When it comes to sweet delicacies, none can beat Bengalis. However, in the recent past with introduction of many North Indian sweets on the Bengali platter, many of our indigenous sweets are missing and some are on way of extinction. This is primarily because many
Are you missing Bengal’s favourite Phoolkopir Shingara? Or even the Maacher or Fish Shingaras on a monsoon afternoon? Well, this favourite tea-time snack of every Bengali has an exotic history attached to it. The neatly folded, tightly packed savoury goodness that we thought belonged to
The Birbhum zamindari was created as a sort of military tenure by Murshid Kuli Khan, the Subedar of the province (1717-1727). The Raja of Naogore, holding the zamindari, partly as a semi-independent chief and partly as a fief-holder, was responsible for the defense of its
She was a rebel who stormed the male bastion and proved her mettle, her brilliance and her fortitude at a time when the ‘rough and tough’ profession of photo-journalism was taboo for women. She not only forced her way in but also made her mark
One of the most popular dictionary definitions of a tote bag, or simply tote, is ‘a large and strong bag’, thus focusing on its sturdiness and utilitarian nature. However, there is nothing that says a tote bag cannot be fashionable or stylish, without losing any
“Welcome the Berliner Philharmoniker into your home – on your TV, computer, tablet or smartphone. Live or on-demand from our archive,” reads the exhortation from the venerable Berlin Philharmonic Opera, a 138-year-old institution now adapting to the winds of change, a change forced upon performing
“Jamu na..amar borer er bhita chhaira ami jamuna..” (I will not leave my husband’s home and go)… The heart-wrenching scene of a woman clinging to the doors of her husband’s home, echoes the pain of many, whose lives were ravaged by the Partition of India.
If you have been lately missing the innocuous, small, unassuming, crispy hollow ball of fried dough, filled with a spicy stuffing made out of a potato-chickpea mash dunked in really tangy spicy jal jeera water, liberally infused with mint leaves with a dash of meetha
A poor Brahmin driven out of his own home by a ghost who impersonates him. Four friends who learn the art of transforming bones into living, breathing beings. A clever barber who ‘bags' a ghost and makes it do his bidding. All this and much
Magnificent, strongly built pairs of cattle, yoked to ploughs, muscles rippling as they thunder and snort through the mud and slush of paddy fields, surrounded by a cheering, festive crowd. This is an average description of 'Moichhara', a time-honoured fertility ritual of rural Bengal, which