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
‘A hundred yards of it can pass through the eye of the needle, so fine is its texture, and yet the point of the steel needle can’t pierce through it easily. It is so transparent and light that it looks as if one is in
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
Author, columnist and food critic Vir Sanghvi recently wrote, “…..Almost anything of consequence that has happened to Indian food in this century has owned its inspiration to the flavours of the street.” Kolkata boasts an eclectic array of dishes to suit every pocket and every
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
Those sweet, sugary white strands with the perfectly geometrical round brown balls dashed into it --- one of the most exclusive sweets made in Colonial Bengal. Guess what? Sitabhog ofcourse. Speak of Burdwan and the plates of Mihidana and Sitabhog are to die for once
He has been one of the greatest scholars of Bengal -- a social reformer, educator, writer and philanthropist. But Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar will be more remembered as one of the greatest intellectuals and activists of the 19-century and the ‘Father of modern Bengali prose.’ He is
Durga Puja this year will be like no other, no matter what happens. This much is clear to all of us. However, for the women of Bhangor, in 24 Parganas (South) district, their basic purpose for performing the Puja remains the same as when they
The date was May 7, 1911. Rabindranath Tagore’s 50th birthday. The large Thakur family at Jorasanko decided to celebrate the occasion on a grand scale. A long list of invitees were drawn that included members of the extended family, friends and well-wishers. Elaborate arrangements were
‘My ornaments are fruits, my garments leaves, woven like cloth of gold and crimson dyed---’ may be the autumn Goddess bespoke of her own saaj, ornaments that happen to be every woman’s pride. Devi Durga in all her splendour, makes a grand entry, decked like