By Irudaya Jothi
Kolkata, Aug 26, 2020: Father Gaston Roberge, father of film studios in India who had associated with Satyajit Ray and other top filmmakers in the world, died on August 26 in Kolkata. He was 85.
“Father Gaston Roberge passed away at 8:20 this morning. He received communion in the morning and had breakfast. Peaceful passing away,” says a message from the headquarters of the Jesuit’s Calcutta province.
Father Roberge, a Canadian missionary, was leading a retired life in St Xavier’s Infirmary attached to St Xavier’s College in the capital city of West Bengal state.
The funeral Mass will be held at 11 am on August 28 in St Xavier’s College and burial at Dhyan Ashram, some 20 km away.
“A great communicator indeed. May his soul rest in peace,” says Father Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit social activist who has known Father Roberge for years.
“Father Gaston Roberge is a legend,” says an article in the Telegraph newspaper in Kolkata, the Jesuit’s base since his arrival in India in 1961.
In 1970 he setup Chitrabani (picture and word), the oldest media training institute in eastern India. It started as an extension service of St Xavier’s College.
The Jesuit-turned-film academic from French-speaking Montreal used to live in a room in St. Xavier’s College that had his workstation, complete with a desktop computer and a printer, besides his bed.
On the walls, pictures of Satyajit Ray and Bimal Roy, another renowned filmmaker, coexisted with Christ’s portrait.
Father Roberge was born on May 27, 1935, and joined the Jesuits in 1956. He was ordained a priest on March 18, 1967, and pronounced the final vows on on September 15, 1975.
He used to say that he had been fascinated with films since primary school when cowboy films used to be screened on Saturdays. The first Indian film he saw was the Apu Trilogy in New York on the eve of his journey to India.
“I was very impressed, particularly with Pather Panchali (by Satyajit Ray),” he was quoted as saying in the Telegraph article.
Father Roberge had done masters in theater arts (film) at the University of California in Los Angeles. On his return to Calcutta he thought of starting a center, Chitrabani, to initiate people to the study of films.
He started Chitrabani with the help of Satyajit Ray and Rita Ray, whose pen name was Kabita Sarkar.
Father Roberge was director of Chitrabani until 1996.
“I felt I must go after 26 years to make it possible for new leadership to take charge,” he was quoted in the article. Then he moved to the headquarters of the Society of Jesus in Rome as secretary for social communication. After he returned to Calcutta and more specifically to St. Xavier’s College in 1999, he again became involved in teaching mass communication and film studies that he continued until he retired to the infirmary.
The Jesuit educationist was inspired by Ivan Illich’s 1970 book, Deschooling Society. He wanted a real film studio, without teachers or students, but with practicing filmmakers and apprentices, that is, masters and disciples.
“if the studio is as good as I see it, one would not have to go to Mumbai to work on one’s film. Lastly, if it is a real studio it could make money, and Chitrabani would not have to depend on foreign funding,” he used to say.
Father Roberge was uneasy with the “excessive importance” given to the West. “India can play an immense role in reversing this trend,” asserted the Jesuit whose talk on “Re-reading 3 Idiots” created a flutter on Facebook.