In the middle of a temple courtyard, a sweat-soaked human figure dances in a frenzy, his face beautifully painted in the most vivid hues of orange, red and green, wearing an incredibly ornate and elaborate headdress that would seem way too large for a single
While the world of Bengali sweets is expansive, there are few that have attained ‘cult’ status not only among Bengalis, but in other parts of the country and the world as well. The ‘mishti’ (sweetmeat) that made Bengal famous on the global map, was created
The word ‘kirtan’ may conjure up different kinds of music for people from different parts of India. For most Bengalis, a kirtan is inextricably linked to the Vaishnava tradition as propagated by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. However, musically speaking, most people probably wouldn’t link a kirtan to
Mangal Shobhajatra in Dhaka History records that the Emperor Akbar harboured no rigid views on religion or community. In fact, quite the reverse. In recent years, however, a few extremist Hindu outfits have begun dragging his name into various issues. Last year, someone from Kolkata told
“You think Rs 37 would buy the three of us dinner at Blue Fox?” asks Lalmohan Ganguli alias Jatayu in Satyajit Ray’s immortal Feluda story, Gorosthane Sabdhan, as he picks up a wallet at South Park Street Cemetery, which becomes a clue to solving a
The ‘Shahenshah-e-Ghazal’ (Emperor of Ghazal), Mehdi Hassan Khan breathed heavily as he lay motionless on his hospital bed and the moments ticked away. His dulcet voice had betrayed him as had his body. A major cerebral stroke had left the great maestro paralyzed. The dull
<pRabishankar r Ali Akbar shune bhalo lage bhore kuashay ghore phirte</p One of the reasons why I liked the legendary song from Mohiner Ghoraguli was this last line. To me it was an intense imagery I could relate to, a reality which was a part of
HThe artisan hub of Kumartuli had seen an unprecedented COVID year, with many struggling to make both ends meet. But this year it seems to be inching slowly towards normalcy with orders pouring in and exports picking up. A Durga idol in a striking black and
What does the acronym OTT mean? OTT (over-the-top) is a means of providing television and film content over the internet at the request of subscribers. The term ‘over-the-top’ implies that a content provider is going over the top of existing internet services. If treated scientifically
Kolkata’s famous Egg and chicken rolls have literally conquered the world. It has that wow factor that even a global pizza or pasta cannot offer, not to mention the value for money. Imagine a whole meal that has both carbohydrate, protein and veggies in the