The 1938 Shillong riots: The forgotten story of Khasi-Bengali clashes in undivided Assam
The trigger for the 1938 riots in Shillong was political in nature but appears to have quickly taken a communal turn.Continue Reading →
Zoya Akhtar's The Archies and the memories of M from Mawprem
Watching a new generation of Bollywood kids making their debut in this Netflix film, I couldn't help but think of…
Old Monk beer review: Does the beer live up to the legend of the rum?
It appears that Old Monk beer has been around for a little while, but for me this was a revelation…
Why Twitter appears to be so big in India when it actually isn’t
If we look at the news and what the news media tells us, we would be under the impression that Twitter is a big deal in India. How big a…Continue Reading →
A riot that changed a city: 40 years of 79'er gondogul - the 1979 Shillong anti-Bengali riots
At around 4:15 PM on October 22, 1979 a scuffle broke out in a Shillong locality and it didn't end…
Pohela Boishakh: A brief history of the Bengali calendar
A brief history of the Bengali Calendar and why India and Bangladesh celebrate the Bengali New Year on different days.
On International Mother Language Day, a note by a Sylheti from Shillong
At a time when an anglicised creole is the new lingua franca and I am identified and counted as a Bengali, I remain a Sylheti, from Shillong.Continue Reading →
The Deewaar of Aadhaar
The 'deewaar' of Aadhaar has people on both sides of the wall (and also many sitting on it)
'Mera-Merir ghor jole re...' on an apartment balcony in western Uttar Pradesh
Recreating a fading Makar Sankranti tradition from East Bengal and Assam.
Shillong would've been named Yeodo, but because of Tokyo
Interesting trivia on why the city of Shillong has been named so. Part four in the series of Shillong Stories on Cutting the Chai.Continue Reading →
A rare sight: Seeing the Himalayas from Shillong
Shillongites were basking in the sights of the snow-capped Himalayan peaks 250 kilometres away.
Durga Puja in Shillong: Live blog
For my fellow Shillongites am putting together this little live blog, featuring posts on how people back home are celebrating.
