Bollywood royalty starts tour in Toronto Jul 19, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008. LEGENDARY BACHCHAN CLAN TheStar. (Toronto Star)
Spaces of dissent Jul 6, 2008
No one labels Marathi or Gujarati or Punjabi or Bengali by religion but thanks to the exploitative politics of the region, we have heavily communalised our two major languages. If there is a language of Islam, it is Arabic, and so is Sanskrit for Hinduism, while Hindi /Urdu represent the best of the composite heritage. (Hindu)
Biggest Bengali show in Toronto Jul 4, 2008
TORONTO: The 28th annual North American Bengali Conference (NABC) begins here on Friday. Over 6,000 people from North America, India, Europe and the Gulf will attend the three-day conference billed as the biggest Bengali cultural show outside of West Bengal ... Organized by the local Prabasi Bengali Cultural Association (PBCA), the conference will showcase Bengali culture, art and literature to audiences in North America. (India Times, India)
Bangladesh boleh Jun 22, 2008
The term would normally refer to the national Bengali language and all things culturally Bengali (Bangla music, Bangla literature, etc). Here, it is saddled with the baggage all immigrants from less affluent countries than Malaysia bear. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Newton's English Language Learners live between two cultures Jun 18, 2008
Junior Nan Pang works on a mural of his design at Newton South High School after school during the Spring semester. The mural entitled, "No Borders," was completed weeks ago and is in the stairwell leading to the English Language Learners classrooms where Pang is enrolled. (Newton Tab, MA)
Strike cripples India's Darjeeling hills again Jun 17, 2008
The protests have also fanned ethnic tensions between Nepalis and Bengalis, after reports emerged of a few Bengali tourists being roughed up last week. Hundreds of Bengalis living in the foothills to the south near the town of Siliguri have blocked roads to the hills and last week beat up some ethnic Nepalis ... The Hindustan Times warned that ethnic tensions could rise if the state government failed to clamp down on Bengali "goons", while the Times of India said the state government should make... (AlertNet)
I am a newcomer in Hindi films Jun 7, 2008
I was also a musician with the late Salil Chaudhary in his Bengali as well as Malayalam films, for in the late 80s, Salilda would even record his Bengali songs in Chennai. In fact, Antara, his daughter, sang in Tamil for the first time under my music direction. (Screen Weekly)
Pole positionDo migrants want a bank holiday dedicated to Polish workers? Jun 5, 2008
" I'm not sure a day off is the answer William TrentWest Indian Standing Conference And Poles are not the only group of people uneasy about the idea of being separated from the rest of the country. A sample of other community representatives contacted by the BBC expressed similar sentiments. Mahmud Husan MBE, chairman of the Consortium of Bengali Associations, says that when Bangladesh's Victory Day is celebrated in the UK on 16 December, care is always taken to ensure that what he calls the... (BBC News -- UK)
Unlikely bestseller who changed the future of the American novel May 18, 2008
The author, whose parents are Bengali, was born in London before moving to Calcutta, then to the United States ... Her stories, centred on Bengalis who have settled in the Americas and the forces that buffet them, are precisely told ... In the title story, a Bengali-American lawyer repeats her mother's pattern when she leaves her job to follow her husband to a distant city. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Theater review: A beguiling Indian 'Midsummer' May 10, 2008
Those who don't know the play well may be troubled by how many key plot points are delivered in Tamil or Hindi, and some Shakespeare purists will be upset by the great poetic passages spoken in Malayam or Bengali (PR Jijoy's magnificently commanding, feral Oberon even casts his spell over Titania in Sanskrit). "Dream," after all, contains some of Shakespeare's most masterfully poetic language, and only about half of this production is in English. (San Francisco Chronicle)
The Namesake Apr 22, 2008
An American Bengali family forges a new identity while trying to maintain old traditions ... Although their western lifestyles can challenge their allegiance to their motherland, Ashima and Ashoke devote themselves to teaching their children the importance of celebrating Bengali customs, without denying them the joys of western traditions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas ... His rejection of his Bengali heritage isn t completely about shame, but about yearning to forge his own identity and... (Suite101.com)
