logo
Celebrating new beginnings

Celebrating new beginnings

Time of India13-05-2025

(L) Deep Chatterjee's soulful vocals enchanted the guests (R) The soft sound of the flute transported the city folk into a melodious trance like state (BCCL/ Manas Mishra)
Bengali Club, Lucknow , recently celebrated Poila Boishakh — the first day of Baisaakh and
Bengali New Year
, with full fervour and pomp. The grounds of the club were bustling with energy as a large crowd gathered, dressed in elegant traditional attire.
Each guest was warmly welcomed with Bengali sweet, Darbesh, setting the tone for a day of joyful celebration.
(L) Abhijit Sarkar (R) Abha Kala
(L) Sumedha Sen (R) Trisha Sinha
(L) Ritisha Mukherjee (R) Rupa Mukherjee
(L) Enakshi Sinha (R) Leena Johri and Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma
(L) Debashish Chanda (R) Devanshi
Adding a musical touch to the day was a live performance by Deep Chatterjee, a finalist of a popular musical reality show, and his band Matan from Kolkata.
Arun Banerjee
, the president of the club, was seen actively managing the event, ensuring everything went smoothly.
— Manas Mishra
(L) Arun Banerjee and Alkananda Banerjee (R) Bhithika Bose
(L) Anjali Ranjana (R) Anupriya Vohra

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Actor Ashish Dixit lives his brahmachari role off-camera too!
Actor Ashish Dixit lives his brahmachari role off-camera too!

Time of India

time6 hours ago

  • Time of India

Actor Ashish Dixit lives his brahmachari role off-camera too!

Ashish Dixit (R) in a still from Pati Brahmchari (BCCL/ ashishdixitofficial) In an industry where romantic chemistry often takes centre stage, actor Ashish Dixit is turning heads with his radical approach to playing a celibate husband. Currently seen as the lead in Pati Brahmachari, Dixit has taken method acting to a whole new level, enforcing a self-imposed 'no touching' rule on set. 'I'm fully living the part,' says Dixit, who plays Sooraj, a devout man bound by a vow of celibacy. 'I don't even touch the clothes, dupattas, phones, or accessories of my female co-actors. The role demands discipline, and I've made that my personal code.' While celibate characters aren't new to Indian television, Pati Brahmachari offers a refreshingly nuanced portrayal. Sooraj may be married, but the love story is conveyed through silent glances, unsaid emotions, and intense inner conflict. Insiders reveal the script deliberately avoids physical contact between the lead pair—and it remains uncertain whether the couple will touch at throughout the show. 'The love is real, but it's rooted in restraint,' Dixit explains. 'There are no dramatic falls, no sudden hugs or embraces. Sooraj is caught between his love for his wife and his loyalty to his father's strict ideals. It's emotionally layered and mentally demanding.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo His commitment doesn't end when the cameras stop rolling. On set, crew members are briefed about his 'no-contact protocol', with assistant directors and junior artists instructed to maintain his space. Even during breaks, Dixit avoids casual interactions that could disrupt his character's energy. 'It's not about being antisocial,' he clarifies. 'It's about staying in the mental space the role requires. The audience can sense when you're being authentic—and I want to honour that.' 'Indian television has long relied on physicality to sell romance,' says Dixit. 'But this show dares to do something different. It explores whether two people can fall in love without ever touching—that's what drew me in.' For Ashish Dixit, Pati Brahmachari isn't just another acting assignment—it's a complete immersion into the mind, body, and spirit of a man at war with his own desires. And as audiences stay glued to the screen, one thing is clear: sometimes, the deepest connections don't require a single touch. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages and quotes !

