Just About Everything

On my way back from work, I noticed the moon shining nice and bright, in fact it was a full moon day that day, so the moon looked even more beautiful. The sky was overcast so the moon's brightness was even more precious and lent the sky a lovely glow. Then within a few seconds some dark ominous looking clouds came in and covered the moon completely. I felt a bit annoyed at the intrusion. There I was enjoying the sight of the beautiful full moon only to be interrupted by the clouds!  After a few seconds, I saw the moon again, shining as brightly as ever, the clouds had passed. The moon looked just the same, almost as if nothing had happened. Well, scientifically nothing had, but it got me thinking. In our everyday life, so often we get into situations that are not of our making; these situations suck us into them and we get very affected by them. Overtime these issues and problems stress us out completely. So much so, that even after the problem gets resolved or ...

A workshop with so many idols! Kumartuli is the place to be if you are interested in sculpting. The work of these talented artists is indeed mesmerizing. Kumartuli (Kumortuli) is home to talented sculptors who sculpt the idols of Gods and Goddesses. Kumartuli is well-known for the Durga idols that the artists create in there. You will find the place abuzz with activities all through the year, but it reaches its peak during Durga pujas. Durga idols start getting sculpted almost five to six months before Durga Puja. Not only do the artists create idols for West Bengal and other states, the idols are also sent abroad. Kumartuli is located near Shobhabazar in North Kolkata, West Bengal. I am sharing some pictures of the beautiful sculptures that these talented artists create.                                         An artist at work at Kumartuli Durga Idol Durg...

Durga idol Durga puja is less  than a month away, and Kolkata is beginning to look festive. Shopping, which is so much an integral part of this festival, is now at its peak! Shops are now open every day of the week. Like every year, this year as well, the city is coming up with some very innovative and creative Durga puja themes and pandals. Can't wait to go pandal hopping! The part that I never get tired of repeating is how the city transforms during these 5 days in October every year. Everyone participates in this festival, it is more of a celebration of good things to come than a religious festival. Millions of people go pandal hopping. The city does not sleep during this time. Road side vendors sell delicious food all through the night; you will find crowds going pandal hopping even at 3 am in the morning! It is quite an amazing experience actually. You need to witness this once in a lifetime at least! What I like most about this festival is how it brings togethe...

Ratnagiri, Odisha India Bihar is the land of Viharas, and Uttar Pradesh is not behind either but not many of us know that Odisha also houses the remains of quite an extensive and sacred Buddhist complex dating back to the 3rd century BC. Tucked away in the greenery of Mahanadi basin, there are these imposing remains of a Buddhist monastery complex in Odisha. This complex is known as Pashupagiri and the three destinations are Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri, and Udaygiri. These points form the diamond triangle of Buddhist destination in Odisha. It is easy to reach these destinations. The nearest airport is in Bhubaneswar which is around 100 kms away, and the nearest railway station is in Cuttack which is 70 kms away from this triangle. Lalitgiri is the oldest out of the three sites, this site has the remains of several brick monasteries, votive stupas, a stone stupa (which has been renovated), and a lot of sculptures with inscriptions on them. This stone stupa is on top of a...