits of Kishore and Subol. Kishore married Rajar Jhi in a
distant village but his pregnant wife was kidnapped by a group of dacoits. Kishore
returns to his village becoming stark mad at the grief of his wife. Bashanti marries
Subol but in turn of event Subol died after the bridal reception. After ten
years Rajar Jhi came to the bank of the river Titash along with her son Ananta
to search for her unknown husband. In the flow of events Kishore and Rajar Jhi
both die. Deserted Bashanti took the responsibility of orphan Ananta, but could
not hold him either. Due to the conspiracy of some opportunist people, the
unity of Malo community was destroyed, they became scattered. The water of
Titash started to dry up, the fishermen had to face severe economic
destruction. The river Titash dried and turned into sandy lands, the Malo
neighbourhood was deserted completely. But in the last scene there was a little
child running through the newly erupted grass on the sandy land blowing a Bhepu(whistle).
The cinema was climaxed showing the dream of living in a new way. In Ritwik's
language, 'Is it possible to destroy a civilization for good? No, it is not. It
only transforms. This is what I wanted to show through this film'.
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| Rosy Samad as Basanti in Titash Ekti Nadir Naam |
Ritwik used an epic montage in this cinema. Ananto learnt
from her mother that 'Vagabati' means an eternal mother. So after the death of
his mother, Ananta imagined her in the form of Vagabati/Durga. Ritwik himself
composed the theme music of the cinema, the rest were done by Ostad Bahadur
Khan. The song 'Lilabali Lilabali' at the wedding ceremony is an example of
using an appropriate song. Ritwik selected the traditional village songs of
Bengal to elaborate the story of this human habitation. 'Titash Ekti Nadir Naam'
is one of the first line cinemas described in Hyperlink format. Ritwik comments
about this cinema, 'Titash is a part of life of East Bengal, it's an honest
novel. Now a days this kind of novel is usually not seen in Bangladesh(Both
Bengals). This contains many dramatic elements, philosophical events, many
ancient pieces of music― Pure delight and experience can be created
intermingling all these. The story was burning to become a part of the cinema
since its birth. Advaita Babu overwrites much. But the story emerged merely
from the heart, from inner self. I too tried to see this from my inner self not
by looking at it as Babu saw it. When Advaita Babu saw the Titash river, then
Titash and its neighbourhood village civilization was on the verge of death. In
the story Titash is just the name of a river, he didn't move to see it's
reincarnation. I want to show that this reincarnation happens even after death.
Titash is again full of youth now. In my film village is the hero, Titash the
heroine'. Ritwik brought us to the beginning of a dreamy new life materializing
this reincarnation.
Ritwik as a communist continuously fought against the decadence
and anarchy through his cinema. None of his cinemas depict story of the
high-class society. He always stood by the deprived ones, rose his voice in
support of the oppressed people. So Ritwik doesn't give up even after his
failing health due to continuous illness and excessive drinking. Like the
characters of his own cinemas, he also dreams of new days. He says, 'I'm not
dead yet. I haven't admitted defeat yet. I am waiting for this opportunity in
silence. Today or tomorrow, or day after tomorrow I will prove it. Today I
posses the strength of standing beside the struggling people. I haven't forgot
them. Poverty, scarcity, defamation or anything like this will never able to
put me out of track. I am ready to pay whatever maybe the price for this'.
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| Bangabala, Neelkantha Bagchi & Nachiketa in a scene of Jukti Takko Aar Gappo, 1974 |
His last film 'Jukti Takko Aar Gappo'(Reason, Debate and
a Story) reflects Ritwik's own philosophy of life. This autobiographical film
of Ritwik was made in 1974. Main character of this film is a drunkard
intellectual named Neelkantha Bagchi who didn't sell himself to gain cheap
popularity like his friends. Being unable to revert him from the habit of
drinking his wife Durga along with her son Satya leaves for a place named
Kanchanpur having a job of a teacher there. Neelkantha meets Bangabala who fled
from Bangladesh due to the war. Bangabala becomes the companion of homeless Neelkantha
and his student Nachiketa. Those three started passing aimless time at the
railway station and on streets of Calcutta. They came to know old Jagannath
Bhattacharjee who is searching for a job and a famous master of 'Chhou' dance
named Panchanan, but their lives also were of lamentation only. At last Neelkantha
started his pedestrian journey to his wife in Kanchanpur, wanted to change his
plan of life. Neelkantha informs his wife of this decision after reaching
Kanchanpur and wishes to start that journey in the next morning looking at his
son Satya's face in the first sunlight. He came across some Naxalite boys at
nearby Shal(Name of a tree) forest. In the next morning they were attacked by
police and all of a sudden Neelkantha was shot dead. Before his death, Neelkantha
reminds his wife of Madan Tati's story of Manik Bandopadhyay, who didn't betray
the Tati Society for his own interest, who didn't operate handlooms with the
money of Bhubon Mohajon(Money Lender). Ritwik starts that cherished journey of Neelkantha
by the procession behind the corpse of Neelkantha in the last scene.
