NY/NJ BENGALI

Yudhistir and his brothers beg Bhishma for his life. Bhishma obliges by giving them the only strategy that can kill him. Arjun, with a heavy heart, follows his instructions. He uses Sikhandi as his shield and attacks Bhishma on the … Continue reading →

On day nine of the Kurukshetra war, Bhishma unleashed his fury like never before. The Pandavas suffered severe losses and realized that if Bhishma continued his rampage in this form, nobody could prevent their defeat. Arjun, on whom the Pandavas … Continue reading →

The Kurukshetra battle continues for the seventh and eighth day. Pandavas clearly have an upper hand. Bhishma, Drona, Kripacharya all try their best but Arjun, Bheem and the other Pandava warriors seem indomitable.  Iravan, son of Arjun, fights valiantly but … Continue reading →

As the great battle of Kurukshetra continues, both the Pandavas and the Kauravas suffer huge losses. Great warriors are killed. Thousands of soldiers lost their lives. Bhurisraba kills ten sons of Satyaki. Bhagadatta mounts his elephant and almost kills Bheem. … Continue reading →

The Kurukshetra war rages on. Bheem was unstoppable on the second day. He wrecked havoc on the Kaurava army and none of the Kaurava generals succeeded in controlling him.  On the third day, Duryodhan was almost killed by Bheem. Duryodhan’s … Continue reading →

After Krishna returns with Arjuna to the Panadava formation,  Yudhistir dismounts from his chariot and walks towards the Kaurava army to seek blessings from his gurus. Bhisma, Dron, Kripa, and Salya wish them victory. Then, with the blowing of the … Continue reading →

On the first day of the war, Krishna drives Arjuna’s chariot to the middle of the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Watching Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and many of his relatives and friends assembled on the Kaurava side as his opponent, Arjuna is … Continue reading →

The huge armies of the Kauravas and the Pandavas assemble on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Bhisma vows to kill 10,000 Pandava soldiers a day. Arjun assures Yudhistir of victory. The Kaurava and the Pandava generals meet and decide on the … Continue reading →

The war of Kurukshetra is imminent. The Kauravas and the Pandavas prepare to engage in the battlefield. The day before the war, the Kaurava generals meet to formulate their strategy. Bhisma, tells Duryodhan and his men, that although he is … Continue reading →

With the war looming large, Kunti is scared for her sons. Although the Pandava brothers are strong and powerful, they are not invincible. The Kauravas have great warriors like Bhishma, Dron, Kripa and Karna, and with their combined might, they … Continue reading →

After failing to negotiate a peace deal with the Kauravas, Krishna tries a different route. He knew, if by some means he could convince Karna to switch his allegiance to the Pandavas, Duryodhan would give up his ambition to win … Continue reading →

Krishna arrives at the Hastinapur palace with his peace proposal. However, his reconciliatory words falls into deaf ears. Duryodhan ignores Krishna’s proposal and claims he has done nothing wrong. Dhritarashtra makes a feeble attempt to convince Duryodhan, but fails. Duryodhan … Continue reading →

When Sanjay visited the Pandavas with the peace proposal from Dhritarashtra, Yudhistir  asked for only five villages for the five brothers. But Duryodhan denied. He said, he wouldn’t give the Pandavas even a spec of soil one could lift on … Continue reading →

The Kauravas and the Pandavas prepare for war while the diplomatic efforts to avoid it takes its own course. Dhritarashtra sends his trusted emissary Sanjay to dissuade the Pandavas from a bloody war. Yudhistir asks for five small villages for … Continue reading →

After Abhimanyu and Uttara’s wedding, the Pandavas get busy planning to claim back their Kingdom. They knew, Duryodhan wouldn’t give back their due without a fight. They begin to seek alliances of powerful kings. To fight the Kauravas they need … Continue reading →

King Virat was ecstatic to know that his son Uttar has defeated the indomitable Kauravas and won back their cattle. But Yudhistir’s lack of enthusiasm and unabashed praise for the eunuch charioteer Brihannala enraged him. However, his rage turned to … Continue reading →

