Kusti by the Hooghly | Traditional Indian Wrestling in Kolkata
Kusti is India’s traditional form of wrestling that dates back over three thousand years. But it’s much more than just the sport of wrestling. Along with it comes a strict…
383 Bose Lane, Kolkata, India
...there was no doubt that Calcutta produced more writers than Paris and Rome combined, more literary reviews than London and New York, more cinemas than New Delhi, and more publishers…
Of Entrances and Exits – What’s Behind the Green Door?
Affairs are easier of entrance than of exit; and it is but common prudence to see our way out before we venture in....Aesop The stairs, the shaft of light, and…
The Rickshaw Wallahs of Kolkata, India
For most of us, it is difficult to watch a person being used as a beast of burden pulling another person and their belongings. It seems inhumane, all the more…
Images of India – Catching Up on the Morning News
A Kolkata man sits in front of his shop reading the morning newspaper. People in this huge country seem to be very interested in current events and politics and the newspaper is their main source of…
Images of India – Talk About Hard Work
The wholesale produce market in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India is in an ancient, cavernous building filled with vendors along narrow aisles. The produce arrives at the market by truck packed in huge…
Images of India – Rickshaw Wallah
A hand pulled rickshaw is probably one of the oldest forms of taxi service. Although using humans as beasts of burden is illegal throughout most of the world, including India, rickshaw…
Durga Puja, the Worship of the Hindu Goddess Durga, Returns to Calcutta, India (part 2)
The Durga Puja (Pujo in Bengali) is celebrated in various parts of India in different styles, but not on the grand scale of the Festival in Calcutta. This year's celebration will be…
Weekly Photo Challenge: Solitary
Finding a few moments of solitary time in crowded Kolkata, India, a city of over 15 million people is no easy task. But this man has done just that. He…