Who was Franklin Gaston Roberge?
Roberge was born in Montreal, Quebec. He graduated from the University of Montreal, and did his Masters at UCLA. He joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Fathers) in 1956 and was sent to India on his request. He was the Executive Secretary for Social Communication, Headquarters of the Society of Jesus, Rome, till 1999.
Who is the father of Chitravani?
A Jesuit from Canada, Father Gaston came to Kolkata in 1961. In 1970, he set up Chitrabani with the help of Satyajit Ray and Rita Ray. An extension service of St Xavier’s College, it is the oldest media training institute in eastern India. He was the director of Chitrabani till 1996.
How did Roberge see Apu trilogy?
Roberge’s love affair with Indian cinema began when he chanced upon Ray’s ‘Apu Trilogy’ in 1961 at a stopover in New York while coming to India. So mesmerised was he with the first of the three films – Pather Panchali – that he watched the entire trilogy in one sitting.
How did Roberge feel when he saw the three films?
He found the world of Apu so fascinating that he saw all three films in one sitting; and there began his longstanding love affair with the people of India and Bengali cinema and culture, which led to path-breaking work in those fields.
What is the latest book of Gaston Roberge?
Cyberbani: Being a Human in the New Media Environment.
How Chitrabani was founded?
Chitrabani is the oldest media training institute in Eastern India. It was established on 5th October 1970 as an extension service of St. Gaston Roberge that gave birth to Chitrabani. He steered this centre as its founder-director for the first 25 years.
What is more deplorable According to Roberge?
“What struck me most was not the material poverty depicted in the films, but the enormous spiritual poverty of some rich people is much more deplorable than material poverty,” he said. Roberge does not speak with the arrogance of the West.
How long did Roberge meet Ray?
nine years
Xavier’s college.
How did Roberge come to know about India’s poverty in his youth?
In his youth, all he knew of Bengal was through Mircea Eliade’s La Nuit Bengalie, some of Tagore’s poems, and a Reader’s Digest article on Mother Teresa. If the harsh image of poverty brought out by the article on the “Saint of the Slums” haunted him, Apu’s world came as a reassurance.
What was the contribution of Chitrabani?
In 1970, Chitrabani set up the first non-commercial sound recording studio at St. Xavier’s College for high school students; three years later in 1973 a professional audio studio was set up. Since then Chitrabani has produced a wide variety of programmes fostering education, culture and art.
How did Roberge get acquainted with the works of Ray?
It was en-route to India in 1961, at a stopover in New York, that 26-year- old Fr. Gaston Roberge was acquainted with the works of Satyajit Ray through the Apu Trilogy.
How did Roberge try to take Chitrabani forward How did Chitrabani help film making in Bengali?
Ans: Roberge established ‘Chitrabani’ , a communication and film institute in 1970 with the help of Ray. Roberge found it with founds from abroad. He took Ray’s advice, help and goodwill to take it forward. He worked as its director for 26 long years.