Entries by Chandrani Basu

Hokusai and Henri Riviers

Wavelength- A Personal Reminiscence, because great stories are not found only in books by famous authors. The Great Wave of Kanagawa- by Katsushika Hokusai (31 October 1760 – 10 May 1849) Anyone interested in art would recognize this as the great wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai. Or would they? In spite of its influence internationally, Japanese […]

Blog Post: A Tribute to the Bard Born in April On the Art of Staying Human April brings with it both the cruel awakenings of spring and the tender memory of one of literature’s greatest figures—William Shakespeare. Born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and passing away on April 23, 1616, the Bard’s life bookended the […]

THE FLAMING FOREST

THE FLAMING FOREST I moved out of the flaming forests Of Crimson hued unknown flowers, Paper thin dried petals, Like gossamer wings of Dried butterflies, Flaming orange, nameless flowers Fired by the passionate sun. The grass burnt to ochre and dark leaves a sepia, And shiny black birds hovering too near, Made me step back […]

Shame

The recent incidents unfolding in Kolkata around the insanely inhuman incident at R.G. Kar Medical College have thrown up several questions that every citizen of a democracy needs to ask. The first question that comes to mind is the relationship between the police and the political party in power in the state. What is the […]

Hatshepsut, The Female Pharoah

“Hot chicken soup, Hotchicknsup”, our Egyptologist guide emphasized, pronouncing the words together and quickly. He was trying his best to get me to pronounce the word Hatshepsut, the name of the legendary queen who inscribed on stone the power of the woman pharaoh.