Summer signals the advent of mangoes. And the fixation to have as many as you can accommodate - some eat, some drink, some suck on an unpeeled mango with much ado and noise.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
A lazy morning has its own charm, everything moves at a languid pace and yet the world thrives with beauty.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
The struggle of two three-year-olds against the injustice of being packed off to school to become scholars.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
A socially conscientious monkey gives two men lessons in appropriate social behaviour.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
In this rain- drenched piece, Santosh Bakaya wonders about the magical powers of rain, how it infuses energy in everyone – even the birds and animals are not left untouched.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Santosh Bakaya wonders at the invisible painter up there, splashing bright hues on two lovebirds, while their heart-warming sight brings out the darker side of people around.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
A hilarious incident where we witness a milkman yearning to drench the author with the milk of human kindness (!), and the author's plight. This piece is going to tickle your funny bone!
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Santosh Bakaya takes a dig at our skewed priorities and at the universal mindset of peeping into celebrities’ lives and callously ignoring the invisibles of society.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
A young couple struggle to light their sigri in a rain-washed morning as the lapwing flutters around and a dull dog watches halfheartedly. Life chugs on a new course as the sun rises.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Among life's many chases are those that happen to recover things taken away, even if it is a humble towel.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Two adorable toddlers play near their roadside shack as their mother cooks lunch on a makeshift chulha - each life has its own way of finding joy.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Even before you can ask "kyun", pat comes the answer to "poochho kyun?". The Superwoman, a squirrel on steroids, is more practical and grounded than many so-called intelligent people.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
The morning begins differently for each one. 'Munch' can be far away from munching and chocolates for some.
Watching two tiny human chunks, shunned and ignored by the stiff-upper-lipped society, clowning around, Santosh Bakaya is delighted to see the rays of the early morning sun falling on these two gems of ‘purest ray serene’ and hugging them tight. Everything is not lost.
On World Book Day (23rd April), she wonders how books amaze children who don't have access to them. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Life can be pretty mundane and lacklustre, but the power of love can work wonders. In this Morning Meandering, Santosh Bakaya tells us how canine affection brings a complete metamorphosis in a shabby old man. Love, in any form, has great magical powers.
Morning Meanderings is a popular musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
A rainy day – the sort of day that makes kids burst into a jig, and poets into a poetic tizzy. Louder, louder grows the rumbling, and the frogs gradually lose their croaks. The emergent sun, a pink ball of muted fire, probably intimidated by this cloudy bellicosity, hides behind a strip of lavender-tinted cloud.
Morning Meanderings is a popular musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of coffee :)
The slogging labourers, the tea-seller, the egg-seller, the dog hiding the piece of roti and the sweepress - they leave no stone unturned in order to satisfy the pangs of hunger. The labourers leave the comfort of their houses, so do the birds and animals. All for those notorious hunger pangs. With sharp strokes of her pen, the writer recreates the following scene which she witnesses during her morning walk .
Morning Meanderings is a popular musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of coffee. :)
Hey, who was that in the distance, that tiny speck peddling away in my direction? I rubbed my eyes, trying to see clearly.
A tin box welded to a creaking, ramshackle bicycle, and wonderful smells erupting from the box. A man hunched over the bicycle, humming an old off-key song and peddling away. The breadvala of yesteryears had appeared.
Morning Meanderings is a popular musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of coffee :)
A beautiful, touching story about how a chance auto ride together became a memorable love at first sight but will he find her again?
Felicity is a celebration of existence. To us, they’re Radha & Krishna, but as nebulous entities, they’re wind and music and many more unseen by mortal eyes.
A powerful voice in poetry depicting the reality of poetry of our times - a poem by Santasree Chaudhuri.
An ode to poetry and words, and how they flow from the pen of the poet, the creator of the tapestry of words. A poem by Sarbani Mohapatra.
The chaotic traffic situation in India's cities is a result of insensitive and undisciplined behaviour of people on the roads. A short essay on the collapsing traffic etiquette.
What happens when a horse is knifed and a gold bracelet stolen? Out on a holiday at Matheran, Aman finds himself in the middle of a chase to solve a theft. A suspense filled short story by Anantha.
Author Ramendra Kumar steps back into memories and recounts his own love story that bridged two states in a "special, special story for Valentine's Day".
We always live the life we wish for… maybe not in this world but in an alternate one. Enjoy the first little story by Ronin in a new series of wistful tiny tales.
Canada based artist-author Suparna Ghosh presents some of the verses in her latest collection of poetry, Occasionally, written in the form of ghazals in a classical Indo-Persian style.
What happens when two aliens run out of fuel and land on earth? Chu and Chi find a solution with their human friend in this sweet short story by Sutapa Basu.
A wonderfully evocative poem by Anindita Bose, poet, author of I Know the Truth of a Broken Mirror, depicting the pains and the screams of humanity.
