WWe have found it impossible to come up with a catch-all definition for the crafts of Bengal. But we can tell you this much: going through the Crafts section at The Bengal Store, you will gain an excellent idea of exactly how talented Bengal’s artisans
I’ve known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. When American poet-novelist Langston Hughes penned these lines, he was probably unaware that over half-a-century later in India, a profound believer in the mysteries of nature would embark on a soul-searching journey of a
Representative Image The folk dramas of West Bengal are dynamic and divergent though mostly created and performed by illiterate or semi-literate people of rural Bengal and passed down orally from one generation to the other. These performances, blended in with ritualistic observances, are chiefly meant for
Was Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah really an arrogant, cruel, spoiled brat who was indulged to excess by his doting grandfather Nawab Alivardi Khan? Was Mir Jafar really a barefaced traitor who offered the immensely rich province of Bengal to the British on a platter? Was Robert Clive
Filmmaker Anik Dutta has been drawing all kinds of attention thanks to his new film Aparajito, ostensibly a tribute to Satyajit Ray. Excerpts from an exclusive interview: • What triggered the desire to make a film on the journey of Ray to his becoming RAY? He occupied
Have you ever been offered a Dooars variety tea by any of the cafes worldwide, leave alone the star hotels and resorts that you have been visiting? Probably not. This Bengal variety has not been patronized much by the garden owners or the large consumer
In this age of global cultural homogenization, museums have a great responsibility towards society and the world. Museums uphold our rich and glorious ethnographic heritage in the form of their collections which are primary evidences of our rich culture and they have the power to
‘I can call my films my own without any qualm. Whatever is good or bad in my films is due to me… I feel much happier that way. Everything that I have learnt as an art director helped shape me into a filmmaker’… If one
The iconic street of North Kolkata, Amherst Street, burst into a mango mania last Saturday, celebrating the 9th year of Amherst Street Aam Utsab 2022. The best part of this mango festival was anyone could walk in and have any of the products at the
Representative Image The British were frightened of a song writer? Well yes, they were and Gambhira lyricist/composer, Sheikh Safiur Rahman or Sufi Master’s bold ‘Bolbai’ compositions provoked the ire of the British government. Born in 1894 at Phoolbari in Englishbazar, Malda, Sheikh Safiur Rahman left for