There was a time when, in Bengal, waterways were used far more than roads. Trade flourished along these routes — from food items to daily necessities and even clothing were imported and exported by boat. The rivers of Bengal once bustled with a variety of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZVVfU8jyG4 It’s called the Brighton of the East. At least Warren Hastings and the British gave Digha such a prestigious name. At just 187 km from Calcutta, Digha has always been an extremely popular weekend getaway for tourists in Bengal. But how many of us have
Till very recently, Bengali readers were credited for being bookworms. But what made most Bengalis bookworms? The answer is easy to find. Bengalis really love detectives and adventures and there are many, many detectives and adventure characters in Bengali storytelling. Bengali readers have loved these
In the past, an umbrella was a sign of status
Have you ever seen the Bhistis roaming city streets on a scorching summer noon, with their goat-skin bags full of cool water? Once upon a time, they were a regular on deserted city lanes supplying cool drinking water to shops and households that they carried in their leather bags to keep
Since ancient times, our bonding with nature has been very close. We worship Gods with offerings of ‘shadopachara’ (16 items) and that includes ‘Naivedya’ (edible offerings) of cereals, vegetables and fruits on leaves or utensils made of leaves. After offering the naivedya to the deity,
Afew days ago, we received the news of India becoming the most populous country in the world, beating China. India has also ranked to be the 3rd largest e-waste producer in the world, only behind China and the United States. Maharashtra is the largest e-waste-producing
“Mere marnay pe laakh royenge/ Mere ronay per kaun marta hai?” (Millions of people will cry after my death/ But who dies when I cry?) – (by Urdu poet Jaun Aelia) This aptly surmises Bollywood’s iconic film diva, Meena Kumari’s tragic life. But Meena Kumari was
Metropolitan Building, Chowringhee Road, Kolkata Before Independence, the Esplanade region in Calcutta was monopolised by the British and other Europeans. A massive palatial construction on the eastern corner of Esplanade often attracted attention in those days. The much-anticipated elaborate ‘wedding cake’ structure was completed in 1905 and unveiled
Lakshmi baskets were once preserved in almost all households in Medinipur, Bankura, Hooghly and Purulia districts. The baskets were usually opened for worshipping Goddess Lakshmi and contained an idol of Lakshmi, mounted on a brass elephant along with separate idols of Narayan, Kartik and Ganesh