Discovering Kolkata for you in a different way

Career needs of GeNext

Ashish Bagla — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 10:09:08 +0000

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Monster monsoon - Pray for wind: Calcutta faces threat of bigger torrent in 48 hours

Ashish Bagla — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:50:16 +0000

The next 48 hours will decide whether Tuesday’s torrent was a crescendo or just a curtain-raiser.

A monster is hovering in the Bay of Bengal, unable to make up its mind whether to hit Calcutta or move elsewhere.

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Job given for 642 days a year - Facts of labour in NREGA records

Ashish Bagla — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:37:27 +0000

Matters of taste: Indians wake up to smoked food

Ashish Bagla — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 09:25:39 +0000

I don’t smoke, yet I love it. Just not tobacco and inhaled. What I love is the faintly acrid, aromatic woody tang of smoked salmon, smoked sausage, smoked cheese or Lapsang Souching, the Chinese tea that is smoked over pinewood. Smoking foods has to be done carefully since if it is too intense, it can be astringent and drown out other tastes. Ideally it should be a counterpoint, not blending in completely into the dish, but offering an equal contrast so your palate can go from the first shock of the smoke to the taste of the dish itself and then back to the smoky taste and back again.

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Daughter killed in dowry fear

Ashish Bagla — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 09:25:44 +0000

Boy in tug-of-custody tears

Ashish Bagla — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:32:59 +0000

Four months shy of his fourth birthday, Somsubhra Roy found himself at the centre of a heart-rending tug of love in a packed courtroom of Calcutta High Court. The boy’s tears were of no avail as the law took its course on Friday afternoon and he was handed over to his father following a protracted custody battle.

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India's Chinese community

Ashish Bagla — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 06:37:48 +0000

THE Chinese community in India is largely centred in Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) and has been a part of the city for two centuries.

Most of them are from the Hakka community and they specialise in shoe-making and leather-tanning.

The other members are of Cantonese stock and are mostly carpenters.

Kolkata's Chinatown is in an area called Tangra, which was once dominated by leather tanneries and is now known for its Chinese restaurants.

The community is also known for its dentists and hairdressing salons, which are patronised by Kolkata's rich and famous, says a report by news agency Inter Press Service.

It is reported that there are now 5,000 Indian Chinese living in Kolkata, where once there were 30,000.

Most of the residents have migrated to countries like the UK, US, Canada and Australia.

There was also a Chinatown in the city of Mumbai, but the population has decreased due to migration.

According to Mumbai-based tabloid Mid-Day, there are about 400 members of the Indian Chinese community still living in the city.

Smiling all the way to the Bank

Ashish Bagla — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 06:06:23 +0000

Preity Zinta’s dimpled smile is undoubtedly one of her best assets. And Dr Sunil Bhoolabhai, smile-care expert on the Femina Miss India panel, keeps it looking good. Most top Bollywood stars, including Karisma Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Madhuri Dixit and Kareena Kapoor, have had their smiles improved.

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TELL ME WHY DO CLOCK RUN CLOCKWISE

Ashish Bagla — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 05:52:30 +0000

Why do clocks run clockwise? Mechanical clocks were invented in the northern hemisphere by inventors who were trying to make models of the sun’s movement in the sky. To watch the sun from the northern hemisphere, you have to face south. Then the sun will rise on your left and pass over your head to set on your right. Since the hour hand on the clock was made to follow the sun’s motion through the sky, it moves from left to right over the top of the clock, that is, clockwise. The hands are modelled after the shadow on a sundial.

No mercy on even the unborn - Nandigram mother forced to give birth at home

Ashish Bagla — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 08:32:49 +0000

An unborn child bore the brunt of the Nandigram battle over land last night. Kamalini Das was stopped from going to hospital to deliver her baby, allegedly by Bhoomi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee activists, because her husband is a CPM supporter.

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