It is a neat division and the first part of 70 pages is the Kotia-Ketaki memoir. In the second section, Chandana picks up the narrative and weaves the micro family history of the Jonas family with the macro events of the late 19th century and her grandmother's journey that brought her to Santiniketan in the 20th century.
Today, the tape-jama survives on the margins of a rapidly changing marketplace. It is still found in local bazaars, though no longer a default festive purchase for children. Yet its significance lies beyond its material presence. The garment endures as a symbol of memory—of simpler times, of long summer afternoons, and of a cultural ethos shaped by resourcefulness and tradition. Its soft cotton folds carry stories of Bengal’s textile heritage, its artisanal practices, and its ability to absorb and reinterpret external influences. In doing so, the pinny becomes more than a childhood dress—it is a living archive of history and identity.
According to the latest (2024) survey by the International Mother Language Institute, 45 languages have been identified as existing now in Bangladesh out of which there are 11 indigenous languages including Lushai (Mizo)—that have become critically endangered. Based on UNESCO data, a handful of languages which have made it to the endangered list in Bangladesh are in such a forlorn state that only 5-12 older folks from respective communities can still converse in them.
And perhaps the greatest truth is this: when veterinarians do their work properly, the world stays normal. People drink milk without fear. Farmers sleep without panic. Markets remain stable. Outbreaks do not explode into disasters. Children grow up safer. Communities remain healthier. The world continues smoothly, unaware of how close it often stands to crisis.
The welcome news of ancestral homes in Peshawar belonging to Bollywood legends Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor being restored to eventually become tourist attractions in Pakistan seems to have helped in the yearend realisation of the common cultural heritage of both countries, despite their perennial political antagonisms and military rivalies
Minaret of Jam, located in western Ghor province, becomes the first site inside Afghanistan to be listed among the Islamic World Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) heritage sites, TOLOnews reported
Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan brought rare joy to the faces of not only Afghan cricket fans but for the entire nation caught in a vortex of war and violence
While the streets of Kathmandu reverberate with slogans against Nepal PM Oli government’s decision to dissolve the House of Representatives, a road section in the heart of the city echoes with laughter and chatter
Born to a farmer who tilled the land at night and worked at his shoe shop in the day, three sisters from a Rajasthan village scripted history as they were awarded Ph.D. degrees together from a university situated in Jhunjhunu district in India's desert state
Discarded domestic items need not always be thrown away; these can also be utilized to build animal shelter homes
Youth Opportunities co-founder Osama Bin Noor has been recognized as one of Asia's Top Outstanding Youth Marketer of the Year 2020
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram K Doraiswami today laid emphasis on an increased collaboration between Bangladeshi and Indian young artists to put together new ideas of art and reach out to more people through art
Christians in Pakistan celebrated Christmas on Friday, with special prayers held across the country
Movie theaters across Sri Lanka will be reopened from January 1, 2021 with limited seating capacity, the National Film Corporation said
“Let us sweat in peace, not bleed in war,” the famous words of Indian Ambassador Vijayalakshmi Pandit before the United Nations has been the motto of The South Asia Symphony Foundation, a Bengaluru-based foundation that works toward building peace and mutual understanding in the disunited South Asian region through the medium of music
Bollywood veteran Dharmendra was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the State of New Jersey in the United States by a Joint Legislative Resolution passed by the Senate and the General Assembly
In the 'Tent City' near the Singhu border of Delhi, the 'ground zero' of the weeks' long Indian farmers' swelling protests, Kanu Priya, 24, is giving instructions
A cricket ground to host international matches will soon come up in Kabul, as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday approved a two-acre land for the ground in the capital, TOLOnews reported
Proving the adage age no bar, Renu Singhi, a Jaipur-based sportswoman, chose cycling as her career when she was 51 years old