Ginsberg In India Apr 20, 2008
American biographer and essayist Deborah Baker, who moved to Calcutta and learned Bengali, and is married to the Indian writer Amitav Ghosh, traces this axis back to Walt Whitman, an example of the wide sweep she casts back and forth over her fascinating subject in "A Blue Hand: The Beats in India.". Would, however, that her grasp matched her sweep. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Maitree express back after 43-year delay Apr 15, 2008
The train arrived in Dhaka about 14 hours later, coinciding with celebrations on both sides of the border to mark the Bengali new year ... Ever since, Bengalis have been forced to use more expensive air and bus services to visit the other side of the border despite sharing a language, culture and history. (Times Online)
* India and Bangladesh resume train service Apr 15, 2008
The Moitree [Friendship] Express train between Indias Calcutta and the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka was flagged off by Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee in a colorful ceremony coinciding with the Bengali New Year ... Railway officials said that the common history, culture and language of Bengalis on both sides of the borders had generated a demand for regular train service ... Many Bengalis who live in Indias West Bengal state said they would visit their native villages in... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Bangladesh-India trains resume after 43-year break Apr 15, 2008
In Dhaka, senior officials and diplomats attended festivities at the decorated station to mark the maiden journey of the train service, which coincided with the Bengali New Year. I heard a lot about the train service from my parents. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Going for a throng Apr 14, 2008
I snap out my guidebook and use my only Bengali phrase, "Koto taka neben" (how much), on the young driver, hoping at least to appear like I know what I'm doing. I'm shocked into silence when the cyclist with calves that would make Lance Armstrong jealous quotes 20 taka for the ride (a little over 30 cents) without even thinking of swindling us or having us visit his cousin's jewellery shop or rug emporium on the way. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Unaccustomed Earth Apr 6, 2008
Although Lahiri continues to plow the fertile ground she first sowed in her Pulitzer Prize-winning story collection, "Interpreter of Maladies" (2000) - Bengali immigrants and the culture gap that grows between them and their American-raised offspring - her characters repot themselves so frequently and her insights run so deep that there's little risk of exhausting this theme. In "Unaccustomed Earth," the first-generation children who chafed under their parents' old-fashioned customs and vowed to... (San Francisco Chronicle)
* [ BOOK REVIEW ] At home in two worlds, at ease in neither Apr 6, 2008
Their children too are often emotional outsiders: having grown up translating the mysteries of the US for their relatives, they are fluent navigators of both Bengali and American culture but completely at home in neither; they always experience themselves as standing slightly apart, given more to melancholy observation than wholehearted participation. As she did in her Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of stories Interpreter of Maladies (1999) and her dazzling 2003 novel The Namesake, Lahiri... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Books: Jhumpa Lahiri: 'Unaccustomed Earth' for those on new soil Apr 5, 2008
And the fact that America is still a place where the rest of the world comes to reinvent itself - accepting with excitement and anxiety the necessity of leaving behind the constrictions and comforts of distant customs - is the underlying theme of Jhumpa Lahiri's sensitive new collection of stories, "Unaccustomed Earth." Here, as in her first collection, "Interpreter of Maladies," and her novel, "The Namesake," Lahiri, who is of Bengali descent but was born in London, raised in Rhode Island and... (International Herald Tribune)
'The anthem is entirely SRK's baby' Mar 16, 2008
So Sujoy Ghosh translated the lyrics from English into Bengali and we made it the hook of the song, adds Vishal. The song has been composed in Hindi, English and Bengali and Vishal says they chose to do it that way, because it forms the crux of the Kolkatan team the Bengali culture is so cosmopolitan and the song highlights that spirit. (Times of India)
