Tagged: kolkata. sandip roy

On May 3 1913 D G Phalke stunned Indians with Raja Harishchandra, a melodramatic mythological film he called a performance with 57,000 photographs. He hardly imagined he was giving birth to the biggest film industry in the world.

Durga Puja is the highest of high holidays for Bengalis when the mother Goddess comes home for five days every year. Bengalis abroad get very nostalgic at the mention of Durga Puja. The Bay Area hosts about half a dozen alone. But back in the Puja's home territory there's much grousing that the grand puja has become too tacky, too commercialized and too nouveaux riche.