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Petrus was walking toward his home. It was almost midnight, and he was well aware of the stories going around these days. He paced up. He had to reach before it was 12 am. His wife might be anxious by now. He was carrying a good amount of money; he wished he had not stayed behind for drinks with the other merchants. It was the first day of the fair, and they made a handsome amount of profit. The other merchants had accompanied him till the end of the town, where most of their houses were. But sadly, Petrus resided along the farmlands, just beside the dreaded woods, and the outskirts of the main town area. He had just joined the merchants and was slowly rising in status from a farmer. His wife wanted a townhouse, and they were both saving money for it. It was getting colder, and a sudden flutter of a huge bird, just above his head, alarmed him. Petrus started running. A huge shadow, as if flying in the wind, amongst the clouds, followed him. It appeared as if a giant buck was flying and...

Dr Sulagna Deshpande sipped on the Cappuccino that her granddaughter had just passed her in her favourite mug. Sunaina, all of 13, was a bubbly young girl, always enthusiastic and curious to learn. Her most precious moments were spent with her grandmother, a retired Professor of History. When her grandmother narrated historical incidents, she got the thrills. Now, with the commencement of winter vacation, their afternoons had become more splendid. Sunaina had just learnt to make a cappuccino from a YouTube video. She had tried it before, but before offering it to her grandmother, she had to be confident of her own skills. And today she gathered all her confidence and prepared 2 mugs for both of them. It was time for some stories from History. Dr Deshpande was a tea connoisseur, but she was ready to change her taste once in a while for her granddaughter. Sunaina’s parents were both busy with their work and could hardly give her company. But Dr Deshpande had given her time and inculcat...

I was going through the news recently, and it was quite disturbing. It was about how Bengali movies are not getting theatres in Bengal. It is somewhat upsetting. I wish more and more people would watch good movies, including Bengali films. With that, here is a list of Bengali films I have watched recently.  1. Padatik:   Mrinal Sen was an institution by himself. Sen's journey commenced in an era of turmoil during the Freedom Movement. The movie by Srijit Mukherji sheds light on the filmmaker's early rise, who liked to call himself a comrade until his last days. The beginning included the actors, Korak Samntha and Chanchal Choudhury, who played the younger and mature Sen, respectively, introducing themselves and explaining how they were chosen for the roles. The sequences, resembling Sen's film, Interview, were quite interesting, as they featured the actors speaking to the camera while commuting on public transport. Here, one interesting thing to note was how Samantha, a you...

Many incredible Bengali stories explore teachers, teacher-student dynamics, and the influence of great teachers in someone's life. Here is a list of stories by famous Bengali writers that have enriched the genre over the years. Without any further ado, here is the list. 1. Master Mashai by Rabindranath Tagore: This is a heartwarming story of an honest private teacher who was later sacked from his office on false charges of theft.  One of Tagore's best short stories, mainly revolving around Haralal, the private tutor and Benu, his arrogant student. A beautiful, touching story about a person paying the price for his honesty and devotion to his student. 2. Pandit Mashai by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay: Brindaban is a teacher who was married in his childhood, but was separated from his child bride due to his father’s interference. As he grows up to become an ideological and educated person, he realises the wrong done to his wife. So, he tries to win her back into his life, but ...

Hindi Films heavily influenced my growing-up years. From music, style, fashion, stars, and beautiful locales to unforgettable characters, we, 80s and 90s kids, were mesmerised by Bollywood. So, when Manali and Sukaina introduced September's Every Conversation Matters topic as Bollywood, my first reaction was "Dhamaka." And when you are given a topic that is close to your heart, the confusion of an overthinker begins. So while I started writing yesterday about the evolving influence of Bollywood on fashion and trends, today my interest has shifted to the Hindi films I go back to again and again and the reasons for it. The 80s were when I was very young, and I had no say in selecting a film to watch. It was mostly through music and cassette players that we, kids of that generation, were introduced to new films and their stars, but right now I am thinking about writing about the female stars whose star power has been tremendous in drawing audiences to theatres. I still remem...

When I was working, during the mid-2000s, a terrifying news story came to the forefront: the Nithari murders. A twisted, demonic side of a few human beings, hidden behind luxury and extravagance, was exposed. It made us realise that evil can come in the most unsuspecting form. My latest read, Girls Who Stray by Anisha Lalvani, is loosely based on that incident.  About the Book: A 23-year-old woman finishes her foreign education with dreams in her eyes. Upon her return, she discovers life is not so easy, with the huge pressure of her own education loan and her father's home loan. Introvert, yet desperate, she chooses a path less taken, a path of destruction, a path of easy but risky hard cash. That finally leads her to join a circle of dangerous and influential people. The book is about her constant thoughts, actions, feelings, guilt, reflection, and redemption.  About the Author: Anisha Lalvani works in the field of Communications and actively engages in the nexus of economic...