BY VIBHA MITRA I was married into a “Bonedi” Bengali family with regal antecedents. Though we lived in South Calcutta, having come away from the North during the Naxalite movement, most of our relatives still lived there in aristocratic large grandiose homes- the opulence, music, laughter and gaiety of yesterday echoed as the occupants spoke of “those days” with great nostalgia and wistfulness. Unused to … Continue reading The Maimed Mansions Of Calcutta
BY VIBHA MITRA I cherish each of my expeditions to the ‘New Market’ (ergo Hogg Market) even today, and I would rather go there instead of shopping at the newer glitzier cousins- spiffy malls and arcades. I object to the superstore experience as they are not allowing consumers to choose, showcasing brands that probably are productive financially. New Market has shops jostling for space, overflowing … Continue reading The Nostalgia of New Market
BY VIBHA MITRA Calcutta Heritage Collective started its schedule with a ‘Walk in Metiaburj’ during the Heritage week in November. In the Garden Reach area near the docks, it was not an area we frequented and the legendary opulence and folklores of Wajid Ali Shah, the Nawab of Oudh, had us all trooping there early in the morning. Metia Burj, not Metiabruz as it is … Continue reading The Nawab’s Calcutta
BY VIBHA MITRA The Lit Fest has become an important winter activity in Kolkata. The schedules are perused. Shortlists are made according to author choices and venues. Packing a bag with food, water, books to read, and knitting it is a daily outing soaking in the sunshine and erudition. Dalrymple, Shashi Tharoor, Ruskin Bond, Devdutt Patnaik are festival regulars and must attend talks, but often … Continue reading The Literati Affair
BY VIBHA MITRA I was inching forward at the crossing of Lansdowne Road and Lansdowne Terrace, opposite Ramakrishna Mission Hospital, when boom a bus coming down at breakneck speed crashed into my left side and zoomed ahead regardless. The police on duty and bystanders rushed ahead and stopped the bus to reprimand him. Concerned that it could have been worse and I looked rattled. No … Continue reading Bus Bas
BY JOYA LALL “Hey Daddy! When are you coming home?”- the first line that comes to mind when thinking of both my older brother Dev and myself, as infants unable to understand why ‘Daddy’ was constantly away for so long! ‘This ‘Daddy’ was one of India’s then tennis representatives, constantly travelling both nationally and worldwide. According to Google, this ‘Daddy’ was in ‘the Indian ‘Davis … Continue reading “Hey Daddy!”
BY DR KAUSTAV BHATTACHARYYA The onset of the second week of December makes one reflect and ponder about Christmas festivities. Having spent a few Christmases in cooler climes of Western Europe one feels nostalgic about the ‘snowy’ Christmas termed as the ‘white’ Christmas though more often it was the chilly cold one. The entire ambiance gets imbued with a festive spirit with the streets lit … Continue reading Christmas – The Kolkata Way
COUNTRY SQUIRE INDIA 