A tribute to my old Calcutta

At the outset let me make it clear that I am not a regular resident of Kolkata. My association with the city has been an on-and-off affair. Whenever I have come here, I have noticed the gradually changing skyline and have carried back memories, both pleasant and unpleasant, w...

Search for my Kolkata – Part – I

During my last visit to Kolkata in November 2007, I somehow managed to keep a few days reserved completely to myself. There were no pending social obligations, and no commitments that would have encroached into my very private domain. Therefore, I decided to go on a search for...

Should not forget Tagore

On the 8th of May, the world would celebrate the 148th birth anniversary of Tagore. It would be once again that time of the year when Bengalis the world over would remember the Nobel laureate. There would be the usual songs and recitation programs held in Jorasanko, his birth ...

Search for my Kolkata – Part - II

The time was just after twelve – the stall owners were opening their counters. It was off season because there were no imminent festivals, hence most of them were slow on their feet but their eyes were continuously wandering over the faces of all those who passed by – if t...

Violence in Panchayat electionsThe state of violence that is being reported every day over the last few days is spoiling the image of West Bengal and the political parties that are involved in meaningless killings. The party leaders should understand that, unlike in the past, the extent of coverage that the in...

the magical power of triple s

Virendra Sehwag must be a wise player by now – the pathetic way in which the combined force of the Triple S ruined his hopes of a semi-final berth in the IPL is proof of the devastating power of the trio. Yes, the combination of Sourav-Shah Rukh-Shoiab is the Triple force. I...

wrong strategy means loss

This 41st game of the IPL between Kolkata and Chennai should have not been lost by the home team. However, when over confidence strikes, it spells doom. That is what happened. It was a loss due to wring strategy. There were rains the previous evening and at this time of the ye...

The senior junior controversy There is nothing new in the controversy between the senior and the junior – it has been there since ages in fields as diverse as politics and factories. It is said that politicians mature with age hence they try their best to obstruct the paths of young ones. Similarly, in fa...

Kolkata departs from IPL

The bang with which the Kolkata Knight Riders owned by SRK descended on the IPL scene never expected that it would have to withdraw into the background with a whimper after the washout game in Delhi due to the rains. There will be many analysis, innumerable post mortems and TV...

The failure of Panchvi pass

News are trickling out that the latest game show ‘Kya aap panchvi pass say tez hai?’ has not become as popular as one would have liked it to. This will be one more flop in the bag of Shah Rukh Khan – after his association with the Kolkata Knight Riders. His sudden intere...

Role of the Captain in IPL games

The Rajasthan Royals has taken a resolve not to lose any further games. They are charged up like nobody else – what is the secret of their success? Obviously, it is the captain who has developed an enviable relationship with his boys. They have not failed him and he is sitti...

Irresponsible childrenIt was saddening to learn of an 80 plus year old lady being driven out of the house of one of her sons where she had been staying. When she approached her remaining five sons in the same city, none wanted to keep her. Finally, she had to depend on a rickshaw driver who came to he...

ICL coming closer to IPLThere are indications that there is a thaw in the relationship between the ICL and the IPL. It might be recalled that ICL, the brainchild of Kapil Dev and the owner of Zee channels Subhas Chandra was a prelude to the IPL. The philosophy was the same – to create a platform for y...

Bandhs in West Bengal

The bogey of hike in petrol and diesel prices has at last been proved to be true. A steep increase has been announced by the Minister of Petroleum and, immediately, the Left Front leadership has announced a decision to combat the evil by declaring one day’s bandh in West Ben...

Hail the bandhs

The Kolkata Police had requested all vehicle drivers to avoid using the horns for at least one hour in the day on 5th June 2008 to show respect to the environmentalists. The idea was to keep pollution under control. If not the air pollution, at least the noise pollution could ...

Travel during the Durga Pujas

Durga Pujas are the greatest festivals of Bengalis the world over. In 2008, it commences from the 2nd October – it is just three months away. Therefore, all those who plan to move out of Bengal to celebrate the festivals must have purchased their railway tickets by now – t...

Bhoomi goes to Montreal

Bhoomi will be the first jazz band of India to participate in the Jazz festival at Montreal later this month. Bhoomi – the music of the Earth is a Bangla Band began its journey way back in 1999 - 24th of July, to be precise. It brought a new dimension to Bengali songs and mu...

Darjeeling tourists run for their lives

The agitation over Gorkhaland was ill timed – tourists were enjoying the beauties of Darjeeling and surrounding areas when the indefinite bandh started. Families got stranded and locals seized the opportunity to fleece them in all sorts of ways. It is all right to have peace...

The monsoons have arrivedThe monsoons have arrived early this year and with it, the Government has heaved a sigh of relief – the rains will bring down the prices of vegetables and might be a blessing in disguise. The associated problems cannot, however, be wished away. These pertain to flooding of road...

Ganguli set to return?The selectors have brought Sourav Ganguli into focus. There are reports that he will be called for the conditioning camp prior to the visit to Sri Lanka. Obviously, his efforts to impress the selectors have not gone in vain. His performance in the IPL was of a high order and if S...

Agitation runs out of steamThe demand for a separate Gorkhaland by a section of persons in west Bengal fuelled unrest in the hills. The tourists we trapped and the tourism sector had to bear the brunt of the agitation. When the dissident leaders announced a continuous bandh, they did not have an inkling of...

Unholy actions by holy men

Two school kids went missing from the ashram of a noted spiritual guru, their dead bodies were subsequently discovered near a river bed. It was said that the kids had drowned even though the depth of water in the vicinity did not justify that reasoning.

The police wer...

UPA wins trust vote

The political upheavals of the past few days have finally come to an end with the UPA Government winning the trust vote. There were tense moments and, when the final results were declared, there was a sigh of relief and smiling faces. The difference was expected to be miniscul...