FILMS: PAOLI DAM
Her Story: A post-graduate in chemistry and a trained classical dancer, she launched her screen career with tele-serials, some of which became long-running hits and propelled her to fame. Since then Paoli Dam has worked in numerous Bengali films, notably with directors Goutam Ghose (Kaalbela), Basu Chatterjee (Hochheta Ki), Rituparno Ghosh (Shob Charitro Kalponik) and Bappaditya Bandyopadhyay (Kagojer Bou), which won her critical acclaim and cemented her position as an actor and a star. She has also starred in many Bollywood productions including Hate Story and Ankur Arora Murder Case. Currently her performances in Bulbbul, Kaali, The Great Indian Murder on OTT platforms have been greatly appreciated.
She Said: I thank The Telegraph and the jury members for the award. It really feels special to receive it in the presence of such a distinguished gathering. My journey as an actor has been incredible so far and my experience with each film, unique. Choosing cinema over anything else and making it my first love has been one of my biggest decisions. However, the unconditional love and support of my audience is what really makes all the difference for me.
EDUCATION: SANGHAMITRA BANDYOPADHYAY
Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay receives her award from Manish Iyer and Santi Das
Her Story: An outstanding student from childhood, Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay gave up studying engineering to follow her passion for physics. After graduating from Presidency College, Kolkata, she did her MTech from IIT Kharagpur and followed it up with a PhD from the prestigious Indian Statistical Institute’s machine intelligence unit. She soon joined it as a faculty member in 1999. Today, after having worked in various universities and institutes around the world, she is the director of her alma mater, ISI. She has received several awards and fellowships in her illustrious career, notable among them being the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, Infosys Award, DBT National Women Bioscientist Award (Young) and Jagadish Chandra Bose fellowship. This year, she has received the Padma Shri in science and engineering. A computer scientist with expertise in artificial intelligence, her current areas of interest include computational biology and bioinformatics. She is also interested in evolutionary computation, pattern recognition and data mining.
She Said: I am really awed to be among the stars this evening as I never imagined that, being an academician, I could ever be at such an event. Artificial intelligence is going to change our lives in significant ways; it is going to change the world. Currently I am focusing on how computer science can improve healthcare, particularly for cancer patients. I also wish to take the help of computational neurosciences to better understand the workings of the brain, which can lead to a better quality of life.
MUSIC: MOUSHUMI BHOWMIK
Moushumi Bhowmik receives her award from Vishal Jhajharia, Sanjukta Bose and Gaurav Chakrabarty
Her Story: A contemporary voice in Bengali music, Moushumi Bhowmik hails from the hills of North-East India and calls Shillong home. She took Bengali songs to the masses across generations and her cult classic Ami sunechi sedin is soul-soothing, to say the least. Introduced to singing at an early age at home and school, her passion for music was never just restricted to songs but the sounds around her that she observed with a keen interest and imbibed within herself. Renowned as a singer and songwriter, she formed her band Parapar in 2002, with members from Kolkata and London. Her music composition for documentary and art films, like Matir Moina, brought home accolades like the Critics’ Prize at Cannes in 2002 and Best Music at Kara Film Festival, Karachi, in 2003. Her work has received recognition and support from the prestigious Charles Wallace India Trust, Helen Hamlyn Trust, British Library, Prince Claus Fund, and Ford Foundation India.
She said: Music was an escape route for me because I am lazy and never really learnt anything properly. I tried to find my way out. Many people write songs, but I wanted to travel across and make people listen to them. And that is what I have been doing. I am more of a listener than a singer and I also like to write. I was very taken aback when I was chosen for this award. I thank everybody for giving me this award. It so happens that today, July 5, is the first death anniversary of Father Stan Swamy also and he had said that even the caged bird can sing. If you ask me from where I draw my inspiration and what soothes me, it is from people like them that I draw my inspiration. As the caged bird can sing, I will sing a song about a desire to fly.
(She mesmerised the audience with her song Pakhi urey urey jak)