Satyajit Ray’s cinema-literature is a living document! Uncle-nephew hills are returning to the tourism map

The Mama-Vaghne Pahar, rising from the red soil of Dubrajpur, is not just a natural landmark, but a living monument of Bengali literature, cinema and folklore. A new light of hope has appeared around this mountain, which lost its charm due to neglect and carelessness for many years. The initiative to include Mama-Vaghne Pahar in the ‘Shaktipeth Tourism Circuit’ proposed in the state budget, along with the ancestral home of renowned writer Shailjananda Mukhopadhyay, has raised new expectations among the tourism-loving and culture-minded people. The memories of Bengali movies are closely connected with this hill.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Roy was looking for a rugged, barren landscape for his film ‘Abhiyaan’ – where the solitude of nature would become a symbol of the inner restlessness and loneliness of man. Based on Tarashankar Banerjee’s novel, the rugged rocks, dry desert and red soil of Mama-Bagne hills became the visible form of emotional tension of Soumitra Chattopadhyay’s character Narasimha. The mountain caught on the movie screen is still a special attraction for movie lovers.

Not only movies, but also in Satyajit Ray’s literature, this hill has an indelible presence. His Feluda story ‘Robertson’s Ruby’ brings another dimension to the folklore surrounding Mama-Baghne Hill and its mysterious stone. The juxtaposition of reality and fantasy still intrigues readers today.

Shailjanand Mukhopadhyay is another pride of Dubrajpur. His contribution as a writer and film director is an invaluable asset of Bengali culture. The plan to add his native home to the tourist circuit is undoubtedly a major step for literature-lovers. During the left period, the well-decorated park built around the Mamagbhagne hills to boost tourism in the area gradually lost its beauty due to lack of maintenance. This time, leaving the past behind, the idea of ​​renovation, beautification and building tourism infrastructure has come forward. According to Dubrajpur MLA Anup Saha, a unique cultural and tourism circuit will be developed if Mama-Vagne Pahar, Shailjanand’s house and surrounding historical places are linked together with the Sakthipeeths of the district. If that dream comes true, this hill of red soil will once again regain its rightful place on the tourism map of Bengal in the light of literature, cinema and history.