Wiccan Brigade meets in Kolkata

The Wiccan Brigade met for lunch and a panel discussion at the Taj Bengal in Kolkata, on August 14.
The panel, headed by India's foremost authority on the supernatural and Wiccan Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, also had eminent filmmakers Rituparno Ghosh and Anjan Dutt, actor Chandreyee Ghosh and Sarika apart from Nirupam Sarkar from ETV Bangla, Avijit Banerjee, who directed the horror TV serial, Parapaar and Anindya Sarkar, director of two stories penned by Ipsita, Chinar and Trapped.They were discussing the depiction of the supernatural in Bengali cinema. The occasion also marked fifteen years of Wicca in India.
The discussion started with Rituparno Ghosh talking about the way Rabindranath Tagore handled the supernatural. Incidentally, Rituparno was associated with the Wicca ever since he was 12. He had also expressed his desire to cast Ipsita in one of his films which he would make based on her experiences as a Wicca. That film, ultimately got made by Abhigyan Jha and Abhiyan Rajhans for Sahara One Motion Pictures. It was called Sacred Evil and had Sarika palying Ipsita. Sarika, the guest of honour, said how she had been excited to play a Wicca in Sacred Evil. She also recalled meeting Ipsita for the first time in Mumbai and how she could actually feel a raw energy emerging from her. She also felt that the supernatural needs to be discussed more often. "Things which fall in the domain of the supernatural are usually not discussed like they should be. As a result, they lead to superstition," she said.
The other actor Chandreyee recalled playing a student of the Wicca in the TV serial Parapaar. "I was thrilled about it and want to learn more about the subject," said the actor. As far as the depiction of the supernatural on Bengali TV was concerned, Anindya Sarkar felt that there's still miles to go. "We should improve the graphics on screen while depicting the supernatural. Wicca can bring hope, faith and healing to the people."
Anjan Dutt, who is directing his latest supernatural thriller Mannequin, felt that the supernatural should not just invoke fear but awe as well. Picking his cue, Ipsita said, "The true supernatural does not come with thunderclaps and loud noises. It comes in a whisper and surrounds us. Oftentimes, there is very little difference between what we call the natural and the supernatural and the most innocuous things can hold the most sinister charm."
Ipsita also announced the launch of the psychic wing of the Wiccan Brigade which will meet four times a year on Wiccan festival dates. The meeting, this year, is scheduled for the last week of October, coinciding with Samhain.