The Potion
When we were little, my brother and I dreaded falling ill. Not because of the fever that gave us chills or the cough that made our ribs hurt or a million visits to the bathroom that left us dehydrated. … Read the rest
Looking for my Ancient Religion in Uzbekistan
Still, I was in search of something more, something concrete, something material.
Last October, I walked on the trail of emperors.
Like most ogle-eyed tourists, I ping-ponged my way through different cities in Uzbekistan: Samarkand, Bokhara, Khiva, Nukus, Urgench, Margilon, … Read the rest
The Deoliwallahs: The untold account of the Chinese-Indians
Just after the Sino-Indian War of 1962, about 3,000 Chinese-Indians[note] Chinese migration to India began from the end of the 18th century, attributed to the legendary Tong Atchew whose real name was Yang Dazhao and who was supposed to … Read the rest
The Couple Who Built Sreenibas
Sreenibas, the house on Morabadi Hills in Ranchi, was built by my parents-in law, Dr. Woopendra Chowdhry and Sreemati Asoka Devi Chaudhurani.
My father-in-law belonged to the village Bhowanipur in the Jagannathpur district of Sylhet, a province now in Bangladesh. … Read the rest
The Assamese Connection: Bishnupriya, Gunabhiram and Swarnalata
I was around 9 or 10 when I first learnt that my mother’s thakurma (paternal grandmother) hailed from Assam, not Bengal as I had assumed, and that she shared a name with my mother’s maternal grandmother – Swarnalata. That information … Read the rest
Daddy: A Man of Many Moods
I wasn’t the midnight’s child, arriving three weeks later in 1947 when India was in the cusp of transition; many things had changed while some hadn’t. Politics was relatively straightforward; feelings and allegiances of ordinary men and women were far … Read the rest
The Turn of the Wheel: Suprobhat’s Story
Following is Suprobhat Bhattacharya’s story about what she had to endure while her husband was incarcerated:
In 1961 we were staying in No. 1 Ballygunge Maidan Camp. On April 4, I asked him to buy tickets for a cinema show … Read the rest
The Adventures of a Portrait
My parents were married in December 1934. As a wedding present they received a portrait of my mother from my Father’s Aunt Amy & Uncle Edwin.
Amy Durell who painted the watercolour portrait was a Royal Academician and an … Read the rest
The House I Was Born In
I often reminisce about my childhood, full of happy memories, not unusual for someone in her twilight years.
In December 2019 I had an occasion to visit the house where I was born. The changes made in the last two … Read the rest