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| Dance of the ghosts in Jukti Takko Aar Gappo, 1974 |
Ritwik himself acted in the character of Neelkantha.
Despite being an autobiographical cinema of Ritwik, it is also an interest free
cruel criticism of the time in the perspective of partition in 1947, the
political situation, Liberation war of 1971 and the Nakshalbari movement.
Ritwik says about this film, 'The political backdrop of West Bengal from 1971
to 1972 as I saw it has been portrayed. There is no ideology. I didn't see it
from a politician's point of view. I am not supposed to please a political
ideology'. Ritwik's love for his birthplace East Bengal is manifested when Neelkantha
tells Bangabala, 'Are you the spirit of my Bangladesh?'. Through the friends of
Neelkantha the picture of moral decay of a generation is seen. In decaying
philosophy the very Neelkantha seems to be a broken intellectual. In the last
scene using the metaphor of 'Madan Tati' Ritwik makes us understand that Neelkantha
too is uncompromising in the question of humanity till death. Through the
conversation of Naxalite leader with Neelkantha we came to know about the
regular deaths of possibilities in new generations as a result of fulfilling
the political interests. The music pieces used in the film represent both
Bengals. As we see the use of Tagore songs, so we see the use of Baul(Folk)
songs. Besides this the wonderful picturization of the 'Chhou' dance of Purulia
upholds one side of the culture. As we see the urge to return home in
'Suvarnarekha', in this cinema too we see the indication of returning to a
stable situation after crossing the political unrest and cultural division. In
the present unstable situation Ritwik repeatedly utters the dialogue which was
inspired but slightly changed from the poem 'The Tiger' of William Blake in Neelkantha's
voice, 'I am burning. The universe is Burning. Everything is burning'.
During the shooting of the film 'Titash Ekti Nadir Naam' he
suffered from Tuberculosis, moreover due to excess drinking his vigour of life
quickly came to an end. Ritwik Ghatak died on 16th February 1976 in Calcutta.
Satyajit Ray commented at the news of his death, 'Ritwik was a Bengali director
in heart and soul, a Bengali artist much more of a Bengali than myself'.
From late 40's to early 70's the violent social and
political situation of Bengal was vividly portrayed in the cinemas of Ritwik.
Ritwik during his lifetime saw the Bengal to be divided twice― the partition
imposed by the British in 1947 and the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971.
Ritwik in his own cinemas by the eyes of a critic repeatedly questions the
identity of post partitioned Bengal from personal to national level. In his
whole life Ritwik searched for the cultural identity of Bangladesh through his
cinemas being influenced by the birth of East Pakistan in 1947 and Bangladesh
in 1971 even within this political division and border allocation.
Ritwik was a revolutionary of celluloid. Making cinema
was not only an art to him but a media of manifesting protest against injustice
and support to the destitute people. He didn't want to show any colourful
unreal amazement, rather wanted to show the viewers the very incidents that he
saw by his own eyes. He thought himself, wanted to make us think as well. There
was scarcity, poverty and calamities in his personal life but he never
compromised with his own philosophy till death. Though the recognition of his works
was limited, he was never deviated from the urge of his creation. He used to tell
his wife Surma Ghatak, 'Lakshmi, the money will not remain but the work will. You
will see, all will understand me after my death'.
Today we know, Ritwik Ghatak was perfect in his deliberations.
Arindam Gustavo Biswas
30th December 2012 — 21st January 2013
Khulna, Dhaka.
Translated from Bengali by Dr. Apu Lawrence Biswas with
help from Auditi Bridget Biswas and Arindam Gustavo Biswas.
23rd August 2013 — 1st September 2013
Khulna.
References:
25. Ritwik - Surma Ghatak, Anustup
26. Cinema and I - Ritwik Ghatak, Ritwik Memorial Trust
