Shyamali Khastgir: Artist and activist in the footsteps of Gandhi and Tagore “using creativity in a positive way” – West Bengal

Shyamali Khastgir, June 23 1940 – August 15 2011 Shyamali Khastgir, who died on Independence Day 2011 after suffering an earlier stroke, transmitted her passion for life most expressively through …

Jamini Roy, “the unlettered outlaw” of the art world who decided to “settle for the local, the primitive, and the indigenous” – West Bengal

The 125th birth centenary of Jamini Roy, ‘the unlettered outlaw’ of the art world, [was] celebrated at the NGMA [in July 2013]. In 1931, an exhibition of Jamini Roy’s paintings …

eJournal | “Where the mind is without fear”: Tagore, Gitanjali and the Nobel Prize

Where the mind is without fear (Bengali: চিত্ত যেথা ভয়শূন্য, romanized: Chitto Jetha Bhoyshunno, is a poem written by 1913 Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore before India’s independence. It represents Tagore’s …

Mahasweta Devi: Bhasha’s life time mentor remembered at the Adivasi Academy Tejgadh – Gujarat

An indefatigable crusader for tribal rights, eminent litterateur Mahasweta Devi was keen to be laid to rest at Tejgadh, a tribal village in Gujarat and also the site of the …

eBook | The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights & Human Rights Day (10 December): “India must ratify the International Convention against Torture”

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home — so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. …

“Urbanites should connect and preserve tribal life, just as we should preserve nature”: Adi Bimb festival NSD Chairman Ratan Thiyam – West Bengal

On the sidelines of the “Adi Bimb” festival, NSD Chairman Ratan Thiyam speaks of the need to appreciate and emulate the wisdom of tribal people. The National School of Drama …

ePaper | Writing and teaching Santali in different alphabets: A success story calling for a stronger sense of self-confidence – West Bengal

Santali is one of India’s many Adivasi languages. Today, seven different alphabets are used to write in it. Some argue that this great variety does not help the community’s development. …

Tagore’s commitment to Santal villages near Santiketan – UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Keeping Rabindranath’s ideas in mind, Surendranath Kar prepared the architectural plan and Nandalal Bose [>>Wikipedia] prepared the visual perspective based on the Borobudur style. The entire outside wall was decorated …