The LGBTQAI+ community and their allies celebrate Pride in the month of June. During this period, members of the community advocate for their rights in the hopes of increasing the visibility of their issues. This community of diverse sexualities and identities has only become visible
Kolkata has always been an artistic city. Art murals, graffiti, social and political outcries, portraits of important figures on walls, and colourful mosaics in metro stations have been a common sight for several years, but these days art has overtaken the entire city. Buildings are
Filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak was often found here at a table, indulging in heated arguments with his friends, seen walking out in a huff, only to return to the 150-year-old drinking hole of Calcutta, tucked in one corner. As the oldest bar of the city, Chhota
The sleepy cluster of red brick apartments tucked away on Chittaranjan Avenue is home to the last group of Anglo Indians living in Kolkata. The forlorn buildings look dilapidated without maintenance but are decked up in utmost yuletide spirit without cosmetic ado. Just adjacent to
In 2012, an unlabelled size-nine shoebox was discovered in the archives of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) that yielded a treasury of glass plate photographs of India, dating more than a century ago. The rare and fragile glass
The Sultan of the Sultan, The King of Kurtas outlet in New Market, Arshad Shamim, is a strategic businessman. He began his venture in the early 2000s, eschewing the common practice of offering discounts favoured by his competitors. Instead, he patiently awaited the right moment
In an era when it seems stand-alone city shops are coming as a better option to consumers than store chains and shopping malls, one wonders which was the first Departmental Store of Kolkata? Well, the first departmental store in the city was started by two
Burra Bazar has a distinct chaotic outlook all day long, that rings a chord with the chaos and warmth of Kolkata. But how did this trading district of Kolkata look in the British era? When most of us these days, trace the architectural splendours of
Religion has not just divided India from time to time, it has formed rift among quite a few father and son duos of Bengal. If poet Madhusudhan Dutta was a rebel in accepting Christianity, so was Reverend Krishna Mohan Bandopadhyay (1813-1885) who resided in House
Amitabh Bachchan, who has India’s most famous baritone, was rejected by All India Radio for a job The harmonium was banned on All India Radio's networks between 1940 and 1971. The instrument was deemed incapable of handling the complex notes of Indian classical music and was