‘What's in a name?': Daak Naam confidential
‘What's in a name?': Daak Naam confidential

Time of India

time8 hours ago

  • Time of India

‘What's in a name?': Daak Naam confidential

She loves delving into the mundanities of pedestrian life and unveil the underlying magic that they hold, in her writings. She has dabbled effortlessly between children in her creative writing classes and her workshops for teachers. This has given her an understanding of the spectrum of human emotions that reflect in her articles. LESS ... MORE 'What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,' opines Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It's a lovely line, terribly overused, and I do beg to differ. My name means the world to me, and more than my name, it's my daak naam, my pet name, my call-of-love identity, that really seals the deal. Every Bengali worth their rosogolla has one, and it's never meant for passport use, bank transactions, or Zoom interviews. It's for kitchens echoing with love, red-floored verandahs sprinkled with rain, and that one aunt who can't pronounce your real name even if threatened with fangs of a cobra! Others, of course, don't get it. My husband, for example, a no-nonsense man from a different cultural zone, often wonders aloud, 'Why do you people have two names? Is this a built-in catfish feature?' He finds it confusing, inefficient, and possibly suspicious. This from the same man who chants 108 names of Lord Vishnu without flinching, but thinks 'Mishtu' is the name of a dessert that's used by a sleeper cell as a possible cover-up. (To be fair, it is a dessert.)I tried explaining. 'The daak naam is not a fake ID. It's the name by which my mother refers to me, soothes me, when I'm sick. The name by which my father taps me on my back, when I make him proud. The name that unlocks my childhood.' But he still looked unconvinced, like I'd tried to sell him emotional insurance. It's not just him. The outside world thinks our daak naams are funny. Which, fine, I'll admit, they can be. You'll find a Puchu running a bank, a Ghoton heading the research wing at ISRO, and a Tublu preparing for the UPSC interview. We've got Bappa, Buli, Monu, Khuku, and the evergreen Tinku, who may now be a cardiac surgeon in Houston but will always be Tinku when he visits Gariahat during Durga Puja. Daak naams are not mere names. They are proper nouns filled with affection to the brim. They are musical notes. They are secret codes you never share with the world, unless it's by accident, like when your mother yells 'Tuku!' across the supermarket aisle while you're trying to appear like a functioning adult. It is a name you'll find in no official records, but etched into your childhood lunchboxes, your grandmother's letters, and the back of a now-yellowing school photo. Take my friend, for instance. Officially, she is Anindita, elegant, respectable, capable of passing the UPSC on paper alone. But at home, she's is Bubu. Yes, Bubu. A name that sounds like a hiccup and a giggle had a baby. It's the name that still follows her like a love-sick puppy into adulthood. You may leave Calcutta, but your daak naam will cling to your soul like mustard oil on a sari. They have a tenacity of their own. Like bubble gum on shoes, they stick. Paromita once attended a formal conference where someone introduced her, very grandly, as Dr. Paromita Munshi, when a familiar voice from the back hollered, 'Oi Nontu!' The spell broke. Heads turned. Nontu? Was it a code word? A mild insult? A small furry animal? Paromita sighed. There was no point denying it. Once a Nontu, always a Nontu. My cousin Tumpa (real name: Debarati) has it worse. She was once on a Zoom job interview when her little brother burst into the room and bellowed, 'Tumpaaaaaaaaaa, where's the achar?' The interviewer blinked. 'We'll get back to you,' they said, and they never did. Then there's my friend Jhumpi (real name: Arpita). She was at immigration in Frankfurt when the officer looked at her forms and asked, 'Who is Jhumpi? You're Arpita.' Her mother had filled out an 'emergency contact' form too honestly, where 'Aliases (if any)' featured 'Jhumpi'. The officer looked suspicious, as if she was a double agent smuggling poppy seeds and kashundi (mustard sauce). You see, our daak naam is not just a name. It's a time-stamp. It's a giggle that refused to grow up. It's the way our identities were first shaped, not by society, but by love. It might never appear on our passports, but it travels with us, tucked in the corner of our suitcase like a jar of pickles from home. Bengali daak naams are also strangely creative, sometimes outright absurd. I know a Babla, a Ghoton, a Chhutki, a Bappa, a Papu, a Dhumdam, a Boombam and one immortal Puchku who is now a corporate lawyer in Singapore. They wear suits, speak about deep topics and use serious terms like 'synergy' in meetings, and sign emails with full names, but somewhere within, their daak naam lives on, like a reassuring hug when all else seems alien. And don't even ask us to explain the names. There is no logic. 'Why are you called Laltu?' 'Because I was.' End of story. It's not meant to make sense. It's meant to feel warm like rice with ghee, familiar like a Rabindra sangeet on a Sunday morning. So laugh if you must. Call us strange. Mock the name Bhombol, till the cows come home. But remember this: when the storm hits, it's Bhombol his mother will cry out for, not Bhaskar Chattopadhyay, M.A. Gold Medalist. And that, dear Juliet, is what's really in a name. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.

