Durga Puja: Religion, history, literature and festival culture of Bengal
At the outset, let us correct one misconceptions that have long been repeated. That is-- Durga Puja should be called Sharadotsav, or the autumn festival.
Malaychandan Mukhopaddhay
Poet and essayist
Poet and essayist
Centenarian luminary
"All who are born must die; who has ever lived forever?" These immortal lines by the great Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt remain an eternal reminder of the inevitability of death. Although we all know that human beings are mortal, we often choose to forget this fundamental truth. This is precisely why Yudhishthira's famous observation in the Mahabharata remains profoundly relevant:
Ascending to throne with father's blood-stained legacy
When I think about Bangladesh's honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, I am filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, I feel elated, thinking about how she has taken such a small South Asian country to great heights through her unwavering dedication.