Museum of the Moon at Kolkata

"At night, I open the window and ask the moon to come and press its face against mine. Breathe into mine. Close the language-door and open the love-window. The moon won't use the door, only the window." ~Rumi

An artificial moon, measuring seven meters in diameter and featuring detailed imagery on the surface of the moon was in my city, Kolkata on the 17th and 18th of February. The beautiful artificial moon, known as "Museum of the Moon" is a brilliant artwork by Luke Jerram that is gaining adulation from all over the world. 

The Museum of the Moon traveled to 5 cities in India on the month of February including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Udaipur, Kolkata, and New Delhi. It will travel all around the world in the forthcoming days, enthralling millions of people. 

At Kolkata, it was displayed outside the iconic Victoria Memorial which made it a stunning visual delight. Thousands of people flocked in front of the north gate of Victoria Memorial Hall to view this marvelous piece of art. British Council has made it possible for us to gaze at the Museum of the Moon in India. 

As soon as I heard that Museum of the Moon will be at Kolkata, I couldn't stop myself from rushing to the Victoria Memorial on the 17th February. A musical function was also held in front of Museum of the Moon in the evening of 17th Feb. 

The acclaimed singer-pianist duo of Kolkata, Soumyajit and Sourendra delighted the audience as they sang songs dedicated to the moon which included a few Tagore songs, ghazals, and old Bollywood songs. They ended the function singing the Gayatri mantra, followed by the song "Mile sur mera tumhara" to symbolize the unity and beauty of several cultures in India.  

The musical performance along with the beauty of the moon made the ambiance surreal. Moreover, the wonderful weather of February and the gorgeous Victoria Memorial made it an evening to remember. It made me reflect on the beauty and the serenity of the moon. It also made me nostalgic as I remembered about some of the most beautiful moonlit nights of my life. That evening had the magic to turn anyone poetic. I was so entranced that couldn't wait to scribble a few lines on the moon after returning home. 

When the artist, Luke Jerram was asked about the India tour of "Museum of the Moon", he said, "We are thrilled to be in India and would love to observe and contemplate cultural similarities and differences while simultaneously also considering the latest moon science in the country. The India visit of the "Museum of the Moon" is not only an opportunity of the public to have a close experience with the moon, but also for us to get a deeper understanding of the moon's cultural significance in the country."

To know more about the "Museum of the Moon", visit https://my-moon.org/

"Tell me the story...

About how the sun loved the moon so much

That she died every night

Just to let him breathe..." ~Hanako Ishii

Celebration of literature at the Kolkata Literary Meet

That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longing, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”~F.Scott.Fitzgerald

Being a bibliophile and an ardent literature lover, I wait for the #TataSteelKalam Kolkata Literary Meet every year to listen to my favorite authors, discover new books and attend interesting sessions. This year, the Kolkata Literary Meet was a 5 day literary festival from 25^th January to 29^th January at the Victoria Memorial Hall. The festival was inaugurated by acclaimed novelist, Anita Desai.

The literary sessions were hosted at the two venues of Victoria Memorial Hall – Son-et-Lumiere and Western Quadrangle. Some of the sessions of Tata Steel Kalam also took place at the Calcutta Club. Over 130 celebrated authors, filmmakers and thinkers from various countries assembled at the literary festival to share their thoughts and views.

I went to the Kolkata Literary Meet three days and attended some enriching sessions. On January 26th, I was fortunate to attend one of my favorite authors, Ruskin Bond’s session “Thrills and Spills” where Ruskin Bond discussed why hills are the perfect setting for murders and mystery. It was a great experience when Ruskin Bond read one of the stories from his latest book “Death under the deodars”. 

It was an amazing session, especially when the audience was given the chance to ask him questions. I asked him about one of his short stories, “The Night train at Deoli” and was overjoyed when he answered me. After his session, the audience was told that Ruskin Bond would be signing books at the author’s lounge. Finally, I got the opportunity to have a signed copy and meet my favorite author personally.

On January 27th, I attended the session “Acts of Faith” where Javed Akhtar, Tabish Khair, Mudar Patherya and Shazia Omar discussed about the challenges of Islamophobia, stereotypes and radicalization. It was a very enriching session and I especially loved hearing Javed Akhtar whose views were refined and powerful. 

Then, I attended the next session “Pink and the power of No” where  Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Andrea Tariang and Ritesh Shah spoke about the importance of the movie “Pink”. They were in conversation with author, Kunal Basu. It was a very engaging session where the audience asked plenty of questions to the director about the movie and the change it brought in the mindset of people.

I also went to the festival on the final day, 29^th January. I attended the Children’s Literary Meet Special with Indian sports’ golden boy, Abhinav Bindra and Joybeer Dutta Gupta. The Olympic gold medalist in shooting talked about his journey, his failures and success. It was very motivating when he spoke about the importance of dreams in the life of every person. He said that hard work and persistence are the only way to success. When someone from the audience asked him about the role of his parents, he said that his parents supported and encouraged him whenever he had failures and felt like giving up.

