–Saptadeepa Mahapatra The story of the Indian Subcontinent is often told through the lens of great Mughal emperors, valiant Rajput warriors, or the complex legacy of British colonialism. Yet, woven into the very fabric of Bengal and the Deccan is a thread that traces back thousands of miles across the Indian Ocean to the Horn […]Read More
-Oishee Bose Most people conjure stories of resistance against slavery, the creative survival of diasporic communities, and drawn-out battles for rights and recognition when they consider Black history. We should give those tales our complete attention. However, Black histories also include other sorts of stories about political agency, kings and patrons, and cultural impact. An […]Read More
-Oishee Bose The popular Bengali lullaby, “Khoka ghumālo, pāṛā jūṛālo, Bargi elo deshe” sounds like an ordinary domestic verse. However, the lines carry a weight: a mother’s low voice folded over the image of a ruined harvest, vanished savings and a threat that arrives with the night. This lullaby is not merely a song to […]Read More
-Prachurya Ghosh Bengali folklore does not imagine ghosts as visitors from another world. They are not strangers. They are not cosmic mistakes. They are outcomes. They rise from the same ground people worked, from the same rivers they crossed, from the same houses they cooked in and locked up. In Bengal, belief is not abstract […]Read More
-Bhoomee Vats Durga Puja is a festival that includes the worship of the mother goddess, and it is one of the most important and major festivals of India. It is not just a religious festival, but it also constitutes the emotions of reunion and renewal of the spiritual self while celebrating the traditions and norms […]Read More
– Vani Mishra History tends to best illuminate emperors, generals, and treaties while relegating the hundreds of thousands of plain men who carried the burden of empires to relative darkness. Among the twentieth century’s big silences is the tale of over a million Indian soldiers who traversed seas and deserts to die fighting another man’s […]Read More
-Mili Joshi In 1905, a single decision by one British Viceroy changed India forever. Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, drew a line through Bengal. He split it into two parts. He claimed it was for “administrative convenience.” But the people of Bengal and India knew better. This was not just about maps or borders. […]Read More
-Mili Joshi When we imagine temples in India, we often picture towering stone spires, intricate marble carvings, or grand granite halls echoing with chants. But far from the famous sandstone forts and marble mausoleums lies an earthy, humble medium that has silently preserved centuries of stories — terracotta. Especially in the floodplains of Bengal and […]Read More
The Bauls of Bengal and Bangladesh lead our minds back to a time when songs united music with philosophy as well as spirituality. Despite current difficulties Baul music faces the ongoing preservation of its practices and musical legacy appears promising as musicians passionately advance the Baul tradition through cultural advancement programs which generate growing acknowledgment […]Read More
In our second blog, we read about maternal figure Sharada Devi. We also studied how her husband Sri Ramakrishna played an indispensable role in making of Sharada Devi – The great female saint. But do you know who played an important role in making of Sri Ramakrishna? Someone has rightly said that ‘behind every great […]Read More