The Great Escape in pictures:
On the Occasion of Netaji’s Birth anniversary presenting an illustrative series on Netaji’s Great Escape from Calcutta to Berlin originally done for @satyanewshi's thread as an humble tribute to one of the tallest leader of our freedom struggle
1. Subhas Bose dressed up as as Md. Zia Uddin on 16Jan 1941 to fool the British sleuths as he plotted his escape .
2. On the night of 16 Jan 1941 Quietly his nephew Sisir Bose drove him to Gomoh station .
3. From there Bose took a Kalka Mail during night.
4. Subhas Bose then landed Peshawar .
5. From Peshawar Bose crossed over to afghanistan with his guide Bhagar Ram Talwar.
6. Bose with his guide trekked through the difficult terrain of khyber pass to reach Kabul.
7. As Bose escape became known to British govt 10 days later i.e on 26 Jan ,1941.British Viceroy Linlithgow was enraged with Governor Herbert.
To know in detail the fascinating history of Great escape from Calcutta to Kabul
Read this Thread -
A 19yr old boy dared to try something different from his established family business. Over 80yrs, his vision grew into one of largest organic food products found in almost every Bengali house. His name itself is the brand, Dulal Chandra Bhar’s Taal Mishri.
We talk about changemakers in recent times, but this brilliant mind’s brand goodwill is so goated that, till date, it doesn’t have an organized sales outlet or product salesman, yet the product still thrives in households out of sheer acceptance.
Bhar’s family had a long-running textile business with multiple outlets in Burrabazar, started by his grandfather. When Dulal joined the business at the age of just 13, by 19 he had made up his mind to change his line of work out of sheer dislike. His grandfather supported him.
Calcutta’s Celebrity Crook 🚨🧵
Kolkata's depths has seen its share of musclemen & masterminds, but none like him. His swagger turned fear into fame, name into brand, a pop culture myth. This is the legend of Krishna Chandra Dutta: The Fatakeshto Calcutta’s most celebrated crook
1960s, Naren Sen Square, Keshto was having his usual post-workout milk with egg when Nokul/ Nilu & his gang from Baranagar ambushed him over an old feud about his College St. bookstore. They slashed his face with khur blades, leaving 7 deep cuts & multiple cut wounds across body.
But instead of retreating, lone Keshto grabbed a wooden bench & swung it wildly, charging at the gang. By the time his friends arrived, Nilu’s men had fled, & Keshto lay almost dead. Thanks to remarkable treatment at Kolkata Medical College, he survived.
সত্য সেলুকাস কি বিচিত্র এই দেশ! 🧵
Always found it fascinating how the same region of medieval Bengal, Nadia, popularized two entirely different primary schools of philosophy Shakta & Gaudiya Vaishnav, both germinating from the same seed in a similar timeline.
Delving deeper, back again to Shantipur during the 1500s, helmed by Advaita Acharya, the gigantic key figure in the advent of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. The Shantipur Raas Utsav, as we see today, was mainly initiated under him & the contemporary Goswami cult there.
The Shantipur township alone is home to centuries-old Krishna temples that still operate, including Radharaman Jeu from Goswami Bari & others. Now, Raas Yatra being primarily a Vaishnav cult and ritual rooted in Shantipur, how did it get its Shakta variant in nearby Nabadwip?
Kalikhestra Kolkata 🌺 🧵
Long before advent of Durga Puja, Bengal had already been devoted to worship of Kali, records suggest. Even the name of Kolkata is linked to goddess Kali (Kalikotha). Here, we delve into brief accounts of several historical Kali shrines across the city!
1. Kalighat, perhaps most significant & revered, by banks of Adiganga, is mentioned in Puranas as a primary Shaktipeeth where Sati’s feet fell. Cited by Battuta to Fazal & Eng historians, this ancient shrine is linked with Brahmananda & Atmaram. Amish bhog is especially famous.
2. Dakshineshwar, where the deity Bhabatarini Kali is worshipped, holds immense historical significance for its association with holy trio, Ramakrishna, Sarada Maa & Vivekananda. Founded by Rani Rashmoni in 1800s, this stands as both a top sacred site & an architectural marvel.
The Emergency Episode of Mahalaya, 🧵When even Mahanayak's charisma fell flat!
During the 1975–77 Emergency rule, the Govt. attempted to revamp a long-standing Bengali tradition. The repercussions were severe. A detailed discourse on controversial Mahalaya broadcast of 1976!
1976, Kolkata amidst huge turmoil of the emergency declaration, state of affairs stood hugely restricted, Kishore Kumar stood banned from radio after a debate with govt. At such state, the PMO office, Delhi took a tough call to revamp the long-standing annual Mahalaya
radio broadcast of Mahisashurmardini by Birendrakrishna Bhadra, Pankaj Mullick, Bani Kumar with a fresh slate. Allegedly it was primarily Sanjay Gandhi's idea to relaunch it with the motive of projecting a stronger Durga imagery paralleling it with the regime.
With the advancement of time, skills, & technology, each new day a work which used to be a profession once is getting gradually debarred. Many such lost professions and associated rituals were rooted in rural Bengal
which have disappeared, some losing relevancy with age. To start with, Borati, a lost profession, rooted in the time when most girls were married off at the tender age of ten. In their in-laws’ houses, they often went without having almost any sense of the new life.
Borati’s task was to assist such newly married child brides in their in-law houses until they became grown enough , used to it taking care of them, looking after their needs, even up to the delivery of their child sometimes.