The Heritage of Kolkata’s Autumn Carnival: Durga Puja

Sayanti Poddar & Swati Mallik The restraint put by the pandemic worldwide did not spare the high spirited Bengali’s Durga Puja celebration from it’s tight grip in the last two years. To save the people from the clasp of the deadly virus, the Kolkata High Court even barred the spectators to enter the puja pandals…

Kumortuli: The Abode of Goddess Durga in Kolkata

Sayanti Poddar & Swati Mallik It was the morning of Mahalaya. People gathered along riverside Ganga for ‘Pitru Tarpan’, a ritual to offer prayers for their ancestors.  However in the adjacent lanes and bylanes, people thronged to mark the start of the greatest festival of the Bengalis- Durga Puja. But, not for all. “Our season…

HOLI Days of Colours

Swati Mallik & Sayanti Poddar — I never enjoyed Holi in almost all my childhood. When I was a child, I was severely afraid of those water colors that stayed on my skin for long and my mother tried her best to scrub them away off my skin. I hated that the most. It hurt…

The Beckoning Beauty of Sangti Valley, Arunachal Pradesh

Sayanti Poddar & Swati Mallik While planning our trip to Arunachal Pradesh, the most uncommon name in the list of places to visit there was that of Sangti Valley. Our travel advisors insisted this place as a must visit one, but we still had doubts in our minds as internet information suggested this valley to…

Durga Puja at the ‘Bonedi’ Houses of Kolkata

Swati Mallik & Sayanti Poddar Every year in Bengal autumn brings a special message with it – the time for celebration has come once again! In Bengal, especially in Kolkata, there is a certain exuberance in the air… big hoardings obstructing almost every sight, huge pandels blocking roads and lanes, thematic lights along the city…