It is the end of an era. For scores of Bengalis across the world, who have loved and revered the golden age of Bengali cinema under Satyajit Ray's realms- veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee's death creates a vacuum that no one will be able to fill.&nbsp;

A career spanning over five decades, Soumitra Chatterjee was unlike anyone else. The man who studied Bengali literature, started his career in All India Radio as an announcer before auteur Satyajit Ray cast him in his film 'Apur Sansar' (World Of Apu). Chatterjee and Ray collaborated in 14 films- all considered cult classics. But Chatterjee's fame and identity is not be limited to work he did with Ray. For he remained relevant through decades and delivered path-breaking performances in film after film, with directors ranging from Ray to Mrinal Sen to Tapan Sinha, Aparna Sen, Rituporno Ghosh and in recent years Kaushik Ganguly and Sujoy Ghosh. 
 
In almost every Bengali household in the country, love for this brilliant actor is passed down through generations. He may have been at the peak of his career in the 1960s and 1970s, but Chatterjee's roles, his films remained classics. He meant different things to different people. For many, he was Ray's muse as they together created films like Ashani Shankhet, Apur Sansar, Aranyer Din Ratri. For adolescents and young adults, he was the quintessential cigarette smoking sleuth Feluda, who could be India's version of Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot. Sure, several other actors have played Feluda in recent years- but the charm and charisma that Chatterjee brought to films like 'Shonar Kella', 'Jaibaba Felunath' will remain unparalleled.&nbsp;

<img alt="s" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9a3e5261-080f-446f-a8d3-cdb8d7243752" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2811%29_28.jpg" />

For others, he will always be &nbsp;Apu from the Apu Trilogy, who grappled with poverty, loneliness and tragedy in Apur Sansar. With his strapping good looks, and a voice suitable for the stage, he was also a heartthrob for many- mothers, daughters and granddaughters collectively fell head over heels for him.

It's difficult to write about Chatterjee's range in a few paragraphs. On of the rare actors who even in his 80s continued to play the lead in films like 'Mayurakkhi', 'Bela Sheshe' and 'Posto'. Chatterjee was just back from filming 'Abhijaan'- a biopic on his life- when he contracted coronavirus earlier in October this year. In several of his interviews, he was asked about his retirement plans and he had always insisted that he would continue to act till he is alive. And it seems, his wish was fulfilled.&nbsp;

<img alt="s" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6b5c67df-7b29-4a5f-9b35-9b963a510b28" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2810%29_29.jpg" />

He was not just a film actor. Chatterjee's prowess extended to theatre as well. He started working in theatre much before he joined cinema. As a young student in Kolkata, Chatterjee was actively involved in local theatre. He never left the stage actually- the actor scaled new heights each year with his films, won international awards and traveled to numerous film festivals but always remained true to his first love and continued to write, direct and act in plays throughout his life.&nbsp;

<h3>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/soumitra-chatterjee-refused-to-accept-his-national-award-in-protest-lesser-known-facts-about-the-legendary-actor-343281" hreflang="en">Soumitra Chatterjee refused to accept his national award in protest; lesser-known facts about the legendary actor</a></h3>

<img alt="s" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="be54adb5-c0f7-41a5-a397-4cbd6ba82653" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%289%29_38.jpg" />

His range will remain unmatched. From playing the tragic Apu in Ray's film to playing the swashbuckling horse-riding villain in Tapan Sinha's 'Jhinder Bandi', to the revolutionary teacher Udayan Pandit in 'Hirak Rajar Deshe'&nbsp;to the aimless lover in 'Teen Bhubaner Paare' or 'Basanta Bilap' to the mysterious old man in the recent 'Ahalya'- Chatterjee's performances will remain etched in the hearts of cinema lovers and artists all over the world- many of whom got inspired to work in films seeing him create magic on the big screen a countless number of times.&nbsp;

As the doyen of Bengali cinema breaths his last, an era of cinema comes to an end.&nbsp; 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/soumitra-chatterjee-1935-2020-a-look-back-at-his-iconic-movies-with-satyajit-ray-343287">Also see:&nbsp;Soumitra Chatterjee (1935-2020): A look back at his iconic movies with Satyajit Ray</a> 
&nbsp;

It is the end of an era. For scores of Bengalis across the world, who have loved and revered the golden age of Bengali cinema under Satyajit Ray's realms- veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee's death creates a vacuum that no one will be able to fill.