Uttar takes Arjun (disguised as Brihannala) to fight the Kauravas and win back the cattle of King Virat. But witnessing the might of the Kauravas, Uttar panics. Brihannala takes Uttar to the Sami tree and fetches the Pandiva weapons hanging … Continue reading →

Emboldened by Keechak’s death the King of Trigartha, Susharma, with support from Duryodhan, attacks the Matsya Kingdom to steal Virat’s cattle. Yudhistir, Bheem, Nakul and Sahadev help Virat fight the Trigarta army. While Virat is busy fighting Susharma,  the Kaurava army … Continue reading →

In the kingdom of Virat, the Panadvas have been spending their thirteenth year in exile. As per the contract, they had to live in disguise such that nobody could recognize them as the rulers of Indraprastha. Draupadi served the queen … Continue reading →

The Pandavas complete their twelve years in exile. Now, as per the agreement, they have to go into hiding for the thirteenth year. It is quite a challenge since the entire Bharata knows the five gallant brothers and their beautiful wife … Continue reading →

The  four Pandava brothers, Bheem, Arjun, Nakul and Sahadev die while trying to fetch water from a lake. When Yudhistir finds the lake, he meets a mysterious crane who claims to have killed his brothers. The crane challenges Yudhistir to … Continue reading →

Karna was born with an armor that made him invincible to any weapons. Indra, to help his son Arjuna, wanted to strip Karna of his natural defense. Indra exploited Karna’s magnanimity and asked for the armor as a gift. Karna … Continue reading →

The story of Savitri and Satyavan is one of the most popular tales of the Mahabharata. Savitri, a princess, marries Satyavan knowing that her husband had a short lifespan. As per Narada’s prediction, Satyavan dies one year after their marriage. … Continue reading →

Jayadratha, the husband of Duryodhan’s sister Duhshala, sees Draupadi in the Kamyaka forest and is enamoured by her divine beauty.  Unable to control his lust, Jayadratha tries to abduct her against her will. When the Pandavas come to know of this, … Continue reading →

In this episode, we hear two enchanting stories from the Mahabharata. In the first story, Rishi Durvasa grants Mudgal an eternal life in heaven. But Mudgal declines the offer in search of eternal truth. The second story is more exciting. … Continue reading →

Duryodhan’s attempt to humiliate the Pandavas went haywire. He got into a fight with the Gandharavas and was defeated and captured. The Pandava brothers fought the Gandharvas to rescue Duryodhan and his entourage. However, instead of being grateful, Duryodhan felt … Continue reading →

Duryodhan plans to visit the Pandavas during their exile and humiliate them. But he gets embroiled in a battle with the Gandharvas and is captured by the Gandharva King Chitrasena. At the request of their brother Yudhistir, Arjuna and Bheem … Continue reading →

When asked to talk about the virtues of a woman, Rishi Markandeya tells Yudhistira how a housewife advised Rishi Kaushik about the ways of life and led Kaushik to meet the butcher of Mithila to learn about Dharma. We also … Continue reading →

Rishi Markandeya visits the Pandavas and tells them several stories from his vast experience. He narrates the story of the Matsya, Manu and the great deluge. He tells them about the celestial cycles of creation and destruction, and how the … Continue reading →

Arjuna returns from Indra’s palace in the heavens back to his brothers and his wife Draupadi in the Gandhamadan mountains. He tells them the stories of his conquests against the Nibata Kabacha demons and the demonesses Paulam and Kalaka’s army. … Continue reading →

Draupadi asks Bheema to fetch her the divine lotus.  Bheema, eager to please his wife, embarks on a journey to find the precious gift. On his way, he meets an old and frail little monkey. Little did he know, it … Continue reading →

Parambrata Chattopadhyay is one of the busiest film actors in Bengal today. Noted as an actor of the alternative cinema, Parambrata has demonstrated his talent not only in Bengali films but also in the mainstream Hindi film industry. His performances in … Continue reading →

