Poor get poorer
As always, given the inequities built into the global economic system, the poorest people in the world have been the…
Statesman News Service
Siliguri, 5 February
Not all the people who visit the ongoing 14th Siliguri International Film Festival every day are film buffs. Though a large number of them turn up at the Dinabnadhu Mancha – the venue of the festival – every afternoon and evening because of their love for cinema, a sizeable section of the audience at the fest comprises of people who come for various other reasons.
“You may expect privacy to be a rare commodity in bustling cities like Mumbai and Delhi: but much the same is happening in smaller but rapidly developing Siliguri, where every inch of space is devoured by the thriving populace,” said Mr Satyajit Mukherjee, a 25-year-old software engineer, as he and his fiancé came out of the mancha after watching a film this evening.
“Also, these days, no centrally located cinema in the town can provide an atmosphere, where couples can enjoy a romantic movie under dimmed lights. The Dinabandhu Mancha, which hosts the film festival every year, gives me and my girlfriend the chance to spend some time together,” revealed Mr Mukherjee added.
The film festival gives sales representative, Sudipto Bhattacharjee an opportunity to mingle with people at the theatre and create a client base, which he can use in the future to sell his company&’s products. “The fest provides me the opportunity to increase my acquaintance among a section of the quality people in the town, which helps increase my business in future,” he said.
Chanchal Pradhan, a lover of foreign languages and a 2nd Year student at the Siliguri College, will not miss any film this year. The reason: he plans to listen to the languages of all the films at the festival very carefully and then decide which one to learn after graduation.
There are also many who visit the festival for no specific reason. “I came here just to spend some time before going to see my ailing auntie at a nursing home, which does not allow visitors before 6:00 pm,” said Saikat Das, who arrived in Siliguri from Jalpaiguri at 4:00 pm to see his aunt today.
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