Part 1: Siraj falls in love with Heera, the sister of Mohanlal, his general and a son is born BLocated on the west bank of the Bhagirathi River, about a mile upstream from Murshidabad, the former capital of undivided Bengal, lies Khushbagh (literally the ‘Garden of
The old palatial houses (Raj-Bari) of erstwhile landlords (zamindars) of Kolkata have long attracted much attention, especially the time-worn icons at Sobhabazaar, Jorasanko and the Marble Palace on Muktaram Babu Street. However, the stately homes of the districts still have surprises in store for the
Since long, flutes were just stout musical instruments used as accompaniment for folk music. But then came one Bengali musician who gave a makeover to the familiar flute and elevated it to another level altogether as an independent classical instrument. He is credited to have
Kojagori Lokhhi Puja that follows Durga Puja and is held on Kojagori Purnima is widely popular all over Bengal. However, for many of the older generation this is also a Puja that reminds them of the dark days of Partition, the blood bath that followed
It was the fag end of the 19th-century and the year was 1892 (some say 1894) when Binodbihari Pal and Kusumkumari Devi of Ghurni in the neighbourhood of Krishnagar in Nadia district were blessed with the birth of their third child, Gopeswar. Gopeswar displayed immense
Kalimpong is not just about viewing the Kanchenjungha or the mighty snow-capped peaks adorning like a ring in winter. It is also about those round and fra-grant dollo khorsani chillies, of dried fish, fresh oyster mushrooms, of nakema (ground orchid), cubes of phumbi that are
Imagine chanting Buddhang Swaranam Gachhami in the middle of a Mango and Mosque town of Malda. But isn’t that what Bengal is all about? Where humanity reigns, where art mingles, where tradition and culture reign above religious divide. Jagjivanpur – one of the Buddhist excavation
Have you heard of Nabadwip-er Lal Doi? The creamy red curd that is heavenly. Also known as Kheer doi or Chakku doi, it is one Nadia’s best kept secret and famous confectionery of India that is exported to different countries of the world. Though curd
AIt is a narrow street in Central Calcutta, yet it bears a strong connect with a flourishing trade that Calcutta boasted centuries ago, even before the arrival of Job Charnock. This is also the street where in 1688, the Armenians built the Armenian Holy Church
Son of a Hindu father, who made sculptures and a Muslim mother, whose family was Pata painters, Uttam Chitrakar of Medinipur had a different vision of Patachitra since childhood. A very ambitious young Patua, he started learning the art form at a very early age.