Three books were published in Bengali and English in 2018 Pintu, a teenager from Murshidabad, is in awe to hear the history of Raibenshe, a folk martial dance from south Bengal, from Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, while Tito, a boy from Kolkata, is surprised to learn that behind the Chhau masks …
Read More »Bru refugees may find it tough to vote
Tripura NGOs oppose special booths The Bru refugees stranded in makeshift camps in north Tripura will find it tough to join in the election exercise in Mizoram owing to stiff protests from hardliner Mizo social groups. NGO Coordination Committee, a new forum, spearheaded massive protests mainly in Mizoram capital Aizawl …
Read More »Probe replacement of carvings at Konark Temple: Naveen Patnaik
Writes to Centre seeking steps to protect architecture Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday demanded an inquiry into alleged replacement of artistic stone carvings of the Konark Sun Temple with plain stones. The Sun Temple, an ASI-protected world heritage site, is known for its outstanding architecture. The 13th Century …
Read More »In Assam, another language flashpoint
The killing of five Bengalis in eastern Assam’s Sadiya on November 1 has led to an uneasy calm in a State divided over language amid a bid by the Central government to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Why the controversy? The Assamese and the Bengali, the two largest linguistic …
Read More »The best of Australia, on show at Kolkata film festival
The 24th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), which opened in the city on Saturday, will not only celebrate 100 years of Bengali cinema but also cinema from the faraway land of Australia that is more than a hundred years old. Cinema in Australia goes back to 1906, much before Bengali …
Read More »Pulp fiction
The credit goes to the Shia community of Kashmir for keeping alive papier mache art — colourful, exquisite, highly decorative and delicate — in the Valley since the 14th century. “This wealth has been handed down to me by my father who inherited it from my grandfather and so on. …
Read More »Decades of war have shattered Afghanistan’s glassblowing craft
Most Afghans prefer cheaper Chinese-made imports to handmade glassware; foreign tourists, who once used to frequent the trade hub, are no longer coming Hunched and shrivelled, Afghan glassblower Ghulam Sakhi deftly blows and twirls molten glass into delicate blue and green goblets and vases — a craft passed down for …
Read More »A woman of many words
Will a “feminist dictionary” help men and women get a better understanding of contemporary rights movements and shift in laws — the #MeToo campaign and the ruling on Section 377, to name a few — that are changing the fabric of society? Women’s studies scholar H.S. Sreemathi thinks so. She …
Read More »M.S. Subbulakshmi Awards: entries invited
Aspiring classical singers now have an opportunity to exhibit their talent and win the prestigious Voice of the Year 2018 award. Entries are invited for the 7th edition of the M.S. Subbulakshmi Awards from young Carnatic vocalists. The event is being organised by The Hindu along with the music company …
Read More »Grand Jamboo Savaris attract large numbers in Dharwad
Despite a spell of rain or two, Dharwad witnessed grand Jamboo Savaris at two places in the city with a large number of people participating in them on both Thursday and Friday. The Jamboo Savaris involved caparisoned elephants carrying howdahs with portraits of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari and Chamundeshwari on the consecutive …
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