A River Called Titas

Ritwik Ghatak,
in partition, not physically of willingness
-the country departed
Out of his outer consciousness - cosmic consciousness
none of his mistakes,
Reactions - natural reactions - reflections
Ritwik Ghatak,
refugee, unborn, unwanted, unbearable
penetrative towards the Victorian hangover
of the Tagorian corruption of thinking

Life was more important to him
than the words in praise of god,
the god of Victorian Tagorian thinking.



Hence, he was rejected from the Bengalian thinking
Ritwik Ghatak - the name doesn't suit
the hierarchic thinking of
the Raynian Zamidarian thinking
Perhaps, the long echo of the forgotten factors
that becomes reminiscence of
the 'death of the salesman' or otherwise
the long columns and no more Chhabi Biswas,
Cardiac arrest is common.
The death of Ghatak is uncommon.

Nay, Ritwik Ghatak
I remember, a tall man
his hands moving around my shoulders,
catching me with the feeling of nearness,
rather than imperialism-
the man who stands before me
questioning my manliness
loosing his hands to shake my hands
in appreciation of manliness
recognizing each other-
abiding in each other
kicking on my an's and telling me
"Get up, awake shoot"
I remember, not with sentiments
with awakening proud, Ritwik Ghatak

Ritwik Daa,
let me call you Ritwik Daa,
I know that you are no more.
But I am, alive for you
Believe me. When the seventh seal is opened
I will use my camera as my gun
and I am sure the echo of the sound
will reverberate in your bones,
and feed back to me for my inspiration.

Thank you Ritwik Daa,
I am thanking you
not with impotency and insipidity

Ritwik Daa,
I remember you,
when the words fails to criticize you,
Ritwik Daa,
eternally you are
in my brain
in my spirit and
in my Holy Ghost
Amen.

-John Abraham
(republished from CineMalayalam)


-John Abraham was a pupil of Ritwik Ghatak at FTII, Pune. He was one of few people who were directly affected by the " Cinema of RitwikGhatak. In his short stay at the Film Institute, Ghatak inspired many and some of them went on to become great director's themshelves: Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahini, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and John Abrahham are just few of the names who took on the legacy of the man.

- Daa( Bengali)- Brother.

Watch:-

-A river Called Titas: Bengali, 82 min, no subtitle
- Amma Ariyan- Malayalam, few fragments- John Abraham.

Read:-

- Remembering John- Adoor Gopalakrishnan
-John Abraham- a profile.