Amere three-hour drive from New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station. That’s all you need to travel to a seemingly parallel reality, where your senses are soothed by the smell of fresh pine and oak, the silence is complete and unbroken, and humans are noticeable by their absence.
The year was 1905. The first of Bengal’s two partitions was underway, courtesy Viceroy Lord Curzon. Typically impervious to popular opinions and aspirations, the British-Indian administration was driving the divide home with a heavy hand. However, this controversial first Partition of Bengal was to have
Iwould like to reflect a bit on the letters that my father wrote. Other than innumerable folk songs he composed, these letters have a special place in his life and are worth a read. He had often exchanged letters with singer Debabrata Biswas. Some of these
Until now, were you living under the impression that the first zoo in Asia was in Kolkata? Well, all of us are mistaken. In the early 1800s, there were only three public zoos across the world. Barrackpore zoo was the fourth. Surprisingly, traces of this
College Street is a 900-meter-long, busy street in Central Kolkata that derives its name from the presence of numerous colleges and universities that line this stretch. Originating from Bidhan Sarani up to Bowbazar (before Nirmal Chandra Street) via MG Road crossing and Surya Sen Street
She was the ruler of the Bhurishrestha Kingdom that covered large parts of modern-day Howrah, Hooghly, Burdwan and Midnapore. Rani Bhavashankari was a terror to Pathans and Mughals, so much so that even Emperor Akbar named her Raibaghini. Bhavashankari came from a Brahmin family. Her father
As tributes poured in from across the world for the Argentine legend Diego Maradona, one news caught all attention. That of New York Times that drew up a list of football players from far flung, who reminded spectators of the Maradona magic. And among them
About 7-8km from Chinsurah, off Delhi Road lies a small hamlet called Rajhat. This is where one gets to find Bengal’s Mayur Mahal. Dozens of peacock, India’s national bird, have found a home in Rajhat and neighbouring villages of Choutara, Gandhigram, Saheb Bagan. Locals have
Burra Bazar has a distinct chaotic outlook all day long, that rings a chord with the chaos and warmth of Kolkata. But how did this trading district of Kolkata look in the British era? When most of us these days, trace the architectural splendours of
It was 1913, the year when an Indian won the Nobel Prize for Literature, news that had turned heads across the world. How could an Indian from a British colony win the Nobel? But well, as the world read Rabindranath Tagore and his Gitanjali, people