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INSANE: Bengal - The Real Truth

Vedanta explores Rs 80,000 crore investment in Bengal for power, aluminium projects: Anil Agarwal

In a promising development, Vedanta's Chairman Anil Agarwal has signaled interest in investing up to Rs 80,000 crore in West Bengal, concentrating on energy and aluminium manufacturing. This venture could generate thousands of jobs, with Asansol identified as a pivotal site due to its resources and infrastructure. Moreover, Agarwal is…

The Economic Times · 5h ago

Why Village Goddesses Were Never Absorbed Into the Brahminic Pantheon

Every village in Tamil Nadu knows Mariamman before it knows Lakshmi. Every lane in rural Bengal has a stone smeared with sindoor that no priest installed. These presences, Mariamman, Yellamma, Sitala, Bonbibi, Meldi, Khodiyar, Pochamma, sit at the edge of settlements, under old trees, inside termite mounds, on the boundary…

Times Life · 17h ago

Diwali Beyond Home: 5 Magical Places to Visit

Whether you want to watch thousands of lamps line a sacred waterway, walk around beautifully lit streets or learn more about how these regions celebrate this festival of lights, you’ll find a fresh way to celebrate by visiting one of these 5 spots in India. 1. Ayodhya - Witness The…

MyLifeXP · Oct 27

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What Satyajit Ray's Method Teaches About Doing Careful Work on a Small Budget

Satyajit Ray shot Pather Panchali over three years with no studio backing, a crew that was learning on the job, and a budget that ran out before the film did. The West Bengal government eventually stepped in to finish it. When it screened at Cannes in 1956, it won Best…

Times Life · Oct 25

Kojagari Lokkhi Pujo: Bengal's Quiet Full Moon After Durga Puja

The trucks have taken the idols away. The generators are gone. Kolkata's lanes, which a week ago ran so thick with people you moved in a current rather than a crowd, now carry only the smell of marigold stems rotting in the gutters and the distant sound of someone sweeping.…

Times Life · Oct 25

Kojagari: The Night Lakshmi Walks and Asks Who Is Awake

The full moon of Ashwin is the brightest of the year, and the tradition attached to it is stranger than most festival customs admit. On Kojagari Purnima, the instruction is simply to stay awake. But the reason the texts give is not discipline or austerity, it is that Lakshmi is…

Times Life · Oct 25

Sanlaap and Tribes bring Kolonkojoyini to Life, championing dignity and acceptance for every daughter

Every Durga Puja, Bengal celebrates the homecoming of Maa Durga, embracing the spirit of love, belonging and the enduring bond between a daughter and her family. Inspired by this powerful cultural sentiment, Kolonkojoyini, an initiative by Kolkata-based NGO Sanlaap, invites society to extend the same spirit of compassion and acceptance…

The Economic Times · Oct 21

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Feeling Spiritually Drained During Diwali? Here Is How to Rejuvenate Your Spirit

Why a Festival of Light Can Leave You Feeling Dark InsideDiwali is built around a single image: a small clay lamp holding its flame steady in the open air. The tradition did not choose that image by accident. A diya is not a floodlight. It does not illuminate a room.…

MyLifeXP · Oct 20

Why Does Vijayadashami Celebrate Good Over Evil? The Untold Stories Behind Dussehra

As the celebrations of Navratri and Dussehra reach their grand conclusion, one message echoes across India: no matter how powerful evil becomes, it cannot defeat righteousness forever. Known as Vijayadashami or Dussehra, this festival marks the victory of good over evil. The word Vijayadashami combines vijaya, meaning victory, and dashami,…

MyLifeXP · Oct 20

Bengal climbers make history in Ladakh, propose peaks named after Tenzing, Hillary, Netaji

A mountaineering team from West Bengal successfully completed four significant ascents in eastern Ladakh. The team climbed the challenging Chang Chenmo Kangri, proposing new names for three newly scaled peaks. Led by veteran climbers, the team executed the expedition without fixed ropes or porter assistance. Their achievement highlights the importance…

The Economic Times · Oct 18

From Ram temple to Vande Mataram, Kolkata Durga Pujas draw on heritage, nationalism for inspiration

Kolkata's Durga Puja celebrations this year feature themes inspired by India's civilisational heritage, nationalism and cultural identity, from a replica of the Ram temple at Mohammed Ali Park to a Vande Mataram installation marking 150 years of the national song. Other pandals celebrate rural Bengal's traditions and showcase a towering…

The Economic Times · Oct 17

Why Bengal Weeps on Dashami for a Goddess It Welcomed Four Days Earlier

The Daughter Who Comes HomeIn Bengal, Durga is not primarily a warrior. She is Uma, the daughter of the mountains, returned to her parents' house for four days while her husband Shiva waits on Kailash. The Puja is a homecoming, not a festival of divine power. That reframing changes everything…

Times Life · Oct 17

Akal Bodhon: Why Rama Woke the Goddess Out of Season

The Season That Was WrongThe Goddess sleeps in summer. This is not metaphor but cosmology. In the older ritual calendar, Devi's wakeful season runs from the cold months into spring, Chaitra Navratri, when the world is tilting toward heat and the nights still carry a chill. Sharad, the autumn that…

Times Life · Oct 17

Why Is This Artwork Essential to Traditional Durga Puja?

