Restoring the modesty of women, and that too way back in 1890s Kolkata! Surprising, isn’t it? In 1890s, the British in Bengal faced a new challenge --- how to restore privacy of women at numerous bathing ghats along River Ganges. Often men were found thronging the open ghats to
While flipping through some old dusty records in a dark alley of Kolkata, a few years back, I had stumbled upon ‘H. Bose’s Records’ and that’s how I got hooked to the legacy of Late Hemendra Mohan Bose, who established a spectrum of industries, 127
Bengal has a chequered past. The Pundra, or Pundranagara, was the earliest urban settlement in the 4th century that was established. Pundranagara remained the administrative headquarters of the Mauryas, Guptas, and Palas. It was the capital of Pundrabardhan Bhukti under Gupta rule. The famous Chinese
Kolkata has always held a special place in the hearts of its admirers around the world. Today, the City of Joy has been recognised, not only as a cherished cultural landmark but also as a beacon of modern urban development, sustainable progress, and global recognition. Travel + Leisure, in
An app that could change the way we perceive police services, the Bharosa App is an initiative by the East Bardhaman police that allows you to register and lodge complaints online without the fuss of visiting the police station. This mobile app was launched on Monday, 9 September 2024, and promises to
The women-led Sundarini cooperative in the Sundarbans is transforming lives with the aim of empowering local women. The West Bengal state government launched Sundarini Naturals in 2015—a brand which includes over 4,500 women farmers in South 24 Parganas. Under the Sundarini Naturals brand, these women collectively produce over 2,000 litres of preservative-free milk
Alipore Zoo, India’s oldest zoo and Kolkata’s most beloved tourist attraction, turned 150 on Tuesday, 24 September 2024. Established on September 24, 1875, the zoological garden was originally called The Prince of Wales Zoological Garden. It opened to the general public a year after it
Durga Puja is the foremost socio-cultural festival in Bengal. As the countdown to the autumn festival begins, the puja spirit catches like wildfire and Bengalis go into a frenzy of celebrations. It all begins with the publication of ‘Puja Barshiki’ (annual puja periodicals), a tradition that heralds
An enigmatic figure in the art world, Ganesh Pyne, born in Kolkata, West Bengal, constructed his own universe. One of the most prominent contemporary artists, he is credited with creating paintings that can best be described as “poetic surrealism" because of their dark imagery on themes
No other language group reveres a writer as 250 million Bengali-speakers do Tagore. Shakespeare and Dickens don't come into the picture; the popularity of Burns in Scotland 100 years ago may be his nearest equivalent in Britain.” The above is an excerpt from a 2011 article in the widely