Dreams are touch and go for people who toil with blood and sweat day and night. They can break like fragile glass and the next moment can burn bright again as a newly formed wax candle.
Enjoy Morning Meanderings with a hot cup of tea or coffee and some cookies to munch on the food for thought. 😊 ☕️
Two poems by Anindita Bose, depicting various emotional nuances of humans with mountains in the backdrop.
Everyone in India is a cricket expert. Team India may have tumbled out of the World Cup 2019 but there has been no slowdown in the postmortem being done by devastated fans. On the flip side, gully cricket continues at fever pitch. "Howzzzat?" resounds.
Enjoy Morning Meanderings with a hot cup of tea or coffee and some cookies to munch on the food for thought. 😊 ☕️
Summer of 2014 was the time when the strongest man of my life (Biceps measured at 16") looked at me like I were one lost cause but I didn't understand why. After a long night full of WHYs, an inexorable me stopped pretending what I was not. This Ballad helped my Dad learn 3 things - I am instinctive, I love him, and hell yeah, I can rhyme.
A bunch of happy faces make the morning brighter. The cheerful camaraderie all around shows the way to a good day.
Enjoy Morning Meanderings with a hot cup of tea or coffee and some cookies to munch on the food for thought. 😊 ☕️
The rain clouds have put everyone in a romantic mood. Santosh Bakaya wonders at the beauty and romance all around, even on the back of a rumbling truck.
Enjoy Morning Meanderings with a hot cup of tea or coffee and some cookies to munch on the food for thought. 😊 ☕️
Grandparents are the go-to people, the quiet, unassuming support system that works on its own autopilot, untiringly, opening up the blocked channels so that the children can have a better life.
Enjoy Morning Meanderings with a hot cup of tea or coffee and some cookies to munch on the food for thought. 😊 ☕️
Aman had met Sahil by chance in Matheran about six months ago and solved the mystery of a stabbed horse. Fate brings them together again as they embark on a pilgrimage to Tirupati and this time the mystery of the lost boy makes them go on a hunt.
The sketches are courtesy 10 year old Varun Narayanan.
And sometimes when the night is slow
The wretched and the meek
We gather up our hearts and go
A thousand kisses deep.
Enjoy Morning Meanderings with a hot cup of tea or coffee and some cookies to munch on the food for thought. 😊 ☕️
No one plans to fall in love, it happens like poetry. Well, the writer too happens to fall in love during a visit to an animal shelter. And while the world may think the object of his affection is a jackass, the author doesn’t.
From disrupted and dislodged plastic bags to ritual circumambulation of the tulsi plant, from walking the dog to a dog and hen collision - a rainy morning wrapped in humidity, has a collage of colourful, freshly washed sights to offer.
Enjoy Morning Meanderings with a hot cup of tea or coffee and some cookies to munch on the food for thought. 😊 ☕️
Glowworms abound around us, reinforcing our belief that it is a beautiful world we live in, but only if we care to see. Clasping two glowworms to her overwhelmed heart, Santosh Bakaya gets ready to conquer another day.
Enjoy Morning Meanderings with a hot cup of tea or coffee and some cookies to munch on the food for thought. 😊 ☕️
What feline grace! How unfazed! How cool! Ah, had Macavity been finally found? Santosh Bakaya finds out.
Enjoy Morning Meanderings with a hot cup of tea or coffee and some cookies to munch on the food for thought. :)
Entertainment is all around us, in small measure and big dollops. Even a simple game of cards can turn into a wrestling match in no time.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
All your spite and power, can get soggy in a moment's shower. Nature is the great equaliser.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
The bond between a mother and child is inexplicable. It transcends all barriers, obstacles and situations. Santosh Bakaya realizes how a few moments of separation from her child can make the world collapse for the mother.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
A Hungrysaurus is a sub-species of animal who has the most doleful eyes that seek you out and try and hypnotise you into doling out inappropriate amounts of food. Hungrysauruses have hungry eyes!
There are unsung heroes around us who are relentlessly waging a lone and courageous struggle to get through life. Most often we don't notice them.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Three wistful poems about remembrance, forgetting and memory by Amitava Nag.
The reprimand of fathers is often enough to shake kids out of their reverie and make them dive for cover. A cute incident sends Santosh Bakaya on a trip down memory lane, recalling her childhood escapades of trying to avoid the chores and getting nicely pulled up by her father.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Amid the jungle of concrete and two little children fascinated by a shard of glass, Santosh Bakaya's mind floats back to the memories of hillocks, big and small that made a perfect picture postcard scene just a little away from the boundary wall of her University campus.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Who is the real ghar ka chirag? A post-doctoral scholar may not be half as educated as an illiterate housemaid when it comes to deciding who is the 'light of your family'.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Is Churu hotter than Jaipur? As the cities sizzle, people try to beat the heat in whichever way they can and sugarcane juice comes as a much needed relief.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Rajinder Krishan could pen songs for all seasons, his repertoire was huge and varied. Born on 6th June 1919, he was not only a song writer but also a successful story and screenplay writer and dialogue writer. In a tribute to one of the greatest lyricists in Hindi film songs, I pick one song that has stayed nearest to my heart forever.
An intruder comes knocking at the door one morning and his irresistible charm and loyalty makes the author's heart melt.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
A little boy's trousers dance away in the boisterous breeze. And then a miracle comes to his rescue.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
A sky full of clouds, swaying trees, singing koels and squawking peacocks make the morning fresh and fragrant with even the leaf trying to say something.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
Marveling at the resuscitating powers of a mother’s love, Santosh Bakaya watches a bawling baby turn into a happy bundle of chortles under a smiling sun.
Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Dr Santosh Bakaya. Enjoy her jottings with a hot cup of tea. :)
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.
The sketches are courtesy 10 year old Varun.
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.
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.