Home is where the art is Mar 16, 2008
In the gallery is an early piece, Traces of Living - white tables incorporating museum-like glass cases displaying, fetishistically, objects found in the area or referring to it: a hand-carved Bengali rolling pin; a plate wrapped in paper bearing Hebrew text; a shoe box covered, by the artists, in an A-Z map of the immediate vicinity; a shrivelled cauliflower; and a dried rat. The effect, with its incongruous juxtapositions, is surreal, although Langlands don't necessarily agree. (Guardian Unlimited)
MUB series presents cross-cultural connections Mar 15, 2008
This past Friday, Sharmistha Mitra, an international UNH senior, gave an interesting presentation in the Entertainment Center titled "Baul- The Mystic Minstrels of Bengali Culture," which brought light to a tradition consisting of a group of Baul people from the Indian state of West Bengal and the independent nation of Bangladesh. The presentation consisted of specific perspective or philosophy on religion in the country she represents. (The New Hampshire, NH)
Showcase for an Indian icon Feb 29, 2008
Looking back in time generated a rebirth in early 20th-century India, too, the Bengali Renaissance. Bose, who lived from 1882 until 1966, was at the heart of this cultural ferment, and in India he has a kind of iconic status. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Reading around Calcutta Feb 27, 2008
Hundreds of of stalls promoting literature in Bengali and English, on everything from Marxism to Java programming, will be on display to local residents, rural Bengalis and book lovers from across India and the world ... "The Book Fair was a typical modernist Bengali cultural space," says novelist Amit Chaudhuri, who has lived in Mumbai and the UK but returned to his birthplace of Kolkata nine years ago ... Before them sits an unlikely gang: the Bengali poet Sunil Gangopadhyay; the US consul... (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
To Sir Ji, with love Feb 17, 2008
One of his students, Zhang Xing, who is now doing research in Kolkata, says, "He still writes every day. The last time we met in 2005, we discussed Bengali literature." This is not surprising considering that Ji had recently said that the road for scholars studying Sino-Indian links is a long one that requires a lot of hard work. Just three years shy of 100, Ji is willing to lead by example. (India Times, India)
Experience Culture in Calcutta Feb 16, 2008
The best ways to get in touch with the city are by walking around and soaking up its atmosphere, taking in live performances, and treating your taste buds to some distinctive Bengali cuisine ... Calcutta is the home of revered Bengali poet, Rabindranath Tagore ... His birth and final resting place, Tagore House (located at the corner of Chitpur and Vivekananda Roads), is dedicated to all manner of the arts and is just the place to start familiarising yourself with the Bengali culture. (Suite101.com)
When South Meets North Feb 14, 2008
Girls from Kerala were viewed as being distinct from the hapless Bengalis, Biharis and others who had earlier been netted by desperate Haryanvi bachelors ... In most such marriages, into which Malayali women have entered willingly (even if they are the 'left on the shelf' category) they have negotiated better terms for themselves than their Bihari, Bengali and Assamese sisters. (India Times, India)
There is a Bengali fly in this pan-Indian soup Feb 10, 2008
And no better descriptions of the refinement, variety and magic of Bengali cuisine than Chitrita Banerjis Eating India, or her earlier book, Life And Food In Bengal. Even her description of a simple breakfast of luchis Bengali puris and a slow-cooked potato curry fill ones head with memories as the fragrance of breakfasts past waft by. (Daily News & Analysis)
Banished within & without Feb 10, 2008
Our struggle was for Bengali nationalism and secularism. Even though I was born well after Partition, the notion of undivided India held me in thrall. (India Times, India)
What Bengal eats today ... Feb 9, 2008
The Hour of the Goddess, slim as it is, can be considered a masterpiece that touches lightly on lesser known aspects of Bengali cuisine ... The worst comes second: the one on Goa, where she stays with Bengali friends and makes dozens of references to Goanese cuisine ... Banerji takes this to mean that the Portuguese taught Bengalis how to work with chhenna so she begins looking for chenna in Goa. (Business Standard)
