The path to unity in India is, unfortunately, littered with hurdles caused due to differences in cast, creed and religion - and the so called ‘guardians’ of these groups. The mainstream political parties have made it more complex for vote bank electoral politics! People who truly serve the nation without any vested interests are far and few. I hope the Gen-Z of India will be more open minded than the earlier generations and will understand that although the path leading to truth and unity is a torturous one, it is the only feasible one for the long term future of India. It’s a difficult journey that one has to embark upon, and the new generation must take up this challenge to uphold the 'Constitution of India', and protect the fabric of our great nation. This was possible once in the Azad Hind Fauj and Azad Hind Govt. under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose- that is exactly why certain communal and divisive forces are being critical of the iconic leader. We must defeat and crush these forces to save our country! Jai Hind! @PTI_News @ANI

Extremely saddened to hear the passing away of senior journalist & author- Shri Bibhuti Pati. Had the privilege to interact with him on 5/6 September 2026, when I visited the offfice of @SNSMT at Cuttack. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family! Om Shanti. @SuparnoSatpathy

যারা ঠিকমতো পড়তেই জানে না, তাদের কাছ থেকে বইয়ের কদর আশা করা যায় কীভাবে? এটি ওই দুষ্কৃতকারীদের চরম নিরক্ষরতারই পরিচয় দেয়! আমি এই গুণ্ডাদের উচ্ছৃঙ্খল আচরণের তীব্র নিন্দা জানাই। পশ্চিমবঙ্গ সরকার ও প্রশাসনের উচিত এদের বিরুদ্ধে যথাযথ পদক্ষেপ নেওয়া। বাংলা কি তবে অন্ধকার যুগে ফিরে যাচ্ছে? G Devarajan Bikashranjan Bhattacharyya Shatarup Ghosh facebook.com/share/v/1DUn8BX…

Dear @hindolsengupta , I much appreciate your interest in debating with me. However, I don’t think you read my post in detail. At no place have I said that devotion and spiritual aspect aren’t a part of Durga Puja. There is also a revolutionary aspect which I missed out! It’s nice of you to have engaged and given a bit of a traction to my post. May the blessings of Ma Durga be with you. ps: As I understand we have a common friend in Shri. @SuparnoSatpathy , we could request him to fulfil your desire of holding a debate with me.

Just to set the records straight… For all non-Bengalis who confuse Durga Puja (of Bengal) with Navaratri (outside Bengal), there's a simple big difference in the way it's celebrated. While Navaratri could be religious (as people claim it to be), Durga Puja is a cultural festival. There's a remarkable difference between religion and culture. Why is Durga Puja not religious, but cultural? Here's a Bongs take! 1. For most Bengalis, they have nothing to do with devotion, and everything to do with celebration. Religion (as it has become) is an organized way to deal with devotees, and the Bengalis are far far away from any sort of blind beliefs. 2. God/Goddess is an image that's alienated from family of our own lives and seen as an authority. To Bengalis, Durga is just a part of our family. She could be termed as the Goddess, but never seen with a God-like image. There's way more love than devotion. It's a very human connection. She's the daughter of the house who's come for Autumn break to her parents house with kids and friends 3. While people outside Bengal may fast as much as they like, Bengalis will continue to feast on Mutton Biriyanis and all sorts of delicious non-veg food (even at Puja premises where organizers often arrange for meals). Had there been any religious angle, things might not have been so simple. 4. Durga Puja as a festival is deeply connected to arts, crafts, music, theater, films ... everything! It's an all-round celebration. Only a very tiny percentage of people would bother to offer prayers. For the rest of us, Durga and the spirit of Durga puja is all in our heart. Even if we offer 'Anjali' (a prayer), our eyeballs hover all over the surrounding beauties in laal-paar-sada-sarees (a beautiful dress that ladies prefer to wear). 5. Durga puja is all-inclusive. Many Muslims in Bengal celebrate it too. Even there are religious Muslims who are the Presidents and Secretaries of Puja committees. No 'religious' festival could ever break these barriers! 6. There are hundreds of government and private awards given for 'Best Puja'. Not a single parameter in judgement relates to the devotion aspect of it. The Best Puja judgement takes into consideration the artistic finesse of the idol-making, the decorations around it, the lights, the sound, the safety measures, the theme, the concept, the social relevance of the theme, etc. It never considers how devotedly people offer prayers. So, devotion doesn't even come in our way of celebrating Durga Puja. For those who have never witnessed Durga puja in Kolkata but have a lot to comment on it, please do make a visit. Your idea of a festival will change. Our country had no religion, but we thrived on our culture. It's time we pack religions into the sacks and throw them back to the western world (from where it has come) and fall back on our all-inclusive cultural ways of celebrating life once again. Originally penned by Niilanjanaa Daschakraaborty

