ওয়াশিংটন বাংলা রেডিও Washington Bangla Radio

Proloy Ghosal is a professional singer, composer and music teacher. He is also a columnist for a leading news-paper.

Recently, Prime Music release Pralay's album Bhalo Thakar Gaan featuring Bengali songs written, composed and performed by him.

Listen to Prayal Ghoshal's Bengali songs free online.

Kolkata, India, June 25, 2010 (Washington Bangla Radio) There was a time when recitation was confined to the solo regimentation of the artist. But Sumantra thought otherwise. The rhythm of poetry brings more joy if shared with others. So, 23rd July, 1989, saw the birth of "SANKHAMALA".

Now everything changes fast as years rolled on, Sumantra with the passage of time passed out of the school portals, obtaining marks of distinction and acquitting creditably very well in being able to occupy enviable 1 st and 2nd rank among the contestant competitors in recitation. He made a long stride in pursuit of higher studies of college in the face of galaxy of stumbling blocks which could have handicapped any boy of mediocrity and he qualified ably himself as an Honors graduate in the teeth of baffling financial circumstances and obtained with confidence a good Masters Degree from Calcutta University.

Sumantra began gradually to come to limelight to make a mark in a mile-stone of steady progress towards the goal, the height of glory. The elegant lustre of his meteoric rise at the pinnacle of name and fame, can be traced to the sight of packed house, listening, being spellbound with undivided at( tention. When Sumantra's maiden solo appearance named as "Sisir-a Sumantra" at the adorned stage of 'Sisir Mancha' which was colourfully designed by the great wizard and colossus in the world of magic spell of light Sri Tapas Sen possessing an international fame all the world over, to recite in full throated voice exclusively from memory for three consecutive hours, was really a marvelously spectacular to see Sumantra manifesting himself fully with all glare in the year of 1999 in the month of December.

A rare cherished occasion which awaited blissfully Sumantra in the arena of elocution, was availed of at an oppourtune moment that he accomplished with buoyant zeal and splendidly as a singularly lone reciter consecutively for three hours at the illustriously reputed auditorium of 'Shantiniketan' entitled 'Natya Ghar' apparently reminiscent of Rabindra Nath's glory and great fame as an actor in 'Valmiki Prativa' before the adorned audience comprising a galaxy of vishavarati varsity teachers and professors, eminent sculptors and painters and Visha-Varati varsity personal.

The old proverb, 'running thus like nothing succeed like success' is evidently belied at the sight of revelation of spectacularly outstanding performance in terms of cassettes entitled "Ami Ki Rokom Vabe Benche Achi" coming to light on 14th February in 2001, was adjudged on the merit of intrinsic calibre and grit as the best of the stupendously excellent performance of the contestant elocutors and reciters of eminence in the whole of West Bengal on the occasion of "Bangla Sangeet Cholochitra Samman".

Arijit Chakraborty of Washington Bangla Radio talks to SOUNAK MUKHOPADHYAY (শৌনক মুখোপাধ্যায়) - a young and popular film-maker from Kolkata.Sounak has a remarkably diverse set of interests (film-making is just one of them) - he is a creative writer and poet from very early on, an avid photogrpaher, artist, and has professional experience as a teacher of the English language in India and foreign countries.

Sounak's short film THE MOVE (2008) [WBRi coverage]  was screened at the Kolkata International Film Festival, and deals with how the previous generation of idealist politics has been replaced by contemporary selfish politics, with results that are obvious across the world.

Other short films so far by Sounak include “Hero” in Dhivehi (the national language of the Republic of Maldives) with a Maldivian cast and crew, a one minute film called TOMORROW made for an online film festival and “100” (ONE ZERO ZERO) - a short film on rural development, funded by the Government of West Bengal currently in post-production.

Sounak is about to commence work on his first full-length feature "PREMM ET AL" (প্রেম et al) - a smart intelligent film for the cosmopolitan urban young educated Bengalis in India and abroad, who are its target-audience. The film deals with a subject that they easily identify with. At the same time, this film will hugely satisfy their urge for an audio-visual experience that is smart, sleek and modern in its language, vision and treatment. More details about this promising film can be found at the official web-site.

Sounak drops some hints about his new script which he is writing with only Tollywood hero Prosenjit in mind. Also do not miss his definition of Micro-budget films, where he says if you are film-maker in Kolkata and you want to shoot a scene where someone jumps from the top of the Eiffel Tower, it's not going to be a micro-budget film. Just kidding, of course.

NINA RAHMAN
has a wonderful sweet voice as you will hear in the player and
sings great Bengali modern as well as Rabindra Sangeet.

Born in Barisal, Bangladesh, Nina now lives in California, USA with her
husband Dr. Mizanur Rahman and two beautiful children - one son and one
daughter.

Read all about Nina and listen to the full audio songs from her album Taray Taray exclusively on Washington Bangla Radio.

Poet-songwriter-singer-elocutionist
ILA ROY is perhaps not known to you, but after a few minutes you may get
a idea of who she his through her words.

Ila Roy was born to Promila and Subodh Chandra Roy  and lives in
Duttapukur, a little village in West Bengal, India. . She considers
herself a simple lady, a patriotic Indian, and proud of her country's
heritage of great personalities of the stature of Rabindranath Tagore
and Swami Vivekananda.

Ila says, "Mother is the most favorite word in my world."
Unfortunately, Ila lost her mother in 2007, and remembers telling her
mother "Bhalo Theko" (take care) just after she embarked on her final
journey.  Ila's first book of poems, titled "Bhalo Theko", dedicated to
her mother, was published in 2008.

After her first book, Ila has been busy writing poems which are
regularly published in many Bengali Little Magazines, including Prometheus-er
Pothe, Samajdarpon, Annoman, Nirbed, Choitali,
etc.

Ila has a graduate degree from Calcutta University and a Masters
degree from Rabindra Bharati  University. She has hosted Radio shows on
All India Radio (Akashvani) from 2003 to 2007.

Ila says, "I love nature and want to help the poor and the solitary
people because I think I am born for others."

Listen to recitation by Ila Roy of her own poems . Washington Bangla Radio is also broadcasting these
recordings on our live Radio channel online.