Tahmima Anam took novel approach to connect with homeland Jan 29, 2008
Wherever we lived, they would say, "This is temporary, don't get settled here. We are Bangladeshi." I had to take Bengali singing, music, and dancing lessons ... There is a great Bengali literary tradition - we have Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate. (Boston Globe)
Rahul's happy with Anuranan's Hindi version Jan 23, 2008
Anuranan is as Bengali as Charulata," Rahul told IANS. "It's the great feeling to do justice to a role ... That must have prompted the producers Shemaroo to release the Bengali original in some non-Bengal metros and the Hindi version," he added. Rahul has dubbed for the Hindi version. "I'm glad the Bengalis across the country will get to see Anuranan ... Rahul says he has no idea how the Bengali melodrama and poetry of Anuranan translates into Hindi. (Hindustan Times)
'A Golden Age' tells of a mother's love tangled by war Jan 8, 2008
Rehana Haque actually embodies the divided nature of Pakistan: An Urdu-speaking woman from the wealthier west, she's made the Bengali east her home. And years before the rest of her country, she suffers an invasion from western Pakistan. (Christian Science Monitor)
Blame The Middle Class Jan 8, 2008
The class has found in militant religious nationalism a new self- respect and a new virtual identity as a martial community, the way Bengali babus, Maharashtrian Brahmins and Kashmiri Muslims at different times have sought salvation in violence. In Gujarat this class has smelt blood, for it does not have to do the killings but can plan, finance and coordinate them with impunity. (India Times, India)
Ban on Mithun films worries Shatrughan Jan 6, 2008
"Such bans will lead to growth of regionalism. You cannot ban Mithun's film in Bihar because he is a Bengali or Ravi Kishan's films because he is a native of UP," he told TOI over phone from New Delhi and added art and artists have no boundaries. He said the BJMPA members and the banned actors should sit together and sort out the differences. (Times of India)
The year that changed the world Jan 5, 2008
The Bengali nationalists in East Pakistan won a majority that the elite and key politicians refused to accept. Bloody civil war led to Indian military intervention and ended the old Pakistan. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Teater Koma to stage Evald Flisar's play Jan 5, 2008
" Nano said he contacted Flisar through is New York agent some seven months. The playwright is set to give a public lecture at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences of the University of Indonesia on Jan. 14. Born in Gerlinci, Slovenia on February 12, 1945, Flisar is known as a dramatic artist, novel and short story writer. He is also editor of the literary journal Sodobnost, published since 1933. Flisar studied comparative literature at Ljubljna University in Slovenia and English in London. He spent... (Jakarta Post, Indonesia)
Muslim anger in Bengal Dec 24, 2007
Muslims - Bengali and Urdu-speaking - are saying for the first time that they have had enough of communists and want to dump them. Their biggest grouse is that the CPM has taken them for granted. (India Times, India)
Chinese, British dancers to churn out "bahok" Dec 15, 2007
Bahok, a Bengali word meaning "carrier," includes four dancers from the National Ballet of China and five dancers from Akram Khan Company. It is being choreographed by Khan and this is the first time he will not be appearing in one of his own productions. (Xinhuanet, China)
Namesake: Mira Nair's beautiful, poetic cultural clash Dec 11, 2007
More than that, the adaptation of award-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri's debut novel of the same title, Namesake, brings out the unspoken wounds of a Bengali family struggling to survive its cultural root in the torrent of big city's life ... Although back in Calcutta, where Ashima and Ashoke come from, the baby must wait for its Bengali grandmother to give the name. (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- Features)
Beyond Bollywood: A focus on South Asian directors Dec 9, 2007
Based on Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Namesake tells of two generations of a migrant Bengali family living in New York. The film opens in 1970s Calcutta, where Ashoke and Ashima (Bollywood regulars Irrfan Khan and Tabu) are joined together in an arranged marriage before jetting off to New York City to begin their new American lives amid a series of culture clashes. (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- Features)
