NEEL DARPAN / নীল দর্পণ
Date: 14 February 2024
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Venue: KCC 4th Floor
KCC in collaboration between Weavers Studio and The Teachers Centre presents a unique academic workshop for teachers and art lovers facilitated by noted historians and educators Amita Prasad, Director, Manovikas Kendra and Priyadarshinee Guha, Associate Vice-President, KCC.
This intensive workshop aims to revisit the plight of the indigo cultivators in the latter half of the 19th century that led to the Indigo Rebellion in Bengal – with a discussion on the production of Dinabandhu Mitra’s play Neel Darpan, the prevailing political climate, and its impact on the British and the Indians.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS:
Priyadarshinee Guha is an alumna of Loreto House, La Martiniere for Girls, and Presidency College, Calcutta, has a master's in modern history , and is a gold medallist from Calcutta University. Passionate about teaching, she chose to make this her life force. Guha has been teaching History and English for the last 28 years in reputed schools of Calcutta, namely Modern High School for Girls and The Heritage School. As a teacher of History, she has conducted several workshops for students and for training of teachers in using novel and creative approaches in the classroom. A trained Rabindra Sangeet singer, she has worked for several years in a reputed Bengali theatre group in Calcutta. Theatre was carried into the classroom which led her to mount several award-winning productions under her direction. She has also directed water ballets set to Tagorean themes. She has been the master of ceremonies for events and a regular at the Kolkata Literary Meet since its inception. Presently the Associate Vice President at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity she is carrying on her mission of marrying the arts with education.
Amita Prasad has been a passionate school teacher for over 35 years, and has been involved in mentoring students in all aspects of school life – scholastic and co-scholastic. Currently, she is the Director of Manovikas Kendra, a pioneering institution that works for differently abled children. She is a member of the advisory Board of the Creative Arts Academy, Ek Tara (an NGO that works with women and children from impoverished families), and “Peaceworks” (an initiative of the Seagull Foundation for the Arts). She is also a member of the Governing Body of the Calcutta School of Music and the Teacher’s Centre.
