Chandrima Pal, Author at Arré

World Post Day: How My Mother Lost Her Voice as Emails Replaced Letters

Sometimes, when I miss my mother’s younger, healthier, happier self, all I need to do is close my eyes and think of the beautiful letters she wrote me – letters as distinct as the way she drapes her saree. But the realisation that my life was going to be forever lacking in the salt of her written words dawned on me when her memory began to fade.

Chandrima Pal July 24, 2016

Pop Culture

Would Satyajit Ray Be Branded an Anti-National if Pather Panchali Released Today?

Satyajit Ray’s films, starting with Pather Panchali, gave utterance to the suffering that the other, invisible India was going through. In an era of spin doctoring, of twisting statistics and data and rewriting history to fit the narrative of New India, Pather Panchali is exactly the kind of story we would want to distance ourselves from.

Chandrima Pal July 15, 2016

Pop Culture

Farewell Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, the IPS Officer Who Inspired Udaan… And a Generation of Women

Doordarshan’s Udaan was inspired by Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, India’s first woman DGP, who passed away earlier this week. The show was a first lesson in feminism for a generation of women. And though many of us fondly remember its protagonist Kalyani Singh, it is Bhattacharya we need to doff our hats to.

Chandrima Pal July 6, 2016

Pop Culture

Why Bringing Back Ramayan During the 21-Day Lockdown is a Good Idea

Long before hipsters gathered at pubs to watch the Battle of Winterfell, millions of people came together every Sunday to watch the Battle of Lanka and the Battle of Kurukshetra. With Ramayana and Mahabharata, Doordarshan gave us sprawling epics filled with kings, queens, monsters, magic, and intrigue decades before Ned Stark ever lost his head.

Chandrima Pal July 3, 2016

Pop Culture

Uncle Pai: The Only One Who Told Stories of Indian Mythology as Well as My Grandma

Every time I leaf through the pages of an Amar Chitra Katha, I feel like I’m back in my grandma’s warm embrace. My grandmother had conjured a fantasy world for a four-year-old through her unique storytelling, and Anant Pai’s comics put that world in print.

Chandrima Pal July 1, 2016

POV

Is Botox to a 40-year-old, What a Bikini Wax Is to a 25-year-old?

I do not hold a high-profile, high-maintenance job. And I am certainly not a star who needs to look radiant every single day. I’m an average, middle-class woman in her 40s. Am I still eligible for that botox shot?

Chandrima Pal June 25, 2016

POV

With the Rise of the Beep Culture, What Will Happen to the “Progressive” Bong?

To some Bengalis who felt betrayed by those who voted for the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections, the Beep Festival’s cancellation was merely a trailer for the blockbuster cultural clampdowns that are sure to follow.

Chandrima Pal June 23, 2016

POV

In a Nation Divided Over Politics, How ISRO’s Chandrayaan Brought Us Together

At a time when we are divided over politics in Kashmir and Assam, ravaged by floods, and crushed by the economy on a freefall, Chandrayaan 2 has ushered in a dash of positivity we so badly need.

Chandrima Pal June 19, 2016

Pop Culture

Why Labanya from “Shesher Kobita” is the Most Empowering Rabindranath Tagore Heroine

Few characters have the kind of sway over Rabindranath Tagore’s followers as Labanya – arguably, his most complex and nuanced character – from Shesher Kobita (Last Poem). More than nine decades later, Labanya remains as relevant as she was when she first stormed into popular consciousness.

Chandrima Pal June 18, 2016

Modern Family

Farewell, the Great Indian Family Vacation. It Will Not be Missed

Travel plans have done what TV could not – divide the Great Indian Middle Class Family. Our #wanderlust no longer accommodates the now-unfashionable image of three generations of our thepla-quaffing family, waving from a snowy background.

Chandrima Pal June 17, 2016