So it’s 10 years – a decade of writing a blog - this is the 160th post, 3 in the draft and a few more in my mind!!! Thank you for being a part of the VarnikaDesigns blog’s journey, for being a reader, motivator and inspiration ❤ ….. When I started, I didn’t realise... Continue Reading →
Tribute to Santiniketan: UNESCO World Heritage Site Santiniketan is India's 41st UNESCO World Heritage Site. This post is a personal tribute by VarnikaDesigns to Santiniketan for this honour. It contains photos and videos of some parts of the tangible, intangible and natural heritage of Santiniketan, including Kala Bhavan, links to 8 posts written by me over the years on various aspects of Santiniketan, 2 impromptu songs sung by Dr Syamali Das and the photos of Kala Bhavan at night by Dr Soumik Nandy Majumdar.
The Courtauld Institute of Art, an independent college of the University of London has announced the conferment of an Honorary Doctorate degree (Doctor Honoris Causa) to the distinguished art historian Dr Asok K. Das.
Today is Janamasthami, celebrated as the birth of the Indian god Krishna, let us take a small journey to the picturesque North Eastern state of Manipur. Why Manipur on Krishna's birthday? This is because Krishna is still celebrated here in every form, through religion, art, architecture and the beautiful Manipuri dance.
Part 3: A passionate affair begins The MGD School is located at Sawai Ram Singh Road on 26 acres of land, you cannot miss it. It houses separate buildings for the senior and junior schools, has two large playing grounds, a big stadium, a rose garden, a swimming pool, two basketball courts, a music and art room, five hostels for different ages, and a hostel for female faculty, several labs, an extremely well stocked library and an infirmary for the unwell girls. It still remains a girl school, a sanctuary for many.
Wishing everyone a very Happy, Safe and Healthy Durga Pujo 🙂 This is the second Durga Pujo during the lockdown induced by the dreaded Covid 19. Nearly everyone is exhausted and drained - emotionally, physically, financially, intellectually and every other possible way. We have collected a special offering for you which are inspired from Durga Pujo celebrations from Bengal. We would not want you to miss out on the festivities associated with this festival and season ❤ so re live your memories and joys of the season, and plan for the grand one next year. May the power of the Mother Goddess be with you 🙂
Rabindranath Tagore wrote in ‘The Meaning of Art’ in 1921, “What is art? It is the response of man’s creative soul to the call of the real. But the individual mind according to its temperament and training has its own recognition of reality in some of its special aspects…” It rings true when one looks... Continue Reading →
'Palash' has many names in many languages. It's a very popular, loved and revered flower which sets forests on fire during late February and March in India. It is also known as the 'flame of the forest' or 'parrot tree' in English, 'tesu' 'dhak' and 'parasu' in some Indian languages. It mainly blossoms in the... Continue Reading →
Wishing everyone a very Happy Holi 💕 this is a video I took of the flower locally called in Bangla/Bengali - Phagun Bou - meaning Spring Bride
This post is about Dia, in the context of patriarchy, feminism, widowhood, hypocrisy of the Bengali community, sexual need, gender roles, power struggle, and mental health awareness, narrated by her granddaughter in whom she confided a lot but could never get herself to love as much as the grandson.
VarnikaDesigns 