Making actions speak

IIPM Prof Arindam Chaudhuri on Our Parliament and Parliamentarians' Work

Mime artist Moinul Haque can claim to have put back the 'act' in action. The founder of Mime Academy has resuscitated the art of pantomime, at least in the northeast'

Back then, he was a very popular stage artist; a mono actor and a dubbing artist much adored in the state of Assam. And then came the mime chapter of Moinul Haque's career. Haque's journey with solo mime has taken him to countless venues ' national and international ' over the last 30 years, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for mime acting early this year was just another milestone in his perseverant pursuit of this marginalised art.

After he found his calling in pantomime in the seventies, Moinul Haque formed a group called 'Sound and Comedy' through which he conveyed mime to the masses. It was at a time when exposure to the creative and artistic movements in the rest of the country was the privilege of a lucky few in the Northeast. Three decades of commitment to this art form, he is recognised as the undisputed pioneer of mime in the Northeast of India and can be credited for creating much awareness about it.

As the years progressed, Haque used the versatile and sensitive nature of this beautiful art form to convey many important and relevant issues of society. He has given thousands of performances throughout the country proving that mime is a universal language transcending the barriers of caste, creed and colour.

Moinul Haque is a self- taught artist. During the late 80s, a Cherry Blossom television commercial on Doordarshan, the one showcasing pantomime by actor Paintal, had influenced Haque. 'I drew inspiration from various incidents of my life. After all, it is the small things which add meaning to our life,' Haque says. The 'small things' include the pond near his house, to the games he played in his childhood.

It was at B. Borooah College that Haque was noticed by his teachers for his stage skills. 'At that time I did not know anything about mime. My teacher Bhupen Lahkor (at B. Borooah College) suggested I should hone my mime skills. He recommended a book, Mukabhinay Tottar Bidhi, by Shyam Chakraborty, which I ordered from Kolkata,' Haque recalls. There were minor setbacks, but he continued with his rigorous practice sessions. His hard work paid dividends the day he attended a workshop organised by the National School of Drama in Guwahati, where he happened to meet an artiste from Kolkata who appreciated his talent. 'It was a turning point of my life. That artiste referred me to the cultural circle of Kolkata and in 1988, I was called to perform there in the National Mime Festival,' says Haque. It proved to be the beginning of his journey as a mime artiste, for his audience was greatly appreciative, and he went to win many more invitations and accolades. Over the years he has given numerous performances all over the globe with his winning acts that include 'Moinul and the Dog', 'Boxing Champion Moinul', 'Childhood of Moinul', 'I love you Moinul' etc. In his performances, Moinul says, he attempts to get in a universal touch to the act so that audiences everywhere can relate to it. 'When I enacted 'Childhood of Moinul' in London, everyone in the crowd enjoyed the performance and many of them said that they could really identify with the character' After all, everybody goes through some common experiences in our lives,' Haque relates.

Felicitated at locations far and wide including New Delhi, Port Blair, Allahabad, Udaipur, Dubai etc. by various organisations, Haque has worked as a senior resource person in Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), New Delhi and a faculty member for Sangeet Natak Akademi. In 1991, he had founded the Mime Academy in Guwahati, which is the only recognised institution of its kind in the Northeast. Having also acted in various plays, films and television serials, he has been one of the few to live his passion and be successful at it too.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM BBA MBA Institute: Student Notice Board
Run after passion and not money, says Arindam Chaudhuri
Award Conferred To Irom Chanu Sharmila By IIPM
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting

IIPM Lucknow – News article in Economic Times and Times of India
Prof Rajita Chaudhuri follow some off-beat trends like organizing make up sessions

IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri's Snaps

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Jharkhand: Stuck In a state of limbo

Prof Rajita Chaudhuri follow some off-beat trends like organizing make up sessions

The state has never had the stability that is needed to take the development agenda forward

Prayag Rai Veteran journalist and ex-Tata Steel employee

It is truly ironical that Jharkhand, a state flush with mineral and forest resources, is still waiting for a clean and development-minded government. As self-seeking politicians continue to trifle with the people, there seems to be little hope of the scenario changing for the better anytime soon.

