Rajib Sen

Rajib Sen writes about Bengal's festivals, radio and music for MoodKolkata.

Posts

1. Listen

   Manna Dey's Bengali songs: 14 to start with

   Fourteen of Manna Dey's Bengali songs, from Abar Habe To Dekha in 1964 to a Nazrul song in the 1979 Devdas, in year order, with who wrote and tuned each one where the label names them. Every one plays on this page.18 Oct 2026
2. Festivals

   Pandal hopping without the crush: Saptami to Dashami 2026

   Four days of Kolkata's Durga Puja remain after Saturday evening's crush at Chorbagan. Before you set out, here is when to go, how late the Metro runs, what to do if a crowd closes in and which numbers to keep on your phone.18 Oct 2026
3. Listen

   Old Bengali songs: 20 adhunik songs, and who made each one

   Twenty old Bengali adhunik songs, from Hemanta's Ei Meghla Dine Ekla to Kishore and Asha's Katha Dilam, grouped by the hour they suit, with the lyricist and composer of nearly every one. Every one plays on this page.17 Oct 2026
4. Festivals

   Bengali films for Puja 2026: what opens in cinemas, and what is new on Hoichoi

   Four Bengali films are dated for the Puja week in cinemas. Hoichoi's one new series, dated 2 October, is already streaming. Only what the booking site or the platform itself lists, and the one we would see first.15 Oct 2026
5. Festivals

   Sindoor khela and Bijoya Dashami 2026: the boron, the game and the evening after

   Sindoor khela is on Wednesday 21 October 2026. What happens at the boron, what the sindoor is believed to do, who is allowed to play and why that is argued over, and how a Bengali Dashami ends.14 Oct 2026
6. Festivals

   Kojagari Lakshmi Puja 2026: the date, the night and how Bengal keeps it

   Kojagari Lakshmi Puja falls on the night of Sunday 25 October 2026 in Kolkata. Here is why that night, what the name means, and what a Bengali home lays out for the goddess.12 Oct 2026
7. Festivals

   Uma Agamani at Eden Gardens: 3,000 dhakis, a drone Durga and the start of Durga Puja 2026

   On Mahalaya, Saturday 10 October 2026, the state opened this year's Durga Puja at Eden Gardens with about 3,000 dhakis, conch and ululation, a Durga drawn in drones, fireworks and music by Shantanu Moitra, Shaan and Dohar. What happened, and what comes next.11 Oct 2026
8. Festivals

   Bonedi bari pujas of North Kolkata: the old family Durga Pujas and where they came from

   What a bonedi bari puja is, how Shobhabazar's began in the year of Plassey, why a Rani at Janbazar used hers against the English, and how to see the old family pujas in 2026.11 Oct 2026
9. Listen

   Lalon geeti: seven songs of Fakir Lalon, their words and what they mean

   Seven songs by Lalon Fakir that you can play on this page, with the opening words of each, what they mean in plain English, and why the caste songs and the bird songs are the same argument.8 Oct 2026
10. Festivals

    Durga Puja outside Bengal 2026: Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, and the cities with their own guides

    Durga Puja 2026 outside Bengal: each city's own almanac days, the Bengali pujas in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune that have put 2026 on their own pages, and why Saptami comes a day early.8 Oct 2026
11. Listen

    Agomoni gaan: the songs of Uma coming home, sung by her mother

    What agomoni gaan are, what Ramprasad, Kamalakanta and Tagore heard in them, and six agomoni songs to play on this page between Mahalaya and Shashthi.7 Oct 2026
12. Festivals

    Durga Puja in Bengaluru 2026: the pujas, the dates, and what the census says about Bengalis in the city

    Durga Puja 2026 in Bengaluru: the days by drikpanchang's Bengaluru reckoning, what twelve Bengali associations have announced, the nearest Namma Metro to each, and what the 2011 census actually counts.6 Oct 2026
13. Festivals

    Kolkata Durga Puja 2026 pandals: the themes announced so far, North, Central and South

    Which Kolkata pujas have announced their 2026 themes on their own pages, which are still silent, how to reach each by metro, and a North Kolkata order for one evening.4 Oct 2026
14. Festivals

    Dhunuchi naach: what the dance is, when it happens, and the dhak behind it

    The clay incense burner and what burns in it, when in Durga Puja people dance with it, who the dance belongs to, and two dhak recordings and three dhak songs to dance to at home in 2026.3 Oct 2026
15. Festivals

    Durga Puja in Delhi NCR 2026: CR Park pandal by pandal, then Noida and Gurugram

    Durga Puja 2026 in Delhi NCR: the dates as Delhi's own pujas keep them, what CR Park's committees have announced, the older pujas of Delhi, and Noida and Gurugram.2 Oct 2026
16. Festivals

    Durga Puja 2026 in Kolkata, day by day: Shashthi to Dashami, and what each day means

    Durga Puja 2026 dates for Kolkata, Shashthi to Bijoya Dashami: each day's rites, the Sandhi Puja time in London and New York, and what to play.30 Sep 2026
17. Listen

    Durga Puja songs 2026: the Pujo playlist, from agomoni to Bijoya

    Agomoni gaan, the dhak, the old Puja records, the film songs and the Dashami songs, picked day by day for Durga Puja 2026, and every one plays on this page.29 Sep 2026
18. Festivals

    Mahalaya 2026: listen to Mahishasura Mardini by Birendra Krishna Bhadra, in Kolkata or abroad

    The date, the 4 am broadcast and what that hour is in London, New York or Dhaka, and where to play the full recording whenever you like.27 Sep 2026