The Panchmura Horse

The famous terracotta horse from Bishnupur has been widely recognized as the symbol of the artistic excellence of Indian rural handicrafts. It is in fact the official motif of the Central Cottage Industries Emporium.

This long necked horse is made by the artisans of Panchmura village about 10 kms from Bishnupur. These are generally brown in color and made of terracotta.

Baul

Baul are a group mystic socio-religious singers from Bengal. They form are a distinctive religios and musical tradition underlying which is the eternal theme of 'all men are equal' and 'love is the ultimate truth'. The tradition which has its roots in the Bhakti and Sufi movement is equally prevalent among Sufi Muslims and Vaishnav Hindus.

The One Horned Rhino

The Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary is the only place in present day Bengal where the one horned Asian Rhinoceros is found. This species of rhino which was once found all across Bengal in the districts of Darjeeling, Coochbehar, Maldah, Murshidabad and even in the Sunderbansa was, in fact, on the verge of extinction at one point of time as a result of indiscriminate hunting and loss of habitat.

The Bengali Kantha

Traditionally associated with rural Bengal, Kantha (pronounced Kaanthaa) is one of the most prominent of Bengal's embroidery and textile traditions. Kantha originally evolved as a form of blanket used during the bitter winter. Rural women would not throw away the old saarees and dhotis but would place them in layers, one on top of others, and stitch them together in simple running stitch to form a thin quilt to be used as blankets. Another important aspect was that the thread used to stitch the kantha would come from the edges of the cloth which is being used.

The Buxa Fort

The Buxa Fort is located at an altitude of 867 m in th Buxa Tiger Reserve. It was built by the rulers of Bhutan and was used by them to guard the trade route that passed through this area.

During the British Rule this was used as a high security prison and was the most notorious and unreachable prison in India after the Cellular Jail in Andaman. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was said to have been imprisoned here for some time. The prisoners had once wrote a letter to Rabindranath Tagore from this prison and the venerated poet had sent them a reply. The replicas of these letters enscribed in marble can be seen in the ruins of the fort.

The fort was last used by the police to keep the Naxal rebels during the Naxal rebellion in the seventies.

Only ruins of the fort can be seen today. What remains of the formidable fort and prison of the yesteryears are three small cells where prisoners were kept. We were lucky enough to spend a night in these cells.

This is one piece of our history which is very much worth preserving.

The Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"Let us use love and compassion to win the world" - Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa is one of the greatest champions of peace and charity the world has ever seen. Born to Albanian parents as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, she came to Kolkata in 1931 as a teacher. But soon she was so moved by the sufferings of the poor ans especially of the children and the lepers on the city's streets, she started working in order to help them and to raise awareness and consciousness around the city about those who were not as blessed as te most of us.

Her voice slowly was gradually heard across the city and the country and in some time she became the Mother of the whole world.

She formed the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and devoted her life to the poor and the needy. The mission of the Sisters of the mission is to help the poor and the needy. The Sisters dressed in blue-bordered white saarees have become a symbol of hope all over the world. The Missionaries have centers all across the world.

Mother Teresa recieved the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the Bharat Ratna in 1980 for her humanitarian work.

Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II following her death and was given the title the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

The Bridges across the Hooghly in Kolkata

The Howrah Bridge is one of the most popular landmarks and symbols of the city of Kolkata which can only be matched by the Victoria Memorial. This bridge, inaugurated in 1943, is one of the busiest bridges in the world with over 80,000 vehicles and more than 10,00,000 pedestrians crossing it everyday. It was built with 26,500 tonnes of steel. It is a suspension type bridge with a central span of 457 m, the two towers being 85 m high. It was renamed as the Rabindra Setu in 1965. The influence of this bridge on popular culture and the tourist map of Kolkata is huge; in fact a major movie had been named after it.

Completed in 1992 after 20 years of construction the Second Hooghly Bridge or the Vidyasagar Setu, this is one of the world's largest cable-stayed bridges with a length of 457.2 m.

The Vivekananda Setu (erstwhile Bally Bridge) was built in 1932 as a multi-spanned steel bridge much before the Howrah Bridge near Dakshineshwar. This is further upstream from Kolkata.

The 880 m long Nivedita Setu about 50 m downstream of the Vivekananda Setu was inaugurated in 2007.

The Jainti Mahakaal

The Jainti river valley in the Buxa Tiger Reserve is one of the most beautiful and sere places in the country. The river Jainti zigzags through the hills of the tiger reserve. Apart from the beauty of the place and numerous birds which makes it a favorite of the bird watchers, the Jainti River Valley is also famous for the shrine of the Jainti Mahakaal.

