The character of “Durga” has haunted film audiences the world over. The actress who portrayed her had something of a tragic life herself. Sandip remembers Uma, as she now, like her character Durga, has died.

At the beginning of what will inevitably be a year filled with conflict and stiff, it’s a memorial service from the close of last year that reminds us how alike we all are.

Sandip Roy contrasts the Christmases of his childhood with the current revelry taking place in Kolkata.

“Music can’t work miracles” Zakir Hussain once said, but he certainly was a miraculous musician and collaborator. Zakir Hussain passed away in San Francisco on Dec. 15th, 2024.

‘Ol Chiki’ is a thousands year old language in Bengal, but has only been written down since 1925. Sandip Roy travels to an art biennial to find out more.

Salman Rushdie’s book Satanic Verses could, perhaps, FiNALLY be available in India. But with so many verses under the bridge will it matter?

Due to illness Sandip is forced to consider the world in his own backyard.

When we go on vacation we visit the sights, try the local cuisine, and buy a few souvenirs. But on a trip to Dhenkanal in the eastern Indian state of Odisha recently Sandip Roy saw the hands that make the craft. His friend Milena led them into the home of a weaver.

The 2024 Presidential Election has marked an irreversible cultural change in the U.S. Sandip Roy sees the connection in an unlikely symbol, the Postage Stamp.

Royal past meets the tourist future at India’s Palace Hotels. Sandip had a nostalgic visit to Dhenkanal in the Eastern state of Odisha.