Latest news with #AnishaGhosh
Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
This Durga Puja season in Kolkata, American diamonds to add sparkle to goddess' eyes
Written by Anisha Ghosh This year's Durga Puja will have a sparkle of innovation from Indrajit Paul, an artisan from Kumortuli, North Kolkata. He has adorned Maa Durga's idol's eyes with special American diamonds. 'When the lights hit the goddess's eyes, the diamonds will reflect the rays, making it look illuminated as if it has come to life. It will give a 3-D effect, leaving the audience spellbound. No other stone can create the same effect,' Paul says. The idol stands tall at 11 feet and is priced between Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh. Out of all the idols the artist has made for this year, only one is left to be booked. Paul expects that the idol will be booked by Sunday. Many customers have already shown great interest in the idol with diamond-studded eyes after seeing the pictures. This is not the first time the artist has created something unique. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he came up with the idea of a 'Coronasur' a demon symbolising the coronavirus. He received wide media coverage, and even the Kolkata Knight Riders sent a team to shoot a documentary on it. 'This year, idol-making has been a bit difficult as the continuous rain has been making it hard, stretching the drying time of the idols. We are using the help of ceiling fans to dry it,' says Paul, who is also into short films. Paul also has a knack for writing scripts and directing films. During my free time, I write scripts and direct short films. As West Bengal is set to celebrate Durga Puja by the end of September, the diamond-eyed idol is expected to become a major attraction. (Anisha Ghosh is an intern with The Indian Express)
Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Former Bengali actress found wandering on Purba Bardhaman roadside, rescued
Written by Anisha Ghosh Wearing a pair of shorts and a black full-sleeved shirt, a middle-aged woman with paper and pen sat on the roadside near Amila Bazar in West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman district on Monday afternoon, speaking incoherently in Bengali and English. A few hours later, after the local people identified her as Sumi Har Choudhury, a former film and TV actress, the police confirmed her identity 'Choudhury, who was spotted wandering along the Bardhaman-Arambagh state highway, has been sent to a shelter home and efforts are on to trace her family,' said Abhishek Mandal, Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Bardhaman Sadar South. He mentioned that a message has been passed on to the Behala police station in Kolkata. According to her social media profile, Choudhury worked as a side character in popular Bengali films such as Dwitiyo Purush and Khashi Katha: A Goat Saga starring Naseeruddin Shah and in TV serials such as Rupsagore Moner Manush and Tumi Ashe Pashe Thakle. To the local people who approached her as she took shelter from the rain at a roadside rest spot at Khandaghosh, she said, 'I'm Sumi Har Choudhury, an actress'. The residents soon searched her name online and found her social media profile, confirming she was indeed who she claimed to be. 'She seemed mentally disturbed, but kept repeating she acted in serials. At first, we didn't believe her. Then we found her photos online,' said one of the local people who helped her. Choudhury said she came from Kolkata, while at other times she claimed to be from Bolpur. According to the police, once a resident of Behala in Kolkata, the former actress might have lived in Bolpur in Birbhum district for some time. However, how she arrived in Khandaghosh on Purba Bardhaman is yet not known. Attempts to find out how the former actress ended up in this condition were unsuccessful. (Anisha Ghosh is an intern with The Indian Express)
Indian Express
12-07-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
ZSI scientists discover 4 new tiny wasp species in West Bengal
Written by Anisha Ghosh In a major discovery, researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have found four new species of tiny parasitic wasps in West Bengal. These extremely small microscopic wasps belong to the genus Idris Förster and are known for laying their eggs inside spider egg sacs. Despite their size, they play an important role in nature by controlling spider populations. The wasps are named Idris bianor, Idris furvus, Idris hyllus, and Idris longiscapus. All four species were found between 2021 and 2023 in the farming areas of West Bengal by a team of scientists led by K Rajmohana at ZSI Kolkata. 'Each new species discovery adds a critical piece to the puzzle of life's diversity. Understanding these hidden members of ecosystems can reveal essential insights into ecological processes, evolution, and biodiversity patterns,' Rajmohana said. In an interesting behaviour pattern, the scientists noted that instead of just one wasp growing inside each spider egg sac, many baby wasps grow together and are called 'gregarious parasitism'. Other team members included Sushama V., Inspire Fellow of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Rupam Debnath from the University of Calcutta, and K P Dinesh from ZSI Pune. Their identification was achieved through a meticulous combination of detailed morphological examination and cutting-edge DNA barcoding. The finding was recently published in the European Journal of Taxonomy. 'An integrated taxonomic approach, which combines traditional morphological studies with modern molecular analysis, is crucial for species delimitation,' explained Dinesh, who provided the molecular expertise for the study. 'Despite their minute size, parasitoids are powerful natural regulators,' said Sushama V, lead author. Parasitoid wasps like Idris are important because they help control spider numbers and keep ecosystems in balance. This work also adds important DNA data to international science databases, helping scientists all over the world by expanding their knowledge of insect diversity, but also highlighting the remarkable variety of parasitoid wasps. (Anisha Ghosh is an intern with The Indian Express)
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Light to very heavy rainfall likely across Bengal on July 7: IMD
Written by Anisha Ghosh The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rainfall across most parts of West Bengal on Monday, July 7. Isolated areas in some districts are likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall as a low-pressure area persists over Gangetic West Bengal with an active monsoon flow. Kolkata is expected to experience a generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of moderate rain on Monday. Light rain may persist for the remainder of the week. The city recorded 0.4 mm of rainfall until 8:30 am on Monday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 29 degrees Celsius and 26 degrees Celsius respectively, with maximum relative humidity reaching 92 percent. According to the IMD, light to moderate rain or thundershowers are very likely at most places in South Bengal. Heavy to very heavy rainfall (7-20 cm) is expected at one or two places in Purulia and Paschim Medinipur, while heavy rainfall (7-11 cm) is likely at isolated locations in Bankura, Jhargram, Purba Medinipur, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas. Thunderstorms accompanied by gusty wind (30-40 kmph) and lightning are also likely at one or two places across all South Bengal districts on Monday. In North Bengal, light to moderate rain along with thunderstorms is expected at many places. Heavy rainfall (7-11 cm) may occur at one or two places in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts. The IMD has also issued an advisory for fishermen. 'Fishermen are advised to avoid venturing into the North Bay of Bengal and along and off the West Bengal-Odisha coast till July 8. Squally weather with surface wind speed reaching 35-45 kmph, gusting to 55 kmph, is very likely. Sea conditions are likely to be rough to very rough,' the advisory stated. Anisha Ghosh is an intern with the Indian Express.
Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Multiple West Bengal districts under orange alert for thunderstorms on July 4 and 5: IMD
Written by Anisha Ghosh The IMD has issued an orange alert for multiple districts in West Bengal, forecasting thunderstorms with gusty wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph and heavy to very heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday. The districts under the orange alert are Hooghly, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, and Nadia. In the northern part of Bengal, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Alipurduar and Coochbehar may experience intense rainfall per the yellow alerts issued by the IMD. Light to moderate rain may persist in the districts of South Bengal and North Bengal for the rest of this week. In Kolkata on Friday, the IMD said to 'expect thunderstorms with lightning, gusty winds at 30-40 kmph, and light to moderate rain… with a maximum temperature reaching 31.2 degrees Celsius and minimum temperature of 27.2 degrees Celsius, with the maximum humidity reaching 95 percent.' The IMD said that there might be a possibility of lightning strikes in the state, advising people tp avoid contact with trees and water bodies. (Anisha Ghosh is an intern with The Indian Express)