A Mahakaal is generally referred to the Shrine of the Lord Shiva in the Hills of the Himalayas. These caves are mostly hard to reach and very small. The Jaini Mahakaal is no different. In order to reach the cave formations where the abode of the Lord is, you need to do a steep climb of about a thousand feet from the river bed.

The stalactite and stalacmite cave formations have several caves the most important being that of the Mahakaal, the Mahakaali and Paglaa Baba. The Mahakaal cave is a very small one and to enter it is in itself an ordeal. The opening to the cave is so small that if you do not follow specific steps while entering and coming out, you can get stuck in a very awkward position. While entering the cave, first your left hand, then you head, after that your left leg, right hand and at last your right leg should go in otherwise you are doomed. Its the other way when you come out.

The priest who used to worship the deity when we went there in 2007 would sit there day long and bless the pilgrims to the shrine. When I saw the place I was awed by the nature of it and asked him, "Baba, how old is this place? Since when is the Mahakaal being worshipped here?" I had thought that he would say something around a hundred or a thousand years but the answer was "Since the Satya Yuga." Now that is an answer.

This place is very popular among the trekkers in the region. It is also accessible to the casual visitor from Rajabhaatkwaowa.

The Story of Satyajit Ray, Ramesh Sippy and Sholay

This is a story I heard somewhere but I do not remember the source. I was told it in such a way that I tend to believe that it is true, in fact it was claimed to be a true story. But I, until this point, have not had the resources or the determination to find the trutth behind the story for myself. I must, however, admit that I like the story the way it is and if I come to know that it isn't true, I shall be sad because the story is some kind of a hero worship for me.

It is about the renowned film maker Ramesh Sippy when he came to visit the master of them all, Satyajit Ray in Kolkata.

Ramesh Sippy had just made the best movie of his career, Sholay. With the release of Sholay, the whole of India was caught in a frenzie never seen before. It was a blockbuster the likes of which was never to be seen again in Bollywood. It was the making of a megastar: with this film Amitabh Bachhan had become the heartthrob of millions. It was also the flm to give Bollywood the most notorious villain in its history. Amjad Khan had made a sensational debut. Dharmendra, the big star as he was had delivered one of his best performances and so did Sanjeev Kumar. There was not a flaw to be seen in the movie. Everyone was watching it over and over again and Ramesh Sippy was the proud creator of the masterpiece of his career.

Sippy had come to Kolkata on a business trip. He decided to visit Ray, the biggest and most respected figure in the entire Indian film fraternity. Sippy was tentative and nervous about meeting Ray but he was truly surprised to find the man comfortably approachable. They talked for some time about many things. Finally with some effort, Sippy managed to ask Ray the question he wanted to aak. He said, "Sir, I have just made a movie named Sholay. ave you seen it?"

"Yes."

"Did you like it Sir? I would definitely like to know what you think of it."

"You have made a good movie Mr Sippy but there is a problem with your film."

Sippy was taken aback. There was a problem with Sholay? No one had told him that. The whole country was watching the movie. "What Sir?"

"This is a film in present day India about a village in Central India infested by bandits and dacoits, right Mr Sippy?"

"Yes Sir. Absolutely."

"Do you think there is electricity in those parts? I don't believe you do. You have yourself shown Radha the daughter-in-law of the Thakur lighting oil lamps in the evening. Haven't you?"

"Yes Sir. I have."

"Then, Mr Sippy, how do you think water is pumped into the huge water tank at such a height where you showed Veeru jumping around trying to commit suicide?"

Sippy was awed by the observation power and the minuteness with which Ray noticed avery single detail of a film. He said, "I am flattered by the fact that my film is lucky enough that you have seen it with so much interest." Thank you Sir for your feedback."

I think this is a true story at least the essence of it, if not all the words which I have placed just to make it coherent and readable.

The Hills of Purulia

Purulia is a district which is different from the rest of the state of West Bengal. It is situated almost entirely in the Chhotanagpur plateau. The land is not fertile and in many places barren. There are hills all around but the natural beauty is exquisite. It has always been the favorite tourist spot for Bengalis. For the adventurous Purulia is an ideal place to visit. Equipped with a tent, sturdy shoes and other trekking equipments, Purulia can be the ameteur trekkers's paradise.