During Durga Puja, most people focus on Maa Durga’s beautiful face, her weapons and the moment she defeats Mahishasura. But look just behind the idol, and you may discover another piece of art filled with stories, symbolism and centuries of tradition. Known as Chalchitra (also spelled Chandrachitra in some references),…

MyLifeXP · Oct 16

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The Times of India · Oct 16

Black ink on Tagore: The fight over Bangladesh's identity

The recent defacement of Rabindranath Tagore's portrait in Dhaka has stirred a fresh wave of conversations about his legacy. Against the backdrop of increased political unease post the July 2024 uprising and claims against Jamaat-e-Islami, public outcry highlights the threat to cultural icons. This event has mobilized protests and reinvigorated…

Times Life · Oct 16

Durga Puja in Bishnupur and Murshidabad: Bengal's Oldest Courtyards

What a Bonedi Bari Puja Actually IsDurga Puja in a bonedi bari is not a public event that a family happens to host. It is a private ritual that a family has agreed, for generations, to let the neighbourhood watch. The zamindar families of Bengal began commissioning their own Durga…

Times Life · Oct 16

Nabapatrika: The Nine Plants Bengal Has Long Called Ganesha's Wife

A Banana Tree in a SariBefore the sun clears the Ganga on Mahasaptami, women carry a banana plant to the riverbank, bathe it in the water, wrap it in a white sari with a red border, and bring it back to the pandal to stand beside Ganesha. The crowd calls…

MyLifeXP · Oct 15

Why Did Goddess Chandi Protect Ravana From Lord Ram?

Imagine a moment when Lord Rama was ready to defeat Ravana, but Goddess Chandi appeared on Ravana’s side. Instead of moving forward, Rama put down his weapons. Why would the protector of dharma stop when victory seemed so close? This fascinating story from a traditional account of the Ramayana connects…

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Times Life · Oct 15

Sindoor Khela: What Bengali Women Say to a Goddess Already Leaving

The Afternoon That Belongs Only to WomenVijaya Dashami arrives and the pandal, which spent four days as the loudest place in the neighbourhood, goes quiet in a particular way. The dhak still beats. The conch still blows. But in the hour before immersion, something contracts around the idol, a circle…

Times Life · Oct 14

The Ganges Shark: India's River Shark That Almost No One Has Seen Alive

A Shark That Lives in Fresh Water, Not the OceanThe Ganges shark, Glyphis gangeticus, is a true freshwater shark, not a bull shark passing through, not a myth, but a species that evolved specifically for the turbid, sediment-heavy waters of Indian river systems. Its eyes are unusually small and sit…

MyLifeXP · Oct 10

Why Durga Maa’s Idol Needs Soil From a Courtesan’s Home

Every year, artisans in Bengal create magnificent idols of Goddess Durga. But one traditional ingredient used in some idol-making practices raises a powerful question: why is soil from the entrance of a courtesan’s home considered sacred? The custom, often associated with Nishiddho Pallisoil, is surrounded by religious interpretations and cultural…

The Economic Times · Oct 8

Bengal bypolls: Nandigram, Rejinagar results to indicate political mood after BJP's rise to power

The results of Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls will help assess political sentiments after the BJP's recent government formation. While allegations of voter intimidation raised concerns, the Election Commission deemed polling to be generally peaceful.

The Economic Times · Oct 8

May join CJP's Jantar Mantar protest on Oct 10, will decide later: Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee has signaled her intent to join a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10, voicing strong criticisms against the BJP and the Election Commission for alleged electoral misconduct in West Bengal. She expressed her support for Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, highlighting their treatment during…

MyLifeXP · Oct 8

Durga Puja 2026: Start Date, Vrat & Significance

Maa Durga festival season arrives well before the pandals open up. It begins with the auspicious day of Mahalaya, where people pay tribute to their forefathers and welcome the arrival of Devi Paksha. The next day marks the arrival of Shardiya Navratri, beginning with Kalash Sthapana for nine days of…

The Economic Times · Oct 7

Bengal: Humayun Kabir hints at quitting politics, says BJP will win Rejinagar

AJUP chief Humayun Kabir voiced his disillusionment with the political landscape following his recent detention during the bypoll. He suggested that he might step back from electoral politics if Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari continues in power. Kabir accused the election process of being rigged and forecasts a BJP victory in…

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