October 14, 2026 01:30 am (IST)
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Punjab activist confronts chemist over alleged drug sales, shot dead during Facebook Live | ‘Rahul Gandhi pushed me during protest march’: Pregnant journalist’s allegation sparks BJP-Congress faceoff | ‘You cannot denotify resistance': CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das jump Jantar Mantar gate to protest, detained | Delhi Police de-notifies Jantar Mantar as protest site amid CJP stir over Gyanesh Kumar | 'Gyanesh Kumar will not escape': Rahul Gandhi issues warning amid voting rights row | 'Supreme Court doors open for all': CJI Surya Kant breaks silence on refusing to meet INDIA bloc over Gyanesh Kumar row | 'Undeclared Emer-GenZ': Shashi Tharoor slams Delhi curbs over CJP protests, calls internet shutdown 'most regressive' | ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, ‘Inquilab Zindabad’: CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke dares Delhi Police to arrest him, says ‘We are not afraid’ | CJP protest crackdown? Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka detained from inside flight | Dhruv Rathee detained ahead of CJP protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar as Delhi goes on high alert

Swiss envoy Maya Tissafi celebrates Navratri in Gujarat, US Envoy Sergio Gor visits Kolkata's Durga Puja pandal

Oct 13, 2026, at 04:42 pm

Swiss Ambassador to India Maya Tissafi recently participated in a Garba event in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, celebrating the spirit of Navratri and experiencing the state's vibrant cultural traditions.

Maa Durga takes flight at Eden Gardens as BJP-led Bengal government unveils spectacular drone show on Mahalaya

Oct 10, 2026, at 10:19 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: The BJP government on Saturday sought to move beyond the recurring controversies surrounding Durga Puja, sparked by various 'diktats' from religious groups, with a spectacular cultural programme headlined by a drone show on the occasion of Mahalaya.         View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by India Blooms News Service (IBNS) (@indiablooms)  

Where governments stop, institutions begin: Culture Minister Shekhawat salutes Prabha Khaitan Foundation

Oct 03, 2026, at 03:23 pm

Kolkata: In a city that wears its culture like a second skin, a packed gathering of Bengal's finest artists, writers and thinkers came together for an evening of warm, candid conversation—and a powerful tribute to a woman who turned social consciousness into a movement.

Rupankar Bagchi’s unveils ‘Double Rupankar’ songs marking International Tourism Day

Sep 29, 2026, at 03:18 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: Singer Rupankar Bagchi's two travel songs were unveiled on Friday as part of the ‘Double Rupankar’ release, bringing together music and the spirit of travel ahead of International Tourism Day.

National Award-winning ‘Ramnami’ puts spotlight on community behind Chaltabagan’s ‘Nishan’ theme

Sep 24, 2026, at 05:22 pm

Kolkata: The Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja Committee has welcomed the National Film Award for Ramnami, which was named Best Hindi Documentary at the 72nd National Film Awards.

Dona Ganguly, daughter Sana reunite on stage after 9 years; Sourav cheers from audience

Sep 19, 2026, at 04:01 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: Diksha Manjari, the classical dance institution founded by Indian Odissi dancer Dona Ganguly, wife of former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, commemorated the birth centenary of legendary Odissi Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra earlier this week with a special programme featuring performances and tributes from more than 20 dance artistes.

Kolkata's Ballygunge Cultural announces zero-waste theme for 76th Durga Puja

Sep 17, 2026, at 05:00 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: Ahead of Durga Puja, Ballygunge Cultural Association announced its theme for this year on Wednesday, focusing on a zero-waste celebration as the committee prepares to mark its 76th edition.

Kolkata's Ballygunge Cultural announces zero-waste theme for 76th Durga Puja

Sep 14, 2026, at 03:07 am

Kolkata/IBNS: Ballygunge Cultural Association has announced a zero-waste theme for its 76th Durga Puja, with the committee planning to reduce waste and ensure that materials generated during the festivities do not end up in landfills.