Tangled in a maze of political instability and widespread corruption, the state is in the grip of a sort of paralysis. All development-related work has come to a virtual standstill. Jharkhand has been in existence for less than ten years but has already seen seven Chief Ministers and as many Governors, a fact that bears testimony to the extent of the political instability that plagues the state. It is hardly any surprise that real development has remained just a mirage and the issues concerning the people and their needs have hardly been addressed.

Jharkhand, which was part of Bihar, came into being as India's 28th state on November 15, 2000, and Ranchi was chosen as its capital. BJP's Babulal Marandi formed the first government in the state. The government got coal, uranium, gold, brass and mica as natural resources. In fact, the Chhotanagpur and Santhal Pargana regions, which previously constituted what was known as South Bihar, had huge reserves of these and other minerals.

Jharkhand primarily comprises Chhotanagpur plateau and the forest region of Santhal Pargana, and has a rich and unparalleled culture heritage. The topography of the state is such that it will never run out of natural resources. But having said that, one must also not forget that Jharkhand got more than its fair share of troubles as well. The foremost challenge was, of course, Naxalism. Governments came and went but the problem of Naxalism stood where it was. Not a single day passes when you don't hear news of attacks on police stations or police contingents, and that too with deadly weapons like bombs and landmines.

The railway infrastructure in the state that is such a necessary a lifeline to support the mining industry is perpetually under threat of Maoist violence. Several incidents of the railway system being disrupted by Maoists and its property being damaged have been reported in the last few years. The culmination came this year when Naxals actually 'hijacked' the Rajdhani Express and held its passengers 'captive' for a number of hours. When Babulal Marandi became Jharkhand's first chief minister, he pushed the state down the path of development. His government did a lot to improve the basic infrastructure of the state, including roads, water supply and electricity generation and supply. However, the internal squabbles in the BJP eventually led to the removal of Marandi as chief minister. He was replaced by pertyman Arjun Munda on March 17, 2003. The development work that Marandi had initiated during his tenure suffered because the priorities of the new government changed. Jharkhand hasn't quite recovered from that reverse.

Two years later, on March 2, 2005, the Arjun Munda regime was replaced by a Shibu Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) government. The government fell on March 12, merely ten days after he was sworn in. Arjun Munda once again assumed the reins of power. He somehow managed to survive at the helm of affairs till September 18, 2006. The Munda government fell when several Independents members of the Vidhan Sabha withdrew their support.

The next man to take charge of Jharkhand was Madhu Koda's Congress-supported government that came to power on the same day. Heading a government with only five Independents behind the chief minister was a tough act to pull off. But Koda had other surprises in store.

Corruption and embezzlement of public money were sort of institutionalised under his regime. He was personally charged with felony and amassing property worth Rs 20,000 crores. He went to jail and is currently fighting dozens of cases. His tenure as chief minister was a blot on the state.

The Congress withdrew support and the Madhu Koda government fell on August 27, 2008. The next day, Soren was again sworn in as CM. This time around he survived longer than he did in his first stint ' until January 18, 2009.

The next Jharkhand Assembly election was held under President's rule. The result, as expected, was fractured. Another round of horse-trading ensued and the BJP and JMM cobbled up a coalition government. That too fell a few days ago. In short, political instability has continued to be Jharkhand's principal bane. It has prevented the development clock from ticking since the very day of state's inception.


An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM BBA MBA Institute: Student Notice Board
Run after passion and not money, says Arindam Chaudhuri
Award Conferred To Irom Chanu Sharmila By IIPM
Planman Consulting: The sister concern of IIPM

Planman Consulting
Prof Rajita Chaudhuri on 'THEY ARE COMING TO GET YOU – NOT ALIENS SILLY'
IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri's Snaps

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)