Asim Bando's KOLKATA BLOG

Tomorrow is Viswakarma puja, so the idol is going to the puja pandal. -- A. B.

-- A. B.

The photos are of Rabindranath Tagore in his early youth after returning from Himalayas. And the house Udayan at Shantiniketan, which was erected planned by the poet. The decoration of verandah is of Joypur style. -- A. B.

When I was born... -- A. B.

The 'Charak' festival in early Kolkata was observed mainly in the month of March-April and saw an amazing and quite natural subversion of social conventions. Low caste devotees of Lord Shiva performed this penance, when people swung from ropes with an iron hook embedded into their backs. In 1865, the practice of 'charak' (binding a person to a hook and suspending him from a high pole) was banned on grounds that it was a cruel practice. A week before the charak puja, men of the lower orders wore anklets around their necks, and the sacred thread, went dancing around grog shops, brothels, and courtyards of people's houses to the beating of drums. They went from house to house gathering sannyasis, ie, servants who would then undertake the ritual penances associated with this festival. In the evening, the children thronged to see the Jhula Sanyas when sadhus were swung over bales of hay set on fire. As the sky darkened, the city looked alto

Today is the birthday of Suchitra Sen - the one and only romantic heroine of Bangla cinema, who was born in the year 1931 and reigned for 25 years (1953-1978) on the silver screen and now resides in Kolkata. -- A. B.

Shah Rukh Khan will come tomorrow in the city for the first match of KKR against Delhi Daredevils at Eden Gardens. And he may go to invite the CM to watch the match. He also introduced a series of KKR Cars for the sell of tickets. The cars will run through the city.-- A. B.

-- A. B.

-- A. B.

Kolkata Phool Mela or Flower Fair 2012 in picture, organised at Eden Gardens. -- A. B.