The decision came amid rising concerns in the city's red-light districts over difficulties in completing SIR enumeration forms.
The Delhi University Academic Council on Tuesday dropped a celebrated short story by the renowned Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi from the BA (Hons) English course.
Thousands of people from all walks of life on Friday filed past the body of Mahasweta Devi to pay their last respects.
'The world will miss Mahasweta Devi and I will miss my second mother.'
Winner of the 1996 Jnanpith and 1997 Ramon Magsaysay Awards, Mahasweta Devi firmly believed that 'real history is made by ordinary people.'
Noted writer and human rights activist Mahasweta Devi has resigned as the chairperson of the Bangla Academy. The Magsaysay Award-winner decided to step down after expressing her disagreement with the government about some of the recipients of the state's prestigious literature awards.
Upset over the West Bengal government not accepting her recommendation of an author for the Vidyasagar award, activist-writer Mahasweta Devi today resigned as chairperson of Bangla Academy saying she felt humiliated.
Mahasweta is getting some recognition abroad. She is in the long list of the Man Booker International Prize. The list, to be announced in New York on Wednesday, includes Nobel laureate V S Naipaul, former Booker Prize winner Peter Carey and the distinguished American writer E L Doctrow.
Doctors at the Belle Vue Clinic hospital said her health had improved during the last few days but now it has started deteriorating again.
'The chief minister has to remember that the people of Bengal have suffered a lot. They waited for three decades for a change in rule. Hence, they are impatient and want fast and effective action.' Legendary writer Mahasweta Devi rates the Trinamool Congress-led government in West Bengal.
The West Bengal government clarified on Tuesday that there was no evidence that writer Mahasweta Devi and film-maker Aparna Sen having Maoist links, a day after saying that those having Maoist connections would be questioned. "There is obviously no evidence of their links with Maoists. Otherwise, they would have been arrested," Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said.
"Bhattacharjee has said his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi is a fundamentalist, but what is he doing here? He hounded Taslima out of the city to get Muslim votes in the coming Panchayat polls in the state," the Magsaysay award winning writer told a press conference in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Devi, who had been undergoing treatment at Kolkata's Belle Vue Clinic, passed away at 3.16 pm following a cardiac arrest and multi-organ failure, the doctor said.
With the Centre warning of action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against civil society representatives speaking in favour of Naxals, social activist and writer Mahasweta Devi on Friday dared Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to arrest her.
'She never desisted from calling a spade a spade and that's what made her such a unique character.'
Noted writer and human rights activist Mahasweta Devi, who had actively campaigned for Trinamool Congress before the West Bengal assembly elections, on Monday described the government as 'fascist' and alleged that it was trying to throttle people's voices. "The people are denied of their legitimate right to protest and this is nothing but a fascist attitude. The government will have to withdraw the undemocratic diktat," Devi told a press conference.
The 91-year-old went beyond her role as a writer to help tribals in organising themselves in groups so that they could take up development activities in their own areas.
Dazzling, dancing and decked to the hilt, courtesans in Hindi films are a breathtaking mix of shiny fantasy and flirtatious poetry to behold.
Condemning the West Bengal government for failing to provide security to writer Salman Rushdie, octogenarian Magsaysay award winning author Mahasweta Devi on Thursday said the fiasco had demeaned the prestige of the city.
Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Kabir Suman, who had sent an SMS text on Monday night announcing that he was quitting from the party and the Lok Sabha, on Wednesday postponed the decision by a week following a request by noted writer Mahasweta Devi.
'It will be wrong to raise the expectations of tribals because of a tribal President. 'Tribal issues have not been resolved for 150 years.'
Subhankar Banerjee, whose photographs of the Arctic catapulted him on to the global stage, espouses how his artistic sensibilities help him fight for social change.
The Censor Board has refused to clear a Bengali film for taking potshots at the swearing-in ceremony of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Singur movement that forced the Tatas to exit the state.
The Malda Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal has become infamous for the unbelievable number of infant deaths there. Indrani Roy sets out to find out why.
The literary and film community on Friday came out in support of controversial author Salman Rushdie and blamed the West Bengal government for cancellation of his visit to the metropolis.
Indian social activist and writer Mahasweta Devi showers praises on Soumitra Chatterjee.
In a balancing act after massive protests in Kolkata over rise in rapes in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday had sharp words for intellectuals who had deserted her, while appealing for help to raise social awareness against such crimes.
The Bengal intelligentsia that stood by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee is now divided on how to resolve the fracas at Lalgarh -- a generic name that represents the Naxal-stricken tribal heartland of West Bengal.
Rebel Trinamool Congress member of Parliament Kabir Suman, whose sympathetic stance towards Maoists and outbursts against alleged in-house corruption had embarrassed his party, backtracked on his threatened resignation, saying he would not quit from the party and the Lok Sabha.
Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Monday warned the West Bengal government not to use the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against intellectuals by alleging links with Maoists, but the ruling Left Front stuck to its guns.
Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa is at the festival, watching the event unfold from the sidelines, posting live updates as they happen. Follow what's the latest from Jaipur on Vicky Nanjappa's MyPage!
Recounting her interactions with the veteran leader, Mahasweta Devi told rediff.com on Sunday, 'Basu was a nice gentleman who had the guts to call spade a spade and who was willing to listen to the people'.
Against the backdrop of the Lok Sabha results, a much larger scale of desertion was anticipated from the TMC. 'It seems, people don't believe that the ship is sinking.'
The intelligentsia in West Bengal has expressed indignation and outrage at Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen being taken to Rajasthan following the violence during a shutdown to demand cancellation of her visa.
Indian women have education, inspiration and perspiration -- but not enough employment, points out Mahesh Vyas.
Devi alleged some villages in the East Midnapore district were being attacked every night with bombs and guns by people from Khejuri, just opposite Nandigram with a canal dividing the two.
Celebrity filmmaker Aparna Sen and Magsaysay awardee litterateur Mahasweta Devi say it has not protected women from gender-related crimes.
'The only condition is the producer should stick to my original story without making any changes,' says Mahasweta Devi.
Sukanya Verma looks at the wide-eyed dolly's presence in our movies.
Remembering an incomparable actor by re-visiting his finest films.