Had Uttam Kumar not turned him down, Satyajit Ray would probably have made ‘Ghare Baire’ in 1956, the script for which he had written in the 1940s, based on Rabindranath Tagore’s novel. By the time Ray eventually got around to it in 1984, having quite possibly created a world
The corridors of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) have always echoed with stories—some whispered between classes, some scribbled on crumpled pages, and some that finally made their way to the big screen. This year, a few of those stories are breaking free, traveling far beyond campus
WRadhaballabhi, also known as Beshtonika in Sanskrit, is an ancient vegetarian savoury dish that is also a favourite snacking item of Bengalis. Radhaballabhis are soft, deep fried flatbread or luchis (pooris made with all-purpose flour or maida) stuffed with a spicy lentil filling. Radhaballabhi is essentially
At a busy tea stall in North Kolkata, a group of strays nap lazily in the shade. One of them, a caramel-coated dog with gentle eyes, stretches and ambles towards a man sipping tea. Instead of shooing him away, the man tears off a piece of biscuit and
"I t was 1955–56. My childhood days. Girls would play hopscotch on the rooftop, and a few of us boys played ‘cops and robbers’ (Chor-Police). That game had a strange kind of thrill. Gunfire was raging across the world and we used to chant a rhyme—“Saregamapadhani
'It lost its way some time ago due to stiff competition. But now, it’s back!’ That’s what Dey’s Medical and its popular hair oil brand Keo Karpin proclaims. Just like Bengali nostalgia moves along names like Jabakusum Oil, another brand from this land of Elokeshi, Keo Karpin
Fifty years ago, they were just students under the shade of Bakultala — laughing, dreaming, and shaping ideas. Today, as proud alumni of IIEST Shibpur, the 1975 batch has come together to gift Rs. 20 lakh for Bakultala’s beautification and the creation of smart classrooms. 50 years
When the British first arrived in India, they had to adapt themselves to a lot of unfamiliar things, such as the climate, the blood sucking mosquitos, the spicy food, the language. But the one thing they couldn’t get used to was the stifling heat. Summer
The fact is known to all that if Maharishi Debendranath Tagore had not come to Bolpur, Santiniketan would never have been established. In 1863, he acquired a lease of twenty bighas of land in Bhubandanga village from Bhubanmohan Singh of Raipur. That same year, a guesthouse was built amid that
He is known as the Father of Indian Boxing. Every time a greenhorn boxing enthusiast approached P.L. Roy aka Paresh Lal Roy, requesting him to take him as a trainee, Roy would ask, “So you want to learn boxing from me?” The moment, the boy