Parvinder SinghNovember 18, 2025 07:14 AM IST First published on: Nov 18, 2025 at 07:14 AM ISTWhen I was a master’s student of Modern History at Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1994, Ritwik Ghatak, whose birth centenary fell on November 4, became a source of clarity. In their lectures on historical methods, the primarily Marxist faculty at JNU engaged with questions of history and historicity; the relationship between the individual and society was explored through a discourse steeped in polemics. They did not sufficiently address culture and left us with questions about how to relate to the scholarly craft. About that time, I was part of a group which attended a screening of a Ghatak film at Delhi University’s Gargi College, which would set us on a journey and eventually help clarify doubts.What immediately struck a chord with us was Ghatak’s deep engagement with history. Titash Ekti Nadir Naam (A River Called Titash), based on the eponymous novel by Adwaita Malla Burman, strongly links geography, history, politics and community. Set in pre-Independence East Bengal (modern-day Bangladesh), the film follows the lives of the Malo fishing community. The use of the Titas river as a metaphor to highlight social alienation, the relationship between humans and the environment, and the desolation of traditional life was a complex but engaging endeavour — the cyclical nature of river life mirrors the cycles of birth, death, and renewal.AdvertisementBorn in Dhaka and uprooted by the violence of 1947, Ghatak’s biography merged with that of millions. Partition haunted him and his work. The trilogy — Meghe Dhaka Tara (The Cloud-Capped Star), Komal Gandhar (E-Flat), and Subarnarekha — captured the anguish of Bengali refugees. Far from depicting Partition as an isolated event, Ghatak examined its ongoing effects through stories of uprooted families, dispossessed women, and lost childhoods, using melodrama not for escapism but as a radical representation of social wounds. Ghatak believed that culture and politics were inseparable. A member of the Communist Party, he participated in the Indian People’s Theatre Association. His narratives challenged both naive optimism and the elitism of Bengali culture, urging audiences to confront the fragility of belonging.In Meghe Dhaka Tara, he heightened emotional impact by skillfully controlling brightness and darkness — emphasising the stark realities of refugee life or the internal struggles of his characters through pools of shadow or sudden bursts of light. For him, light was a powerful tool to convey memory, absence, and resilience. Wide, contrasting compositions — often tense and panoramic — encouraged viewers to immerse themselves in themes of displacement, yearning, and ephemeral hope. The lack of linearity was a guide to many who wanted to write history with a focus on culture and depict multiple narratives.Although his works were undervalued or undiscovered during his lifetime, Ghatak’s historical awareness, radicalism, and innovative techniques established him as a beacon for both filmmakers and scholars. His cinema offers a vital perspective for understanding the toll of life in history, especially in times of displacement.AdvertisementThe writer is head, Communications and Media, World Food Programme, India. Views are personal