festivals, he was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Centre on Friday to commemorate the country’s 60 years of Independence.

Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi

presented the award to the director at his New Alipore home.

Sinha was presented with a shawl, a citation and a cheque of Rs 10 lakh. “A week ago, his son informed us that he was not well, so the government decided to honour him at his home. In fact, he is unable to sit for too long and we had to take his doctor’s permission to hold the ceremony,” said Dasmunshi.

Sinha has withdrawn to himself from the public life over the last few years.

Today, however, he spoke about the importance of learning in one’s life. “There is no end to one’s quest for knowledge. It’s important to keep learning through out one’s life. Even now I learn something new every single day.”

Interestingly, in career that spanned across nearly five decades, Sinha started off as a sound recordist before switching over to direction. In a youth he was greatly influenced by the American and British cinema and the cinematic version of Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities, featuring Roland Colman persuaded him to weave tales at the celluloid.

He went to London in the 1950s to learn filmmaking and later worked under the legendary Charles Crichton as a sound engineer.

His first film Ankush was based on a story of Narayan Gangopadhyay.

While he won accolades for Kaabuliwaala, Khushudita Pashan, Golpo Haleo Satyi, Jotugriha, his Hindi films such as Sagina Mahato and Ek Doctor Ki Maut confirmed the deft touch of a maestro.

Sinha’s works havealways had a strain of social consciousness running through them, even as his movies were aesthetically pleasing and thought provoking.

Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said that his films stood at par with the best cinema across the world.