Asim Bando's KOLKATA BLOG

Jhulan Yatra or Swing Festival is the religious festival of Hindus dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha. It is observed in the month of August. And this year, this festival is being started from today. Kolkata has lost many of its traditions but still, in some houses at central Kolkata, it is observed very enthusiustically.      The house at 63, Dhiren Dhar Sarani is one of them. The house is called 'Srimanta Villa'. In this house, Jhulan Yatra is being observed gorgeously (this year it is being observed from 22-26 August). Jhulan utsav of this house is about 80 years old. Srimanta Pandit was the founder of this 'Srimanta Villa'. His son Chandan Pandit was so enthusiast about this festival that he decorated 'Jhulan' with dolls on their outside sitting place (রক) alongwith his friends. It was the year 1935. After three years, he started a new item - showed sunrise, sunset, moonrise and position of various stars and planets at night projecting on screen, run b...

        Today is 'Ghetu Sankranti', the fields of Bengal are covered with Ghetu flowers, the kids of rural areas are visiting households with lantern and garlands of Ghetu flowers by singing 'Ghetu Gaan' (songs in praise of Ghetu). It is the ritual and custom of traditional rural Bengal. On tomorrow morning they'll visit households to sing 'Basi' (old) Ghetu song ("Ghetu Bhai, Ghetu Bhai...).

       235-year-old Danish tavern and hotel at Serampore, a former colony of Denmark in West Bengal, has been resurrected from the ruins and is now set for rebirth as a riverside cafe. It will also have a bakery, handicrafts shop and lodging facilities and has been inaugurated today at 3:30 pm.         A Danish colony flourished by the river Hooghly between 1755 and 1845, when Denmark handed it over to the British. The location was Serampore, about 25km from Kolkata and on the western banks of the Hooghly river. The town was then known as Frederick's Nagore.         Apart from the tavern, the St. Olav's Church near the said tavern has also been renovated with Danish help.         The cafeteria in the said tavern will be able to accommodate about 60-70 people. Of the 6 rooms, 3 will be Riverview 'heritage rooms'.          Known as Denmark Tavern, the original lo...

Dakshinkul, Nalikul: Dakshinkul Primary School: Ghosh Para, Bandipur: High School, Bandipur: School ground, Bandipur: Bandipur:

Yesterday I visited some rural areas of Hooghly district in Bengal. I've seen Saraswati puja in the locality. School Para, Nalikul: Bani Mandir High School, Nalikul: Naopara, Nalikul: Naopara Primary School, Nalikul: Near Rly. Station, Nalikul: