My KOLKATA BLOG

Holi or Dol Utsav is a festival of Kolkata since the time of Job Charnock. It was the beginning of British colonialism. A society called neo "Babu samaj" was emerging. At that time, poet Iswar Gupta wrote a poem "ক্রমেতে হোলির খেলা, নবীনা নাগরী মেলা, ছুটে মুটে যায় এক ঠাই। যার ইচ্ছা হয় যারে, আবির কুমকুম মারে, পিচকারি কেহ দেয় কায়।" Historians have written, at that time, all the persons and houses becomes red by the abir and red colour. Irrespective of castes and creeds, all the persons used to observe this Dol utsav with fun and frolic. They have energy, enthusiasm to participate in this festival by dint of their emotions and sincerity.          Balthazar Solviens has wrote in his 'Le Hindous' book about this Dol Utsav in Kolkata - "alongwith Hindus, Christians and Muslims too used to participate in this festival. The exiled Nawab of Lucknow Nawab Wajed Ali Shah with his parishad, used to participate in this Holi and penned a new song.   On this da...

Wishing you all near & dear friends of India and abroad - a very auspicious Bengali New Year 1428.                     "SHUBHO NOBOBORSHO"

This year, the first Durga idol of Kumartuli is ready to set sail. The idol is 9 feet tall and 18 feet in width. The weight of the idol is about 350 kg. The background of the idol is black and decoration is in silver. Yellow colour is there in the foreground. The idol will be shipped in a few days and it will take 45 days to reach to Sydney of />        The artisan of this idol at Kumartuli said that last year they hardly despatched only eight idols due to prevailed pandemic situation. Otherwise, about 30-35 idols they use to despatch every year as order of foreign countries. This year they're hopeful to get more orders of Durga idol from UK, USA, Germany and />       As usual, the present idol is too made of fibre-glass. They sanitized the idol and the courier will fumigate it before shipping. They use to despatch idols in cargo planes, but, this idol is too heavy to despatch in planes. So, it is being shipped.

Poet Shakti Chattopadhyay was died on this day, in the year 1995 in Kolkata at the age of 61. He was one of the powerful and popular poet of Bengal, contemporary of Sunil Gangopadhyay.            Shakti Chattopadhyay was a bohemian poet. He loved to travel hills, forests and villages of Bengal with friends, and sometimes, alone.            He was born on 25 November, 1933 at Jaynagar of South 24-Parganas.              He was very strong in Bengali language. His poems are literally gems of Bengali literature. The admirer of Bengali poems can never forget his immortal poems - "Abani, Bari Achcho?" (অবনী বাড়ি আছো) and "Jete Pari, Kintu Keno Jabo" (যেতে পারি, কিন্তু কেন যাবো)             In my college life, in late 70s, I had a scope to listen his poems by the poet himself, when he physically attended a literary function at Sisir Mancha, Kolkata. It wa...