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City as Novel
Calcutta, Kolkata and কলিকাতা – her map and Google Map both are changing. Like underground water, memories are also getting depleted or diffused into forgetfulness. A novel is our greatest weapon to fight forgetfulness. Hence here we will engage, entertain, use, abuse, worship, vilify and re-create our native habitat – The Lighthouse in the vast darkness of northern tip of Bay of Bengal, last known release version – 1689 CE.
Articles of this month
One last revolution in Bengali music: Ekti Biborton Er Kahini
A survey of Bengal’s Musical heritage. With many competencies of mainstream lost by Bengal, there are promises and the essay provokes more by its note of gaps rather than the period of exuberance.
Other articles in this category :-
Battle of Sexes
Ms. Pallabi Chakraborty sent this piece for evaluation. However, our editorial team liked this humourous observation on the battle of sexes in Kolkata Metro. In this short Notes from the (Kolkata) underground, we observe interesting facts, especially her last time - This is going so far in the city regarding the new endeavor, a daring step to take in a place which never tolerates abrupt changes.
US Financial Crisis – An Armchair Theorist from Calcutta tries to explain his theories
Before we say banking crisis, we need to understand what banking in its core is. Banking, fundamentally is what the verb says – to bank on, to trust – to consider an institution as a custodian of value (money / share / order of money ) and valuables (gold / ming vases / Nobel citation – one’s own or stolen ).
Freelancing-An age-old tradition of Bengali Culture
Freelancing is becoming a real option from woolly romantic dream of worked out professionals. Freelancer Swagata Nandy tries to connect the freelancing tradition with the greats of Bengal and finding out a surprising fact that all Bengalis who influenced history were in essence Freelancers. Or it was their freelancing spirit that made them great and noteworthy.
Kolkata – seen from a mental telescope and microscope in Mumbai
A Mumbai resident recollects – being always aware of the fine line between love for one’s own past and the rolling present – the idea and reality of Kolkata. There is a deep, dark conflict between utility and romance in the mind of a Bengali and the best and the worst of the land, consistently shared this. In the best of times and best expression – this conflict no longer remains merely personal but a slice of eternal human dilemma.
London and Calcutta – Contemplation on a Novel
London and Calcutta – Contemplation on a Novel. This is a rumination on the relationship between these two cities, their intertwined destinies. Excerpted from Wordsmith Communication’s long and running project – An Intimate History of Bengal.
It was a happy chance that made me leave Calcutta on a cold February morning for England as a student. A week back, I went to Silchar flying over Bangladesh air-space after getting my one month old son entering our ancestral home at Silchar – the vaastu-vita where my father was born some sixty odd years back. The Family thus settled somehow, I came back to Calcutta and started into last minute preparation for the journey.
33rd Kolkata Bookfair – the Fair(y) Tale
Milan Mela Prangon – West Bengal Government’s deliberate attempt to establish a specific site for the fairs and major events, more precisely, to make a Pragati Maidan for Kolkata. On Jan 28, 2009, 33rd Kolkata Bookfair announced its arrival at the Milan Mela ground. Despite the differences among people regarding the venue, the fair continued to run in its own pace.
Rising Sun in the City
A short sketch made in words with sharp strokes about Rising in the City. Since last few hundred years, cities have become part of human soul just like Internet is becoming now. Contributor Pallabi’s long sent sketch is reproduced which in some way complement our regular Feature of Calcutta Culture Glossary..
Varanasi-A JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF ETERNITY
Contributor Paramhangsha takes us on a tour of one of the oldest city of the world – Baranasi, Kashi or Venares. A photo essay and a mental surround of our connection with this city of the dead or the city of the eternal living or the city of the last resort…..
Kolkata
A classic poetry on Calcutta by poet Tarapada Roy - while a boy looked at her for the first time. Many of her greatest sons and daughters have looked at her first time and fell into a kind of a strange love. Going back, any city worth its name has an occult pull - a pull which can be called Providence as well. You are destinned to live or die in a city. This kind of work on one's own city is also a pointer to the civic health of a city-civilization. Courtesy of Collection : Sankhadip.
One last revolution in Bengali music: Ekti Biborton Er Kahini
A survey of Bengal’s Musical heritage. With many competencies of mainstream lost by Bengal, there are promises and the essay provokes more by its note of gaps rather than the period of exuberance.
The First Calcutta summer
In a short essay, an unknown wordsmith told, over an email, six years back his coming to Calcutta from much milder climate. Connecting Babar, the empire builder to anti-imperialist Marxists, climate perhaps remained same for both to tackle. A self-styled historian’s teasing with climate of Bengal.
The Unbearable Nineties
In honouring the Romantic Tradition of Calcutta. Also a tribute to the women of Bengal in the backdrop of Bengal’s political destiny. Few sketches of personal encounters in the theme – we could not avoid this piece in the City of Novel theme. The essay changes tenor and mood in a rare autonomy that is only available to a creative artist. So is a city – in its core – dark, ambiguous, contradictory, enticing and in a way beautiful.