It is the end of an era. For scores of Bengalis across the world, who have loved and revered the golden age of Bengali cinema under Satyajit Ray's realms- veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee's death creates a vacuum that no one will be able to fill. A career spanning over five decades, Soumitra Chatterjee was unlike anyone else. The man who studied Bengali literature, started his career in All India Radio as an announcer before auteur Satyajit Ray cast him in his film 'Apur Sansar' (World Of Apu). Chatterjee and Ray collaborated in 14 films- all considered cult classics. But Chatterjee's fame and identity is not be limited to work he did with Ray. For he remained relevant through decades and delivered path-breaking performances in film after film, with directors ranging from Ray to Mrinal Sen to Tapan Sinha, Aparna Sen, Rituporno Ghosh and in recent years Kaushik Ganguly and Sujoy Ghosh. In almost every Bengali household in the country, love for this brilliant actor is passed down through generations. He may have been at the peak of his career in the 1960s and 1970s, but Chatterjee's roles, his films remained classics. He meant different things to different people. For many, he was Ray's muse as they together created films like Ashani Shankhet, Apur Sansar, Aranyer Din Ratri. For adolescents and young adults, he was the quintessential cigarette smoking sleuth Feluda, who could be India's version of Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot. Sure, several other actors have played Feluda in recent years- but the charm and charisma that Chatterjee brought to films like 'Shonar Kella', 'Jaibaba Felunath' will remain unparalleled. For others, he will always be Apu from the Apu Trilogy, who grappled with poverty, loneliness and tragedy in Apur Sansar. With his strapping good looks, and a voice suitable for the stage, he was also a heartthrob for many- mothers, daughters and granddaughters collectively fell head over heels for him. It's difficult to write about Chatterjee's range in a few paragraphs. On of the rare actors who even in his 80s continued to play the lead in films like 'Mayurakkhi', 'Bela Sheshe' and 'Posto'. Chatterjee was just back from filming 'Abhijaan'- a biopic on his life- when he contracted coronavirus earlier in October this year. In several of his interviews, he was asked about his retirement plans and he had always insisted that he would continue to act till he is alive. And it seems, his wish was fulfilled. He was not just a film actor. Chatterjee's prowess extended to theatre as well. He started working in theatre much before he joined cinema. As a young student in Kolkata, Chatterjee was actively involved in local theatre. He never left the stage actually- the actor scaled new heights each year with his films, won international awards and traveled to numerous film festivals but always remained true to his first love and continued to write, direct and act in plays throughout his life. Also read: Soumitra Chatterjee refused to accept his national award in protest; lesser-known facts about the legendary actor His range will remain unmatched. From playing the tragic Apu in Ray's film to playing the swashbuckling horse-riding villain in Tapan Sinha's 'Jhinder Bandi', to the revolutionary teacher Udayan Pandit in 'Hirak Rajar Deshe' to the aimless lover in 'Teen Bhubaner Paare' or 'Basanta Bilap' to the mysterious old man in the recent 'Ahalya'- Chatterjee's performances will remain etched in the hearts of cinema lovers and artists all over the world- many of whom got inspired to work in films seeing him create magic on the big screen a countless number of times. As the doyen of Bengali cinema breaths his last, an era of cinema comes to an end. Also see: Soumitra Chatterjee (1935-2020): A look back at his iconic movies with Satyajit Ray

Remembering Soumitra Chatterjee (1935-2020): The man who remained relevant for five long decades

A fast and easy paper-based testing strip called 'FELUDA' which can act as a game changer for India is ready to hit the market.

The Drugs Controller General of India had approved&nbsp;FELUDA, an acroynym for FnCas9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay,&nbsp;last month after it met the quality benchmark of the&nbsp;Indian Council for Medical Research.

It has been developed by a team of young scientists of the&nbsp;Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR).

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-scales-up-testing-capacity-from-1-in-january-to-over-77-cr-in-october-health-ministry-332379">India scales up testing capacity from 1 in January to over 7.7 cr in October: Health ministry</a>

FELUDA&nbsp;delivers results in minutes as opposed to the existing RT-PCR kits, which takes anywhere between 4 to 5 hours.

According to CSIR's&nbsp;Director General&nbsp;Shekhar C Mande,&nbsp;"This test kit only takes 30 minutes to test for COVID when the RT PCR takes around 4 to 5 hours. Also, this testing kit is three to five times cheaper than the RT PCR based test kit".

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-gets-its-own-covid-19-testing-kit-288276">India gets its own Covid-19 testing kit</a>

The paper-based diagnosis test is similar to the mechanism of a pregnancy test kit.

"The test is similar to the mechanism of a pregnancy test where we dip the paper (containing the sample) in a solution and the colour changes," the DG, CSIR said.

Speaking on the advantages of the testing kit, he said that the test's ability to give accurate results in a short span of time is its biggest advantage.