Sanjay Mishra marks his Bengali cinema debut
Sanjay Mishra marks his Bengali cinema debut

Time of India

time8 hours ago

  • Time of India

Sanjay Mishra marks his Bengali cinema debut

Sanjay Mishra marks his Bengali cinema debut in Pritha Chakraborty's 'Phera,' alongside Ritwick Chakraborty and Sohini Sarkar. The film explores themes of home, memory, and unspoken love through the story of a father and son grappling with the past in a rapidly changing city. Phera, directed by Pritha Chakraborty marks the Bengali debut of actor Sanjay Mishra, known for his powerful and nuanced performances across Indian cinema. Joining him in pivotal roles are actors — Ritwick Chakraborty and Sohini Sarkar . With such a dynamic cast and a compelling narrative, Phera promises to be an emotional and thought-provoking cinematic experience. Speaking about his debut in Bengali cinema, Sanjay, 'Bengali is a sweet language, and I've always loved and admired legends like Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen who come from this land. Stepping into Bengali cinema for the first time is both exciting and enriching. I'm looking forward to working with some of the finest talents of the Bengali film industry. I hope the audience embraces this story the way we're preparing to embrace the journey of making it. ' Ritwick on his part added, 'I'm excited to be a part of Phera. I've always admired the way Pritha thinks and brings her stories to life — her direction is both sensitive and sharp. Sharing the screen with the legendary Sanjay Mishra ji is an honour, and I'm looking forward to this journey with immense enthusiasm.' Sohini's role in Phera is brief, it holds a deep emotional weight in the story. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Milana, 38, Shows Her Huge Size In New Photos. Paperela Undo 'Sometimes, it's not about the length but the impact. I'm glad to be a part of Pritha's vision and to work alongside such brilliant co-actors,' said the actress. 'Phera began as a quiet question I kept returning to: What do we really call home? A place? A person? A time that no longer exists? In a world obsessed with forward motion and achievement, I was drawn to two men who are both, in their own ways, stuck. One is held back by memory, the other by momentum. And yet, somewhere in the stillness between them, I found something deeply human—a kind of unspoken love that doesn't need resolution, only recognition. This film is not about big changes or loud emotions. It is about everyday endurance, the dignity of small lives, and the uncomfortable tenderness that exists between people who've forgotten how to speak but still manage to listen. With Phera, I wanted to explore what it means to return—not in triumph, but in truth. To be seen. To be enough,' said Pritha. Talking more about the storyline of the film, the director added, 'Two men. One house that no longer stands the way it used to. In a city that rewards speed and reinvention, Priyam runs just fast enough to not fall behind. His father, Pannalal, once a local hero, now measures time in habits and rust. When the past quite literally cracks open, their two worlds — and worldviews — are forced into uneasy proximity. Phera is a story of quiet reckonings — of what we call success, of how much we leave behind, and what remains when the noise fades. It is about the awkward poetry of returning — not to glory, but to someone who still saves you a seat. Some lives don't arc. They echo.' Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store