Udita Chakraborty

Jul 8, 2024 | telegraphindia.com | Udita Chakraborty

Almosthalf the day spent in college, pranks on professors and luchi-torkari ordimer devil in the canteen — Medical College was, in the words of1968 batch alumnus Dr Mamtaz Sanghamita, like “a second home to us” — a feeling thatalumni down the generations would agree to.

Apr 16, 2024 | telegraphindia.com | Udita Chakraborty

Right outside gate 1 of Tollygunge Metro station isShyama Prasad Dey’s coffee stall. It is, however, no ordinary coffee stall. Adorned with caricatures, paintings, cartoons and witty doggerel verses, thisstall stands apart from the rest. A busy man, Dey spoke with My Kolkata abouthis life, journey, and unique take on a coffee stall while serving the beveragepiping hot to eager customers. Occasionally, he also obliged them by drawingtheir caricatures on the coffee cups.

Apr 4, 2024 | telegraphindia.com | Udita Chakraborty

When Soumik Ghosh, afourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Computer Science, arrived at theUniversity of Chicago in 2021, all he wanted was a community he could call hisown. Initially, he did find a few fellow Bengalis scattered across differentdepartments. He also encountered noted Bengali academics such as historianDipesh Chakrabarty and scientist Supratik Guha, but then, there was no Bengalicommunity.

Mar 29, 2024 | telegraphindia.com | Udita Chakraborty

When Charles Dickens famously wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” in A Tale of Two Cities, he was referring to the world of 18th century England and France, plagued by social evils. Setting up a riveting narrative against the palpable tension preceding and following the French Revolution, Dickens created a story that has reached millions since. And his words still hold true today.

Mar 25, 2024 | telegraphindia.com | Udita Chakraborty

North Kolkata, whereadda is the oxygen and the glue, Uttorer Adda — anassociation of cha (tea) and adda lovers — is fighting theonslaught of mobiles, electrical gadgets and gizmos. “We are on the verge offorgetting books, thanks to our addiction to mobiles. But no matter how ‘smart’we become, books will remain an eternal source of knowledge. Our free streetlibrary is an effort to reach that message to people,” said Sambhu Saha, theco-founder and secretary of Uttorer Adda.