November 19, 2011

Raising Day of Kolkata Police and other events

November 19th Saturday: This weekend was events galore in Kolkata. On the evening of 17th I missed the closing ceremony of the Kolkata Film Festival 2011 and yesterday I again missed a programme organized by Priya Entertainment Pvt Ltd to commemorate the successful completion of their five year association with the iconic Star Theatre at the Star Theatre Auditorium at 6.30 PM.

I had lunch with Tony and Shantanu Moitra (file picture) at ITC Peshawari and discussed with them about an event in Kolkata in which Shantanu Moitra would render his musical journey from Parineeta to Aparajita.

Today evening I am scheduled to attend a private function with a senior politician and then a dinner with few close friends.

Tomorrow will attend the Sir Wauchope Memorial Lecture on Challenges for the Police which will be delivered by His Excellency, Shri M K Narayanan, Governor of West Bengal, at the Bodyguard Lines on the occasion of the Raising Day of Kolkata Police. As far as I can remember Kolkata Police is organizing this lecture for the first time.

In 1856 the Governor-General promulgated an Act treating Calcutta Police as a separate organization and S Wauchope, who was then the chief magistrate of Calcutta, was appointed as the first Commissioner of Police in India. He had to face difficult days because of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the first upsurge against British rule.

He handled the situation ably and was knighted for his achievement. The Wauchope Memorial Lecture is dedicated to his name.

ess bee