‘We are carrying a legacy’: Iman Chakraborty’s Parampara brings over 150 young musicians together

Sep 08, 2026, at 03:32 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: Bengali folk and Rabindra Sangeet singer Iman Chakraborty’s Iman Sangeet Academy hosted its annual showcase, Parampara, on Friday, bringing together more than 150 students from Kolkata, and different parts of India and overseas.

Pt. Prodyut Mukherjee and Abhijeeth Bhattacharjee present One World Fusion 2026: a grand Independence Day celebration in Hyderabad

Sep 03, 2026, at 02:25 pm

Hyderabad/IBNS: Ravindra Bharathi witnessed an evening of musical synergy on August 14 as Sangitanjaly Foundation in association with the Department of Language and Culture, Government of Telangana, hosted the 13th season of One World Fusion 2026.

When the Body Becomes a Temple: The Ramnami Samaj's Century-Old Rebellion Now Inspires Kolkata's Durga Puja

Sep 03, 2026, at 11:25 am

Denied entry into temples, they did not argue — they carried Ram on their skin instead. TWF-IBNS correspondent Souvik Ghosh traces how Chhattisgarh's Ramnami Samaj, a Dalit devotional community that began tattooing the name of Ram across their bodies in the 1890s as a quiet act of resistance against caste exclusion, has travelled from the margins of religious history to the heart of this year's Durga Puja — where their extraordinary story of faith, identity and defiance is the centrepiece in Chaltabagan, one of North Kolkata's most celebrated pandals.

Tata Steel celebrates the legacy of Sir Dorabji Tata with immersive sports exhibition in Kolkata

Sep 02, 2026, at 01:53 am

Tata Steel recently commemorated the birth anniversary of its first Chairman, Sir Dorabji Tata, with a special celebration titled “Celebration of Sports: The Sir Dorabji Tata Legacy” at the Atrium, Tata Centre, Kolkata.

34 years later, ‘Holud Pakhi’ gets a Gen Z twist as 40 students recreate Cactus’ cult anthem

Sep 01, 2026, at 10:56 am

Kolkata/IBNS: A musical journey that begins with a song can sometimes continue across generations, finding new listeners and new voices along the way. For Cactus, that journey reached another milestone as the iconic Bengali rock band celebrated its 34th anniversary, marking the occasion with a special recreation of its cult song ‘Holud Pakhi’ featuring 40 students of PB Academic School.

From Ramnami tattoos to a global app: Chaltabagan's 'Nishan' takes Durga Puja beyond Kolkata

Aug 31, 2026, at 06:12 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: They came from Chhattisgarh with the name of Ram tattooed across every inch of their bodies—elders of the Ramnami Samaj, a devotional community who began inscribing themselves in the 1890s as a quiet act of protest against temple exclusion.

From folk art to portraits: Manikana Upadhyay unveils 29-work solo exhibition in Kolkata

Aug 12, 2026, at 03:33 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: Artist Manikana Upadhyay on Tuesday opened her latest solo exhibition in Kolkata, showcasing 29 artworks that reflect her evolution from folk-inspired art to a more diverse artistic style.

Kolkata pianist Avik Ganguly unveils new album ‘My Black and White Affair’; Here’s what makes it special

Aug 12, 2026, at 02:54 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: Kolkata-based pianist and composer Avik Ganguly has released his fifth independent instrumental album, My Black and White Affair.

EPR Iyer returns to Kolkata, says Bengali hip-hop will go mainstream in 5 years

Aug 06, 2026, at 05:23 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: Ahead of the premiere of the fifth season of MTV Hustle, rapper and mentor EPR Iyer returned to Kolkata, a city he says shaped his identity as an artist, where he interacted with students, explored iconic cultural landmarks and shared his vision for the future of Bengali hip-hop.

For the first time, South City Mall steps from spectator to participant in Kolkata's Durga Puja tradition

Jul 22, 2026, at 11:41 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: Every Durga Puja begins long before the first drumbeat echoes through the city. It begins with a ritual that quietly marks the arrival of Bengal's biggest festival, turning anticipation into celebration.