A major tourist attraction is the Ayodhya Hill (700 m) which is loacted 42 kms from the town of Purulia. It is popular among trekkers and mountaineers. Sitakund is a small lake at the foot of the mountain. Legend has it that during theeir 14 year exile, Lord Rama and Sita had come here and when Sita was thirsty, Rama stabbed an arrow into the ground and water sprung from the ground to form this lake.

Kairabera is a place where there is a reservoir and a hill. The beautiful lake Murguma is the prime attraction of this place. Around six hours by foot from Murguma are the tribal villages of Jering sering, Mamudi and Loya. Purulia has the second highest tribal population in the state after Jalpaiguri, the main tribes being Santhals, Bhumji, Kheria and Shabar.

Joychandipahar, 45 kms from Purulia town is a major rock climbing destination. Mayur pahar, Bamni Falls, Matha Falls and Gorpanchokot are other places of interest.

The Bishnupur Gharana - The only Classical Gharana from Bengal

Bishnupur Gharana traces back to the classical dhrupad singer Ustad Bahadur Khan of the Senia Gharana established by the legendary Tansen of Emperor Akbar's court. Ustad bahadur Khan was brought to Bishnupur Raghunath II of Bishnupur in the early 18th century. Pir Baksh, maestro who played the mridanga or pakhawaj followed suite. Under these two great musicians, bothe vocal and classical instrumental music flourished in the court of Bishnupur and in course of time their disciples graced the courts of princes and nobilities throughout eastern India.

Gokul Nag of the Bishnupur Gharana : Image Credit

In the 19th century with the advent of the Brahmo form of religion in Bengal, the Bishnupur Gharana under the patronage of the this new religion. Dhrupad became a way of worship of the 'formless God' of the Brahmo people.

When Maharshi Debendranath Tagore formed the Brahmo Samaaj he patronised several musicians of this gharana. This gradually led to the formation of a branch of the Bishnupur Gharana of music at the Tagore residence at Jorasaanko. Ram Shankar Bhattacharya and Jadunath Bhattacharya (or Jadu Bhatta) were the most eminent among this group of artists. Jadu Bhatta had composed the music of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's Vande Mataram which became the rallying cry of the Indian freedom struggle.

The Bishnupur Gharana had huge influence on the music of the great Rabindranath Tagore.

Dakshineshwar Kali Temple and Belur Math

To the north of the city of Kolkata is the spiritual escape for the city crowd - the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple and the Belur Math.

The Dakshineshwar Kali Temple was built between 1847 and 1855 by the famous Rani Rashmoni. It is built as a temple complex on the banks of the river Hugli. Other than the central temple to the Goddess Kali, there is the Radha Krishna temple and the twelve Shiva temples as well.

The temple was made famous by its priest Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa who was considered as an avatar or divine incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself. He is a figure of high cultural, religios and spiritual importance in Bengal.

Ramakrishna's disciple Narndranath Dutta who later took sannyaas and became renowned throughout the world as Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda introduce the Vedanta philosophy and Yoga to the Western world through his tours in America and Britain in the last decade of the nineteenth century. He stirred the Western audience like never before, specially at his first speech in the World's parliament of Religions in Chicago, who at the time was facing a spiritual identity crisis as a result of rapid growth in wealth and materialism as a result of the industrial revolution.

He later came back to Kolkata and built a temple to his Guru, Shri Ramakrishna on the opposite bank of the Dakshineshwar temple on the Hugli river. The temple was made into the Global headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, a social and spiritual organization which has its branches all across the globe.

The Belur Math in itself is an architectural masterpiece as it contains Hindu, Christian and Islamic elements in it in order to convey the philosophy of unity of all religions and of a universal faith as preached by Ramakrishna.

The Annual festivals of Santiniketan

An educational institute as it is, the site of the Viswa Bharati University in Santiniketan is famous for its annual seasonal cultural festivals. All of these festivals were started by the Tagores. These festivals are the celebrations of the different seasons of Bengal and of the cultural fabric of rural Bengal. There are sevral such festivals out of which the Poush Mela and Basanta Utsab are the most prominent.

Poush Mela is the Winter Festival of Santiniketan. It begins on the twenty-seventh day of the Bengali month pf Poush usually December 22/23 to mark the foundation day of Santiniketa. The fetivites start with a community prayer with Vedic hymns and writings by Rabindranath Tagore and his father Maharshi Debendranath Tagore being read aloud. Well known bengali artists and students of the university sing Rabindrasangeet ( songs composed by Tagore ).

