Bengali Heritage Foundation of London On 6th February 2021, organised the fourth chapter of THINK TANK series which was on legendary Bengali film director Satyajit Ray, whose centenary is being celebrated in 2021. This centennial celebration was hosted by Bengal Heritage Foundation in partnership with the High Commission of India, Nehru Centre, British Council and Kolkata Literary Meet.
The event of the Series ‘RAY – Behind the Scenes’ brought out rare insights on Ray’s persona through his day to day interactions with his Actors, Musicians and Directors. Present in the webinar was Mani Shankar Mukherjee (Writer, novelist, essayist, researcher), Mamata Shankar (Actor, Danseuse, National Award winner) , Siddhartha Chatterjee (Actor, Entrepreneur), Purnima Datta (Producer, Distributor) and Tapan Kumar (Media Professional). The moderators for the event were Dr. Debanjan Chakrabarti, Director, British Council, East and Northeast India, and Suman Ghosh, Professor Film Studies, Bath Spa University.
Dr Debanjan Chakrabarti , Director. British Council East and Northeast India said, "As India and UK look forward to forming a new partnership in the 21st century, and as we prepare to celebrate 75 years of India together, British Council is delighted to celebrate the achievements of a man who epitomised the "living bridge" that connects our two countries - Satyajit Ray - on his 100th birth anniversary." Rohit Vadhwana, First Secretary, High Commission of India, London summed up the event with his reflection on Ray stating that he was one of the greatest men in India in filmmaking. His depiction of human emotion is as contemporary as ever, best in the art. Rohit also added that “The connection he has gifted us through his lens and camera will continue to bind us together for centuries to come.”
