tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77848020181837903542024-12-15T16:52:00.618+05:30People I've met, places I've been, voices I've heard, faces I've seen...and some little lightbulb momentsDr. Ranee Kaur Banerjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915043555307038876noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7784802018183790354.post-63887158189936776612024-12-09T11:11:00.001+05:302024-12-15T13:20:53.738+05:30

A short play about the touch of colour in Black and White lives The Cast: Mr Very BerangMrs Quite BerangMs Pretty BerangThe Rainbow Girls  Scene 1: The Berangs are sitting in their living room in an apartment without colour. Everything is in Black and White and very neat. Mr Berang is reading a newspaper with a sullen expression on his face. Mrs Berang is sitting and flicking channels on

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 image credit: Andraz Lazic on UnsplashUs versus them--that is the essence of the civilized, industrialized, fractured world.It is the absolute antithesis of the pantheistic nature of spirituality and spiritual aspiration. The pantheistic sees everything natural as “us,” indistinguishable from “us” and therefore an integral part of the Universal whole and the param-atman: The Supreme

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image credit: Daria Rom on UnsplashIn religion and politics, fatwas are issued, tankhaiyyas made, idols broken, ancient mosques razed, missionaries burnt alive by mobs. In real life, however, individuals interact with other individuals. Priyanka’s rich father will react one way to his daughter marrying poor Rizwanur. Anju’s father may react entirely differently. In real life,

Dr. Ranee Kaur Banerjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915043555307038876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7784802018183790354.post-50077819490595096742020-07-03T12:00:00.003+05:302020-08-07T15:22:01.723+05:30

Yes, it's football! Only America calls it soccer. The World Cup is in its penultimate stages. Nations across the world now house millions of zombified insomniacs but none more than Calcutta. Look at any Calcutta-specific dictionary and you'll see that the city is synonymous with the game! The sport has been immortalised in popular films and songs made for and by the people of Calcutta. Each

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She was the deposed capital of the British Raj, the jewel discarded from the crown. At home in the broad avenues of the erstwhile Fort William, she was the quintessential lady, the dowager slowly greying but still regal in her fading beauty, her hair coiffured, her back straight, her pearls on, her smile reserved, her chiffon saree pinned to perfection, her words cultured, her manner

Dr. Ranee Kaur Banerjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915043555307038876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7784802018183790354.post-38475939726311935722020-07-01T17:00:00.001+05:302020-08-07T15:29:30.494+05:30

In a world growing increasingly simple and mono-tone-ous, separated by neat, geometrical borders of us and them, I proudly unfurl my soul, peacock-wise, far into the sky, baring its glorious confusion to all who would see and hear in all the cities I bear within me. My ever-expanding, patchwork soul is made up of so many cities and stories and people and voices and faces and food and houses

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image credit: Christiaan Huynen on Unsplash I've been getting questions on religion and spirituality or religion vs. spirituality. Or the relationship between religion and spirituality.Let me, from the very outset, say that I don't really subscribe to oppositions. I don't really believe things must be paired either. And I certainly don't think things must be associated with each

Dr. Ranee Kaur Banerjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915043555307038876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7784802018183790354.post-14055660342594098802018-07-06T19:11:00.000+05:302018-07-06T23:10:30.706+05:30

Can you believe that chaotic, crowded Calcutta is home to 200 species of birds? But we need to fight to keep it that way. Here is the remarkable story of The Calcutta Wetlands Calcutta has had more than 300 years of haphazard, unplanned, chaotic growth. Its population has exploded beyond its infrastructure. It is a city bursting at its ageing seams. Yet it is still a city vibrant with

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So, the 4th of July. The day my American friends celebrate their independence.  India and America both fought for their freedom from the same colonisers, only a couple of centuries apart. Your fight inspired our fight, just as it did the French struggle for Liberté, égalité, fraternité. My personal independence came when I arrived at Hartsfield airport as a graduate student many,

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Once the decision is made, the excitement begins. We start poring over maps and books; we begin visiting travel sites on the net; we call travel agents and ask friends about places to stay; we wait impatiently for the 60-day countdown so we can book our train tickets. And finally, the bags are packed amidst much screaming and “helping” by the children. We double-check the taps, unplug everything

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 For all my love for the so-called literary giants, I go to sleep every day with the exploits of gory, psychotic, Dexter-esque cops and killers. Something in this Mark Billingham book I'm reading set me off on the usual tangential rabbit hole.This gay pathologist with various piercings on his body is best friends with the very-straight-and-almost-copy-book-macho cop protagonist. During a

Dr. Ranee Kaur Banerjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915043555307038876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7784802018183790354.post-16871755092829995352016-04-30T20:10:00.002+05:302016-04-30T21:06:34.016+05:30

Little Zadeer was born in the early hours of the morning as his aunts whinnied softly to his mom, comforting her in her painful efforts to birth him. When he was born, his mother lovingly licked him clean and named him Zadeer--the new one. As he tried to get on his feet, falling several times before he stood trembling before them, they all smiled. He was such a cute kid! Soon,

