Bengal EC turns to 'Goopy Bagha' magic for voter awareness

Jayatri Nag

Kolkata: The office of West Bengal chief electoral officer (CEO) has turned to the iconic characters of Satyajit Ray's film Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne to create voter awareness regarding the SIR of electoral rolls in the state. The campaign will be carried out through social media, print and audio-visual media, among others, and incorporate SIR campaign songs and digital posters, said officials. The campaign is likely to start simultaneously with the booth-level officers distributing enumeration forms from November 4, said a senior official, who did not wish to be identified. The songs will seek to make voters aware about the SIR process, including the timeline, to be undertaken by the EC, in November, December and January. Generally, the EC runs such awareness campaigns during elections. Goopy and Bagha, two poor musicians who embark on an adventure and end up becoming kings, are the lead characters of Ray's 1969 "fun film for children of all ages". Based on a story by Ray's grandfather, Upendrakisore Ray, Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne was commercially the Oscar-winning filmmaker's most successful film, running to packed houses in the state for a record 51 weeks after its release.

The posters generated by the CEO's office bear stark similarity to the original characters in the book. The campaign will run on various social media platforms including Facebook, X, Instagram, along with audio-visual channels and newspapers in English, Hindi and Bengali, said a senior official.