Rajshekhar Basu, better known as Parashuram, once gave her the nickname “Kalo Pakhi” (The Black Bird). From then on, her Santiniketan home was also known by that name. And what a home it was—filled with music, laughter, and the presence of Bengal’s finest minds. It echoed with
Bengal has seen many firsts, among them the first woman from India to visit Japan was also a Bengali. Hariprabha Basu Mallick was born to Shashibhuban Basu Mallick and Nagendra Bala in 1890 in Khilgaon village, Dhaka. She was born into a well-educated, liberal, and enlightened
The Assam saga continues…. Ageneral strike was called in the towns of Karimganj, Hailakandi, and Silchar in the Barak Valley from May 18 to demand restoration of the rights of Bengali language. Silent gatherings and picketing began. Numerous Bengali youths from all sections of the society
He was the second MD graduate from the Calcutta Medical College during British rule --- a brilliant student and doctor, Mahendralal Sarkar (1833 –1904) realized the need for a forum to exchange scientific knowledge in India. He was definitely farsighted and had a vision. But
First Indian woman to work in an ordinance factory Mechanical Engineering – the study of mechanical systems has always been thought of as a field, only men can be interested in. Regardless, just like any other field of life, women have conquered this battlefield too by
“Nehru’s haste [in wanting India’s first general election] was understandable, but it was viewed with some alarm by the man who had to make the election possible, a man who is an unsung hero of Indian democracy. It is a pity we know so little
The year was 1905. The first of Bengal’s two partitions was underway, courtesy Viceroy Lord Curzon. Typically impervious to popular opinions and aspirations, the British-Indian administration was driving the divide home with a heavy hand. However, this controversial first Partition of Bengal was to have
On February 20, 1888, Florence Nightingale wrote to a friend: “Do you know or could tell me anything about Mrs Ganguly, or give me any advice? She has already passed what is called the first licentiate in medicine and surgery examinations and is to go
There was something about Dolly Roy, the first woman tea taster of India, as well as about her quaint shop Dolly’s – The Tea Shop in a corner of South Kolkata’s Dakshinapan Shopping Centre. She was a trendsetter in her own rights, way back in
Orphans who survived the Bengal famine of 1943 If you run a Google search for Sasank Sekhar De, chances are you won’t come up with too many relevant results. That is, if you are among the handful who still know his name. Because not even his