Diptendu Pramanick
Encyclopedia
Diptendu Pramanick was a bengali
film personality from Calcutta. He was the founder secretary of the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association in Calcutta, India
- a fraternity of film personnel which is an interface between the entertainment industry of eastern India and the Government. During his multifarious career he came in contact with eminent personalities and saw the evolution of this organization from its initial days to being a regionwide entity.
from Shantipur
. He did his early schooling in Calcutta and then at the Raiganj Coronation School, Raiganj
where his father practised as a lawyer.
In 1926 he returned to Calcutta and cleared Matriculation followed by the Intermediate examinations in Science in 1928. He then joined the Scottish Church College, Calcutta
.
His interactions with many a revolutionary (due to his father's involvement with the Congress
and the Satyagraha
movement at Raigunj), the explosive air of the times, and the inspiration from a famous alumni (The Oaten Affair) probably drove him to antagonize an Indian-loathing teacher at Scottish Church College, and follow Bose's suit.
He later graduated from Asutosh College
, and earned a bachelor's degree in science from the University of Calcutta
in 1931.
was inaugurated by Rabindranath Tagore
in Calcutta, Dec 1934 (Photo : The Reception Committee was chaired by Ramananda Chatterjee
).
On completion of Mr Basu’s term as Mayor he became the Liaison Officer of Civil Defense and in the Publicity Section of the Commercial Museum. In 1942 he moved to the Home Department of the then Bengal Government as Liaison Officer, Civil Defense.
Subsequently he tested his skills of entrepreneurship through a venture (Cine Furnishers Limited) with a couple of friends . It is here that he came in close contact with people of the Bengali film industry of Kolkata
.
Enthused with these contacts he joined an association of Producers, Distributors and Exhibitors of Bengal (Bengal Motion Pictures Association) in 1948 as Secretary while Sri B. N. Sircar
was the President. Next year he started the BMPA journal and was the Editor for more than two decades.
The Association was working on a rented premises at 125, Dharamtolla Street (now Lenin Sarani) which was moved to 2, Madan Street, Calcutta. Later the association bought a small premises at 98E Chowringhee Square (now 98E B.N. Sircar Sarani - it's present location ).
He was the first secretary of the then expanded Eastern India Motion Picture Association (EIMPA) and was instrumental in opening the EIMPA offices in Patna
and Guwahati
. During his tenure he also served as the Secretary of Film Federation of India (1953–1954) and the Jt. Treasurer of the Federation of Film Societies of India
(FFSI) (1959) presided by Satyajit Ray
.
in 1952. BMPA played a pivotal role in organizing the festival in Calcutta. Frank Capra
, the famous American director flew in and was overwhelmed by the reception he got at Calcutta after visiting Bombay
and Delhi
. In his autobiography he wrote
Here he is seen at the Dum Dum Airport
with the who's who of Calcutta Filmdom.
convened the first film seminar at Delhi and it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Prominent film personality attended this seminar
district, receive school books from the Diptendu Pramanick Book fund every year, during a ceremony held on the occasion of the Saraswati
Puja.
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
film personality from Calcutta. He was the founder secretary of the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association in Calcutta, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- a fraternity of film personnel which is an interface between the entertainment industry of eastern India and the Government. During his multifarious career he came in contact with eminent personalities and saw the evolution of this organization from its initial days to being a regionwide entity.
Early life and education
He was born on July 18, 1910 in Calcutta. He was the eldest son of Sudhamoy PramanickSudhamoy Pramanick
__NOEDITSECTION__Sudhamoy Pramanick was a bengali advocate from Shantipur. He was the lifetime secretary of the Tili Samaj - in his time he was one of the fortunate Presidencians - a year senior to Rajendra Prasad...
from Shantipur
Shantipur
Shantipur is a city and a municipality in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. This small town has been declared a city recently. The fort area of this city, also known as Daak-Gharh is thought to have been built by Raja Krishnachandra of Nodia.-Geography:Shantipur is located at...
. He did his early schooling in Calcutta and then at the Raiganj Coronation School, Raiganj
Raiganj
Raiganj is a city and a municipality in Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of a district as well as a subdivision.-Geography:...
where his father practised as a lawyer.
In 1926 he returned to Calcutta and cleared Matriculation followed by the Intermediate examinations in Science in 1928. He then joined the Scottish Church College, Calcutta
Scottish Church College, Calcutta
The Scottish Church College is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in India. It is affiliated with the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education , the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education for the awarding of baccalaureate and post baccalaureate...