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image credit: factzoo.com Just like humans I'm a mammal and a social animal I live high up in the mountains I like grass and mossy fountains It's really cold so I wear a coat thick and long from leg to throat Most of the time I'm really quiet chewing cud and watching my diet Eating my meal again and again is exhausting-- what a drain! I hardly ever talk and never talk back So why do

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X-Ray Tetra, a.k.a Pristella maxillaris a.k.a Golden Pristella Tetra a.k.a Water Goldfinch--those are the many names of this tiny fish that lives in the Amazon's waters. Although it is related to around one hundred other Tetra species, it is the only fish of its genus. X-Ray Tetra prefer the fresh water but can also be found in brackish water close to the coast. and can be found in Brazil,

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Put your hand out of your window or take a walk outside. How do you feel on your skin--hot or cold? Is it dry or humid? Does that cloud make you sweat? Does the sun feel good or does it feel too hot? Is it windy today? Weather is the way the air outside feels to us—hot or cold, dry or humid, sultry or cool, cloudy or sunny. Thunder, lightning, storms, rain, snow, ice, hail—these are all

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In the pantheon of Hindu gods and godesses, Vishwakarma is the god of machines and tools. The wonderful thing about ancient religions like Hinduism is that they have a god for all reasons and seasons. Every aspect of life is idealised and taken to the inspirational level of a god. The wonderful thing about gods is that each must be given a day of remembrance and celebration.

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picture credit:bestfreeclipart.tk "An Umbrella is ultra useful" Said Uma, random as usual "Sun or rain, cold or warm It makes a natty visual" picture credit: drawception.com "Unicorns in underwear cannot perform on unicycles" said Uriel "Single horns may be uniform But they're just not suitable!" picture credit: worldartsme.com Ursula now had to mention Her

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How many of these famous tigers do you know? A few of them are real and the others belong to the world of books, cartoons and movies. CHAMPAWAT was a man-eater tigress who killed 437 people in Northern India before she herself was hunted and killed by the famous hunter, Jim Corbett in 1907. KITTY, the cartoon sabre tooth tiger is the Rubble family pet in The Flintstones!

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Everybody collects sea shells on the beach. Aren’t they beautiful? Have you seen how many different sizes, shapes and designs they come in? Do you know that these shells belonged animals who have died or those who have over-grown and abandoned them? If you put a large shell against your ear, you’ll hear a gushing sound. My mother used to say it was the sound of the sea talking to me. I have

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Rainbow Girl Here's a story about the Rainbow Girl On her head she has a violet curl. Her eyes are bright and indigo On her neck she wears a big, blue bow Her pretty dress is as green as grass With gleaming yellow flowers of brass Her socks and shoes are orange and red When the sun sets she goes to bed. The Rainbow Girl's name is VIBGYOR All the world's colors are in her store She takes

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Mommy, where did my mango go?It was here a minute ago...Orange and green and soft as a catSweet and sour and juicy and fatI held it in my tiny handsI heard its stories of distant landsI touched its smooth and silky skinI saw its cheeky little grinMommy, its smell was so divineIt made my tummy growl and whineI just bit and licked a bit--And now its gone! I can't find it!

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Meet Asterix, my beautiful and feisty pocket dynamite. He's a tri-colored Jack Russell Terrier and he can keep the entire family entertained for hours with his antics. I took this video of his first kill! I know you'll enjoy it.

Dr. Ranee Kaur Banerjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915043555307038876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7784802018183790354.post-87088005988169742562016-04-18T09:06:00.000+05:302016-04-19T18:41:53.761+05:30

Remember Kakra Kaka from the letter K? Well, he's back with the kids, teaching them all about the ocean floor! When Rubik, Ziggy, Niti and Sumit reached the rock on the beach on the second evening, Kakra Kaka was already there. “You’re late,” he growled when he saw them. “ D’you think I have nothing better to do than wait for you?” “Kakra Kaka,” giggled Ziggy, “under that crustry shell,

Dr. Ranee Kaur Banerjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915043555307038876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7784802018183790354.post-48879852696798137342016-04-16T10:53:00.000+05:302016-04-16T10:53:01.330+05:30

Here's one more Guru Nanak story Biji (my grandmother) told us at night as we cuddled close to her in her bed. As I write this story now, I can almost feel the soft folds of the much-washed "dhoti" she wore since she became a Gandhian.  On one of his journeys, Guru Nanak came to Haridwar, a picturesquue place of pilgrimage for Hindus, high in the Himalayan hills. The holy river

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The white tiger is probably the greatest attraction at zoos all over the world. I’m sure you’ve seen one—a creamy white tiger with coffee coloured stripes, a pink nose and blue eyes. But in the wild, white tigers are extremely rare. Did you know that only Bengal tigers have a white variation? Which means that all white tigers are Bengal tigers. And it is only when two normal, orange Bengal

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