In 2010, Debasish Biswas became the first Bengali civilian mountaineer to reach the top of Mt Everest. In 2011, against severe odds, he repeated the record by summiting Mt Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest peak, and one of its most notoriously difficult ascents. As a young
Did you know India’s first post office was set up at Khejuri in East Midnapore? Yes, that very Khejuri that once turned into a bone of political contention. However, long back in 1850, the scene was different. India was under British rule and Khejuri under
It has been close to a fortnight since Independence Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm on August 15 and now the dust is settling down. This year marked the 75th year of Independence and the Union government initiated the ‘Har ghar tiranga’ (Tri-colour flag from
A young writer on the verge of publishing his first novel went to Sunil Gangopadhyay (or Ganguly if you like) with the manuscript, in hopes of constructive feedback. Having leafed through the book, Gangopadhyay reportedly said, “Goodness, what a complicated plot. Why not stick to
From Durgapur to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA). Two research papers published in two internationally recognised journals – International Journal of Science and Research and International Journal of Scientific Research in Chemical Sciences. Two published books on Chemistry – ‘Problems in General Chemistry’
It has been more than 50 years since the Dacca Mail aka Pakistan Mail stopped commuting between Sealdah and Goalanda Ghat, an important junction in former East Pakistan. Before Partition, Goalanda Ghat, located at the confluence of Padma and Jamuna (Brahmaputra) Rivers, was the only
Milner Library - Illinois State University Soon after the American chapter of my academic career began at Illinois State University, I realised that I may have earned an MSc back home, and appeared as a pundit to the children of the rural college where I taught,
‘Our Lord wants me to be a free nun covered with the poverty of the cross. Today, I learned a good lesson. The poverty of the poor must be so hard for them. While looking for a home I walked and walked till my arms
Raj Kapoor and Uttam Kumar in a film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Uttam Kumar, not Soumitra Chatterjee, in ‘Kinu Goalar Goli'. Rekha and Uttam Kumar paired in a Bengali film. Not figments of a passionate fan’s imagination, but three among a series of misses in
Durga Puja is an emotion. It is not just a festival, rather a tapestry of art and culture displayed as one of the largest street festivals of the world. No wonder UNESCO has thus given it the honour last year in the UNESCO list of