Waste notOver the past one year, much has been spoken and written about land-use and farming in Bengal. There is now perhaps some understanding about the strengths and weaknesses of agriculture in our state. Despite such knowledge, certain things do not change: the same mistakes are made, the same tragedies repeated with a depressing regularity. Such is the case with potato farming in Bengal.That Peculiar Howrah FeelingDuring my long "fishy" career at the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) in Barrackpore, I have made countless journeys that started from and ended at Howrah station. In the process I have developed a special relationship with this station.
My reminiscences about Calcutta cannot be separated from my trysts with Howrah station. Each time I alighted at the station, I was filled with a bizarre, difficult-to-explain feeling. It didn't matter whether the train was the urban, snobbish Rajdhani or its rustic cousin Madras Mail or a nondescript vagrant like Howrah-Madras Janata Express. The feeling builds up as the train chugs hesitantly into the platform amid the loud hiss and puff of the engine and the teeth grinding of the wheels against the rails.Different TakeAll ye bemused by the brilliance of the largest selling Spanish writer of this moment, I have something different to say. True, the wisdom that drips through his narrative puts his works a cut above others. There are millions impressed by him and out there are many more to relish the same experience. There are even some who claim his books have helped them regenerate themselves, that they have found new meanings of life after reading it. Apparently one can't go against these views, more so on the western front for its legacy of a life that's economical on opportunities to look beyond daily chores.A Feluda comeback?Publication of new Sherlock Holmes stories did not actually stop after author Arthur Conan Doyle passed away. Many authors, including his writer son Adrian, tried to recreate the Holmes magic; some of the efforts even received critical acclaim. What Sherlock was to English readers, Feluda is to their Bengali counterparts. Can Feluda walk in again through a different pen?Foul fumes bind Red citiesPermissible level of PM10 (fine particulate matter): 50 micrograms per cubic metre of air
Beijing PM10 value: 106 micrograms
Calcutta PM10 value: 153 micrograms
Conclusion: World record holder Haile Gebrselassie has opted out of the marathon
Scent of a WomanPeople smell a fragrance with their eyes and brains first before they smell with their noses, says perfumer Ann Gottlieb.Inert monitors of pollution push city to a gaspAutomobile emission, the primary reason behind air pollution in Calcutta, is on the rise. Here's the low-down on the role of the green watchdogs the environment department and the pollution control board (PCB), a statutory body under the department in tackling the menace...Mistress of elusivenessArpita Singh has only recently moved into her new house in Nizamuddin East, New Delhi, and although her living room with its plump off-white silk sofas and Indian red Picasso graphic looks comfortable enough, she has not been able to organise her studio yet. So in her spare time she does small watercolours on her dining table.Revamping Barrackpore StationBarrackpore Station is one of the oldest railway stations in India, and one with a rich heritage. Recently, the DRM of Sealdah, Mr. Swapan Kr. Mondol ordered that the station be given a face lift.South City: Boon or Bane?The South City project-- the wish-come-true for the whole of Kolkata was something everyone was waiting for with bated breath. With a huge residential project, augmented by every sort of modern facility, has caught the eye of all and sundry. The inte
Survival roadmap for climate changeCalcutta is to have a “detailed, scientific plan” to combat the effects of climate changes, courtesy a World Bank initiative.All eyes on the "Metro" frontThe long wait is finally over. It’s time to catch the metro railway and reach your destination! Women leaders are more dictatorialMayawati is eyeing the post of the Prime Minister in the upcoming General Elections. She is not alone a whole bunch of women leaders promise to make an impact in the upcoming elections. Madam Sonia leads the oldest party in India. Mamata Banerjee is playing pressure politics with Sonia and her party. Down South Jayalalitha plans to defeat DMK in the coming polls. Women leaders are calling shots this election season in India.Of recession, home delivery and wivesLife in Kolkata post the economic meltdown has few good things to offer.