Current DVD Releases Dec 8, 2007
This deeply moving saga of several generations of a Bengali family focuses on the clash between an immigrant father from India and his son, who isn't particularly interested in the family's traditional ways. While the male roles dominate, the drama derives its strength from its complicated women. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Morrissey 'refuses to live in the UK because of immigration explosion'... Nov 29, 2007
In the mid-1990s he was accused of racism after wearing a Union Jack on stage and releasing the songs Bengali in Platforms and the ironically-named National Front Disco. The singer's supporters insisted he had been seeking only to reclaim the flag from extremists. (The Drudge Report)
Exiled Bangladesh author said hiding in New Delhi Nov 24, 2007
West Bengal has a large Muslim population and shares the Bengali language and much of the culture of Bangladesh. "I am a Bengali in mind... I want to stay here," Nasreen told AFP in September. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Macho vs mature Nov 4, 2007
It loves its Bengali language but has adjusted to Hindi in the same way as large parts of the world have imbibed American English. The custodians of Bangladesh don't like what they see and India's home ministry has a linear view of national security. (India Times, India)
Now 'Brick Lane' hits the big screen... despite the protests Oct 25, 2007
Chatterjee met Bengali women and spent time walking around Brick Lane to immerse herself in the Bengali-English cross culture. "Nazneen's story is universal to a lot of women I have met in Britain," she says. (East London Advertiser)
A 10-armed goddess charms a frenetic megalopolis in India Oct 22, 2007
"This is the Bengalis' safety valve, when they let loose, bring the city to a standstill, get away from work not that they do work for the rest of the year," he fumed, only half-joking. "It's ridiculous. Then this colossal waste of money." ( Mukherjee is Bengali. (International Herald Tribune)
Festival connects Indian-Americans to cultural roots Oct 21, 2007
Partha and Aparajita Sengupta, classically trained Indian vocalists, sang popular Hindi and Bengali songs. "If you think of local customs, this event is more like Thanksgiving," said Kumud Majumder, a 50-year-old former Stamford resident now living in New Jersey. (Stamford Advocate)
Bengali culture thrives in Pune Oct 20, 2007
PUNE: Pass by any of the major Bengali pockets in the city such as Vimannagar, Aundh, Khadki, Vishrantwadi or Lohegaon and its hard to miss the bouyant mood on the occasion of Durga Puja. Everything synonymous with the Bengali culture like food, music and cultural programmes have come alive with more than 20 major Durga Puja mandals scattered across the city ... According to the Bangiya Samsad, an association of the Bengalis, the communitys population stands close to 10 lakh, underscoring... (Times of India)
Delhi school kids echo their thoughts. Oct 10, 2007
No one will be known as a Hindu or a Muslim, a Bengali or a Marathi. We ll all have a one great name Indians. (Hindustan Times, India)
Swapan Dasgupta: Faith flashpoints Sep 23, 2007
There was a time when debunking Lord Ram wasnt merely the luxury of heretical preachers and contrarians like the Bengali poet Michael Madhusudhan Dutt. Despite the enormous appeal of Lord Ram as a divine maryada purshottam (ideal king), minority currents not only gleaned his human frailties but even saw virtues in his enemies. (India Times, India)
Monolithic diversity Sep 19, 2007
When we emphasize diversity, we box others into manageable schemas: He's an Orthodox Jew, he's a Bengali Hindu, she's a Spanish Catholic. And at Princeton, those lines which signify "diversity" are touted by the administration as a source of pride, a pride which trickles down to the wide-eyed incoming freshmen. (The Daily Princetonian, NJ)
Argentina commemorates somber anniversary of coup Aug 28, 2007
Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. With the resignation Monday of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the Bush administration faces its most daunting task: repairing the reputation of a Justice Department reeling from the controversy over the firings of nine U.S. attorneys last year. (Yahoo News -- Argentina)
South Asians overcoming division in Queens Aug 14, 2007
"We stay with Bengali, Paki, Indian," Taniya Mamun, 17, a Bangladeshi American, using a slang term for hanging out. Top Video. (Newsday -- New York City)
