Author: Tirthankar Mitra
Neglected and misunderstood during his lifetime, feted and acclaimed thereafter, a strange irony imbued the life and works of Ritwik Kumar Ghatak. Even as his memory and works are being drowned in accolades after he turned 100 this year, it is time to focus on the themes and questions which Ghatak’s films raised.
Winning the mayoral election of New York, Zohran Mamdani has charted a remarkable course. As the first Muslim and South Asian mayor, he will be the first immigrant to ascend the City Hall in nearly 50 years.
At a first glance, a war of words seems to be raging between Trinamool Congress and BJP leaderships in West Bengal in the run up to the 2026 Assembly elections in the state. But a second glance, longer and more searching at the two poll bound political outfits reveals the TMC leadership to be more focussed while the state saffron unit is yet to fix its priorities.
Predominance of caste system has been stated to be the bane of Bihar, but it’s forthcoming election is witnessing regional allies of BJP and Congress getting a lion’s share of seats lest the caste equation go awry. Keenly aware of the deciding role of caste in voting behaviour, the leadership of both the national level parties have left the constituencies reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates to the regional allies.
Never losing an opportunity of describing itself as “a party with a difference”, BJP leadership in Bihar has travelled the same path as the political outfits it seeks to distance itself from after it fielded Maithili Thakur at Alinagar seat. Thus it has set aside the claims of veterans by opting for Thakur, a singer, whose voice is one of the most recognisable in the digital age.
After flocking in droves to a meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union home minister Amit Shah and making a beeline for the podium, it seems the good times are over for these BJP leaders of West Bengal. No longer can they afford to be conspicuous by their absence at the house of a slain party activist or a vandalised saffron camp unit, post a directive from BJP’s central observer for West Bengal, Bhupendra Yadav.
Queen of hill stations, Darjeeling is in the news for the wrong reasons. It has been pushed to the edge of a precipice owing to unsustainable development, climate change and lack of institutional will to remedy matters.
Deep into the heart of North Kolkata lies Kumartuli, the hub of clay image makers of goddess Durga and her entourage. It is that time of the year for the Kumartuli artisans whose clay-smeared hands are at work day and night.
Top draw filmstars are very careful of their actions and image, but Robert Redford who passed away on 16 September was an exception. He worked hard to transcend his looks and image though wavy blond hair and boyish grin made him one of the most desired of leading men
United States of America has a long history of meddling in the affairs of other countries. It is worth recalling in the context of recent imposition of tariff on Indian goods