Kettlebell community currently small but supportive one: Arnav Sarkar
The founder of Fitter Strength, a kettlebell sport facility in Kolkata, Arnav Sarkar is also one of the pioneers of the sport in India. A fitness enthusiast, Sarkar is aware of the slow growth of the sport in the country, but is extremely hopeful of KB picking up speed towards the end of this decade. In a chat with IBNS-TWF correspondent Sudipto Maity, he discusses the aspects and the challenges the sport presents.
Death and courage
The death of famous journalist Sydney H. Schanberg whose accounts of Cambodia on throes of civil war was the core of the prize-winning The Killing Fields makes Ranjita Biswas recall her visit to the infamous site
The queens of yesteryear
Female impersonation as a genre in stage performances has a long history in India. Today, that tradition is all but dead but its contribution to the field of performing art cannot be ignored, says Shoma A. Chatterji
2015: Looking Back
As the world gears up to flip away the last page of the calendar, TWF/IBNS correspondent Supriyo Hazra looks back to spot the most crucial events of 2015
Paean to the dead
Caught up in the spirit of the famous Halloween festival parade in New York recently, and intrigued by the opening scene of the parade for the dead in the latest Bond film Spectre, Ranjita Biswas tries to dig into the origin of the tradition and discovers it is embedded in ancient fear of the unknown, evil spirits and dark nights
India must take the baton of African growth from China
The stage is perfectly set for India to take the baton of African growth, in the wake of deepening economic crisis in China, says Sujeet Sarkar, an international advisor in governance
Music in the high mountains
Entertaining soldiers in the high ridges of the Siachen camp with her popular chart busters was an exceptional experience for Akriti Kakar, as she reveals to TWF correspondent Pramita Bose
Food for thought
A common accessory to modern living like the fridge can make a huge difference to hungry and poor on the street as an innovative experiment in Jaipur shows. Rekha Pal reports
The snake boats of Kerala
The Nehru Trophy boat race, held in Keralas Alappuzha town, is a mix of sporting excellence and festive cheer. This year, it will take place on 8 August, Uttara Gangopadhyay reports
Fathers on call
New age fathers can teach a thing or two about child rearing, finds Pramita Bose. More the reason to cheer them on the upcoming Fathers Day
Love is the Drug
Opioid abuse ( or painkiller drug addiction) is a persistent scourge in the United States and an emerging problem in India. Hannah Cornett in US city of Louisville and Anusua Banerjee in Indias Bangalore report on the worldwide challenge
The Kabuliwala of Kolkata
The Kabuliwala of Kolkata, a photo exhibition about a community in Indias eastern city longing for Afghanistan that once was home, is travelling from Kabul to Kolkata, evoking strong emotional response from viewers. Inspired by Indian historic literature about the community, Moska Najib and Nazes Afroz, two photo-journalists, documented their lives in images over the course of two years and here share their experience in first person accounts.
Loving life
The buzz around the film Margarita with a Straw on a disabled teenagers jest for life and desire also brings into focus the less talked about subject of sexuality relating to the differently able people, writes Ranjita Biswas
Parsis: A death-rite at peril
There are roughly 500 Parsis in Kolkata. But sadly, even this small community finds it difficult to maintain their age-old death ritual owing to a drop in the number of vultures and other problems. Anusua Banerjee reports
Can India benefit from Kentucky coal?
India has the sixth largest coal reserves in the world, but with a booming population and not enough coal mined within its own borders, its not enough. A potential relationship between India and Kentucky in USA promises mutual benefit though such a tie-up is uncertain . While the visit of Barack Obama evokes a lot of positivism, Ashley Scoby reports from Kentucky on the possibilities
2014: Time to Remember
When Ebola ravaged humanity in Africa, the Asian nations witnessed severe blows of terrorism. Amid the chaos and disasters and killings, two child right activists belonging to two conflicting nations jointly won the Nobel Peace prize, making 2014 one memorable year in the history of the world. TWF correspondent Supriyo Hazra looks back
The World That Was: Flashback 2014
From a deadly disease spreading panic across the globe to a plane disappearing mysteriously and never been found, 2014 witnessed some of the major events. TWF correspondent Supriyo Hazra looks back
A wanderer and a scholar
In search of roots from Hungary to the plains of central Asia, and then landing in India to stay on, the astonishing journey of scholar Csoma Koros fascinates Ranjita Biswas on a visit to Budapest
Heritage at loss
What price modernisation, ask people of Jaipur as the under- construction metro project threatens to damage its many heritage monuments. Rekha Pal reports
Freud Museum: Cave of Memories
Viennas Sigmund Freud Museum highlights the prolific travels of the founding father of psychoanalysis in an exhibition to mark the 75th anniversary of Sigmund Freuds death in 1939 from relocating to Vienna as a three year old to his escape and exile in London as the Nazis advanced. Sujoy Dhar visits the museum in the Austrian capital
Sons and sisters
Violence against women has reached unprecedented level in India today. Every sensitive section of the society is looking for a solution to curb the menace. MAVA, an NGO, has innovative programmes to involve men as equal partners in this effort. Shoma A. Chatterji reports
Here comes the coconut express
The postman comes knocking with a coconut, literally, because this is the way letters are sent from this unique post office in a Hawaii island, Rekha Pal discovers
Beauty and the book
Lello bookstore in Portugals seaside city of Oporto is a must-do destination for booklovers and cherished by the citizens. Ranjita Biswas discovers this famous bookstore on a recent visit
A Tale of Two Media
Indian newspapers survive as online media takes over the U.S. where print journalism is facing crisis. Holly Brucken in USA and Deepshikha Hooda in India report
Ballad of the bandits
A museum entirely devoted to bandits and their deeds, not always vile, can be found in Ronda, a historic town in Spains Andalusia region. Ranjita Biswas visits this unique centre
Indias clear and present danger in Afghanistan
The attacks on Indian consulates would continue in Afghanistan, says Sujeet Sarkar who works as an international advisor on governance and civil society and has authored the acclaimed book In search of a new Afghanistan.
The foot and the ball
As football dominates this season, Ranjita Biswas remembers a visit to the museum of the renowned Real Madrid club in Spain
Sky gazing from the sidewalk
Watching the celestial bodies can be fun as a group of amateur astronomers from Mumbai tell everyone. In April, the Global Astronomy Month, the group organised sidewalk astronomy sessions even for passersby. Uttara Gangopadhyay reports
Kashmir: To fight is to survive
The Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir are a nomadic tribe living under the shadow of terror unleashed by the militants. But for many in the community defying the demands of the insurgents is a new step towards growing stronger as a community. TWF correspondent Deepshikha Hooda reports
A green temple in the desert
India has thousands of temples, small and big. Unfortunately, most of them reek of waste and dirt around once the devotees leave. The Salasar temple in Rajasthan shows how there is possibility of eco-friendly temples, reports Rekha Pal
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