New documentary to unravel the heritage of Bengali children magazine 'Sandesh'

One of the initial covers of SandeshIf everyone likes it and if there is any benefit only then will its Sandesh name be successful wrote Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury in the inaugural issue of the Bengali childrens magazine back in 1913 To say that it was merely successful would be an understatement In circulation till date the iconic periodical has shaped the childhoods of millions of Bengalis with its beautiful cover illustrations sketches and short stories replete with humour science fiction and literary valuesA 1961 cover of the first issue edited by Satyajit RayWith a 104yearold legacy it is now the subject of a documentary Sandesh 100 by Bengali photographerfilmmaker Soumyakanti Dutta The 18yearold director has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Wishberry to help complete the films postproduction He says The idea is to archive its heritage so that the future generations can learn about the role Sandesh has played in Bengali literatureBlocks used to make Sandesh seen in a still from the filmPast forwardChowdhury launched Sandesh in 1913 presumably named after the favourite Bengali mithai as well as a moniker for news Post his demise in 1915 the monthly magazines reigns were taken over by his son and litteacuterateurhumorist Sukumar Ray who remained the editor for eight yearsFilmmaker Soumyakanti DuttaAfter his death the periodical stopped circulation until his son and legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray revived Sandesh with his poetfriend Subhash Mukherjee in 1961 In later years the magazines editors included Leela Majumdar and Nalini Das His son Sandip Ray who has also provided his guidance to the young team for the documentary now edits it I began my career in photography with Sandip Rays film unit in 2014 He has helped us gain access into Sandeshs archives and is excited to see how the documentary has shaped up says DuttaActor Chiranjeet Chakraborty who also designed a cover when he was just 18Feluda for the youngThe 75minute documentary sheds light on the magazines heritage through interviews with former writers for the magazine including the popular Bengali novelist Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay Theyve shared several anecdotes about their writing experience For instance when Sandesh wasnt able to pay its writers and poets due to monetary problems Satyajit Ray would send them invites for his film premieres as compensation says Dutta who also interviewed eminent Bengali actors Chiranjeet Chakraborty who designed a cover of Sandesh as a cartoonist when he was just 18 and Sabyasachi Chakraborty known for portraying Rays Feluda on screen Thats because the iconic Bengali sleuth made his first appearance in Sandesh Satyajit Ray wrote over 100 short stories for the magazine says Dutta whose personal favourite is the first story Feludar Goendagiri published in 1965Sandip Ray son of Satyajit Ray in a still from the filmBlock adventuresAccording to Sandip Rays interview in the documentary Sandesh stood out for its unique covers Replete with themes of children animals and clowns the colourful halftone covers were initially created using woodcut line blocks introduced by Chowdhury arguably the first in south Asia to use the modern blockmaking technique Many of these blocks still exist in the archives at the Sandesh office In the documentary we have juxtaposed them with their corresponding covers to highlight how intricate the block designs were Even nonBengalis who havent read Sandesh will be able to enjoy the documentary sums up DuttaLog on to wishberryinCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go