Guptipara is a small ancient town, some 80 kilometers from Kolkata (Calcutta), on the Bandel-Katwa railway line. Guptipara sits beside the Bhagirathi river and was once a citadel of Vaishnavite culture. Even today, residents observe Ras, Dol and Ratha-Yatra, which is Guptipara’s greatest festival. It
According to Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of World Religions, Hindutva is a concept of ‘Indian cultural, national, and religious identity.’ The term ‘conflates a geographically based religious, cultural, and national identity: ‘A true Indian is one who partakes of this Hindu-ness.’ Although India’s Constitution proclaims secularism, the country
‘Posto’ (poppy seeds), a Bengali favourite around the world, remains untouched by modern culinary experiments. In Bengal, the white poppy seeds are much loved, and used in plenty of preparations. Synonymous today with a perfect ‘Bengali’ meal, especially when teamed with biuli or urad dal,
Picture this: an early autumn or winter morning at New Jalpaiguri (NJP), steaming cups of tea, and the prospect of a drive through some truly spectacular scenery to one of West Bengal’s best kept tourism secrets – Lepchajagat. There are cars aplenty for hire in NJP,
Atiśa Dīpankara Śrījñāna, (982–1054) , the renowned Buddhist religious leader and master from Bengal was one of the major figures in the spread of 11th century Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in Asia and inspired Buddhist thought from Tibet to Sumatra. He is recognised as one
Amid the aggressive COVID- 19 outbreak, the Indian government’s Ministry of Science and Technology has unleashed a barrage of initiatives in the fight against COVID-19. Recently, the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Science & Technology organised the ‘Challenge Covid-
This year Durga Puja has been different. In all senses. Even the Calcutta High Court judgement barred rituals like Sindoor Khela and Pushpanjali that for centuries have been a part of Durga Puja. However, if one goes deeper into the context of Sindoor Khela, one
When your Puja ends, theirs start. This is Khadimpur village, 12 km away from Raiganj town in North Dinajpur district. The village starts their traditional Balaichandi Durga Puja on the night of Vijaya Dashami. Around 7,500 members of 1,500 families living in the village start
The spirit of celebration stays bright in the hearts of the largest FB group Community of Canada, even during one of the most difficult times of our collective memory. Bengalis of Toronto GTA, a social media group of Toronto, Canada, is celebrating Durga Puja with
Historical evidences in Markanda Purana, suggest, Raja Surath, democratic emperor of Bengal with his Vaishya friend, performed the first ever-recorded puja of Durga, in spring. The Raja who lost everything he owned and believed only a worship of the Ati Prakruitika Shakti, Durga, would reverse