27-year-old activist Joyanta Karmoker says there were at least seven alleged incidents of breaking of idols across Bangladesh during Durga Puja this year. But local media didn't cover it.
'We have had Somnath Temple and even a model of Ram Mandir before. Why not dedicate the pandal to the temple of our democracy?' says the president of the puja committee.
Last year, Bengal’s Durga Puja became 1st in Asia to get UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage tag. After 2 yrs of low-key celebrations due to Covid, revellers went all out this year.
The fire broke out Sunday night in the Ekta Club Pooja Samiti's puja pandal, during a digital show with 300 to 400 people. The pandal was reduced to ashes, according to officials.
Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha argued similarities were 'coincidental', but after condemnation from BJP and other parties, plus police action, placed a wig & moustache on idol.
Our ecosystems—other than forests that cover some 22 per cent of the country’s geographical area—are under serious threat. Wetlands, so very essential for maintaining ecological balance, are one example.
Return to hyphenation is dreaded because our successive govts have laboured for three decades to rid us of what we see as the equivalence big powers used to draw between us and Pakistan. Three things follow.
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