A personal essay/memoir dedicated to my first tryst with writing alphabets, then gradually maturing into words, sentences, letters, love letters et al, which is a part of my book Woman And Her Muse .
'Sachin Dev Burman' or 'SD Burman' or 'Burman Dada'... whichever way you take this name, it will spell magic in music! :)
Blue Pencil. a venture of Learning & Creativity-Silhouette Magazine and an imprint of Wisitech, is proud to present the Revised and Updated Second Edition of HQ Chowdhury's celebrated work Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman, the first published biography of the maestro, originally published in 2011. The delightful 470-pages book takes you through his life and works is priced at Rs.599.
An in-depth and insightful review of International reuel Prize Winning writer, memoirist and poet Satbir Chadha's debut poetry collection 'Breeze', written by renowned author, academician, poet, TEDX speaker Dr. Santosh Bakaya.
On the auspicious occasion of Mahalaya and Navaratri that marks the homecoming of Goddess Durga, Learning and Creativity presents a special picture story by two Dallas-based creative minds.
As talented artist Kusumika Ganguly, an artist and teacher based in Dallas, Texas, gives her beautifully soothing touch of artistry to a painting of Ma Durga, Durga Durgati Nashini, the supreme woman power of Hindu mythology on the auspicious eve of Mahalaya, the initiation of Devi Paksha, author Lopamudra Banerjee complements the painting with her memoir on how she perceives Uma and Durga and herself as a woman staying in the foreign shores, ten thousand miles away from her Bengali hometown. The piece is from the Durga series of her book 'Woman And Her Muse'.
Ronin recounts the melancholic walk he took in a meadow, experiencing the sounds, silence and magnificence of nature, responding to its beckoning.
If the world's population 200 years ago was just 1/7th of the current population, where did all these 6 billion new souls come from? Ishika seeks an answer.
A positive approach of welcoming people with disability as an integral part of the society is required . A change of perception can move mountains.
A poem of loneliness and desolation, of being lost in the wide expanse of life.
The relentless wait of Shakuntala for her lover Dushyant, a mythological tale of love and pining. A modern take by a contemporary poet.
Tagore spoke of women's empowerment, about a woman's rightful place, about her power and respect, about how she can turn the course of things in one's life much before these ideas became popular fads. Chandalika and Chitrangada are two beautiful, lyrical and yet extremely powerful dance dramas in verse by Tagore that emphatically place the woman on equal terms with the man, if not above him in courage and conviction.
The Blue Pencil, an imprint of Learning and Creativity is proud to present our latest publication 'Tales of Transformation: English Translation of Tagore's Chitrangada and Chandalika, by renowned author and expert translator Lopamudra Banerjee.
The book boasts of a brilliant foreword by Suman Pokhrel, renowned translator, author, playwright and SAARC awardee, and with some mind-blowing illustrations created by the design team of Blue Pencil Editing Services. The cover illustration by the brilliant Avijit Sarkar from Australia. Print edition will follow soon.
Drama in real life: A race against time through rough terrain to catch up with a train and reunite a lost girl child with her parents.
On the occasion of World Environment Day which this year has the theme 'Beat Plastic Pollution', Learning and Creativity presents a touching short story by Ramendra Kumar on what an individual can do to make a difference towards the only home we have - the Earth.
Prof. Achyuta Samanta, founder of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Odisha, has been working relentlessly for Zero Poverty, Zero Hunger and Zero Illiteracy. He is the founder of the Art of Giving concept, which he has launched officially in 30 countries and in more than 210 places in India. This year the Art of Giving theme is “Pyaar Bhara Pack” or “Feeding with Love.” This will be celebrated in 500 places across the globe. In Odisha, 3 million people will be getting quality food on 17th May. Art of Giving will be reaching out to more than 5 to 7 million in the entire country and around the world on this day.
Ramendra Kumar got an opportunity to converse with Prof. Samanta on Rourkela Steel TV, the in-house cable TV network of Rourkela Steel Plant. Excerpts from the interview:
A heart touching story of an indomitable mother who suffers the biggest losses and courageously stands up again to find her life force in children.
A brief personal story about a young writer's school memories of Bengal's illustrious poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Accompanied by a sketch of Tagore drawn by the writer himself.
LnC features Woman Scream 2018 Poetry and Arts Festival in Presidency University, Kolkata which has been celebrated in the city by Rhythm Divine Poets. The movement had first started by poet and activist Jael Uribe in Dominican Republic. The festival focuses on issues that deal with gender-based violence, equality, feminism and humanism.
Painting is a beautiful poem by legendary poet-lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar. Sunita Singh and Dr Ampat Koshy present a translation and transcreation of this visually evocative poem.
A hard-hitting poem about rebellion, revolution and the one of the bitter ironies of human life in the post-modern context.
