Travel and Lifestyle

Bengal’s Obsession for Festivities – 12 Months 13 Festivities Bengal is a place of culture and festivities. Although the world knows Bengal for its grand Durga Puja celebrations, Bengalis know how we began bracing ourselves for festivals that follow. Right after Maa Durga graces us with her coming, the sooner she leaves, we get over our sorrow of Her departure in just five days. In just five days, the city lights up again for the celebrations of Lokkhi Puja! The street is again crawling with people. The nooks and corners are again decked up with beautiful Maa Lokkhi idols. Chit-chatter and banters again fill up the surroundings. Oh, we are not finished yet! Brace yourselves, after you have fasted for Lokkhi Puja, adorned your homes with beautiful alponas, and savored delicious bhogs. Because it’s soon Kali Puja on the way! Wait! What is Kali Puja without Graveyard themed pandal and a creepy horror night of Kali Sadhna? Bengalis have a way of grandeur in all festivities and you can ...

Kali Puja and it’s facts: Kali Puja is a propitious Hindu festival dedicated to the Goddess Kali. Kali Puja is one of the biggest festivals that are celebrated mostly in the eastern part of the country. Nowadays, along with Durga Puja, Kali Puja is also one of the biggest festivals in West Bengal, Orissa, and Assam. As the puja takes place in the middle of the night, it is also known as Shyama Puja or Mahanisha Puja. Every year Kali Puja and Diwali fall on the same day or at times a day before Diwali. Kali Puja is celebrated to get blessings of Goddess Kali for general happiness, health, wealth, and peace and also to seek the help of her in destroying evil. It is believed that goddess Kali cut down all kinds of impurities and ward-off negative waves around us. Goddess Kali is an aggressive form of Goddess Durga, depicted with a fierce face. It is believed that Goddess Kali was born from the forehead of Goddess Durga to save heaven and earth from cruel demons. Goddess Kali is believ...

Ganesh Chaturthi | The Untold Story Also known as Vinayaka chaturthi, Ganesh chaturthi is a Hindu festival , but celebrated by everyone with equal enthusiasm & belief for Lord Ganesha. Typically falls in the month of August & September , the festival; is marked with the installation of Ganesh idols either privately at home or publically in form of pandals/mandaps. The preparation of the festival starts months in advance. Local Mandaps/Pandals are set in different areas that are funded by various individuals, groups, societies. The making of the idols starts with "Padya pooja" or worshipping the feet of Lord Ganesha. The "Lalbaugcha Raja" is the biggest Ganesh idol that is been made since years in Mumbai. Locations : 1. Mumbai 2. Pune 3. Tamil Nadu (Festival also known as Pillayar chaturthi) There are a lot of many places in India where this festival is been celebrated but at the above places the scale of celebrations is a little more! Stori...

Holi | The Untold Story Known as the 'Festival of colors' or the 'Festival of love' , Holi is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in India. It signifies the victory of good over the evil , also the arrival of spring & the end of the winter season. Celebrated under many names , Holi is a festival without any boundaries of caste , religion , gender , race , in which everyone is equal , & celebrates & enjoys the festival together. Holi is celebrated mostly in two days , different rituals are been followed for the same. Rituals associated with Holi : - Holika Dahan : This is the first event in the festival of holi ,where people gather wood & combustible material for a bonfire. The ritual has a story , which signifies the burning of evil & waking up the good in you. - Dhuleti / Dhulandi : The next day is celebrated as dhulandi , in which holi is celebrated using the colors (gulaal) & celebrated differently in different form at diff...

Untold Stories of Diwali | The Festival of Lights One of the biggest Hindu Festivals , Diwali also known as the festival of lights is also the festival of happiness & togetherness .It signifies the victory of Light over the Darkness , good over the evil , knowledge over ignorance , & hope over despair. Celebrations of the festival includes millions of lights shining on the housetops, outside doors & windows , happiness been shared among all the people around. It's not a festival only for a particular set of people , it's for all the people around you. Diwali means the row (awali) of clay lamps (deepas) which symbolizes the lighting that protects us from spiritual darkness , achieving knowledge from ignorance , love from hatred. Diwali is the celebration of inner light over the spiritual darkness , of the knowledge over ignorance & right over the wrong. It's a five day event : Day 1 : Dhanteras : On this day , the houses are cleaned , renovate...

Photography In The Age Of Social Media Online presence has become a must in the age of millennials. The distance between the real world and the virtual one is covered with one tap. What started as a medium of connecting people has transformed into a major source of revenue generation for many businesses, artists, sponsors, and so on. Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook are among the most widely reached platforms. Artists generally use these platforms to showcase their work in front of a larger audience. When it comes to street photography, social media is always a matter of conflict. On one side, social media is believed to be a staircase to fame. Rest prefer the offline world in receiving concrete offers. So, we are here to explore the role of social media in the field of street photography. What Is This Fuss All About? A large percentage of businesses are either online or they wish to take their business online someday very soon. Becoming insta-famous is one sort of achievement. ...

Eid: A Festival Of Togetherness Festivals are enough reason to put our regular lives on hold and have a little fun, meet those whom we never get a chance to meet otherwise, count on our blessings, and be grateful for everything. And the most prominent festival for the Muslim community, Eid al-Fitr, the symbol of peace and brotherhood, is here. In the year 2020, the world is learning new methods, simpler ways to find joy in life. Communal prayers are restricted this year due to the ongoing social distancing, extended families, relatives, and friends may not get together for the grand feast. Today is the day and we are still sitting at our homes. On one end we are held apart but the virtual world also keeps us close. Although we can’t take part in this festival as we planned, no one can stop us from talking about it, right? So, here we are, with more about Eid and what it is like to celebrate it in lockdown. Eid al-Fitr The ninth month in the Islamic calendar is the month of Rama...