In a city known for its glittering skyline and world-class gastronomy, Dubai has become a vibrant playground for culinary innovation—and Indian cuisine is at the heart of this evolution.

Alliance Française du Bengale (AFB), the French educational and cultural institution in Kolkata which is part of an international network that works under the triple umbrella of the French Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Fondation des Alliances Françaises in Paris, and an Indian board, completed 85 years this year in the eastern city. Established in Kolkata in 1940, AFB is an integral part of the city's French cultural connection and a hub of learning the language of love. However, with globalisation AFB now focuses on imparting globalised skills to learners, opening a second campus in the city in collaboration with Techno India in its efforts to combine culture with language learning. In a free-wheeling interview with IBNS editor Sujoy Dhar, AFB  Executive Director Nicolas Facino shares AFB's objectives and activities circa 2025

Firpo’s, which was once the most happening food joint, nightlife haunt and social venue of Kolkata (Calcutta) since the 1920s, was the brainchild of Angelo Firpo, an Italian. Recently, his grandnephew Enrico De Barbieri was in town at the invitation of the Italian Consulate of Kolkata to relive a lost past. Sreyashi Ghosh walks down the memory lane of the city in colonial times