A poignant poem dedicated to the lives of the individuals affected with bipolar disorder.
‘Chitrangada’, a dance drama composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, is based on the love life of Manipur’s princess Chitrangada and Arjun, the third Pandava of the epic Mahabharata. Lopa Banerjee translates it into English. Part 5 and 6, the final parts of the drama.
To celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary on March 26th, Ramendra Kumar takes to verse to revisit the enriching journey of love he has shared with his soulmate and life partner Madhavi over the years.
Human emotions are multilayered and their nuances are the most intriguing when manifested in the form of poetry. Two poems by Sonali Majumdar, depicting those myriad nuances.
Author Ramendra Kumar had conducted a workshop on creative writing for students of Indian Institute of Mass Communications (IIMC) Dhenkanal. Learning and Creativity presents the best story submitted by a group of participants at the workshop.
Group F -
Rituparna Ghosh
Rishabh Sharma
Shruti
Debendra Kundu
Sonalika Samal
Anusaya Sahu
Sunita Pradhan
‘Chitrangada’, a dance drama composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, is based on the love life of Manipur’s princess Chitrangada and Arjun, the third Pandava of the epic Mahabharata. Lopa Banerjee translates it into English. Part 4.
Brilliant artworks by Joyita Basak, a Kolkata-based blogger and artist to commemorate the Women’s History Month in March. Along with a short poem and a note for the Women's History Month in March, written by Lopa Banerjee, Dy. Editor of Learning and Creativity e-zine.
‘Chitrangada’, a dance drama by Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, is based on the love life of Manipur’s princess Chitrangada and Arjun, the third Pandava of the epic Mahabharata. Lopa Banerjee translates it into English. Part 3.
Dr. Aditi Bandyopadhyay, a physician of medicine with a parallel identity as an Odissi dancer and as dance and movement therapy, practitioner, has been actively involved as an advocate for rights of persons with Autism and other neuro-developmental delays. She speaks about the new vistas opening up in dance and movement therapy and music for helping children with Autism and special needs.
‘Chitrangada’, a dance drama by Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, is based on the love life of Manipur’s princess Chitrangada and Arjun, the third Pandava of the epic Mahabharata. Lopa Banerjee translates it into English.
‘Chitrangada’, a dance drama by Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, is based on the love life of Manipur’s princess Chitrangada and Arjun, the third Pandava of the epic Mahabharata. Lopa Banerjee translates it into English.
Pratima Apte recalls the most influential teachers and mentors who have impacted her English language skills since childhood through youth.
'Revisiting An Old Home' is Lopa Banerjee's poem dedicated to her maiden home in Barrackpore, India. It is now part of her debut poetry collection 'Let The Night Sing', which has been published by Global Fraternity of Poets and has recently received Honorary Mention at the New England Book Festival 2017 in Boston, USA.
A cab ride on a wintry morning left me smiling at the cab driver's passion for music and his deep understanding of the essence of "music made from the soul".
A poignant poem by Kabir Deb about the romance and the almost forgotten art of writing letters, that too, when exchanged between lovers.
A sublime poem by Geethanjali Dilip, International Reuel Prize Winner 2017 for poetry, commemorating on the sacrifice and unconditioned love of Jesus.
A touching story by Ramendra Kumar about a disabled boy's struggle to become the champion in his chosen sport. A Christmas Special story from Learning and Creativity.
A bunch of short poetic musings about the poet's homeland, India. Rudrodip Majumdar, a PhD in Nuclear Engineering is an avid blogger and poet.
Lopa Banerjee, deputy editor of L&C pays a humble homage to her first teacher of English during her school days, Manik Chatterjee sir who passed away on September 29, 2017.
Ramendra Kumar recalls how their third child Aryan who is a ‘guppy’ – a grown up puppy, went through a harrowing time and sent the family into a spin.
Renowned author Santosh Bakaya pens her many hued musings on Kolkata, the city that never fails to charm her. Visiting Kolkata in the sultry July heat for the launch of two diametrically different books – one an anthology of spooky ghost stories Darkness There But Something More, which she co-edited with Lopa Banerjee and the other a book of verses by Lopa Banerjee Let the Night Sing, Santosh writes about Kolkata’s sights and sounds in a series of diary notes.
A review of Lopamudra Banerjee's recently released book, The Broken Home and Other Stories (Authorspress, 2017), her English translation of Rabindranath Tagore's selected works of fiction.
Renowned author Santosh Bakaya, co-editor of Darkness There But Something More pens her many hued musings on Kolkata, the city that never fails to charm her. Visiting Kolkata in the sultry July heat for the launch of two diametrically different books - one an anthology of spooky ghost stories and the other a book of verses, Santosh writes about Kolkata's sights and sounds in a series of diary notes.
Translation of one of the most beautiful and motivating Puja Parjay songs of Tagore from Geetanjali.
