Humans are social animals. We cannot live on our own. So, we live with our families; befriend our neighbours, bond with our colleagues at the workplace. In every form of relationship, we take care of others and are taken care of by our loved ones. We share our ideas and imaginations with our friends and family members. This bonding is called kinship. It is our strength that keeps us going through the thick and thin of our life.

Holi is one of the most colourful and joyous festivals for the Indian Hindus. Lovingly called the festival of colours, Holi perfectly matches the palette of spring, a season marked by new leaves, blooms and cuckoos’ cadence everywhere. Like other Hindu festivals, Holi also symbolizes the good’s triumph over the evil. The occasion also observes the divine love between Radha and Krishna.

Kolkata Maidan is a big draw for people from many walks of life. Maidan means open space. Integral to Kolkata’s landscape and landmarks, the 400-hectare sprawling park stretches from the Eden Gardens and Raj Bhavan in the north to the Victoria Memorial in the south and from the Park Street and Chowringhee in the east to the Hooghly River in the west.

“For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever”

- Lord Tennyson

Mother Nature – almost all of us are quite familiar with the phrase. But for me, rivers are the real mother in Mother Nature. They are equally mystic and multitasking like our biological mothers. They suffer but remain silent. Like our mothers, they are powerful to withstand the excruciating pain of giving birth to a new child i.e. a new civilization and cuddle it, nourish it and bring it up with its flesh and blood in form of flowing water.

The Show Must Go On…..

That is what we preach whenever a crisis strikes a person. Such words of philosophy seldom put a balmy touch on a devastated and depressed soul. But then construction takes shape from the ashes of destruction. Hope remains alive amidst despair and depression. Look at the Mousumi Island and you will feel surprised to know how it has rebuilt itself from the ruins and ravages all around.

Jwala Tiwari, a former state-level wrestler and the head of one of the city's final remaining akharas on the banks of the Hooghly, passed away on Sunday. He was 65 years old.Up until the middle of the 1990s, this wrestler, who specialized in clay pit wrestling, had represented Bengal in a number of competitions. He won silver and bronze in a number of competitions held by various state wrestling authorities. Many pehlwans who later competed for the state in wrestling were also trained by him in his akhara.

“Sab khelar sera bangalirtumi football”.

Remember this famous song from a popular Bengali movie “DhanyiMeye”. Starring MahanaykUttam Kumar, Sabitri, Tarun Kumar, Partha, Jaya Bhaduri, Rabi Ghos, JaharGanguly and many other eminent artists, the movie was based on and wedged around a football match. Does it surprise you that Kolkata football fans get crazy during their derby, especially East Bengal-Mohan Bagan duel? But the real fever grips the City of Joy during FIFA World Cup. The disease is contiguous but everyone is crazy to catch it.

“Debotar Janmo” is a famous story written by ShibramChakraborty. The story has nothing to do with my content but I find no better name to describe Kumortuli. God is the supreme creator, curator and commander of the universe. And then, the supreme power takes shapes in different forms familiar to us. Kumortuli – the abode where deities are born!

History

“Our lives at times seem a study in contrast… love & hate, birth & death, right & wrong… everything seen in absolute black & white. Too often we are not aware that it is the shades of grey that add depth and meaning to the starkness of those extremes.”...

Ansel Adams

As someone with an insane love for photography, I do think the best way to capture the vibe and vibrancy of a city is to visit its pockets and the most chaotic places. Mullick Ghat Flower Market is one such place of absolute but amazing chaos. You will feel the pulse of Kolkata, a city always brimming with joy and laughter.