The graduation and other award giving ceremonies of the different educational units of Santiniketan including Patha Bhavan, Shiksha Bhavan etc are held on the second day.

At the fair irself, the stage is never quiet. Baul songs, kirtans and other forms of music and dancing from Bengal are performed by folk artistes, students and many eminent artists from Kolkata.

Magh Mela is another important annual festival of Santiniketan. It is usually celebrated between february 6-8 each year in the celebration of the foundation of Sriniketan, a rural reconstruction and industrial center set up by Tagore in 1922. A rural handicrafts fair at Sriniketan is the high point of this festival.

The most beautiful and popular Basanta Utsab is the climax of the seasonal celebrations of nature and the culture of Santiniketan and Bengal and India as a whole. It is the Spring Festival of colors started by Tagore and celebrated on the day of Holi in March. This festival has transformed into one of the biggest cultural events of Bengal and draws crowds from all across the globe.

Students, alumni and teachers all dressed in the beautiful Baashonti (yellow) color play Holi, the festival of colors in celebration of the vibrant colors of nature in Spring. Abeer (gulaal in Hindi or colored powder ) of many colors is smeared at everybody and all around.

As is the tradition for all cultural events of Santiniketan, music is the underlying essence of the Basanta Utsab as well. Baul, kirtan and Rabindrasangeet and Rabindrnrityo ( dancing to the tunes of Tagore, dance form introduced by Tagore ) is performed all around.

Shantiniketan - The Abode of Peace

Shantiniketan was established by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, the father of the renowned poet Rabindranath Tagore. He had found the place very peaceful and named it Shantiniketan which means the abode (niketan) of peace (shanti).

Rabindranath Tagore established his school Patha Bhavana here as a Gurukul on the ideals of the Guru Shishya Parampara of ancient India. The underlying principle of the school is eduction in a natural environment.

Later on when Tagore received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetic masterpiece Gitanjali i 1913, he developed the school into a university in 1921 and named it Viswa Bharati.

This is what Tagore himself had to say on Viswa Bharati, "Viswa Bharati represents India where she has her wealth of mind which is for all. Viswa Bharati acknowledges India's obligation to offer to others the hospitality of her best culture and India's right to accept from others their best."

Mahatma Gandhi had once said, "If you have not seen Gurudev's Viswa Bharati then you have not seen India."

Some of the many notable alumnis of Patha Bhavana and Viswa Bharati are Satyajit Ray, India's greatest movie director, Indira Gandhi India's first woman prime minister and Noble laureate Amartya Sen.

Hill Schools - An Educational Tradition

Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong in the hills of Darjeeling have been home to some of finest schools in the country since the ninetinth century. These schools originally built by the British and Indian nobility by the ruling British in the lines of the aristrocratic private schools like Eton, Rugby and Harrows in Britain.

As the beautiful hill towns of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong started to develop as summertime residences for the British and Indian aristrocracy, the need for good schools for children emerged.

St Paul's School was first built in Calcutta (present Kolkata) in 1823 but later relocated to Darjeeling in 1864. It is Asia's one of the oldest schools and one of the most reputed schools in India.

Several schools came up one by one like Loreto Convent (1846), St Joseph's College ( 1888) and Mount Vermon School (1895).

Dow Hill (1879) and St Helen's School (1890) were set up for girls and Goethal's Memorial School was set up for boys in 1907 in Kurseong.

From the low and steamy plains 'Upward!' the old school calls;

Come share our joys and pains,

Come mould your lips and brains;

'Upward!' the old school calls.

- From the School song of St Paul's, Darjeeling

Sandakphu - The Highest Peak in Bengal

Sandakphu at a height of 3,636 meters is the highest peak in West Bengal. It is situated in the northernmost. It derives its name from a Lepcha phrase which roughly means ' the height of the poison plant'. Such a name is due perhaps to the profusing growths of the poisonous aconite plants in this area. It is situated in the Singalila National Park in the West Bengal - Sikkim border.

Beautiful flowers like magnolias, rhododendrons, primulas and many other sub-alpine flowers bloom in this region. This is home to over 600 species of orchids, probably the highest number of different varieties to be found in a single geographical location anywhere in this world.

Sandakphu, 58 kms from Darjeeling can be reached either by 10 hour trek or a 2-3 hour ride from Maanebhanjan (2,134 km). Sandakphu's location makes it ideal for viewing the mountain peaks of the Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and the beautiful Kanchenjangha. This makes Sandakphu one of the hottest and most scenic trekking destinations in the country. The 21 km long trek route from Sandakphu to Phalut (3,600 m) on the Singalila ridge is one of the best in the country.