The acclaimed filmmaker Suman Ghosh was in town. He was invited to New Jersey by Dhriti Bagchi (of Mrittika) to screen his recent film “Kadambari”. Based on the life of Kadambari Tagore, the wife of Jyotirindranath Tagore and sister-in-law of … Continue reading →

The young Rishi Ashtavakra was born crooked at eight parts of his body. The deformity was caused because of his father’s curse. But later Ashtavakra saves his father from his ill fortune. Listen to this story and the stories of … Continue reading →

In this episode of the Stories of Mahabharata, Rishi Lomasha tells the Pandavas two exciting stories. In the first story, he tells the story of Rishi Chyavan who regained his youth with the help of the celestial physicians the Ashwini … Continue reading →

According to the Hindu scriptures, Lord Vishnu appeared on earth nine times to purge the earth of evil (his 10th appearance is yet to happen). Parashurama was the sixth incarnation. In this episode, Rishi Lomasha tells the Pandavas the story … Continue reading →

Rishi Lomapada tells Yudhistira and his entourage the tale of Bhagiratha and how he brought Ganga from the heavens to the earth and then led her to the oceans, thus forming the mighty river. He then tells them the story … Continue reading →

Debshankar Haldar is undoubtedly the most sought after stage actor in Kolkata. As of now, Debshankar performs in 23 productions at the same time, a feat which no actor has ever been able to accomplish.  Considered to be the greatest … Continue reading →

After spending few years in the Kamyaka forest, the Pandavas embark on a grand pilgrimage to visit the various holy places around the country. and learn about their glorious legends. Rishi Lomasha volunteered to be their guide. On their first … Continue reading →

Few months ago, filmmaker Anindya Chatterjee was in the USA with his debut feature film “Open-Tee Bioscope”. He, along with his friend Saugata, was touring the country and screening the film a several venues where Bengalis flocked. For many Bengalis … Continue reading →

Arjuna visits the heavens to acquire more weapons from his father Indra. Apart from acquiring the skills in using the divine weapons, Arjuna also begins taking lessons in music and dance from the Gandharva Guru Chitrasena.  There he meets the … Continue reading →

Yudhistira realized that to conquer the Kauravas, he needs to have powerful weapons. He sends Arjuna on a quest to acquire divine and powerful weapons from the gods. Arjuna travels far and meets Lord Shiva in a strange circumstance. The … Continue reading →

After a long hiatus, we bring to you the fully produced version of the episode 2 of the Stories of Mahabharata Series – Amba’s Plight. In this episode, he learn how Bhisma abducts the three princesses of Kashi, Amba, Ambika … Continue reading →

The Pandavas are now in exile in the forest. One day Krishna visits the Pandavas in the forest to express his solidarity.  He apologizes for not being able to attend the game of dice and stop this misfortune from befalling on … Continue reading →

The other day, Avi and I sat together to chat about what goes on behind the scenes of “The Stories of Mahabharata”  podcast. We talked about how Avi goes about designing the sound for the podcast. And I spoke about … Continue reading →

The first episode of the Stories of Mahabharata podcast series has been missing for a long time. The episode was not added because it did not have the production quality that we have been striving for. After a long break, … Continue reading →

The Pandavas go into exile as per the conditions of the game.  The Sun god gifts Yudhistira with the magic bowl to feed his followers. Upset by Vidura’s harsh comments Dhritarashtra banishes him. But he couldn’t live without him either. … Continue reading →

Duryodhana was not happy when Dhritarashtra returned the Pandavas their kingdom and all the wealth they had lost in the game of dice to Shakuni. So he and Shakuni came up with another plan. They invited Yudhistira back to Hastinapura … Continue reading →

Yudhistira bets his wife Draupadi in the game of dice and loses her to the Kauravas. Dussasana drags Draupadi to the assembly hall in front of everybody. And there, the Panchal princess is subject to the cruelest humiliation while her … Continue reading →

