Kolkata and Bengal blog

Festivals, places, food and books from Kolkata and West Bengal, in Bengali and English, with the songs and stories to play on the same page.

Face of a Durga idol at a South Kolkata pujo, with a white sholapith crown and marigold garlands

In season · 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.

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FestivalsMahalaya 2026: listen to Mahishasura Mardini by Birendra Krishna Bhadra, in Kolkata or abroad
BooksGhanada: who he is, and which of his stories to hear first
ListenManna Dey's Bengali songs: 14 to start with
ListenOld Bengali songs: 20 adhunik songs, and who made each one
ListenBengal's ghost stories, place by place: where each is set, and what to hear

On air nowKolkata's radio, on Kolkata timeIt follows the clock and the sky over Kolkata. Free, no sign-up.

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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
Listen
Taranath Tantrik stories: where to start, and who wrote which
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay wrote only two Taranath stories; his son and grandsons wrote the rest of the books. Here is which audio story comes from whom, and the order we would play them in.1 Oct 2026
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
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
Books
Spivak at JNU, May 2024: the name was corrected, the question went unanswered
In May 2024 Gayatri Spivak corrected a Dalit student's pronunciation of Du Bois at JNU; she was right about the name, and his question on class went unanswered.29 Sep 2026
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

Just inNew stories from the channelsWhat the Bengali story channels have just put up, played from their own YouTube.

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

Kolkata and Bengal blog

Featured

All posts31

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

Taranath Tantrik stories: where to start, and who wrote which

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

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

Spivak at JNU, May 2024: the name was corrected, the question went unanswered

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

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