“Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom” – Oprah Winfrey Prior to the advent of the British in India, the indigenous primary schools of Bengal taught very little beyond vernacular (Bangla), simple Arithmetic and Sanskrit. The tols (local small schools run
Since childhood, we have all been fed on a staple diet of folklores and fairy tales. Once upon a time…Magic slippers, dwarves, glass coffins, witches who live in the woods, evil stepmothers and princesses with swan wings, magic wand to transform everything, and so on.
Can you imagine Durga puja without plates and dishes made of clay for offerings, or designs of shola adorning the idols, copper utensils displayed, or even a pandal without a chandoa (shamiana), an idol without a wooden framework? Well, the answer is a big ‘No.’
The squalor and din on Chattawalla Guli of Kolkata’s Teritti Bazar will not let you forget that this is the central business district of the city. Lakhs of footfalls on any given day matched by almost an equal number of hand-pulled rickshaws, coolies and mobile
When a religious festival goes beyond the concept of idolatry, then it is the rustic touch of Mother Earth that weaves a connect through the extravagance of celebrations. Every part of Durga Puja had for ages celebrated that distinct call of the soil, the essence
Durga Puja, the grandest festivals of all in Bengal, is just round the corner. Every Bengali soul waits for the festival with bated breath throughout the year -- be it the joy of shopping for new clothes, gorging over delicious food or celebrating in full
Hathras is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. But once upon a time this small town of Uttar Pradesh that also has a railway station was the place where Swami Vivekananda discovered one of his closest disciples on his way to Kashi and
The vast expanse of a blue sky in the horizon, kissing the sandy shores, or cotton-white clouds floating in the backdrop of kaash phool ---- any picturesque unveiling of nature is never complete without a background symphony. Blue sky to brown shores, or clouds to
There is a twist to every tale. And to every historical event is linked a modern discovery. Present cannot exist without the past. But when way back in the 1960s, an ancient Bengali book printed in Kolkata, was located in the desert lands of Broken
Rupa Chowdhury. Most Calcuttans may not be familiar with her name, but she is a hero nonetheless, an inspiration to millions. She is an epitome of ‘Shakti’ (power), one who has struggled and fought against all impediments that came her way and is a winner