ChinmayC Blog

In an unprecedented stampede at a Kolkata Durga Puja pandal last night, the 17 th of October 2026, at least 19 people have lost their lives with many injured being treated in the city hospitals. Good things only have always been said about the incredible Durga Puja festival in the state of West Bengal, particularly in the city of joy Kolkata. And there’s nothing to doubt about in this regard: the display of the idols ( thakur ) and the pandals in an unbelievable richness of themes and creative designs across almost all the streets and lanes of the city; the famous big Pujas installing the idols just a day or two after Mahalaya so as to ensure the unending footfalls hence; and the music stages, the food-selling or the variety-store stalls also installed along with all the other items signifying a mouth-watering fair that continues for at least a week, day and night. So, huge crowds, from all corners of the city, from the state and even from other states of the country descend on the...

You’d likely find the rather interjectory title above preposterous, absurd or even a bit offensive. And you’d probably be very right too; for you might be intensely aware of the joys of kulhad tea in the northern states of the country like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar among others or bharer cha of West Bengal among other eastern states—both of which varieties mean steaming milk tea served in earthen or clay cups. You might also angrily retort by saying ‘come winter and you show me the way without the steaming hot milk tea for company’! I heartily second your opinion and your taste buds, because I too am all for the cups of milk tea—be it on the street corners or at home. However, I still have my concerns and fears that are based on my experience in the last few years. But of course, I don’t have empirical data to justify my fears which ultimately may be termed as totally subjective. Whatever it is, I must elaborate my point.   I’d first concentrate on my home state Assam , though...

I never had the slightest element of doubt about the professionalism and fair practices of the fish markets of the great city. Those markets have always been places of joy for the fish eaters, not only for the rich assortment of the fishes—from the biggest to the smallest varieties—but also for the unfailing freshness and taste of the fishes. The priciest is almost always the most coveted Hilsa or the Ilish which is never less than a thousand bucks per kg and going upward depending on the size. The next local attraction is the Katla the cut pieces of the biggest size of which usually cost from four hundred to five hundred per kg—on the busy Sunday the prices hit the upper ceiling. Taking into account other fishes like Rohu and the smaller ones the markets somehow manage to fit everybody’s budget, except of course, for the highly spirited locals who prefer to go for the Ilish or the rather scarce and equally pricey Bhetki varieties only come what may, i.e. the money in their pock...

  Call it population explosion, focused development, urbanisation or congested residential buildings and offices, every place in India has been becoming real tough for people to move around whether in cars, bikes, autos & rickshaws, public transport or even while walking , barring perhaps the countryside and the farmhouses, if you’re lucky. You could be better placed for peaceful walks if you happen to live near parks , lake gardens, playgrounds and the like; however, even parks are often crowded thanks to the increasing number of likeminded people as you in search of peaceful walks along with some mental exercises too. Else, your options are extremely limited. The moment you step out of your house into the roads or small lanes all sorts of hurdles surround you: the bikes rushing at you from all sides as if the bikers were the busiest souls on earth, also having a fascination for shortcuts to make it faster; cars inside which the drivers think more like the opportunistic b...

  VVIPs are undoubtedly the highest privileged class possible in India , if not in many other countries too. VIPs are a bit lower in the ladder and they aim at qualifying fast for the path to the immeasurable favors adorning the highest class. With much easier access to big money these two privileged classes are mushrooming, pushing the ‘useless commoners’ to the lowest possible depth of deprivation and the consequent depravity. Any celebrity, be it the sports stars, the movie stars, the politicians or the industrial/commercial giants or the most powerful bureaucrats or even the organizers who always rub shoulders with the former segments, becomes a VIP and with more efforts involved in the process becomes the VVIP. Nothing is impossible for the VVIPs: want to enjoy a big event at your convenience for which the useless commoners, obviously, express the primary craze along with paying for it? No problems! You can have a darshan any time any day, just express your intention to the ...

His house was less than hundred meters from ours and in the same lane, that is to say, in the immediate neighborhood, and therefore, he could pass as one of our neighbours in the strictest sense. However, our relations with him hadn’t been as good neighbours, it was a doctor-patient relationship . Per our information he rented this flat for his practice while his family lived in the parental house in a nearby locality. Unless in an emergency, he went back to his family every night. At times, his wife and son came over to live with him. The flat is a one-bedroom affair: a small lobby greets you in from the main door and as you turn to your right to enter his little chamber you find straight ahead the kitchen slab which looks hardly ever used staring at you while the room on your left you’re sure is the bedroom; as you pass the door of the chamber you find a few chairs and a table propped up against the wall on your right and in front is the interior of the room containing the doctor’s p...

