Category: Bengal / Calcutta

कलकत्ता की आखिरी शाम (कविता)

(लिखी अगस्त की उस शाम जिसकी अगली सुबह भोपाल निकलना था) भीगी-भीगी फुहारें गिरती-रुकती पुकारें भूले-बिसरे दिन इस शहर के जो अब छूट रहा है । ठंडी-ठंडी मानसूनी हवा चीरती मेरे हृदय को दस्तक देती स्मरण कराती उस रिश्ते को जो अब टूट रहा है । हल्की बारिश में क्या गीला, क्या सूखा छत पर…

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Tapan Sinha’s ATANKA- Mastermoshai, apni kichu dekhen ni !

Elections in Bengal are like Ma Kali, always thirsting for blood. The cycle of violence continues. Why should one bother about this crime, but not that one? Whataboutery is a convenient ploy to absolve oneself of guilt. Human sacrifice during elections still occurs with ritualistic expectations and impunity. Police has always been a bystander –…

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रानी विक्टोरिया का इस्तक़बाल और सूखे घोड़ों की सवारी

बरगद के तने सी चौड़ी रानी विक्टोरिया जड़ मुद्रा में जमी बैठी हैं कलकत्ता में । काले कौवों को अक्सर इस कांसे की काली महारानी के साथ क़हक़हे लगाते देखा जा सकता है । 1901 में जब रानी ने अपनी भारीभरकम देह त्यागी थी ,तब उनके एक मातहत नथेनियल कर्ज़न ने उनकी और ब्रितानी हुकूमत…

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DHANYAKURIA–A Forgotten Wonderland at a Stone’s Throw from Kolkata

Gaine Rajbari- Front View A day before the country-wide Lockdown was promulgated, I drove towards north on the VIP Road, then took the Jessore Road, and reached Dhanyakuria, a treasure trove of 19th century castles and baris on the Barasat-Basirhat Road(Taki Road), about 7 km from the Berachampa Crossing(Chandraketugarh) . This adds up to just…

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Jacaranda: Purple Corollas Against Blue Sky (Poem)

Precious Jacaranda,Cunning and coy!How do you bloomwith such unabashed joy?Whither the sweet fragranceof thy famed name? For the lost smell,Is Purple Panic to be blamed?Neither Exam tree,nor Neeli Gulmohar,Neelkantha suits thy frame. (11,contd.) Purple corollas against blue sky, Crown is sparse and cannot hide, The glow, or is it Indigo?                     (14)   In a picture,or…

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Pink Sightings in Kolkata – Tabebuia Rosea in Bloom

If any flowering tree could have enhanced the beauty of ITC Royal Bengal , it is surely ROSY TRUMPET or Pink Poui, botanically TABEBUIA ROSEA. Also called as Basanti Rani , it belongs to Jacaranda family, genus Bignoniaceae. I was mesmerized as I witnessed the splendour of these pink flowering trees along the backdrop of…

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Spring in Salt Lake – Palash & Rudrapalash

YELLOW PALASH ORANGE PALASH & Red Semul RUDRAPALASH Palash is Butea monosperma. The flowers are Yellow and Orange-red in colour. Rudrapalash is Spathodea campanulata. I have yet spotted only its Orange-red flower, but have also read about the yellow variety. RUDRAPALASH Flowers – Note its five petals, one pistil and 4 stamens. The Bud is…

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MURSHIDABAD – The City of Totos, Tumtums & Hazaarduari

Located on the eastern bank of  Bhagirathi, the ancient channel of Ganga, Murshidabad was the capital of Nawab-Nazims of Bengal in the 18th century. It gradually lost its importance to Calcutta, but remained the seat of Nawab Bahadurs . I had read about the beauty of Hazaarduari Palace ,but was dissuaded from making the journey…

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Cooch Behar  – A Palace Modeled On Buckingham

165 km east of Siliguri , surrounded by Assam in the east and Bangladesh in the south , is located the district of Cooch Behar. It derives its name from the Koch Rajbongshi tribe, which dominates the region.Today , it is a famous tourist destination because of its magnificent palace and Madan Mohan Temple. It…

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GANESH : Representations at Puja Pandals

As per Ganesh Atharvasheersh,  ब्रह्मभूर्भुवः स्वरोम …आप ब्रह्मा हो, ओंकार आप ही हो. Ganesh is the manifestation of Brahma, and represents the celestial sound of Omkar. 2. Ganesh is usually shown with four hands . The lower right holds his own broken tusk or is in abhay mudra, the lower left hand holds a modaka,…

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