As Tintin celebrates another milestone this year, his adventures continue to captivate fans worldwide. You know which Tintin we’re talking about. Yes, the one with the funny hair and forever baby face. The journalist boy-man created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Prosper Remi, otherwise known as
The story of women filmmakers (mainly directors) may date back to World War I, but in terms of numbers, they have remained minimal. If and when auteur critics and film scholars turn to the study of women directors, they typically look for ways in which
What had Ramkinkar Baij to do with politics and democracy? Well, a lot. He not just roamed through rural Bengal, interacting with the ‘sons of the soil,’ and then turning their toils into masterpieces of art, but was also an opinionated person, who often wrote
India’s first disc had Gauhar Jaan, singing a khayal in Raag Jogiya, recorded on 2 November 1902, by Fred Gaisberg, an assistant to Emile Berliner, father of gramophone records. The recording was done in a makeshift recording studio in two large rooms of a Calcutta hotel, and at
The humble grass that we trample every day can be turned into exclusive and exquisite export items! Well at least women artisans of Bengal’s tribal belt, from remote Bandwan to Jhargram, have proved so through their deft and artistic eye. From a simple grass sophisticated
Sheherwali cuisine, the Royal Food Of Bengal As I gorged on an exquisite and lesser-known meal of mamra khajoor, resham patti chillies, sharbati dana wheat mixed with a dash of panch phoron spices and cashew nut paste, at a well-known five-star restaurant of Kolkata, I wondered where did
For a region with such a rich and diverse history and culture, Bengal does very little to preserve the remnants of its past. Lack of funds and initiative has resulted in most monuments and historical sites being neglected for years. Their surroundings are often poorly
The true flavours of Kolkata are not to be found in the rich, commercial biryani handis or the mass produced momos. Neither will you be able to savour them at a fancy 'Bangali' restaurant that claims to have unearthed grandma's secret recipe. It is likely
Famous playback singer Manna Dey might have sung Coffee House er Shei Adda reminiscing the storm raised over tea cups in College Street’s Coffee House. But, in real-life whenever he came down to the city, he made it a point to enjoy the blissfully cool kesar malai sherbat of
Patachitra is one of the rarest ancient art forms of Bengal that depicts a strong narrative along the lines of mythologies and folk tales. These are traditional cloth scrolls with paintings that have been prevalent in Eastern India for centuries. Kalighat Patachitra has a definite