Kalapriya Cultural Sundays - Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak, Satyajit Ray
About this Event
THE VISIONARIES: Three Indian Filmmakers with global relevance
A conversation between Dr. Kunal Sen and Dr. Gowri Ramnarayan about Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak, Satyajit Ray and their work.
Dr. Kunal Sen grew up in a cultural milieu in Calcutta. His father, Mrinal Sen was a filmmaker, and his mother Gita Sen a stage and film actress. However his interest drifted towards science. After obtaining a graduate degree in Physics, he switched to Computer Science and obtained his Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from University of Illinois in Chicago. After working in a medical research lab for a few years, he joined Encyclopaedia Britannica and served as its Chief Technology Officer for the next twenty years. Currently, he is the Head of Technology at Morningstar, a global financial research company. For the last ten years Kunal has also established himself as a visual artist, working in various media including electronic kinetic art. He is also the author of a number of text books in basic computer science.
Dr. Gowri Ramnarayan is a playwright, theatre director, journalist (The Hindu, 23 years, now freelance), vocal accompanist to legendary Carnatic musician M S Subbulakshmi, and founder/artistic director, JustUs Repertory. Her witty, thought-provoking, visually interesting plays make original use of poetry, music, dance and painting and present a rare amalgam of aesthetics and scholarship. She has authored books - Abu’s World (HarperCollins), Past Forward (OUP), Dark Horse and Other Plays (Wordcraft), translated eminent Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar’s plays, and served as Fipresci Jury member at international film festivals in India and Europe. She is Chairperson, Rukmini Devi Arundale Trust; Senior Associate, Sruti magazine; member, Regional Advisory Committee, Indian Council for Cultural Relations; and guest faculty, Asian College of Journalism.
