A visit to a Tangail saree exhibition opens up the history of its weavers, the craft of the pit loom, the poetry of its motifs, and the work of keeping this Bangladeshi heritage alive. I was doing what one does on Facebook, looking at one thing and somehow finding another, when a post from Menka stopped me. Rupa, the owner of one of my favourite saree pages, had shared an exhibition about the Tangail saree. History, heritage, Bengal and sarees in one place? I was going. I went with a woman’s perfectly reasonable interest in beautiful sarees. I came away…

Discover Bengali kansa—its history, artisans, everyday uses and safe care—and why choosing this enduring craft can keep Bangladesh’s heritage alive. There is a particular sound in my home: the low, clear note of a spoon touching a kansa bowl. It is not the brittle clatter of plastic or the anonymous ping of stainless steel. It has weight and resonance. The sound lingers, as though the metal remembers every hand that has held it. I am, quite shamelessly, a hoarder of tradition. I do not merely admire heritage; I live through it. I need these around me in the objects I…

From childhood in Old Dhaka to Mirzapur, my Durga Puja memories weave together food, friendship and the joy of celebrating across faiths in Bangladesh. Childhood memories of Druga puja When I was growing up in Old Dhaka, Durga Puja came into our lives with the easy familiarity of something that had always been there. At a certain time of year, the neighbourhood would be celebrating, and we would find ourselves wandering into the festivities. There was rarely a grand plan. Puja was part of the world we inhabited, and we joined in with the unselfconscious pleasure of children who knew…

Have you ever thought of what is on your Bangali plate and why? What is called by Bangali food? Where and how did rice and daal come into the scene? Why are we called Mache Bhaate Bangali? Let’s  dig out the stories, history and legacy of Bangali food together.  Bangali food memory The food memory rarely comes to us in a straight line. It travels through many homes, many hands and many kinds of love. When I was very young, one of my favourite parts of the day began when my Mejo Phuphi my father’s second sister returned home from…

Explore the Bengali year through forgotten folk customs, Khona’s sayings, seasonal foods, fishing traditions, household wisdom and social practices that once guided everyday life in Bengal. A Bengali Calendar of Food, Household Wisdom and Seasonal Living There are times when I feel I am a soul with an ancient mind and heart, somehow planted firmly in the twenty-first century a thoroughly Gen X contradiction. When we were growing up, there were sayings, customs and little household systems that we watched our grandmothers maintain. Our mothers followed many of them too. Everything seemed to have a time, a season, almost a…

Explore the profound and resilient nature of Bengali identity, tracing its roots through history, culture, and the fluid landscape of the delta. Ever feel like history is just a bunch of dusty dates? Sometimes, it hits differently. It starts shaping our “now” in ways we can’t ignore. We’re out here debating more than just facts; we’re questioning the literal vibe of our Bengali identity. Every generation inherits a new version of the same origin story, and instead of a shared culture, the past can feel like a total battlefield for today’s big ideas. I see this happening right now in…

Learn how to make Spicy Butter Garlic Crab with butter, garlic, ginger, chili, soy sauce, smoked paprika, and lemon. An easy crab recipe packed with flavour. The bowl arrived at the table looking exactly as a crab dish should. There was no elegant plating, no artistic arrangement, and certainly no attempt at sophistication. The shells were piled high, stained red with paprika and chili, glistening with butter, garlic, and sauce. It looked gloriously messy, the kind of food that demands both hands and leaves evidence of itself on every napkin within reach. I had spent the morning cleaning the baby…

A personal journey through Puthia Palace and the life of Maharani Hemanta Kumari Devi, where history, architecture, memory, and imagination meet in one of Bengal’s most remarkable heritage sites. I have always fallen in love rather easily. Not only with people, but with stories, places, books, old houses, paintings, rivers, and forgotten corners of the world. Some places remain destinations; others become companions. Long before I ever visited Puthia, I had been reading about it. I knew of the palace with its huge columns, the temple complex, the ponds, the queens, and the history of one of Bengal’s most influential…

There are certain forms of knowledge that survive not because they are written down, but because they are remembered. Bengali Slokas belong to that rare inheritance. They have travelled across centuries through memory, conversation, and repetition, passing from one generation to the next long before books became common companions in Bengali homes. The History and Cultural Importance of Bengali Slokas When I think about Bengali Slokas, I do not think merely of verses or rhymes. I think of an entire civilization speaking through ordinary people. I think of village courtyards, winter evenings, harvest seasons, wedding ceremonies, mothers putting children to…