I enjoyed the session “Make up your mind” where Nandana Sen and Nabaneeta Dev Sen read poetry from their latest book “Make up your mind”. The award winning poet, Nabaneeta Dev Sen spoke about Nandana’s translations of her poetry. It was a sheer treat to see the mother and daughter bond on poetry. Overall, I had a great time at the #TataSteelKalam Kolkata Literary Festival. At the end of the festival, my literary appetite is well satiated with new books to read.

It is wonderful to see that Tata recognizes the role of literature and is contributing so much to secure the literature culture in Kolkata. The Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet brings the literary stalwarts from all corners of the world. It gives people a forum to speak their mind and interact with the authors. It encourages the lovers of literature to explore the world of ideas and words without any hesitation. The people of Kolkata look forward to the Kolkata Literary Meet every winter as it gives them the chance to rediscover or rather “readiscover” books.

Memories and Celebrations of Durga Puja 2016

As I was savoring a plate of Bijoya special Bengali sweets and sulking how quickly the four days of Durga Puja flew by, I decided to blog about it. Now, that's the best thing about being a writer. We, writers, write to taste life twice, once in the moment and the other in retrospect. 

This year, the Durga Puja began on a very gloomy note for me as I had tonsillitis and fever on Panchami night (6th October). I was so upset that all my plans from 7th to 10th October will be spoiled because of the fever. But some miracle happened and I started feeling better on Shashti morning (7th October). 

I went for some pandal hoping with my family. Since it was morning, there was less crowd. As I looked into Ma Durga's eyes, I felt a blanket of peace enveloping me. I offered my prayers to the Goddess and again looked at her divine face. I felt calm, protected and happy. The feeling was synonymous with how a person feels when he is with his mother. It was a beautiful moment that I had with Her on Shashti morning

Festivals like Durga Puja and Diwali allows me to bond with my family on a deeper level. I try my best to give them as much time as possible. I had long conversations with my father and grandmother. I made them smile, we took lots of selfies and had delicious food. 

On the second day of Durga Puja, Saptami (8th October), I was invited to a close friend's apartment Puja. 

It was wonderful to see the devotion of the ladies in the apartment, all bonding together to celebrate Durga Puja. They welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to be a small part of their world. 

My friend and I had prasad there, and then we went for some Pandal hopping in the evening. The crowd was absolutely crazy, but that's what makes the Durga Puja of Kolkata truly special. People tirelessly celebrate in these 4 days, hoping from pandal to pandal. Kolkata doesn't sleep in these 4 days. Whether it is 3pm or 3am, you can find this mad crowd. 

The group of Dhakis who were playing the dhak (drum) in one of the pandals made me stop there for a few minutes. This sound of dhak totally captures the essence of Durga Puja. Looking at Ma Durga's idol and listening to the dhak has a magical effect. 

The third day of Durga Puja, Ashtami ( 9th October) started with the morning Pushpanjali. I woke up in the morning with the chants from the nearby pandal. I took a bath, wore a new saree and went to the pandal to offer my prayers to the Supreme Mother. 

Pushpanjali is an integral part of Durga Puja. It is a ritual where Anjali mantras are recited by devotees and flowers are offered to the Goddess. I cannot think of Durgashtami without Anjali. After the ritual, I felt wonderful, as if all my prayers were answered. That's the magic of faith, I guess. 

In the Ashtami evening, I went to a traditional zamindar house to see the Sandhi Puja. 

Sandhi Puja marks the passing of Ashtami into Navami. This is symbolically the time of dusk and lasts for about 48 minutes. It is believed that during this time, Devi Durga slayed the demons Chanda and Munda. 

On the fourth day of Durga Puja, Navami (10th October), I met my school friends and we had a great time. One of them is getting married in November this year and so we had lots to talk about.

I had plans of some pandal hoping in the night, but it started raining so heavily that I had to ultimately cancel the plan. 

Overall, I had a great Durga Puja with my family and friends. On the day of Vijaya Dashami, an uncanny sadness filled my heart, but there are sweets to cheer me up and beautiful memories ingrained in my heart. And of course, I am looking forward to Diwali now. 

Here's wishing all of you Subho Bijoya with a platter of Bengali sweets. 

How did you celebrate Durga Puja and Navratri? 

Key features of Kolkata, the City of Joy

The Victoria Memorial located in the heart of Kolkata

Born and brought up in Kolkata, I can never find any city in India that I can love more than the City of Joy. Every city has its own set of limitations and Kolkata is no different. However, the warmth, the love and the festive spirit of this city compensates for many of its limitations.  The best thing about Kolkata is definitely the enthusiasm for having fun and joy.

 Can you imagine a long queue of people standing in front of a Durga Puja pandal for as long as 2 hours anywhere else? People of Kolkata never miss an opportunity to enjoy life. They are crazy about adda (gossiping) about football, politics, literature, music, food and so on. Many people cannot understand the happy-go-lucky nature of the people in this city and end up calling them lazy.

