She had reigned Bengali celluloid even before the era of Uttam Kumar, Soumitro Chatterjee and Suchitra Sen. It was just after the silent era of celluloid was over, and the black and white age started. She was Bharati Devi, who was often seen pairing with
Imagine a hijab clad woman sitting by the lamps in the business capital of Pakistan and reciting Bengali poems of Rabindranath Tagore or of Jibanananda! Or participating in a human rights lecture through poems of Kazi Nazrul Islam and putting up a theatrical representation of
Grammy and Kolkata! The musical Bengalis do have something to be proud of and that too coming from a bunch of Kolkata youngsters. This year’s Grammy-winning Shakti band which won the Grammy for Best Global Music for their album, This Moment, owes its album design to
Imagine the mouth-watering Kati Roll of Park Street reaching the bustling cities of New York and London! And who took them, setting up a $14 million Kati Roll franchise? None other than a Bengali NRI woman, Payal Saha, who decided to start her own food
Modar/Palva, Pallo Machhi, Pulasa, Ulla Meen. Nope, not gibberish. All valid words, all describing that one object that any Bengali could write a poem (or several) about, an object of veneration, an icon, an emotion –the hilsa or, to use its Bengali name, ilish. To all
Annapurna, Anna, Nalini… call her by any name, she would have always remained Rabindranath Tagore’s first love. And it’s always said ‘First Loves’ can never be forgotten, they are like the waft of the first Spring breeze, like the innocence of the first sapling that
Bengalis have a bond with rice that cannot be fathomed. There is hardly any Bengali household where rice is not considered a staple diet. Bhaat and that Bhaat Ghoom are indispensable connections with Bangaliyana. These days, lives have become busier. We often depend on restaurant
Chandannagar Museum A new feather has been recently added to the erstwhile French town of Chandannagar – a renovated museum at the Chandannagar College that will act as a treasure trove of historical artefacts hitherto not seen. “The Chandannagar Museum has been opened to public now
Kaaler jatrar dhwani shunite ki pao? Tari rath nityoi udhao, Jagay ichhe antarikshe hridoy spandan, Chakre pishto andharer bokhyo phata tarar krondon…. Can you hear the sounds of the immortal time passing by? The Chariot of Time passes in the vicinity of the deep darkness of the universe creating
Padma Shri Takdira Begum, Birbhum If poet Jasimuddin’s Nakshi Kanthar Maath depicted the love story of Shaju and Rupai, a different tale is crafted on the silk and tussar wonders of Bengal, be it a saree, or a blouse or a scarf --- the Nakshi Kantha