The greatest mistake Yudhistira made in his life was to agree to play the game of dice with Duryodhana. He knew, the game wouldn’t be fair, but still he couldn’t refuse. His excuses were, that he couldn’t say no to … Continue reading →

Duryodhana’s envy of the Pandavas keeps consuming him. Moreover, he is humiliated by falling for the illusions of the grand palace Maya had built for them. But scheming Shakuni has a plan to rob Yudhishthira of his kingdom. Even the righteous emperor … Continue reading →

Sishupala, the King of Chedi, was an invited guest to King Yudhistira’s Rajasuya sacrifice ceremony. He had accepted Yudhistira as his emperor. But when Yudhistira decided to offer Krishna his first worship as the most revered man present in the … Continue reading →

Jarasandha, the mighty King of Magadha, was feared by everybody, including the almighty Lord Krishna. Jarasandha planned to offer one hundred Kings as human sacrifice to his Lord. He had captured eighty-six of them and was in the process of … Continue reading →

Agni requests Arjuna and Krishna to help him burn down the Khandava forest for the flesh and fat of the animals in the forest would cure him of his loss of appetite. Arjuna and Krishna helps him, and a great … Continue reading →

This is the thirteenth episode of the stories of Mahabharata. We have progressed quite a bit, but we have a long way to go. In this episode we hear couple of fascinating stories. In the first story, Arjuna rescues the … Continue reading →

Dhritarashtra offered Pandavas the land of Khandava, a barren and uninhabited piece of land, to set up their Kingdom. To everybody’s surprise, Yudhishtira accepts the offer. In Khandava, the Pandavas setup their capital in Indraprastha, a grand city build by … Continue reading →

When the blind king Dritarashtra learned that the Pandavas have survived the fire in Varanavata and have gained a strong ally, King Drupada of Panchala by marrying his daughter Draupadi, he was in deep trouble. He had already declared Duryodhana … Continue reading →

Recently, Binayak Bandopadhyay took few days off from his busy schedule as a fellow at the prestigious Iowa University International Writers Program (IWP) and visited us in New Jersey. I jumped on this opportunity and invited him to our EBC … Continue reading →

After passing Drupad’s test, Arjuna wins Draupadi as his bride. But when the Pandavas arrive at their home, their mother Kunti asks them to do something that changes their lives for ever. Listen to this amazing episode below.

Listen to another episode of the stories of Mahabharata. In this episode, we go to the city of Kampilya in Panchala, where the Pandavas attend the Swayavara of Draupadi, King Drupada’s daughter. There, Arjuna passes the most difficult test set … Continue reading →

The stories of Mahabharata continues with this eighth episode – The Flaming house of Varanabata. With the advice from Shakuni, Duryodhana comes up with a devious plan to kill the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra sends the Pandavas to Varanabata to attend a … Continue reading →

The stories of Mahabharata are not only about kings and gods and demons. It is also a tale of ethics, morality and politics.  The needs and conflicts that drive each character are the same that drives us today. The great … Continue reading →

In this episode of the stories from Mahabharata, Drona arranges for a grand show where his students, the Kuru princes demonstrate their prowess with arms. Arjuna dazzles the audience by his prowess with a variety of arms and weapons. But … Continue reading →

In this episode, Guru Dronacharya arrives in Hastinapura and awes the Kuru princes with his skills. Bhishma retains him as the royal arms and weapons trainer for the Pandava and Kaurava brothers. Arjuna excels in archery. Ekalavya, a tribal boy, … Continue reading →

The stories of Mahabharata continues. The conflict between the Pandava brothers and the Kaurava brothers began at an early age.  In this episode we learn of the first attempt by the Kaurava brothers, primarily Duryodhona and Duhsashana, to eliminate their … Continue reading →

The stories of Mahabharata continues. In this episode we learn about the birth of the Kuru princes, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. We also learn about the tragic death of King Pandu caused by a curse from the dying sage … Continue reading →

Listen to the second episode of “The Mahabharata”. In this episode, we learn about the plight of Amba, and the story of the birth of Pandu, Dhritarashtra and Vidur.

