Thursday, April 26, 2018

Kolkata Kaleidoscope : Beautification of Kolkata - Painted Movie Posters on Electric Meter Boxes


While wandering around the Rabindra Sarobar Lake area I discovered a unique beautification initiative of painting CESC electric meter boxes and I thought it is worth sharing in my blog.

The originally grey and black painted meter boxes are usually littered with torn posters and spitting stains. But here, on Sarat Chatterjee Avenue and adjoining by-lanes, may of these meter boxes have been used as canvas for painting posters related to luminaries who once lived in the neighbourhood. This artistic approach enlightens the citizens about the cultural heritage of the area and helps in reducing the visual pollution of the city of joy.

Satyajit Ray, the Oscar winning and internationally acclaimed film director who made some of the iconic cult classic films, lived at 3 Lake Temple Road till 1970 and it is then when he made the first Feluda (famous fictional bengali detective also penned by him) flick Sonar Kella. In fact the Sonar Kella poster on Lake Place was the first that cought my attention. And talking of Feluda the image that comes to our mind is that of Soumitra Chatterjee (renowned actor and Ray's protegee), the original and best of actors who played Feluda on screen. Little did we know that he used to live here as well and surprisingly at the same address but at a later time.





Ray made many more popular movies while staying here like Pather Panchali (his debut film), Charulata, Devi, Nayak, Aranyer Din Ratri and Goopi Gyne Bagha Byne.





At first I could not find the Pather Panchali poster but later discovered it on the back side of the Sonar Kella poster on the same meter box.



There are a couple of posters dedicated to film director, writer and actor, Debaki Kumar Bose who is known for his innovative use of sound and music in Indian Cinema. The nearby Lake Gardens Flyover is also now named after him.


We also found one meter box allocated for playback singer, music director and film producer Hemanta Mukhopadhyay who was a resident here and the nearby Lake Terrace Road is now named after him.


Famous novelist Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay never lived in the neighbourhood but since Sarat Chatterjee Avenue is named after him, a couple of meter boxes have been dedicated to him. Many of his novels have been converted to blockbuster movies and not necessarily in Bengali.


The last poster that I came across was assigned for industrialist and philanthropist Bhagirath Kanoria.


This kind of beautification is very inspiring and I hope similar initiatives are taken all over Kolkata.

You may go through my YouTube video on this topic here - https://youtu.be/nmFY1FQGWC0