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Mishti Kolkata : On a sweet note!

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Roshogolla khabe? A question asked to every Bengali.  As a true blue Bengali, the thing I miss the most from home (KOLKATA) are the never-ending variety of sweets that the City Of Joy has to offer in every by-lane, street corner or even the busiest spots in town, the culture of eating sweets in Bengal is quite unmatchable as it's more than just feeding our appetite but, a customary ritual to soothe our tastebuds while we feed our souls with all that goodness.  It's a very old saying that, "You're what you eat". The people of Kolkata seemed to have taken this theory very seriously. With an immense intake of sweets on a regular basis along with all their meals during the day, it can only make the people more delightful, welcoming and pleasing just like a spread of your favourite sweets on one large silver plate. Probably it's the constant rendezvous with the irresistible 'mishtis' that lead to Bengali being called the sweetest language. I

Citizen Journalist : Samar Gupta, CNN-IBN.

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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed, it's the only thing that ever has" - Margaret Mead At a time when the main stream media is seen diverting from it's objective and focusing more on profit generating motives. Social and vital issues relating to the masses are being neglected on a daily basis. This ignorance by the media has led to a huge gap between between issues reported and neglected. With an aim to bridge this gap, a new concept of participatory journalism has emerged across the globe, popularly known as Citizen Journalism. A form of journalism where any common man or woman in his/her capacity as a responsible citizen can take up the initiative to express their ideas irrespective of their educational or professional backgrounds. This concept got exposed and supported by the new media as in social media platforms e.g. YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and various other means that are availabl

Mark Zuckerberg : The real face of Facebook.

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College dropout. Billionaire. Controversial? Mark Zuckerberg, CEO & Founder of Facebook. If he wasn't the owner of the biggest social networking site of the world right now, this man from his appearance and demeanour would pass for someone who would just be happy with a 9 to 6 job after they graduate from college. Hence, the saying goes "Never judge a book by it's cover"  Mark seemed to be a quick learner, his father taught him ATARI basic programming in his early teens and from their his journey began. From developing a software which he called "ZuckNet" which enabled him to connect all the computers between his home and the dental office to communicate. Mark's friends at that age would play and fool around, draw and paint for leisure, he was even known to turn his friends' ideas, drawings and paintings in to video games. Moving forward to his late teens and life in HARVARD. Mark's life was no less than a rollercoaster ride. With all hi

OIL ON THE BOIL.

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Fuel prices continue to soar.  In the past two months India has witnessed a rapid increase in the rate of petrol and diesel prices. In the first week of September, 2018, petrol price were hiked by 39 paise per litre and diesel by 44 paise per litre pushing the costs to the highest Delhi has ever witnessed.  The first Monday of October, 2018, the petrol prices in Mumbai crossed the Rs. 91 mark!! Opposition parties in the country announced nationwide strikes and protests claiming the record high fuel prices are a result of high taxes.  Former Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram had stated that the "Relentless rise in prices of petrol & diesel is not inevitable. Because the price is built up by excessive taxes on petrol & diesel. If taxes are cut, prices will decline significantly." THE IMPACT ON COMMON PEOPLE. With the daily revision in prices we might not always notice that our monthly fuel outgo is on the rise. But over time, this will definitely

Section 377 decriminalised : Love is free.

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Take pride in love and your sexuality. On Thursday, September 6, 2018, the Supreme Court decriminalised a portion of Section - 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a law which has existed from the colonial era finally saw the face of change and social development.  This day bought a lot of people out. Huge parades flooded the streets with pride, joy and freedom among the young, the old & the LGBT community. The beautiful rainbow flags were everywhere. Also, joined by a certain category of straight people in the count of thousands, who are slightly more educated and self aware about the situation unlike many who revolt against love between the same sex.  I firmly believe that Homosexuality is not a disease but, Homophobia definitely is!! But our country's supreme court seemed to provide a climax just like our movies do.  As per the court, what later on offended many like minded people amidst all the celebration that they decriminalised homosexuality but also mentioned t

#METOO INDIA : A feminist outburst in the last quarter of 2018.

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The #METOO movement began in the U.S a year ago, influential women from H ollywood and various other fields started to come out in public. They even used award function podiums and their social media handles to expose their stories of sexual harassment and create awareness. The movement slowly started to make a global impact and it hit India like a storm, especially the Hindi Film Industry. Bollywood as an industry is more than 100 years old and has a reputation for being male driven. But, times have changed now. It's the era of women empowerment, gender neutrality and equal rights.  So how did the #MeToo movement gain such raging public response in almost a month's time in INDIA??  Former Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta came back to India in Sept, 2018 after her long stay in the U.S. Soon after her arrival, she accused famous veteran actor Nana Patekar of  inappropriate behaviour on the sets of a film they were shooting in 2008.  Tanushree Dutta speaks up a

Yousafzai speaks after Taliban threats!

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"Dear brothers and sisters, do remember one thing. Malala Day is not my day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights" - Malala Yousafzai She definitely doesn't need an introduction!!! In an era of women empowerment, the fight for equal rights and the demand of education for all humanity regardless their colour, caste and creed. Amidst the on-going war between a globally backdated and orthodox mindset towards women and minor societies versus the overpowering rise of bringing awareness to this world.  Enters this young lady from Pakistan, who took a huge step out of her comfort zone at the mere age of 17 and taught this world a much needed lesson about the right to education inspite of being at gunpoint and almost being shot to death by a terrifying group like Taliban in Oct, 2012.   Hence, the journey from October, 2012 until she made her appearance at the Youth Takeover of the United Nati