Yes! We ask why shouldn't the pure Commerce show of the Durga Puja Carnival in Kolkata be canceled in view of the worsening medical crisis? For how long this cruel irony of continuing the worship of the Mother Goddess and continuing to torture/kill the Mothers in human forms going to continue?  Greed, limitless greed of humans! Dear God! This time Goddess Durga came in a cradle which in itself implies ominous times, and further, the tithis from Mahasaptami onward came mixed in such a way that you get three days of worship, technically. Yet, the greedy and selfie-social-media-crazy crowds of 'devotees' were still not satiated, descending on the Puja pandals in uncontrollable hordes for as long as seven days, and to pander to their greed and to have the maximum of business, most of the Puja organizers disregarded the tithi break-up completely and have been celebrating Bijoya Dashami or the Dussehra well into Ekadashi, the eleventh day! They expect the hordes to descend tonigh...

It’d be wrong if I say I’ll never be able to forget about that particular near-dawn while nestled inside a crammed flat in a congested locality of Kolkata, which was once, in my opinion, given the euphoric title of ‘City of Joy’. Instead, I should say I’ll always remember that particular near-dawn which is essentially to keep myself somewhat prepared for more similar or worse experiences in the near future. Yes, it’s about the IMD-described ‘one of the longest and deadliest summers in India’ of which Kolkata is a very significant part. Now to what happened in that near-dawn which is, in fact, is only a day before .   I woke up suddenly in the dead of the night and immediately felt the oppressiveness which was apparently the cause of waking up. The ceiling fan was whirring above us, my wife and I; but its gusts of air were no longer airy—it only seemed to have lost itself into the relentless clutch of that oppressiveness. I was sweating profusely and the heat rashes all over my bo...

With just four league matches to go the three Playoff slots in the IPL-2023 are still open for grabs, only Gujarat (GT) having already secured the top slot. Thanks to their abandoned match due to rain Chennai (CSK) and Lucknow (LSG) are in some advantage, with 15 points each after sharing a point each. We think this gives bit of an edge to the two teams, because even if they lose their last matches they could still go through depending on what Bengaluru (RCB) and Mumbai (MI) do. But the dangers are also equally palpable. With 14 points each, if RCB and MI win their last matches they will straightaway enter into the Playoffs leaving only one slot to others and in that scenario either LSG or CSK will get thrown out, based on the net run-rate (NRR). And if CSK gets eliminated that’d be shattering for the MS Dhoni fans who’ve been celebrating the former India captain with the speculation rife that this could be his last IPL—the scenes were really evocative in Chennai when CSK marched aroun...

First, of course, let’s talk about the cricket star born last night in the match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the 56 th match of IPL-2023. His name is Yashasvi Jaiswal who raced to the quickest ever fifty in IPL history taking just 13 balls and then going on to remain unbeaten at 98 off 47 balls to help his team RR win in style. Aged only 22, the southpaw opening batsman Jaiswal has humble origins—from a poor family in Uttar Pradesh—coming to Mumbai to train in cricket at the age of just ten and then struggling there for years, with no place of stay and doing gigs in dairies and paani puri shops. To make this cricketing dream come true he then started living in a tent with the cricket grounds men till he was noticed by a Mumbai training academy for his talent. He has several feats in first class cricket as the youngest player ever, playing for Mumbai in domestic cricket and he started his IPL stint from the year ...

The ‘home’ perception and the celebrations thereof owe their origins to the naming of the competing franchises since 2008. Most of the franchises are named after major cities of the country like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru etc. and one or two after the source state like Rajasthan Royals. Obviously, it’s always been expected that the cricket lovers of those cities or states would ideally be the supporters of the ‘home’ team and show full loyalties as respective fans (However, it’s not clear as to whether locals of the concerned city only or the full state should become ravenous supporters or not, because in case of Maharashtra there was another franchise named Pune Warriors once, and so it was ambiguous as to who the state of Maharashtra fans should support). And that’s what’s been happening ever since, although the whole ‘celebration’ syndrome defies all logic: because, first, the players for each franchise are selected through the path-breaking auctions with ...