Bollywoods hegemony Aug 14, 2007
Aparna Sen, Rituparno Ghosh and Jahnu Barua have all made films in Bengali, Hindi and English but they are more talked about on the festival circuit than seen by a wider audience. National awards redress the injustice to an extent but ultimately, a film has to be seen by the audience even if it s a small, niche one. (Hindu)
Worldspace Radio Live on MSN India Aug 12, 2007
Users now can listen to their favourite music online," said Jaspreet Bindra, country manager India - online service group, Microsoft. "While music on the net is gaining popularity today, users in India do not have many radio stations online to listen to the music they love. Now, users in India can log on to MSN India and listen to music that is relevant to them," said Krishna Prasad, executive producer of MSN India. Musician par excellence and brand ambassador for Worldspace, A R Rahman, said,... (Techtree.com)
Digested read Aug 7, 2007
Bengali-style baked fish: Bengali food is quite different from other Indian regional cuisines. They use large amounts of eye-watering mustard. (Guardian Unlimited)
Celebrating unity in a diverse culture Aug 6, 2007
Though Banerjee and Basu are both Bengali by background, one of the things Banerjee values about IAGP is that it brings together all the diverse elements of the local Indian community, which is growing ... "When our parents immigrated here, they retained those divisions -- not because they wanted to be exclusive but because they were comfortable with people of similar backgrounds and wanted to hold on to their language and culture. IAGB gives us an outlet through which we second-generation... (Boston Globe)
Indian band plays fusion of folk and rock music Aug 2, 2007
"They can sing in English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, Aramaic. It's not your typical band; they are totally different and unique.". Rahul Ram, who plays bass guitar and sings vocals in the band, said the group's music is hard to describe but is a mix of fusion, jazz and folk. (Daily Collegian, PA)
Passion and Other Demons Jul 30, 2007
Emily Lobos homemade confectionery has a precipitous life in the era of mass-produced Britannia, her wines are patronised by Bengali youngsters who want a cheap substitute to the coffee in the party, Peter the Cheater, the local swindler, finds his pride dented when referred to as kaka, Sally finds her beauty best measured by para boys though fellow Anglo-Indian Bradley ignores her missives, Rosa goes to bed with the insurance policy seller and with a dream of freedom from Bow Barracks,... (Kolkata Newsline)
The time for answers is now: Tory Jul 26, 2007
In his 2006 report he stated that "in many cases, normal accountability and control provisions were reduced or eliminated to ensure the transfers would qualify for immediate expensing prior to the March 31, 2006, fiscal year-end." He reiterated this concern in his 2007 Review of the 2007 Report on Pre-Election Finances when he said there has been "a significant reduction of the normal accountability controls over these transfers. For example, the transfers bypass the normal, more rigorous... (Canada Newswire)
"Harry Potter" And Magical Realism Jul 21, 2007
(In the Indian fake novel, for example, he makes friends with a Bengali boy and tours India. Fans produce a worldwide stream of fiction set in the Harry Potter universe, each extending elements of the novels to reflect their own interests and preferences. (CBS News)
Cultural Center of India hosting fourth Taste of India Jun 21, 2007
Some of the languages spoken are Hindi, Urdu and Bengali. There are so many languages in India. (Petersburg Progress Index, VA)
Readerspeak on today's stories Jun 3, 2007
The writer has rightly stated that the ethnic Oriya Dishes have been hijacked by the powerful and vocal Bengalis. The famous "Rosogolla" though an ethnic Oriya Sweet, it has been globally been marketed as a Bengali sweet ... The cooks/ head cooks in Bengali hotels and hostel messes in Calcutta, are predominantly from Orissa, preparing typical Oriya food items including variety of fish curry, all branded as Bengali dishes. (India Times)
To Whomsoever It May Concern: Paintings and Installations by Probir Gupta May 21, 2007
At the base of the painting is a row of freedom fighters, each important in the history of Bengali resistance to English colonization ... The fighters are all nationalists from the first Bengali resistance: Sir Aurobindo, Subhash Chandra Bose, Rashbehari Bose, Benoy Badal and Dinesh, Maulana Azad, Master Surya Sen among others. (AbsoluteArts.com)