"Through these kits, we hope to test people residing in villages as well which could not be possible with the RT-PCR test as a large number of instruments are required for the test," he said and added that the sensitivity and specificity are "as good as the RT-PCR test".

Another advantage is that we can move anywhere even to villages and move them around and keep testing people. 
Mande said that in the next three-four weeks the testing kit should come into the market once it gets approval from the regulatory authority.

One of the senior scientists, Debojyoti Chakraborty, said: "This test we have developed is similar to two other tests which also use the CRISPR Cas system for detection. They have been developed at MIT and the University of California, Berkeley. However, the Cas9 and detection chemistries are different."

"We have extensively characterized a highly specific Cas9 that can recognise any DNA sequences. If we direct it to go and find out the sequence for COVID-19, then it can specifically identify that sequence and then form a complex with DNA," said Chakraborty.

Speaking on the procedure of the test, Chakraborty said: "On the strip, you get two lines: one line is a control line which is present in every strip that is being used and tells that the strip is working fine and then there is a test line which comes positive only if the COVID-19 sequence was present in the initial RNA."

He added further: "A negative sample will not have the test line appearing. So looking at the test line position you can visually see whether the patient test is positive or negative depending upon how the line forms on the strips."

Manoj Kumar, another scientist working on this project said: "The main idea was given by Dr Debojyoti Chakraborty and Souvik Maiti, the senior scientists who are heading our team said that we can use these particular strips--which is already developed two years back for Sickle cell anemia--and now we are repurposing it for COVID-19 testing."

He added: "I am really feeling great to be part of this team. Working on this project can be beneficial for society."

A fast and easy paper-based testing strip called 'FELUDA' which can act as a game changer for India is ready to hit the market. The Drugs Controller General of India had approved FELUDA, an acroynym for FnCas9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay, last month after it met the quality benchmark of the Indian Council for Medical Research.

A fast and easy paper-based testing strip called 'FELUDA' which can act as a game changer for India is ready to hit the market. The Drugs Controller General of India had approved FELUDA, an acroynym for FnCas9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay, last month after it met the quality benchmark of the Indian Council for Medical Research. It has been developed by a team of young scientists of the Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR). Also read: India scales up testing capacity from 1 in January to over 7.7 cr in October: Health ministry FELUDA delivers results in minutes as opposed to the existing RT-PCR kits, which takes anywhere between 4 to 5 hours. According to CSIR's Director General Shekhar C Mande, "This test kit only takes 30 minutes to test for COVID when the RT PCR takes around 4 to 5 hours. Also, this testing kit is three to five times cheaper than the RT PCR based test kit". Also read: India gets its own Covid-19 testing kit The paper-based diagnosis test is similar to the mechanism of a pregnancy test kit. "The test is similar to the mechanism of a pregnancy test where we dip the paper (containing the sample) in a solution and the colour changes," the DG, CSIR said. Speaking on the advantages of the testing kit, he said that the test's ability to give accurate results in a short span of time is its biggest advantage. "Through these kits, we hope to test people residing in villages as well which could not be possible with the RT-PCR test as a large number of instruments are required for the test," he said and added that the sensitivity and specificity are "as good as the RT-PCR test". Another advantage is that we can move anywhere even to villages and move them around and keep testing people. Mande said that in the next three-four weeks the testing kit should come into the market once it gets approval from the regulatory authority. One of the senior scientists, Debojyoti Chakraborty, said: "This test we have developed is similar to two other tests which also use the CRISPR Cas system for detection. They have been developed at MIT and the University of California, Berkeley. However, the Cas9 and detection chemistries are different." "We have extensively characterized a highly specific Cas9 that can recognise any DNA sequences. If we direct it to go and find out the sequence for COVID-19, then it can specifically identify that sequence and then form a complex with DNA," said Chakraborty. Speaking on the procedure of the test, Chakraborty said: "On the strip, you get two lines: one line is a control line which is present in every strip that is being used and tells that the strip is working fine and then there is a test line which comes positive only if the COVID-19 sequence was present in the initial RNA." He added further: "A negative sample will not have the test line appearing. So looking at the test line position you can visually see whether the patient test is positive or negative depending upon how the line forms on the strips." Manoj Kumar, another scientist working on this project said: "The main idea was given by Dr Debojyoti Chakraborty and Souvik Maiti, the senior scientists who are heading our team said that we can use these particular strips--which is already developed two years back for Sickle cell anemia--and now we are repurposing it for COVID-19 testing." He added: "I am really feeling great to be part of this team. Working on this project can be beneficial for society."

India's new 'game-changing' strip test for coronavirus ready to hit market

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