Let’s look at the City of Joy in respect to 3 interesting key features:

Drive

(Image Source)

The two bridges that connect Kolkata with Howrah railway station are the Vidyasagar Setu and Howrah Bridge. Both the bridges connect the city with Howrah over the Ganges. Traffic congestion is quite common in Kolkata and therefore, a network of flyovers and expressways such as Belghoria Expressway and Kona Expressway are being created to make the traffic situation better.

If you drive in Kolkata, you can face a lot of traffic congestion in the busiest parts of the city. However, there are some parts of the city which are not so congested such as Salt Lake and Rajarhat where you can drive smoothly.

Design

The city of joy is spread roughly north to south along the east bank of the river Hoogly. The oldest part of the city is North Kolkata, which is characterized by narrow alleyways and 19^th century architecture. North Kolkata includes areas such as ShobhaBazar, ShyamBazar and Dum Dum.

Central Kolkata contains Esplanade and B.B.D Bagh (Dalhousie Square) on its east and Strand Road on its west. It is the hub of business and includes areas such as Park Street, Camac Street and A.J.C Bose Road. 

The lush green, Maidan

The beautiful lush green, large open field called Maidan is located in the heart of the city. The Kolkata Race Course and the gorgeous Victoria Memorial are located at the southern part of the Maidan.

South Kolkata developed post independence. It includes areas like Ballygunge, Jadavpur, Tollygunge, NewAlipore and Behala. 

There are two planned townships, namely Salt Lake City and Rajarhat in the greater Kolkata region. In the 2000s, the Sector V of the Saltlake City developed into a huge business hub for telecommunication companies and information technology.

Connect

Kolkata was the very first city in South Asia to have an underground metro railway. The metro line of the City of Joy is mostly underground, unlike that of Delhi metro.  The metro line begins at Noapara in the North, passes over Esplanade and ends in New Garia at south. So, the city is well connected by metro, which makes it easier to travel from north to south or vice versa.

(Image Source)

Apart from metro, all regions of Kolkata are connected by government and private buses which make it convenient to travel to any part of the city. There is a central bus depot at the Esplanade from where you can also get long distance buses.

The meter taxi/cabs are also available at all regions in Kolkata. Apart from that, rickshaws and auto rickshaws help in covering small distances.

The only airport in the city is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, located at Dumdum which operates both domestic and international flights. The two major railway stations of Kolkata are Sealdah Railway Station and Howrah Railway Station.

So, that’s the Drive, Design and Connect features of my lovely city. 

Know about the #madeofgreat association of Tata Motors at http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/

Memories of Durga Puja, 2015

The 4 days of Durga Puja just passed by the blinking of my eyes. Well, every year it is the same story. From around August, the Puja shopping starts in Kolkata with full vigor and we all get so excited with the "Pujo Asche, Pujo Asche" (Durga Puja is almost here!) feeling and then finally when the festival arrives, we indulge so much in celebrations, pandal hopping, food and enjoyment that we completely lose track of time. On the day of Dashami, we all are filled with a melancholic feeling when we have to bid adieu to the Goddess. I get emotional on every year and then console the heart, saying "Asche bochor abar hobe" (The next year, Ma Durga will again come and the celebrations will happen!) So, here are some photographs of Durga Puja, 2015.

(Idol of Behala Club)

(Posing in front of the idol of Behala Club)

(Theme Puja of Mukul Sangha: The theme is Nataraj)

(Durga Puja in a neighbor's house)

(Durga Puja in Bonedi Bari: Roy House)

(Dressed as a traditional Bengali on the morning of Maha Ashtami to offer pushpanjali to the Goddess)

(The grand chandelier of Ekdalia Evergreen)

(The idol of Ekdalia Evergreen)

(Pandal decor of Singhi Park)

(Idol of Singhi Park)

This year, the Durga Puja was very special as I got plenty of time to spend with my family. As I stay so busy in my work all day, I cannot give enough time to my family. So, these 4 days of Durga Puja gave me an ample amount of time to spend with my father and grandmother. I totally stayed away from my laptop and computer. We talked about several things, spend time in the pandals, had great food and prayed to our heart's content. It was a lovely time spent, indeed. 

I also discovered a beautiful calmness within me when I was looking at the eyes of the idol of Ma Durga. The four days helped me to see myself in a new light, as I was praying to the Goddess. It made me humble, grateful, more focused and I was capable of driving away the shreds of darkness that was languishing in some corner of my being.

Beautiful moments and good times pass by really quickly, leaving behind only memories to cherish. Anyways, after indulging in Biriyani, fried rice, chilli paneer and pizza all these days, it is time to indulge in sweets. After all, Durga Puja ends with the season of Bijoya. In Bengali tradition, Bijoya means "Victory" which we Bengalis celebrate by giving respect to elders and love to all, apart from having sweets of course. The Bijoya is celebrated as Durga Puja ends and continues till Diwali. As I have a sweet tooth, I love the season of Bijoya. 

Subho Bijoya to all. 
Stay blessed. Stay happy and spread happiness.