Calcutta

It is hard to tell whether Bengali author Krishnagopal Mallick (1936-2003) wrote to celebrate homosexuality, shock bhadralok sensibilities, titillate those in need of erotic entertainment, or give free rein to his creative expression without caring about the reception. Rather than analysing his motivations, it might be more useful to examine what his writing stirs up in us. His fiction is now available in English translation, thanks to Niladri R Chatterjee, professor of English at Kalyani University, West Bengal.…

The cast of the upcoming film ‘Wonka’, which stars Timothee Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Olivia Coleman, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key and Simon Farnaby among others, got a chance to taste the popular Indian candy `Mango Bite` and their reactions suggest that they loved it. A video shared by Warner Bros. India shows Timothee Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Olivia Coleman, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key and Simon Farnaby trying the Indian candy. Chalamet likes the bright yellow and green packaging.To which,…

The cast of the upcoming film ‘Wonka’, which stars Timothee Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Olivia Coleman, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key and Simon Farnaby among others, got a chance to taste the popular Indian candy `Mango Bite` and their reactions suggest that they loved it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Warner Bros. India…

What aspect of early British construction in India did you find most remarkable? Historian Rosie Llewellyn-Jones (Courtesy the publisher) I found it interesting that so little had been written about it. There are books about architecture and various aspects of the East India Company, but not on the physical impact the Company had on India. There was nothing on engineering as such — the only book I could find was published almost 100 years ago on military engineering. I subsequently found that all the engineers…

A thought-provoking book, The Scientific Sufi takes readers on a journey through the life and experiences of Jagadish Chandra Bose. The title suggests that Bose believed in the coexistence of contrary things and the book itself is a profound exploration of the man’s personal growth, familial bonds, cultural influences, and dogged pursuit of knowledge. Meher Wan’s evocative storytelling leaves a lasting impact and his attention to detail immerses readers in Bose’s world. PREMIUM Jagadish Chandra Bose demonstrating…

What feels more rewarding – photography or writing? Writing. It was my first love after all. But photography has helped me through difficult times when I was unable to write. It’s not the themes in photography per se, but the act of it that it allowed an outlet at a time when I was very ill and words failed. Photography, for me, is a more instantaneous, more reactive. In a way quite opposite to writing where one has to first think of and then construct sentences of course, the hard part in photography comes later, while…

Siemens has signed a 3 billion euro ($3.25 billion) contract to supply and service freight trains in India, the German engineering company said, the biggest locomotive deal in its history. Siemens will deliver 1,200 electric locomotives and provide servicing for 35 years under the agreement, also its biggest ever in India. The Siemens-designed, 1,200-horsepower trains, with a top speed of 120 km (75 miles)/hr, will be assembled in the Indian Railways Factory in Gujarat state over the next 11 years, with deliveries…

An evocative collection of reflections first published as “middles” – those once ubiquitous “light” pieces nestled at the centre of the editorial page to provide relief from the political opinions -- in the newspapers of 1960s India, Nayana Goradia’s The Middle - A Story of Love, Life and Laughter sketches a far more genteel era than the present. The over 100 middles written at a time when social capital and credentials were overtly acknowledged also outline a world in flux where the colonial hangover endured even as…