Mamata Banerjee’s Bid to Preserve Bengali Culture Through Media

July 25- Kolkata, India: In an effort to promote the culture, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday encouraged and supported the usage of Bengali in Bengali television series and films.

While she spoke at the ‘Mahanayak Samman‘ award ceremony which commemorated the death anniversary of matinee legend ‘Uttam Kumar‘, the West Bengal Chief Minister said that “Sob bhasai bhalo, sob gaan bhaalo (every language is good, every song is good), but we must make serious effort in promoting our mother tongue and make the younger generation respectful towards our culture. Give space to films made in other languages, but please give priority to Bengali works.”

She further stated that “My request to those who produce serials — not to confine themselves within Hindi while using songs in their episodes, but also use Bengali tracks. They have their wide reach all over the country. Can’t we use the talent of our people who pen amazing lyrics in Bengali, who add tunes to such lyrics? We take pride in our culture, which has so much sweetness and emotion.”

She added that special medical insurance plans serve Tollygunge artists, stating that their Rs 5 lakh artist health insurance plan covers 4,800 people. According to her, almost 20,000 people benefit when their families are taken into account. She said the government assists struggling artists and technicians in marrying their daughters and offers support during their deaths through the Film Workers’ Welfare Fund. The West Bengal CM also acknowledged that they included the film industry in BGBS after someone requested them to do so. She noted that they would also include cultural activities.

Mamata Banerjee On ‘Uttam Kumar’ and Bengali Directors

The West Bengal CM, Mamata Banerjee, also paid tribute to the timeless legendary matinee idol, Uttam Kumar. She stated, “We have neither been able to forget Uttam Kumar after 45 years nor will we be able to in the future. He remains the evergreen matinee idol forever.”

She further praised the late Bengali legend by stating that ‘Uttam Kumar had effortlessly lip-synced to the classic playbacks in his films and that it is difficult to match his level among the next generation of Bengali actors.’

Many iconic Bengali film directors, like Goutam Ghosh, who is known for his movies like “Paar,” “Padma Nadir Majhi,” “Moner Manush,” and “Kaalbela,” have received the ‘Mahanayak Srestha Samman‘ for their work throughout the years in the Bengali film industry. Many Bengali singers like Rupankar Bagchi, Iman Chakraborty, Gargi Roychoudhury, makeup artist Somnath Kundu and production designer Ananda Adhya also received the ‘Mahanayak Samman‘ in their individual fields.

Banerjee also praised Bengali director Goutam Ghosh for his contributions in the Tollywood industry and said that “Giving this small recognition to Goutamda , an iconic director, on our part was overdue. Also, we are privileged to honour other personalities who have made the state proud.”

Several prominent Bengali film personalities like the legendary Prosenjit Chaterjee, Dev and many other were also present for the grand occassion.