.
His interactions with many a revolutionary (due to his father's involvement with the Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and the Satyagraha
Salt Satyagraha
The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagrahah began with the Dandi March on March 12, 1930, and was an important part of the Indian independence movement. It was a campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly in colonial India, and triggered the wider...
movement at Raigunj), the explosive air of the times, and the inspiration from a famous alumni (The Oaten Affair) probably drove him to antagonize an Indian-loathing teacher at Scottish Church College, and follow Bose's suit.
He later graduated from Asutosh College
Asutosh College, Calcutta
Asutosh College is an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta, in Kolkata, India. It was established in the year 1916 under the stewardship of eminent educationist Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, who was the then Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta. The Present Principal is Dr...
, and earned a bachelor's degree in science from the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
in 1931.
Career
After leaving college he worked as the Secretary to the then Mayor of Calcutta Sri Santosh Kumar Basu. Out of his literary inclinations, he associated with literary conferences and Bengali literature fora. The 12th Prabasi Banga-Sahitya SammelanNikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan
Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan is an annual convention of Bengali literary personages of India, held annually...
was inaugurated by Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
in Calcutta, Dec 1934 (Photo : The Reception Committee was chaired by Ramananda Chatterjee
Ramananda Chatterjee
Ramananda Chatterjee was founder, editor, and owner of the Calcutta based magazine, the Modern Review. He has been described as the father of Indian journalism.- Early life :...
).
On completion of Mr Basu’s term as Mayor he became the Liaison Officer of Civil Defense and in the Publicity Section of the Commercial Museum. In 1942 he moved to the Home Department of the then Bengal Government as Liaison Officer, Civil Defense.
Subsequently he tested his skills of entrepreneurship through a venture (Cine Furnishers Limited) with a couple of friends . It is here that he came in close contact with people of the Bengali film industry of Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
.
Enthused with these contacts he joined an association of Producers, Distributors and Exhibitors of Bengal (Bengal Motion Pictures Association) in 1948 as Secretary while Sri B. N. Sircar
B. N. Sircar
B. N. Sircar was an Indian film producer and the Founder of New Theatres Calcutta. He made Bengali films that were noted for introducing many Famous Film Directors. He was awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 1970....
was the President. Next year he started the BMPA journal and was the Editor for more than two decades.
The Association was working on a rented premises at 125, Dharamtolla Street (now Lenin Sarani) which was moved to 2, Madan Street, Calcutta. Later the association bought a small premises at 98E Chowringhee Square (now 98E B.N. Sircar Sarani - it's present location ).
He was the first secretary of the then expanded Eastern India Motion Picture Association (EIMPA) and was instrumental in opening the EIMPA offices in Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
and Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
. During his tenure he also served as the Secretary of Film Federation of India (1953–1954) and the Jt. Treasurer of the Federation of Film Societies of India
Federation of Film Societies of India
The Federation of Film Societies of India was formed in December 1959. This was an association of film societies of Calcutta , Delhi, Bombay , Madras and Patna....
(FFSI) (1959) presided by Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
.
First International Film Festival of India (IFFI), 1952
The Films Division of the Government of India sponsored and organized the First International Film Festival of IndiaInternational Film Festival of India
The International Film Festival of India , founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually in the beach town of Goa, in the Western Coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of...
in 1952. BMPA played a pivotal role in organizing the festival in Calcutta. Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
, the famous American director flew in and was overwhelmed by the reception he got at Calcutta after visiting Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. In his autobiography he wrote
Here he is seen at the Dum Dum Airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the greater Kolkata metro area. The airport was originally known as Dum Dum Airport before being renamed in the honour of Subhas Chandra Bose...
with the who's who of Calcutta Filmdom.
First Film Seminar, 1955
Sangeet Natak AkademiSangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
convened the first film seminar at Delhi and it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Prominent film personality attended this seminar
Legacy
Children from many underprivileged families of Dahuka, a remote village in BardhamanBardhaman
'Bardhaman or Burdwan , is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District....
district, receive school books from the Diptendu Pramanick Book fund every year, during a ceremony held on the occasion of the Saraswati
Saraswati
In Hinduism Saraswati , is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology. She is the consort of Brahma, also revered as His Shakti....
Puja.