THERE is a poor by name Lalu who lives In a village slum of the West Bengal, India. His daily routine includes waking up In the morning and going to the Dumdum Cantonment Station by train, which is about twenty miles away from his home.

Lain earns his living by picking waste paper from the railway station and the nearby streets and selling them in a small price. He earns a small sum of money, which is about ten rupees a day.

Lalu has no concern for his health. When hungry, he gorges

cheap food at the nearby park. Then he rests for a while, sings, and takes a nap.

Getting up from the sleep, he again starts picking waste papers. He stares at the posture of a movie and longs within himself to watch it He buys a packet of biscuit and with the rest of the money he buys a ticket for watching movie. After watching the movie, he goes to the rail station and returns home.

The above-mentioned story could well be described as a synopsis of a film but this is actually the detailed summary of a twelve and half minute long short film, named 'Kagaj Kurani’ which was premiered in

the Alliance France de Dhaka on December 8. 1999. In the film, nothing happens outside this simple story and there is nothing dramatic about the shooting of this film but there is a clear message coming through the film.

The short film though shot in Calcutta, the story closely follows our own existing social system.

The little boy is a representative of the unprivileged children of our country. When he is supposed to study in school, he is engaged in hard work to earn his livelihood. Though primary education has been made compulsory, yet the rule only exist

in the book and Lalu does not know anything about a school.

We are still thriving to provide a healthy environment to our children. There are many Laius walking in every streets of the country and it is time to question our liabilities towards them.

Kagaj Kurani is the first production of Palash Communication. The film has been written and directed by Shahiduzzaman Badal. For Badal, this is his first film and under many inconveniences, he did well.

Child artist Zakir played the role of Lalu.

At the end of the show there

took place a discussion meeting on the film. Eminent art critic Mostofa Monwar was present as the chief guest. In his speech, he said that any piece of art should be criticized for the sake of art itself. He said that Badal was not particularly right In choosing the theme of the film. The theme is very common and does not appeal too much to the audience unless It is technically flawless. Mostofa Monwar then pointed to some of the technical shortcomings in the film and suggested for another fresh editing of the film. He wished the young Badal good luck and thanked him for his hardworking effort.