Prabha Khaitan Foundation, French Embassy explore deeper Indo-French cultural collaboration

Jul 17, 2026, at 02:06 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: The Prabha Khaitan Foundation hosted a high-level French delegation led by Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India, for wide-ranging discussions on strengthening cultural collaboration between the two countries.

From memory to modernity: Shiphra Bhattacharjee’s ‘In Bloom’ blossoms at KCC

Jul 16, 2026, at 01:46 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: Kolkata opened its doors to 'In Bloom', an art exhibition celebrating 50 years of the artistic journey of veteran artist Shipra Bhattacharya, at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC) on Tuesday. Notable figures from the worlds of art, culture, business and fashion attended the opening.

The Battle for Buddha's Relics: Why the Piprahwa Treasures Sparked a Global Row

Jun 24, 2026, at 11:21 pm

The Piprahwa relics, associated with Lord Buddha, has  evinced a lot of public interest in India and the Buddhist-majority countries recently, especially after a purported auction was blocked at the last moment.  Ranjita Biswas delves into the controversy with help of the publication Crystal & Ash: The Buddha of Piprahwa

World Music Day 2026 Concert Writes a New Chapter in Kolkata's Cultural Soul

Jun 23, 2026, at 07:27 pm

When Gulzar, Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal Bhardwaj and a constellation of India's finest gathered at Netaji Indoor Stadium, the city remembered why it has always been music's most faithful home

Reviving memories: A retrospective on G.C. Chakravarty, an artist the world forgot

Jun 21, 2026, at 10:07 pm

Former Indian President Dr S. Radhakrishnan was impressed ‘by the originality of his conceptions and the neatness of execution', yet few remember this Bengali artist who once exhibited alongside Jamini Roy, Gopal Ghose, and D. P. Roy Chowdhury.

From medical representative to street artist: Kolkata man honours football icons ahead of World Cup

Jun 11, 2026, at 06:42 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: As football fever builds ahead of the FIFA World Cup, a quiet lane in Baranagar has been transformed into an open-air gallery celebrating some of the sport's greatest icons.

Kolkata: UK inaugurates exhibition on climate action to mark World Environment Day

Jun 10, 2026, at 06:09 pm

An exhibition titled “Contours of Climate Action: Our Planet, Our Lens” was inaugurated in Kolkata on Tuesday, showcasing a powerful collection of photographs that highlight themes of conservation, biodiversity, and climate action.

The Beat of Inclusion: Pt. Prodyut Mukherjee and Abhijeeth Bhattacharjee’s Music Therapy Initiative for Autistic Children

Jun 09, 2026, at 03:38 pm

Hyderabad/IBNS: Pt. Prodyut Mukherjee, renowned Grammy Jury member , Governor's National Awardee & GIMA awardee, recently conducted a transformative music workshop at Autism Ashram, Hyderabad, in collaboration with Sangitanjaly Foundation.

Paint, dance, create: The secret to slower ageing may be simpler than you think

May 30, 2026, at 04:51 pm

Regularly taking part in arts activities such as reading, listening to music or visiting a gallery or museum may slow the pace of biological ageing, suggests a new study by UCL researchers.

Who is Giampaolo Tomassetti? Italian artist behind Varanasi painting presented to PM Modi

May 20, 2026, at 02:16 pm

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented with a painting depicting the ghats of Varanasi after arriving in Rome during the final leg of his five-nation tour.

Beyond Books – A College Street Heritage Walk to Trace Kolkata’s Literary and Academic Legacy

May 15, 2026, at 10:19 pm

College Street, often referred to as Kolkata’s Boi Para, has long been associated with the city’s intellectual and academic life. Stretching through central Kolkata, the area is lined with rows of book stalls selling everything from rare and second-hand titles to academic textbooks and contemporary works.

Smithsonian Unveils Rare Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayas

May 12, 2026, at 08:49 am

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC is set to spotlight a lesser-explored chapter of Indian art history with a new exhibition, “Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms,” running from April 18 to July 26, 2026.