The festival Gajan is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is associated with such deities as Shiva, Neel, and Dharmaraj. Gajan spans around a week, starting at the last week of Choitro continuing till the end of the Bengali year. It ends with Charak Puja. Participants of this festival are known as sannyasi or Bhokto. Persons of any gender can be a participant. The complete history of the festival is not known. The central theme of this festival is deriving satisfaction through non-sexual pain, devotion, and sacrifice.
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Understanding Flash Photography: How to Shoot Great Photographs Using Electronic Flash
Understanding Flash Photography: How to Shoot Great Photographs Using Electronics is a guide to on- and off-camera flash picks up wherever Peterson’ previous title, Understanding Exposure, left off--helping free photographers from the constraints of automotive vehicles to induce the pictures they need once natural light isn’t enough.
Dried and Dusted
The West Bengal state of India has always been known for its rich culture and diversity. This innate taste and style is reflected in their dishes too. Their cuisine is essentially. A lot of its flavours and masala mixes have been handed down from over a thousand years and Bengalis to this day retain those recipes which make them truly “shonar Bangla” dishes.
Old is Gold
Mushroom Cloud Over Nagasaki, Lieutenant Charles Levy | 1945
Chasing Ice (2012)
Director: Jeff Orlowski Music director: J. Ralph Producers: Jerry Aronson, Jeff Orlowski Cinematography: Jeff Orlowski
Old is Gold
Untitled Film Still 21, Cindy Sherman | 1978
Extraordinary Everyday Photography: Awaken Your Vision to Create Stunning Images Wherever You Are
Book Review
Proof (1991)
Movie Review
Night Photography and Light Painting: Finding Your Way in the Dark by Lance Keimig
Book Review
Old is Gold
Falling Man (2001) by Richard Drew
Vibrant Festivities
Bengal is known as a land of festivities, where religious ceremonies outnumber the months in the calendar.
THE MAGIC NUMBER
CAN’T DECIDE BETWEEN A MONOHULL AND A CATAMARAN? THE SURPRISING TRUTH IS THAT A FAST CRUISING TRIMARAN COULD BE THE IDEAL SOLUTION
The Detonations of Alice Neel
A survey of her portraits at the Met is packed with raw emotional power.
Marathoner Neely Spence Gracey
on Why Breast-feeding the Baby is Important.
THREE HULLS ONE PLANET
A SWISS SAILOR AND ORGANIC FARMER HAS CUSTOMISED HIS NEEL 51 TO PROVE THAT BOATS CAN BE COMPLETELY SELF-SUSTAINING.
PLA, Pak Army working together along India's western border
The growing collaboration between the Pakistan Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)so that India is forced to stretch its resources across two fronts-that was being executed covertly all these years, is now being done overtly.
Samantha was planning to take a break from films to start a family, say actress' friends
Ever since Samantha and Naga Chaitanya announced their separation last week, speculation about the reason behind the star couple’s decision to call it quits has been raging on unabated both on social media and in Tollywood circles.
‘Confident of privatisation of PSUs in pipeline in FY22'
Tuhin Kanta Pandey, secretary in the department of investment and public asset management (Dipam), tells Surojit Gupta & Sidhartha in an exclusive interview that privatisation of Neelachal Ispat and Central Electronics may be through during the current quarter, with the sale of BPCL and BEML likely by March, along with the mega LIC initial public offer. He stressed that the annual disinvestment target should not be looked merely as a number to bridge the fiscal deficit but part of a larger agenda to revamp the public sector and sell non-core assets, given the opportunity cost of holding on to companies that are loss-making or becoming obsolete. Excerpts from the interview:
Samantha was planning to take a break from films to start a family, say friends
Close associates of the actress quash rumours claiming that her unwillingness to have kids is what led to her divorce
Questionable last will of late Miss Ceylon Jennifer Ingleton Magisterial inquiry postponed due to pandemic situation
She had been looked after by suspect Sujeewa Jayathileke and one lady by the name of Kurulu who were not the blood relations of her family
Amruta Patil Graphing the Future
She burst onto the scene in 2008 with the brilliant Kari – to a muted reception. Now, more than a decade later, India’s first female graphic novelist is at the height of her powers. Patil’s since published three more compelling books that take their inspiration from the rich world of Indian mythology and are routinely prescribed in university courses. In addition to a sequel to Kari, during the lockdown, she’s also started work in yet another medium: large scale paintings. Vivek Menezes talks to one of India’s most unique creative forces