Take this scene out of Vivekananda Vidyalaya, Dum Dum. Rows of kids having their mid-day meals. Do you find anything new in it? Apparently no, as most schools across the state serve free meals to their students. But if you probe, you will realise that
I still remember Little Hercules, the legendary body-builder of Bengal, Manohar Aich. Yes, I had the good luck of meeting this man and even was turned away one day, when I reached his ‘akhada’ or class late. My only dream then was of a good
A woman who married four times, a woman who was the first British resident of Bengal, and a woman who had witnessed many important chapters in the history of Bengal including being a ‘captive’ guest of Alivardi Khan’s widow. Well, welcome to the world of
With the monsoon in full swing, Kolkata is drenched in love, poetry and rains. Khichdi is a soul food for all of us, specially for the warmth it brings during the rains. But Nayana loves experimenting with the usual khichdi and turn it into special
Wasn’t our favourite Feluda ‘Sabyasachi Chakraborty’ confined in a palatial building in Peneti by a gang in Gorosthane Sabdhan? Does the name Peneti ring a bell? Well, this picturesque township happens to be older than Kolkata. There is mention of Peneti or Panihati in books
Have you heard of Girl Gangs? Not the ones that we see in movies, robbing people or taking the law in their hands, but something on the lines of Kanyashree Brigade that Bengal had seen almost a year ago in villages of Murshidabad. Now comes
Once upon a time, they were called Platform Children, street urchins of any age between 4-14 years, who live in hordes on the Howrah and Sealdah station platforms of Kolkata. Most of them are either sexually abused or forced into a beggar racket. Today, the
A small house in Panchanantala of Howrah. It is here that a Messi fan lives who also runs a drawing school. Apparently, nothing is extra-ordinary in this story. But once you visit this middle-class para of Howrah, you come across Ranjan Kurmi who has beat
Have you ever heard of an unfinished Mosque? An incomplete construction that still stands with all its grandeur in the middle of the lost capital of Siraj-ud-daullah! The very tale captivated me and I decided to explore its history during my Eid holidays. A trip to
How I loved my peach-pink benarasi saree! Incidentally, it also happened to be my aunt’s favourite saree. It had an elaborate silver zari work in uniform floral pattern along the pallu and saree border accompanied with silver diamond motifs all over, giving it the very