One of the most quoted poets in Urdu, the legendary Mirza Ghalib’s poetry was mostly in the form of ghazals. Ghazal enthusiast Niraj Shah takes you through a mesmerizing journey of not only Ghalib's poetry but also shades of his life, his sorrows, his famous wit and his muse, stringing along a garland of oft-quoted shers, lesser known ghazals and misquoted shers as well.
Maya Khandelwal's evocative review of Lopamudra Banerjee's memoir 'Thwarted Escape: An Immigrant's Wayward Journey', written in a poetic, lyrical form. Her first attempt at a poetic review of a book.
My mother was a writer. She and I published, at her own cost, at my cousin's press, a hand-crafted book with a beautiful red cover titled very simply "Sara / Poems" that I personally oversaw the making of, for her pleasure. A very slim volume, its poems match Emily Dickinson's. Her book had no ISBN or anything of the sort. She was earlier the author of two very successful Bible quiz books.
I was fortunate to have collaborated on one poem with her and to help her edit her poems a bit.
One day all her works will come out in one volume - the two books left, one of her poems and stories, some for children, and one on art criticism in Malayalam, and she will get her place in literature primarily for her poems.
My best tribute I can pay her and all mothers everywhere today is to post the poems in that already published book.
If Indian English critics actually searching for great Indian women poets who mattered but were unknown are impartial she will get a place among the very best along with writers like Kamala Das for writing such controlled yet powerful short poems. Only half her output is given here.
Sara Abraham (born 16 -02- 1930 and died 11-02-1994) was also Mrs Omanakutty Varghese after her marriage.
A rare and memorable picture poem by Michele Baron for the Autism Special Edition of 'Learning and Creativity'
A sensitive poem written by Matthew Vance who has Autism himself. He wrote this 6 years ago, right after his Grandfather passed away from Alzheimer’s. He gave it to his Grandmother to comfort her.
![(Pic: Shamit [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL] via Wikimedia Commons)](https://learningandcreativity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/640px-Sunrise_at_Tatarpur_Midnapore_West_Bengal_India-150x113.jpg)
On the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversary of Gurudeb Rabindranath Tagore, the bard of my soul, the illustrious Nobel laureate of Bengal, my humble tribute, a short excerpt from my recently released book, ‘The Broken Home and Other Stories’ (Authorspress, 2017), a collection where I have translated in English two of his novellas and six short stories of his magnum opus work of fiction, ‘Galpaguchchho.’ One of the stories of this collection, ‘Subha’ is a heart-rending tale of a mute girl, steeped in deep pathos and also a level of mysticism which was the trademark of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's poetry and prose. I sincerely pray I have been able to do a wee bit of justice to him through my humble translation. This short excerpt, I hope, will give the readers the impetus to read the full story along with the other stories and novellas of the collection.
A soulful English translation of one of Rabindranath Tagore's most sublime songs of Gitabitan, on the auspicious occasion of his birth anniversary.
A soulful and sensitively penned poem on autistic children, for the Autism Special Edition I of 'Learning and Creativity'
A very thoughtful and emotionally charged poem depicting the life of an autistic child, for the Autism Special Edition I of 'Learning and Creativity'.
A sensitive poem honouring and celebrating differently abled children, for the Autism Special Edition I of Learning & Creativity
A sensitive poem for the Autism Special Edition of 'Learning & Creativity'
A strong, hard-hitting poem on autistic children, for the Autism Special Edition I
A sensitive poem dedicated to children with autism for the Autism Special Edition I of Learning and Creativity.
Sensitive and powerful poetic depiction of a boy with autism, for the Autism Special Edition I of 'Learning and Creativity'.
A sensitive poem depicting the life of an autistic child, for the Autism Special Edition I of 'Learning and Creativity'.
A thoughtful poem about a differently abled child with autism, for the Autism Special Edition I of 'Learning and Creativity'
A sensitively depicted poetic piece on the life of an autistic child, and the difference he can make to the world, for the Autism Special Edition I of 'Learning and Creativity'.
A poetic depiction of the life of a special needs child, a child living with autism, for the Autism Special Edition I of 'Learning and Creativity'.
Celebrating and honouring the special life and the special abilities of a child with autism, for the Autism Special Edition of 'Learning and Creativity'.
A hard-hitting poem on the life of an autistic child and his parents for the Autism Special Edition I, building Autism Awareness through poetry.
A strong, succinct editorial note about the Autism Special Edition I of 'Learning and Creativity', defining the purpose behind curating and publishing this edition and introducing the poets/contributors.
My poetic tribute to the dark, sinister, yet irresistible love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw in Emily Bronte's classic novel 'Wuthering Heights'.
Values in Management - Trust the source that is PERMANENT within your own self. Your being, inherent nature, characteristics, strengths are within you. Peeyush Sharma lists the assets that are Permanent in Life.
