Koyel Mandal

Koyel Mandal writes about Kolkata's food, neighbourhoods and the places worth a trip across West Bengal.

Posts

1. Travel

   Sittong: the orange village near Kurseong, and when its oranges are ripe

   When Sittong's oranges are actually ready, how the road from NJP climbs past Mungpoo to reach it, what October there is like, and what West Bengal's homestay rules ask of you and your host.10 Oct 2026
2. Travel

   Best time to visit Darjeeling, month by month

   October to December gives Darjeeling its clearest mornings and almost no rain; March and April are the second choice. Here is every month, from the weather station's own 30-year figures.9 Oct 2026
3. Kolkata

   Kumartuli: the potters' quarter behind Kolkata's Durgas, and how to visit before Puja

   Where Kumartuli is and how to reach it, how old the potters' quarter really is, the goddess who came from Dhaka in 1947, and how to walk its lanes without getting in the way of the work.5 Oct 2026
4. Food

   What's in the Durga Puja bhog: khichuri, labra and the day-by-day offerings

   What goes on a Durga Puja bhog plate, from khichuri and labra to chutney and payesh, what Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami add, and why no two pujas agree.5 Oct 2026
5. Festivals

   Durga Puja 2026 outfit ideas: what to wear each day and night, for women and men

   A day look and a night look for each Puja day from Shashthi to Dashami, for women and men: which handloom, which colours and why, what to wear on your feet in Kolkata's October, and what it costs.2 Oct 2026
6. Food

   Durga Puja 2026 special menus in Kolkata: who has announced, and who has not yet

   Every Puja menu that Kolkata's restaurants, hotels and rajbaris have put out themselves, with dates, prices and a link to their own post, and the big names still to announce. Updated as menus are announced.1 Oct 2026
7. Travel

   Long weekend trips from Kolkata: 3-day plans by car and by train for 2 to 4 October 2026

   Ten 3-day plans for Gandhi Jayanti weekend, Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October 2026: five drives with distances and highways, five train trips with the actual trains, times and running days from Indian Railways.30 Sep 2026