In this series of articles, Cuckoo News documents the revival* of a musical genre, Bangla Khayal, by a musical genius, Kabir Suman. “Light filters through foliage”. Photo by Koli Mitra On the cold morning of […]
Vagabond Visitors and Foliage Filters
Winter-Harvest Festival of Lohri Underway, Even As Farm-Bill Protest Rages On
Indian farmers have been protesting a set of new agriculture laws proposed by the government. The three bills, collectively known as “Indian agriculture acts of 2020” have been criticized as favoring corporate […]
The Mind behind the Mask
The glassy waters of a gurgling brook reflect the changing colours of the day like a mirror. Gray-blue in the cool morning air. Red-orange in the heat of midday. A burst of […]
Voting & Identity 2016-2020
When I voted earlier today, I had an eerie feeling. There were maybe five other people in my polling place, which is odd, given the high-voter turnout predicted this year, despite the […]
Brave New City
Like most people, New Yorkers don’t go out very much anymore. We do it more than we did back in April or May, but still… it’s not the same city. You know, […]
Haunted, Part 5
by Lekha Dey. “Dad!” I tried to call my father but I couldn’t. I couldn’t utter a word. I tried to speak, to scream but as in a dream or nightmare I […]
Haunted, Part 4
by Lekha Dey. We drove along the banks of the river, the road following its course. On the front seat sat my father, who was driving and my mother who was on […]
Haunted, Part 3
by Lekha Dey. There was very little time. There would be a knock on the door. Soon. The downstairs wooden door had no bell to ring. “It’s classier to be old-fashioned,” husband […]
Haunted, Part 2
by Lekha Dey. I was alone in the house under the moonlight. In the mirror, dying flames of the candles flickered like reflection. White wax melted over the edges of pewter stands, […]
Resistance: My Unusual Strategy Against Getting COVID
By Somnath Paul [Editor’s Note: The year 2020 has been unusual in every way, and the way we commemorate its ending is no exception. Social distancing, travel avoidance, financial uncertainties and countless […]
A Trunk Full of Treasures: Letters from a Legacy
On November 7, contents of a trunk containing rare treasures will spill out into the public domain. Private letters from nearly a century ago exchanged between Netaji Subhas Bose, his elder brother […]
Of Memories and Music: the Continuing Saga of Apu
“Apu, ei Apu, Where are you?” The voice of the young girl, calling out to her kid brother, floats in. And we know who she is. Or rather who she was. And […]
Every Song Has Its Day
In this series of articles, Cuckoo News documents the revival* of a musical genre, Bangla Khayal, by a musical genius, Kabir Suman. August 27, 2018. Exactly two years ago today. Kabir Suman, singer, song-writer, composer […]
Voting Women, 100
A hundred years ago today, American women finally got a Constitutionally guaranteed right to vote, when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. I confess, when 2020 began, I assumed this centenary was going […]
Khudiram’s Last Smile
On August 15, India’s Independence Day, I am thinking about how long and laborious a march it had been to get to that day in 1947. A march on a path beaten […]
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