Recently Suman Mukhopadhyay was in town. He had come to New York to attend the screening of his latest film “Sesher Kabita” (The Last Poem) which is yet to release commercially. Mriitika of New Jersey (a non profit organization dedicated … Continue reading →

I think I am not exaggerating when I say that the Mahabharata is the greatest story ever told.  The story of the Kuru dynasty has inspired and enlivened not only the Indians for generations, but the entire humanity. Writers, performers, … Continue reading →

Recently, at the EBC Radio Drama Club show, I had the opportunity to chat with the noted theatre personality of Kolkata, Chandan Sen.  Chandan Sen is quite well known to the theatre loving Bengali crowd of North America. He has … Continue reading →

Recently, the ECTA Theatre team gathered together at the EBC Radio studios to talk about their upcoming  theatre production “Palok” or “The Protector” (to be staged at the Edison Valley Playhouse, in Edison NJ on April 5 and 6). Using … Continue reading →

Few weeks ago, I went to see a play at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York. But it was not one of the typical off-broadway productions that you expect to see at such a venue. It was one of … Continue reading →

Madhu Rye is one of the most celebrated Gujarati playwrights and author of our times. His plays have been staged all around the Gujarati speaking world and has also been made into films. On a crisp fall afternoon at the … Continue reading →

Dr. Farley Richmond is regarded as one of the leading experts on traditional Indian performing arts and theatre in the western world. Throughout his career, Dr. Richmond has explored the theatrical arts of India, and South Asia, and has directed … Continue reading →

Dr. Mohan Agashe is regarded as one of the best character actors of Indian stage and screen.  Currently he is visiting USA to direct a play for Epic Actor’s Workshop at the Eighth South Asian Theatre Festival to be held … Continue reading →

Anton Chekov has been on of the most celebrated playwrights and short story writers of the modern times.  Konstantin Stanislavsky and his Moscow Art Theatre brought Chekov in front of the western audience at a time when Chekov was almost … Continue reading →

Those of you who missed our EBC Drama Club show on June 29th, 2013, don’t feel bad anymore. Here is the podcast of the show made available to you courtesy of EBC Radio and this blog. As I mentioned earlier … Continue reading →

Last Saturday (June 15th, 2013) at our EBC Drama Club show, we had three very distinguished representatives from  three different New Jersey Community Theatre organizations as our guests. Patrick Starega from the NJACT (Perry Award) organization representing its member theatres … Continue reading →

Sharad Sathe, a playwright and director of Marathi Theatre in New Jersey , was at the EBC Radio studio on June 1, 2013 as my guest to the EBC Drama Club show. He was accompanied by one of his actors, … Continue reading →

EBC Drama Club: Episode 3 “Voice is something that not only an actor needs to develop, anybody who wants to communicate effectively must learn how to develop and use his or her voice”, says Kulraaj Anand, the popular host of … Continue reading →

In the second part of the conversation, Sudipto talks about the impact of colonialism on Lalon Phokir’s philosophy and music, about his working relationship with director Sumon Mukhopadhyay and his future projects. Please listen to the first part of the … Continue reading →

During our second broadcast of the EBC Radio Club on EBC Radio, we had a long telephone chat with Sudipto Chatterjee, a distinguished theatre person who teaches Drama at the Loughborough University in UK. In this part of the show, … Continue reading →

Now enjoy the second part of Satyameva, performed by Satinath Mukhopadhyay and written by Sudipta Bhawmik.

Couple of years ago Satinath Mukhopadhyay, the famous radio artiste read my play “Satyameva” on one of the FM radio channels in Kolkata. The play was read in two parts. Here is the podcast of the first part. Satyameva is … Continue reading →

Recently, I was invited by Kulraaj Anand of EBC Radio to initiate a drama club for the radio.  Since my childhood days, I was always fascinated by radio drama. Growing up in a small town, we didn’t have much of … Continue reading →