The role that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose played in India’s independence struggle has been much discussed and there are today several good books written about him and the role of the Indian National Army by both Indian and foreign scholars. many more new studies are being published every year. This is indeed a welcome development. but the point I would like to raise today is that the existing studies on Netaji while focusing on his role in our freedom movement do not pay adequate attention to Netaji’s ideas about the new India he had envisioned. Very few, if any, among our independence leaders had thought and planned about the political system, the economy and the social structure that independent India should strive towards. Netaji had, in fact, put forward a blue-print for India of the future in his famous Haripura address as President of the Indian National Congress in February 1938. At the Haripura Congress session Subhas Chandra Bose as the President spelled out the fundamental rights of the people of India – rights that every citizen of India would enjoy once India was free of British rule. I would like to mention a few of those rights: every citizen of India has the right of free expression of opinion, the right of free association and combination, and the right to assemble peacefully and without arms, for a purpose not opposed to law or morality; every citizen shall enjoy freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess and practise his religion, subject to the public order and morality; the culture, language and script of the minorities and of the different linguistic areas shall be protected; all citizens are equal before the law, irrespective of religion, caste, creed or sex At Haripura, that is more than eight decades ago, Netaji had also set out a plan for reconstruction once India had attained her freedom. and he said: “regarding reconstruction, our principal problem will be how to eradicate poverty from our country.” that many years ago Netaji had warned us that our main problems after independence would be “poverty, illiteracy and disease” ! Netaji had thought of everything including the importance of India’s foreign relations. he talked of developing international contacts by Indian cultural organisations and by Indian chambers of commerce to raise India’s profile across the globe. he emphasised that free India would be a positive force in the world. You may be surprised to know that as way back as 1928 when India was in the throngs of British colonial rule, Subhas Chandra Bose was thinking of democracy as the political framework for free India. let me quote what he said in his presidential address at the Maharashtra provincial conference in Poona (now Pune) on 3 may 1928: “Democracy is by no means a western institution; it is a human institution. wherever man has attempted to evolve political institutions, he has hit upon this wonderful institution of democracy. the past history of India is replete with instances of democratic institutions.” He went on to say: “Among the Khasis of Assam, for instance, it is still the custom to elect the ruling chief by a vote of the whole clan; and this custom has been handed down from time immemorial. the principle of democracy was also applied in India in the government of villages and towns.” Today when we find democracy in crisis in many parts of the world we need to remind ourselves of the faith that Netaji placed in democracy. Democracy is not a perfect system but it is certainly the best available system. We must of course admit that the smooth functioning of democracy demands certain pre-requisites. for example, to begin with we need an electoral system that allows voting to take place in a secure and transparent way. We need a multi-party system which will ensure against the installation of a one-party state which descends into an autocratic state. We also need a well-functioning legislature and a genuinely independent judiciary. Jai Hind!

Durga Pujo is celebrated as a festival of unity! In Bengal its celebrated with much fervour & people from all faiths participate.However, its hilarious to see how leaders of political parties are trying their level best to take mileage centred around Durga Pujo. No politics please! Let's unite!

Yes! It was appreciated by all freedom loving Indians tha Prime Minister- @narendramodi ji hoisted the national flag on 21 October 2018, to mark the establishment of the Azad Hind Govt., 1st free govt. of Undivided/United India, under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, 1st Prime Minister of Undivided/United India. This event must be celebrated every year as 'Declaration of Freedom Day'. The President or the Prime Minister must visit the Red Fort on 21 October & hoist the tricolour. A gazette notification must be issued by GOI to ensure this is done every year like its done on 15 August. There would not have been any 15 August if not for 21 October. @SuparnoSatpathy

India would see a new dawn with the birth of AHP

A single night of crisis transformed the epic story of Kolkata’s Durga Puja—and altered the very form of the Goddess’s idol. The traditional *Ekchala* (single-backdrop) style, long familiar to Bengalis, gave way to the birth of the modern *Panchchala* (five-backdrop) format. The year was 1938. On the evening of *Panchami*, a devastating fire suddenly reduced the *Ekchala* idol and the *pandal* of the Kumartuli Sarbojanin Puja committee to ashes. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the committee's president at the time, went straight to the artisan Gopeshwar Pal to have a new idol crafted overnight. But creating such a massive *Ekchala* idol in just one night was no easy feat. It was then that Subhas Chandra and Gopeshwar Pal devised a groundbreaking solution. They decided that instead of sharing a single backdrop, each deity would have its own separate backdrop. Gopeshwar Pal sculpted the Durga idol himself, while other artists divided the tasks of crafting Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartikeya, and Ganesha. On the morning of *Shasthi*, the people of Kolkata witnessed an incredible sight: breaking the *Ekchala* tradition, a brilliantly illuminated *Panchchala* idol of the Goddess stood proudly within the *pandal*.