The best time to trek is from March to May and from September to November.

Trek Route (10 - 12 days)

Route Distance (in Kms)

______________________________________

Siliguri - Ghoom * 73

Ghoom - Maanebhanjan * 18

Maanebhanjan - Tonglu ** 11

Tonglu - Kalipokhri ** 12

Kalipokhri - Sandakphu ** 08

Sandakphu - Phalut *** 21

Phalut - Singalila Pass ** 06

Singalila Pass - Chiyabhanjan ** 09

Chiyabhanjan - Uttrey ** 10

Uttrey - Dentum ** 07

Dentum - Pelling ** 21

Pelling - Jorethang * 51

Jorethang - Siliguri * 85

______________________________________

* Bus/Jeep

** Trek

*** This stretch is uninhabited and must be covered in a day

Uday Shankar : Pioneer of Modern Indian Dancing

Uday Shankar (1900 - 1977) often credited as the pioneer of modern Indian dancing was a world renowned classical dancer and choreographer. He was the pioneer of Indo-Western fusion music. He adapted the modern Western techniques into his dance form and took Indian classical dancing to a new level.

Uday Shankar did not have any formal training in dancing and his art was largely self educated from the different dance forms prevalent in India during the times, Mughal frescoes and rajput paintings and largely influenced by Western ballets. He brought both Western and Indian styles into a new dance form which he later called 'Creative dancing' which became widely popular in the West as well as in India.

His association with the legendary Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova gave the Indo-Western masterpieces like 'Radha-Krishna' and 'Hindu Wedding'.

He toured Europe and America for several years with his dance troup named 'Uday Shankar and his Hindu Ballet'. This made him immensely popular in the West and acclaims back home.

He married Amala Shankar with whom he made his only movie named Kalpana or imagination where he showcased his art form.

In the later half of his life he was awarded with the second highest civilian award by the Government of India in 1970.

His brother Ravi Shankar, the great musician, is credited for introducing and popularising Indian music in the West.

Folk Dances from Bengal

Bengal is a land of music, dance, literature, theatre, artists and many other forms of art.

The colors of rural life in Bengal ca be glimpsed in the different folk dances from different parts of West Bengal.

Chhau, which is perhaps the most famous among all folk dance forms from Bengal, is a masked martial dance form from the district of Purulia.

Natua is another acrobatic tribal dance from Purulia. This is widely practised in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand.

Tusu is a tribal dance popular in Purulia and Medinipur. It is a harvest dance performed by both men and women.

Raibenshey is a martial dance usually performed by groups of 15 men in the districts of Bardhaman, Murshidabad and Birbhum.

Stilt dancing is popular in many parts of Bengal in which rural people dance on bamboo stilts to the rythm of the dhol.

Another beautiful dance form is the Gambhira from the district of Maldah. This performed during the Charak festival in the months of April May just before the rainy season.

Santhali dance is a widely popular dance form among the tribals in the Purulia district and also among the tribal workers in the tea plantations of Darjeeling and jalpaiguri districts.

Maidan : The Lungs of Kolkata

The large area around the Fort William right upto Chowringhee is known as the Maidan or field. The initial European settlements were built facing the Maidan in the model of the Hyde Park in London.

The first organized cricket match of the Calcutta Cricket Club established in 1792 was palyed here in 1804. Eden Gardens was established as the permanent cricket field in 1864. It is the oldest cricket ground in India. The Eden Gardens is one of the best and largest cricket stadiums in the world and is reknowned for the huge number of spectators, at times over a hundred thousand people, who come to see cricket matches here. Situated next to the Eden Gardens is the Netaji Indoor Stadium with a seating capacity of 12,000.

Maidan is also the place where the famous and hugely popular footbal clubs of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are located. Thoroughout the year, Maidan remains busy with different kinds of sporting activities, specially domestic cricket and club football. Maidan is the Mecca of Indian football.

Apart from its prominence as the major sporting center of the city, Maidan is also the place where most of the greenery of the city of Kolkata is. This is where the city breathes. This is where the city folks come for an evening stroll in the Garer Maath to breathe in some fresh air in a city otherwise suffering from huge air pollution. Whether you take a joyride in a horse drawn tonga, gulp in a few delicious phuchka or just sit down in the lush green grass fields just to lament, this is where the bustling city life takes a breather.