Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee has accused the BJP of instigating violence during Ram Navami rallies in West Bengal, alleging the party is disrupting the state's tradition of communal harmony. He also criticised the BJP's governance record and promises in other states.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee accuses the BJP of instigating violence during Ram Navami rallies in West Bengal, alleging the party uses the festival to create unrest and division.
The card, depicting the goddess in red on a yellow backdrop, with a prominent eye aiming a trident at an invisible adversary bears Mamata's signature and the caption 'Sharodiya o Deepavalir Shubheccha'.
'I've asked them so many times that after going through gruelling shoot sessions for 30-40 years, what keeps your passion alive? I think it's the discipline to show up.'
It is time to welcome back Ma Durga, who is on her annual five-day visit to her father Himalaya's home, with her sons Ganesh and Kartik and daughters Saraswati and Lakshmi.
A flight attendant from Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, was among those killed in a plane crash that also claimed the life of an NCP leader and three others. The news has brought deep mourning to her native village.
Ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja festival, Bangladesh authorities have assured of increased security measures that have been put in place amid concerns of violence targeting minority Hindu communities.
'This is a major rupture in Tamil Nadu's political order.' 'For the Dravidian parties, the message is clear: The old DMK-AIADMK binary is no longer guaranteed a future.'
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As the country prepares to celebrate Durga Puja from Monday, here are some colourful avatars of the deity.
Rediff readers tell us how they are celebrating the festival.
BJP national president Nitin Nabin has pledged to change place names deemed antithetical to West Bengal's culture and address Bangladeshi infiltration if the party wins the state election.
The Sree Bhumi Sporting Club in Kolkata plan to make the Vatican City the theme for its pandal for the Durga Puja festival.
The estimated size of the Durga Puja economy could be about Rs 2.75 trillion in 2021 had there been no pandemic, points out Atanu Biswas.
But the more significant development is that just as politicians took over pujas some years ago, NRIs, hi-tech and market managers are now moving in. I have nothing against them except that it would be sad if professional commerce overwhelms the spirit of collective youthful effort that traditionally sustained public pujas.
We journey to 10 famous Maa temples, each devoted to a different form of Devi or the female force...
Cuttack remains tense following violence during a Durga idol immersion procession. Internet services are suspended, and political leaders appeal for communal harmony.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw asserted that the BJP will form the government in West Bengal after the upcoming assembly elections, ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule. He criticised the TMC for vote-bank politics, hindering development, and failing to protect women, while promising unprecedented development under a BJP government.
'No one can wipe-off our glorious collaboration in The Kerala Story and Bastar, from Indian cinema.' 'When we create history and are scrutiniSed in public, we must be extremely responsible in our behaviour and conduct.'
The emotional high point of the glittering ceremony came when Shreya concluded her performance with Zubeen's iconic song 'Mayabini Ratir Bukut'.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims about the state's fish production, accusing him of misrepresenting facts and alleging restrictions on non-vegetarian food consumption in BJP-ruled states.
Heavy overnight rainfall caused widespread flooding in Kolkata, disrupting traffic, public transport, and daily life. Train and Metro services were suspended, and many areas experienced significant waterlogging.
And it's not just the festival Kolkata's beloved tram service is celebrating.
These 8 states emerged as the country's most-travelled destinations for local Indian visitors, according to Ministry Of Tourism's most recent statistics which are from 2024.
'If the BJP becomes our political identity, our political face, if we are represented by the BJP, then what happens to our identity as Bengalis?'
A BJP government in Bengal inherits more problems than it might care to admit at its moment of triumph, points out Ramesh Menon
Durga Puja, the festival that honours goddess Durga and celebrates her victory over the mythological demon named Mahishasura, kickstarts on Sunday.
Yesteryear actor Deb Mukherjee passed into the ages on March 14.
The MEA has taken strong exception to the two reported incidents in Bangladesh.
Non-metro cities drove this year's online Diwali shopping boom, accounting for nearly three-quarters of total e-commerce volume, with tier 3 cities contributing over 50 per cent, according to industry data. As per the industry data analysis of over 4.25 crore shipments by logistics intelligence platform ClickPost, these regions now represent the fastest and largest drivers of festive e-commerce, solidifying non-metro India's role as the epicentre of order volumes and growth.
An artist gives finishing touches to an idol of Goddess Durga ahead of the Durga Puja festival at Kumartuli in Kolkata, September 11, 2022.
Durga Puja, the festival that honours goddess Durga and celebrates her victory over the mythological demon named Mahishasura, kickstarts on Tuesday.
'It is time again for Durga Puja.' 'Time again to be struck by India's astonishing cultural irony, one where the female form is worshipped as divinity while millions of real women are forced to lead restricted lives,' notes Shuma Raha.
Workers carry the face of a clay model of Goddess Durga at a workshop to prepare idols ahead of the Durga Puja festival in Nadia district, August 26, 2022.
'Durga Puja is also a time to catch up on the gossip and when the girls of the family get together it's a beautiful feeling that is hard to describe.'
A noted Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata this year will depict the agitation over the farm laws in the country, besides the killing of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh.
Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal resumed their indefinite 'total cease work' on Tuesday to press for various demands, including ensuring their safety and security at all medical establishments.
Rani Mukerji attends the North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja Samiti's Kali Puja with her family and friends.