এক রাতের মহাবিপদেই বদলে গিয়েছিল কলকাতার দুর্গাপুজোর মহাকাব্য। বদলে গিয়েছিল দেবী প্রতিমার আদল। বাঙালির চিরকালের চেনা একচালা ভেঙেই জন্ম নিয়েছিল আধুনিক পাঁচচালা। সালটা ১৯৩৮। পঞ্চমীর সন্ধ্যায় আচমকাই বিধ্বংসী আগুনে ছাই হয়ে গেল কুমোরটুলি সার্বজনীনের মণ্ডপ থেকে একচালা প্রতিমা। পুজো কমিটির তৎকালীন সভাপতি নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু এক রাতের মধ্যে নতুন প্রতিমা গড়তে সোজা পৌঁছন গোপেশ্বর পালের কাছে। কিন্তু এক রাতে অত বড় একচালা ঠাকুর তৈরি তো আর সহজ কথা নয় ! সেখানেই সুভাষচন্দ্র ও গোপেশ্বর পালের মস্তিস্ক থেকে বেরোয় এক যুগান্তকারী সমাধান। স্থির হয়, একই চালায় নয়, সব প্রতিমা হবে আলাদা আলাদা। গোপেশ্বর পাল নিজে বানালেন দুর্গা। অন্য শিল্পীরা ভাগ করে নিলেন লক্ষ্মী, সরস্বতী, কার্তিক ও গণেশ তৈরির কাজ। ষষ্ঠীর সকালে কলকাতার মানুষ দেখল এক অবিশ্বাস্য দৃশ্য। একচালার প্রথা ভেঙে মণ্ডপে দাঁড়িয়ে রয়েছে পাঁচ চালার আলো-ঝলমলে দেবীপ্রতিমা।

শুভ মহালয়া! youtu.be/nhlXl450Ubg?si=8p18…

Its time a political force cutting across all communities whose only focus would be welfare, development & upliftment of Society emerges to make a distinct change- contrary to appeasement & vote bank politics which is ruining the basic fabric of our nation!

Dear Calcutta /Kolkata, Thank you for giving me a childhood that taught me the true meaning of being secular. Thank you for showing me that there was nothing abnormal about attending a Protestant school in the middle of a mixed neighbourhood. Thank you for all those wonderful Durga Puja celebrations, where Sikhs, Parsis, Christians and Muslims got dressed up to go pandal - hopping with Hindus. Thank you for the Christmas celebrations at St. Paul's Cathedral, where a mainly non - Christian crowd would be spilling over the venue, and singing Christmas carols loudly, at Bow Barracks later in the day. Thank you for our very own brightly lit Park Street, and those delicious Christmas cakes that came from a famous Jewish Bakery inside New Market, managed by Muslim chefs, with the customers being predominantly Hindus. Thank you for those Eid celebrations, where Biryani restaurants would be overbooked by a predominantly non - Muslim clientele, arguing fiercely over whether Shiraz or Arsalan makes the better fare. Thank you for the free - for - all Langar at the Sikh Gurudwaras. Thank you for showing us that there is nothing unusual about having a Kali temple inside Chinatown. Thank you for the well - maintained (by non - Jews) Jewish synagogue, that still stands proud, even though it doesn’t run services anymore. Thank you for the Hungarian meat shop, the Armenian Church, the pristine Jain Temple, the Anglo - Indian Country Club, and our vibrant China Town. True, many have moved away to live outside of you, and perhaps we are holding onto a romanticized nostalgia of the past. And sometimes you seem new, distant, difficult, hopeless, cold and unyielding. But as the world gets more hostile, day by day in the name of religion, I take refuge in my childhood memories of you. And no one can ever take these away from me. Yours fondly, The true Calcuttan! Kind courtesy of my friend- Satyajit Sen *A positive post; a refreshing change* 👍

Churchill was a scoundrel- but his observation about the plight of India & Indians after independence cannot be completely denied! Exploitation by the 'powers to be'-still continue in independent India! India is ready for a churning & complete overhaul of the political, social & economic thought/action. May be it is dawning upon the 'youth' that they must now take charge to bring about the essential change required to uphold the Constitution & protect the inclusive fabric of our great nation! Jai Hind!

“Power will go to the hands of ras­cals, rogues, free­boot­ers; all Indian lead­ers will be of low cal­i­bre & men of straw. They will have sweet tongues and silly hearts. They will fight amongst them­selves for power and India will be lost in polit­i­cal squab­bles. A day would come when even air and water would be taxed in India.” This statement of Winston Churchill we thought was made due to his anger of Britain losing its Empire! But now after 80 years after independence it seems there is some truth in his statement! Who is going to save the nation?

Nostalgia! Used to stay down this road way back in 1978. Still the same- London never changes!