{"product_id":"the-wizard-of-festival-lighting-the-incredible-story-of-sridhar-das-9789354475542","title":"The Wizard of Festival Lighting the Incredible Story of Sridhar Das","description":"\u003cp\u003eEleven-year-old Sridhar was fascinated by light. Growing up among a dozen\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esiblings in a mud cottage in Chandannagar inWest Bengal, he longed to create\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esomething beautiful.A school drop-out who never studied beyond Class Eight, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehe taught himself about lights and electricity by doing odd jobs at an electrician's\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eshop-an act that earned him a severe beating from his father. In spite of his\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003efamily's opposition, he grew up to become a celebrated light artist and inventor, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esetting new standards for festival lighting and pioneering new techniques.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSridhar Das's work was exhibited internationally, to great acclaim, from the Festival\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eof India in Russia to Ireland, LosAngeles and Malaysia. For theThames Festival in\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLondon, he created the famous three-dimensional illuminated peacock boat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is his story, poignantly told by his granddaughter, Samragngi Roy. It takes us\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eback to a vanished time, and introduces us to a man who pursued his dreams and\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecreated a new field through sheer determination.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut fame and hard work took a toll on Sridhar, and those closest to him. His\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewife had to combat illness and loneliness to take care of the family, leaving her\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehusband free to forge his chosen path, and his daughter grew up with her famous\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003efather largely absent.This is also the story of his family, an unflinching exploration\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eof the price that was paid for his meteoric rise. It is both a nuanced portrait of a\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecomplex man and an affectionate tribute to a beloved grandfather.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Speaking Tiger Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/20\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9789354475542\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 344\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.96lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.77d","brand":"Samragngi Roy","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52507611824309,"sku":"9789354475542","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_27a3c4be-8158-45ad-906e-e64447a4669c.jpg?v=1778566127","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-wizard-of-festival-lighting-the-incredible-story-of-sridhar-das-9789354475542","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}