Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, better known for its Alphonso (Hapus) mangos, is a quaint town which can be the gateway to scenic and historical attractions, discovers Uttara Gangopadhyay, while attending the International Ganesh Festival organised by Maharashtra Tourism.

Kolkata/NITN: For this festive season Kolkata’s Canteen Pub & Grub has launched a special menu, which includes both traditional Bengali dishes as well as innovative dishes.

The autumn air is replete with the festive fervour of Durga Puja, Bengal’s biggest festival. Kolkata alone holds around 3000 pujo annually. While the big and famous venues  known as  barowari or community  pujas dominate the scene to pay obeisance to the Shakti Goddess, the old and historical venues too have continued to hold forth with their hundreds of years’s existence.  IBNS-TWF lensman Avishek Mitra captures some pre-puja portraits of north Kolkata's aristocratic families.

On a September evening in Chicago, as we got off the Uber at the Symphony Center, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, after a short ride from our hotel in the theatre district known as The Loop, we barely knew how lucky we were to be witnessing a performance of Riccardo Muti.

“Our Durga Puja celebration is inspired by the ghoroa pujo [festival which takes place at people’s homes], which also motivates guests to actively take part in it,” said Suparna Sarkar, Associate Vice President, Vedic Village Spa Resort, a retreat on the eastern neighbourhood of Kolkata.