Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes. The word mask appeared in English in the 1530s, from Middle French masque that means ‘covering to hide or guard the face,’ derived in turn from Italian maschera, from Medieval Latin masca which means ‘mask, specter,
The year was 1947, with India about to take its place in the world as an independent nation. As freedom came ever closer, a 22-year-old songwriter-composer wrote a song about the horrors of the great Bengal famine of 1943, which he had witnessed first hand.
Every day we come across different types of art and different artists cand are never out of innovations. Art has no limits. Bengal has seen artists of all sorts, who have made us proud globally. And here is a man who has taken Coffee to an
Atiny Buddhist shrine is tucked away in a Burmese guest house in front of Central Metro Station's Gate No. 5. It's possible you've never seen it. Many people pass it by without noticing, and on a busy highway, it's easy to miss. Otherwise, the fascinating combination
The Government House in the 19th century, an artist's impression What was a New Year’s party like in Calcutta of the 18th century? As 2025 dawns upon us, we thought it might be fun to travel back in time and look at what was a quintessentially
It is most unlikely that people are familiar about a place in Bengal called Gobordanga. It is also unlikely that anyone ever heard of P.N. Bose, the man who pioneered India’s mineral excavations and helped the TATA group to set up their Jamshedpur township. But
Back in the 50s or 60s, it was not such a common sight to find a Chinaman in your neighborhood. A Mrinal Sen movie “Neel Akasher Neechey” (1958) highlighted the agony of the Chinaman in a land where he is an alien. It also revealed
Saldanha Bakery, one of the oldest and most affordable bakeries of Kolkata have not just survived more than 80 years in the city, it is also a business that is run by three generations of women entrepreneurs ---Grandmother Mona Saldanha, mother Deborah Alexandra and daughter
The formation of the Calcutta Club was due to an incident that took place at the Bengal Club when well-known Bengali entrepreneur Rajendranath Mookherjee was the guest of the then Governor of Bengal, Sir John Woodburn. Sir John was asked to take his Indian guest
“Iam the most devious person in Calcutta. My job is to go out and seduce people so that a no turns into a yes,” declares the man who says he doesn’t live in Kolkata…Kolkata lives in him. Through his 60-odd years on this earth, Mudar Patherya