What had Ramkinkar Baij to do with politics and democracy? Well, a lot. He not just roamed through rural Bengal, interacting with the ‘sons of the soil,’ and then turning their toils into masterpieces of art, but was also an opinionated person, who often wrote
India’s first disc had Gauhar Jaan, singing a khayal in Raag Jogiya, recorded on 2 November 1902, by Fred Gaisberg, an assistant to Emile Berliner, father of gramophone records. The recording was done in a makeshift recording studio in two large rooms of a Calcutta hotel, and at
This 2-part series is a vivid account of how Bengali Language stood up against various atrocities and survived the test of time TWe have not forgotten the language martyrs of February 21, 1952, when Dhaka University students launched a nationwide protest against Pakistan government’s decision to impose Urdu
The humble grass that we trample every day can be turned into exclusive and exquisite export items! Well at least women artisans of Bengal’s tribal belt, from remote Bandwan to Jhargram, have proved so through their deft and artistic eye. From a simple grass sophisticated
First Indian woman to work in an ordinance factory Mechanical Engineering – the study of mechanical systems has always been thought of as a field, only men can be interested in. Regardless, just like any other field of life, women have conquered this battlefield too by
Sheherwali cuisine, the Royal Food Of Bengal As I gorged on an exquisite and lesser-known meal of mamra khajoor, resham patti chillies, sharbati dana wheat mixed with a dash of panch phoron spices and cashew nut paste, at a well-known five-star restaurant of Kolkata, I wondered where did
Conservation and intensifying cultivation of traditional crop varieties is a prime way to cope up with future food crisis. Genetic diversity is also essential for sustainable agriculture. Recently, news of catalyzing M Jamini, a new form of paddy seed made quite a stir in the
For a region with such a rich and diverse history and culture, Bengal does very little to preserve the remnants of its past. Lack of funds and initiative has resulted in most monuments and historical sites being neglected for years. Their surroundings are often poorly
For someone like me, who stays in Thailand, enjoying the snow-laden peaks and the vastness of the Himalayas is not as easily accessible as it is to travel across and reach out to some of the best beaches of the world. Hills have always been
Living as I do in the Hazra area, one of the oldest localities of South Kolkata, I have often walked down Ashutosh Mukherjee Road with a particular signboard always attracting my attention: 'Russa Pharmacy, established in 1919'. I have seen long queues of patients waiting outside, but hardly