Festive Indian thali with rice, curries, sweets, flowers, and oil lamps

Bhoger Khichuri & Labra: The Sacred Flavours of Durga Puja

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Epicurean Enigma4 Comments

Khichuri is more than a dish—it embodies the spirit of Durga Puja. The aroma of Gobindobhog rice, the comforting warmth of roasted moong dal, and the earthy goodness of labra prepared with the season’s freshest vegetables come together in a harmony that evokes home, devotion and celebration. At every puja pandal, this simple feast represents community, the abundance of autumn and the enduring Bengali custom of expressing love through food. A bowl of bhog is not merely a meal; it carries heritage, memories and the very flavour of Pujo.

Winding dirt path through autumn trees toward a village

কেন এই মহালয়া? মহালয়ার আসল গুরুত্ব কোথায়?

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Culture Weave4 Comments

শরতের ভোর, শিউলির গন্ধ আর বীরেন্দ্রকৃষ্ণ ভদ্রের সেই চিরপরিচিত কণ্ঠস্বর— “আশ্বিনের শারদপ্রাতে বেজে উঠেছে আলোক মঞ্জীর...” বাঙালির মনে সঙ্গে সঙ্গে বেজে ওঠে দুর্গাপুজোর আগমনী সুর। আমরা বলি, “শুভ মহালয়া!” কিন্তু কখনও কি ভেবে দেখেছি, মহালয়া কি শুধুই পুজোর আগমনী বার্তা? নাকি এর গভীরে লুকিয়ে রয়েছে পিতৃস্মৃতি, কৃতজ্ঞতা আর মানবিকতার আরও গভীর কোনও অর্থ?

Four people standing in a misty river at sunrise beside a flower-covered bank

Mahalaya: When the Soul of Bengal Awakens

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Culture Weave6 Comments

Mahalaya is more than the dawn of Durga Puja; it is the awakening of Bengal’s soul. Through Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s timeless voice, the fragrance of shiuli, the artistry of Maa Durga’s idols, and the sacred remembrance of our ancestors, we rediscover our roots. Wherever life takes us, Mahalaya reminds us that home is not merely a place, but an eternal feeling of belonging.

Dockworkers carry a barrel across a harbor gangplank beside a tall sailing ship.

Bengal Rum: From Drink to Currency That Shaped History

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Echoes of Time14 Comments

Sometimes history does not arrive with a trumpet. Sometimes it arrives quietly in a barrel. Bengal rum crossed an ocean as cargo and arrived in Australia as something far more powerful—money, influence, leverage, and eventually rebellion. What began as molasses and commerce became entangled with the making of a nation, reminding us that history often hides inside the most ordinary things.

Bengali autumn festival goddess arriving home

মায়ের বাপের বাড়ি: উৎসবের আয়নায় এক অন্য প্রতিচ্ছবি

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn ইন্দ্রবাণী4 Comments

দুর্গাপূজা শুধু উৎসব নয়, বাঙালির আবেগ ও শিকড়ের সঙ্গে জড়িয়ে থাকা এক চিরন্তন ফিরে আসা। কিন্তু সময়ের আয়নায় সেই চেনা উৎসবের ছবিই কি বদলে যাচ্ছে? এই তীক্ষ্ণ, ব্যঙ্গাত্মক কবিতাটি গণেশের অভিমানের মধ্য দিয়ে আমাদের সমাজ, উৎসব, মূল্যবোধ ও বিবেকের পরিবর্তনকে প্রশ্ন করে—আর মনে করিয়ে দেয়, অসুরবধ আজও প্রাসঙ্গিক।

Exploring Delhi: A Journey Beyond Hospital Visits

On By Judhajit RoychoudhuryIn Wandering Worlds10 Comments

What begins as a routine post‑surgery check‑up for my mother quietly transforms into an unscripted exploration of Delhi—its temples, bazaars, forts, and cafés unfolding one by one. With a caring local guide, family, and old friends shaping the days, the journey reveals a simple truth: sometimes it’s the broken sandals, blistered feet, shared meals, and unexpected pauses that matter far more than the monuments printed on any itinerary.

The Baghdad Beneath Baghdad: A City That Never Leaves You

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Wandering Worlds14 Comments

I went to Baghdad in 2007 as a banker, expecting banks, technology and work. Instead, I encountered a city layered with history—beneath blast walls, armoured vehicles and uncertainty. I came to know its people, its evenings, its Tigris, and slowly, another Baghdad emerged: the Baghdad of scholars, manuscripts and memory. I left Baghdad, but somehow, Baghdad never quite left me.

When the Himalayas Tremble: Nepal’s Devastating Flood & a Warning for South Asia

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Quiet Epiphanies14 Comments

A devastating flash flood in Nepal has once again exposed the fragility of the Himalayan ecosystem. An ice-and-rock avalanche unleashed a torrent through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, destroying homes, bridges and livelihoods. Beyond Nepal, the disaster carries a warning for South Asia: a warming Himalayas demands stronger cooperation, real-time monitoring, early-warning systems, and urgent action to protect vulnerable communities downstream

Climate justice protest with posters reading “PROTEST NOW,” “CHANGE IS OURS,” and phones displaying “VOICES UNITE.”

From Fire to Responsibility: Every Generation Wants to Change the World

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Quiet Epiphanies18 Comments

Every generation believes it is the first to wake up. Gen Z has hashtags and reels; earlier generations had pamphlets, placards and campus marches. The technology changes, but the impulse remains: to challenge what seems wrong and demand change. Yet rebellion is only the beginning. The real test comes later—when idealism meets responsibility, and slogans must become systems, institutions and lasting change.

Tasting the Himalayas: A Thakali Journey in Kathmandu

On By Tania SidharthaIn Epicurean Enigma14 Comments

There’s something magical about a Thakali thali in Kathmandu — it doesn’t just feed you; it grounds you. The buckwheat aroma, the ghee‑kissed dal, the tang of the achar, the slow comfort of the saag… it feels like the Himalayas decided to cook you a meal themselves. Kathmandu has many thrills, but that thali is the one moment where the city pauses, the traveller breathes, and the plate becomes a small, warm universe.