Sahana Ahmed

My daughter makes sure I have a fancy pen in each of my handbags. A writer must always carry a pen, she says. Not to jot down notes, mind you. But to "give autographs".

He could speak 8 languages and they said he could recite all 37 of Shakespeare's plays from memory. An award winning playwright & stage artist and one of Satyajit Ray's favourite actors. Also one of India's finest comic actors in films like Golmaal, and Hirak Rajar Deshe. The irony is that the marvellous comic roles in Golmaal and other films, what most people outside remember him for, is what he regarded as the least important "I have developed a technique of shutting my mind off, switching it off, rather. I will not be able to tell you even the names of the films I have acted in or even the name of the character I have just finished shooting.” He was also a brilliant writer & regular theatre reviewer. “Mr.Dutt as Othello was rather a pitiable sight, with his voice gone, his breathing laboured and his bulk enormous.” This was Utpal Dutt reviewing his own stage performance using the pseudonym Iago. He also loved classical art and there is this wonderful story told by his daughter. "When we went to Italy, it meant we would have to spend at least one day on viewing each sculpture. We had hired the services of a guide. But, we found that Baba knew more about the place than the guide. The next day, the guide asked us if we would be ready to go on our own." A true renaissance man and a principled one, not scared to go to prison for his views. Utpal Dutt was truly one of our greats. 97th birth anniversary today.

"You come here to clap for revolution at 7:00 PM and go back to exploit your domestic help at 10:00 PM. You are not my audience; you are my funding." ​Utpal Dutt once hurled these biting words at an audience, perfectly capturing his cynical view of the "champagne socialist." Later, while his play 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘱𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘕𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘪(City of Nightmares),a blistering critique of the incumbent government, was in production, the police arrived one evening and demanded he change the script or face the consequences. The playwright, director, and actor famously remarked,"I am an artist, not a makeup man for the police force." That man was Utpal Dutt,a figure far greater than a mere comic caricature or a villainous face in popular cinema. He was a revolutionary artist, fiercely anti-establishment, and a titan of political theatre in India. Today marks his birth anniversary. Tributes to this great scholar, actor, and activist 🙏🙏

@Sydusm You said it.

Social media is being banned for under 16 in many places. What they should be banning is Whatsapp for people over 65.

@ShivAroor Most LitFests then.

“I like hanging out with losers…”

@SumanaSiliguri I wish I could attend. But I have a prior commitment. Best wishes for the talk.

My talk at the Literary Activism Symposium on 'Doing the dirt on Tragedy' tomorrow, the 28th of March, at the IIC, 2: 15 pm DALI'S MOUSTACHE, CHAITANYA'S RAISED HANDS, উ & OTHER MICRO-AGITATIONS AGAINST TRAGEDY (Poster by Snigdha Dhameja)

New Book Announcement: “The Memory Tree” (Series) by Veena Naravane @BareBonesLLP asianreviewofbooks.com/new-book-annou…

@BanerjiSougata I was there too. :)

I was at Eden Gardens on this days! 25 Years of a dream day in a test match… #NewProfilePic

@sairashahhalim Love the way you speak Bangla. And your mom-in-law is adorable. (My roots are in Bardhaman too.)

A big thank you to BBC Bangla for visiting our home to film our breakfast routine.We talked about the composite culture that defines our table,me being a Calcutta born girl whose palate was shaped by my father’s military tenures across India and abroad. ​We also delved into the migrant histories that give Kolkata its unique morning flavour. From the hearty slow-cooked Nihari brought by the royal exiles of Awadh to the steamed baos of the Chinese community and the baked legacies of Jewish and Anglo-Indian kitchens, our city’s breakfast is a beautiful melting pot. Happy to share this slice of our life alongside Dr Fuad Halim youtu.be/RM7xGYLYDFs?si…

@BareBonesLLP Thank you, @dhruvathi. I know the man and I know his stories, and yet this was so insightful. A very engaging interview.

Capt Shakil Ahmed, the co-editor of MY INDIA, MY GODS Vol. 2, in conversation with Misfit Humans about the idea behind the anthology. Find the books here: barebonespublishing.in/product/my-ind… youtube.com/clip/UgkxNZmCs…

@anandnama What works is conviction. Many scenes in Animal were inspired by The Blacklist. Dhurandhar had a familiar structure too. The emotions were unpacked properly and scaled up. And, of course, the soundtrack in all the films mentioned here were outstanding.

Born in the ‘wealthy producer family’ film makers never bothered to ‘get this’ or any other kind of cinema, mostly, that could be made. Fresh. Real. Now stories. Not rehashing yesteryear’s stories, mounting them spectacularly and in newer foreign locals, studded with modern brands and lifestyle markers, enacted by the second third generation Bollywood royalty kids etc. Stale. Majorly. Stories on cinema that are from the real time India, with an absolutely fresh crop of talent from across India… got made by ‘others’ cinema is getting sampled widely. The ‘established Bollywood rulers’ are foxed.

@ShikhaSLamba The Ekphrastic Review

#writingcommunity Any journals or magazines accepting ekphrastic poetry currently? Thanks.

1/ #CitiesInFiction now has a literary map. Every book in our list is pinned to the place it is set in. You can explore South Asian fiction as a geography — which cities have been written about, and which are still waiting. 👉 citiesinfiction.com/maps

@VpNavanita Congratulations to Ma’am.

@vinita65 What an absolutely beautiful cover. Congratulations!

Stoked to introduce my seventh collection of poems - The Hour of God, published by the fabulous Red River Press.

Please watch Boong if you can. youtu.be/2tYC_fBLDUE?si…

@CaptPKRajRif Extremely unfortunate.

When President jumps in for political campaign- another institution collapses 😕

The only difference between my children and your children is where they were born.

@panchganiwrites So happy to know that. Congratulations!

Thrilled that the Panchgani Writers’ Retreat has been nominated for an award. Thankful to the faculty and participants who make it what it is.

The bombing of a girls’ primary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, #Iran, by forces aligned with the US-Israeli military attack killed 148 female students and injured dozens more. This deliberate attack on a civilian educational facility is utterly unacceptable and a grave violation of international law. Schools and students are protected under international humanitarian law. Any deliberate or indiscriminate attack on such protected civilian objects may constitute a war crime. The international community must urgently hold the perpetrators accountable and take immediate action to protect children and schools in conflict zones.

@vikramsingh112 Thank you for your kind words, Sir.

Shahana Ma'am is simply brilliant,as always ,1.30 minutes onwards. Many congratulations! 👏