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| A still from the popular video "Let Calcutta Surprise you." |
Sourav Ganguly transforms into Rabindranath Tagore who in
turn changes into Mother Teresa, who again turns into Howrah Bridge which then
changes to Goddess Durga. Confused? These are not haphazard imaginations of a
demented Kolkatan’s mind but scenes from a very innovative video doing the
rounds of the internet these days by the name of ‘Let Calcutta surprise you’, which is catching eyeballs all over
the country. The video projects
different aspects of Kolkata shown beautifully by the skillful use of the art
of Handshadowgraphy; giving viewers especially people from Kolkata a chance to
relish their city all over again.
However what this video has also done is to bring the people behind the
magic of it, back into the limelight they so rightly deserve. Amar Sen and Sabyasachi Sen are two
exclusive artists of India in the field of Handshadowgraphy;
a rare art form which is a combination of hands and fingers on a blank
screen telling you a million stories with complete audio visual effect.
“Handshadowgraphy is
the representation of life. It’s a unique form of media wherein different forms
and ways of life merge into one another and can change right before your eyes
within seconds.” explains Amar Sen with childlike vigour.
What is unique about this magical duo is that they are the
only such artists in Asia at present and among nine from the world over. They have been tirelessly practicing this art
form, for nearly four decades now, performing at various events and functions
throughout the globe and earning a steady fan base in the process. The recognition in their home country however
hasn’t been as great as the duo acknowledge and there is uncertainty on the
survival of this unique and rare art form. The “Let Calcutta...” video, the Madhya
Pradesh tourism advertisement in 2010 and presentations in some national
reality shows before that has brought them into light yet again.
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| Amar Sen |
Their interest in this art however started way back in 1973. “In
those days we used to look at Handshadowgraphy pictures on the back of magic
books, and that is how our interest in this art took germ. One particular day
when there was load-shedding, both me and Sabya (Sabyasachi Sen) were making
Handshadows in the light of the candle. Sabya being the mimic made the sound of
a dog to go with my shadow and the image came to life. That struck us
immediately and that was when we decided to expand it and dreamt to take this
art form to places.” reminisces Amar Sen from his Beliaghata
residence in Kolkata.
In his early sixties Amar Sen is a versatile artist; a
professional singer, composer, poet, magician, ventriloquist and many more. He
is the winner of the "Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Award" for Versatile
Excellence for the year 2000 and is also a regular actor in many television
serials.
On the other hand, 63 year old Sabyasachi Sen, is a taxation lawyer by
profession and is also into mimicry, magic, ventriloquism and photography but
the art of Handshadowgraphy interests him the most and he has done extensive
research on it since 1973.
The perfection in this art, as
the duo acknowledge was achieved through years of toil and hard work. A
comprehensive knowledge of drawing, a study of anatomy and behavioral science was
essential. The inseparable duo spent
days and hours at the Alipore Zoo and Indian Museum in Kolkata in their youth
to observe details of shape, style and movements. Their instruments as Sabyasachi says are
limited to twenty fingers and two hands but the scope to create the world from
their fingertips is unlimited. They took complete advantage of the anatomical
differences of their hands and fingers and utilized it their best abilities to
create stunning and jaw-dropping effects. “Handshadowgraphy requires complete
flexibility of fingers and children with talent can be groomed at a young age
since their fingers would be the most flexible in their age.” explains Amar Sen.
After 16 years of perfecting it by thorough practice the duo
decided to present it to the public for their first screening in 1988.Invitations started pouring in from the world over
after that. Their shows and presentations are as varied as they can get.
They have performed on various subjects, i.e. a film on Nelson Mandela,
traffic safety and road safety, oil conservation, historic events etc. Out of the many global performances they did,
the standing ovation they got by a 10,000 strong spectators in the Times of
Oman quiz in 1999 caught headlines all over. In 2009 when Amar Sen did a solo
act at Jazz singer Patrick Watson’s show in Montreal, Canada, the audience was
spellbound by his representation of Patrick’s face via Handshadowgraphy on the
giant screen.
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| Sabyasachi Sen |
Sabyasachi too has some interesting
recollections to share. “Once in 1992
during a show at Shishir Manch in Kolkata, a man from Bonga (in Ethiopia) came
to meet us before the show. He presented us flowers and kissed our fingers
saying he came all the way to just touch ‘these magical fingers’. It was an
extremely moving experience, one which I shall never forget.” says Sabyasachi
fondly. They have also got praises from
various artistes including legendary film-maker Satyajit Ray.
The respect that the magical duo
has received is due to the unique bond they have shared since the last 40
years. They first met at a magical show years back and have been friends ever
since.
“We respect and love each other a lot. We rely and help each other out too,
keeping ourselves updated and trying to match each other. The great thing is
jealously has never crept in our relationship, even though I know that Amar is
much more talented than me.” says
Sabyasachi Sen a touch emotionally .
However he is skeptical about the
art’s future as he feels none after them can carry this forward. “Even if you do find someone, where will you find
another partner? It would be difficult
to find another combination like us.
Moreover if corporate houses and Govt. authorities do not come in to
financially support or sponsor us, it would be difficult to continue. In
Kolkata at least, there should be more shows on Handshadowgraphy, else it will
be wiped out from public memory. I am unwell myself, and can’t continue for
long, thus I fear the death of this art form that we so painstakingly
perfected.” adds Sabyasachi.
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| Photo courtesy handshadowgraphy.com |
Irrespective of whatever happens
in the future, the service that Amar and Sabyasachi Sen have done by
painstakingly nurturing this art form and giving us all a beautiful form of
entertainment is laudable. They could have easily continued with their
respective jobs but instead chose to enhance this rare field of art. If
Handshadowgraphy does indeed survive then history would one day perhaps be
thankful enough to these two for taking up this ‘pastime’ and giving humankind
a unique art form to cherish. Who knows, now with Amar Sen’s academy, new
talents in this field would emerge and different dimensions could pop up.
For now though let’s just cherish
what we have of the magical duo. I was lucky enough to have an exclusive
sneak-peek at their upcoming video of ‘Incredible India’ showcasing different
facets of India through their magical hands. If people have loved ‘Let
Calcutta..” they are sure to get bowled over by this one.
No matter what happens in the
future, one can be certain that the legend of Amar and Sabyasachi would now
live on forever. ..Without a ‘shadow’ of doubt.
