Found in the hills, lost in the fog- Kodaikanal "Princess of Hill Stations"

The endless cycle of nature which involve mountains and winds we discovered the balanced state of everything that exists. Few years back I travelled down  to Kodaikanal with my family. It is a hill station in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Our journey included visting Poombarai Village View Point, Liril Falls and other beautiful viewpoints.

                                        Poombarai Village View Point 

Visting Poombarai Village View Point remains an event that we will would never forget. It is a peaceful spot with pleasant weather and view which is perfect for photography. It is surrounded with terraced farms which is covered with foggy hills and colorful traditional houses. The view provided with calm and pleasant surrounding which seemed to be transformed into an artistic view point. 

Wind moves through forest trees in a never-ending rustling sound as fog windles through the branches

Fog-wrapped mountains of beauty

Liril Falls

Liril Falls is a beautiful waterfall near Kodaikanal. It is a beautiful place to enjoy nature. The water flows gently through stones and the soothing sound of flowing water creates a beautiful natural scene. 

Writing and picture courtesy: Isha Ballav

Navigating Love Across Miles:

The Reality of Long-Distance Relationships

Long Distance relationship’s are a rather specific kind of experience that most people encounter in the present world. It can be difficult at face value to be so distant from someone one cares about because of work, school, or other obligations. This makes it difficult to work but long-distance relationships can work as long as a lot of effort and positive attitude is applied.

Source: pexels

Aberdein, Rotimah, and Murphy state that one of the most difficult aspects that come with an LDR is the geographical distance. It’s the accompanied hand-holding, eating together or simply spending time together without talking. The lack of such moments may be often uncomfortable and one may feel lonely or bored at times. Instead, the best way in which communication becomes a lifeline is revealed below. I imagine that having meetings through video calls or using voice notes or simply sending each other messages throughout the day is important. It is not a mere issue of the frequency of communication but also of willingness to address concerns and avoid hiding issues from the other half. This includes sharing one’s thoughts, feelings as well as his or her difficulties which play a role in ensuring that despite the distance the bond is kept intact.

Still, it has to be remembered that communication equally has its highs and lows. For example, due to time difference, tight schedule, or lack of proper understanding, some messages may misinterpret. That is why I was surprised that Kenya had also said that patience in an LDR is like foreplay it is quite critical. One has to make a conscious effort to remember that both of you are working and struggling in an unfavourable environment. Patience and forgiveness makes up for a lot when it comes to the healthy or balancing of a relationship.

However it is not all negative impacts there are some advantages of being in a long distance relationship as well. First, it provides freedom that both the couples need to become different people, býtcheti. In this case being apart is beneficial and allows an individual to pursue own aims and interests without creating a feeling of abandonment of the other partner. This independence can alternatively work for your relationship by denying a partner records that would show that he/she is needy or dependent on you when the two of you are together.

Great thing about LDRs, however, is how such time makes you appreciate the little time spent together as such. Each time it is a rather special event, and even just watching a movie or taking a walk is what is saved in the soul. This way, there is much more respect for each other in contrast to the relationships where people spend all day together.

Source: pexels

Another aspect that contributes to the formation of a satisfactory LDR is trust. If there is no trust, then it is possible to experience feelings of doubt and fear owing to the lack of faith in one another’s words and actions. But, important as having trust is, there must be a prospect for Pounder as well. Getting the knowledge that the distance is not permanent either they will be setting new time to meet in the near future or the next plan is to move in together gives a couple something to anticipate. 

Thus there is no doubt that long-distance relationships are not for all but those are so lucky who got success in this type of relationship. They challenge your patience, loyalty and proof of your good relationship’s ability to communicate but strengthens the bond that exist in the relationship. It underlined a truth—that love in this world is not only when two people are in the same boat but rather when they are!, able to stand by each other even if they are thousand of miles apart.

Courtesy: Shayantony Ganguly

Amiphoria, 2025

Amiphoria, by Visuals

Amiphoria is the annual cultural fest extravaganza organised by Amity University, Kolkata. In this year's iteration, Amiphoria 2025, it was an unforgettable convergence of countless and diverse students from colleges all across Kolkata. Organised from 5th to 7th March, Amiphoria turned out to be a massive success, engaging in the battle and matchup of wits, passion, and exhilaration, and forging bonds of trust and goodwill amongst all. 

The events covered performing arts such as music, dance and theatre events, to fashion, business and debate circuits to even literature and sports. The participation was engaging and the 3 days were jam-packed. But every fest has its trump card, its own show. On the first day, the fest were graced by the glamorous, DJ Lil B who's phenomenal dance numbers had the students on their toes through. The 2nd day had everybody completely charged and singing when Snigdhajit and Liveline pulled off an absolutely brilliant performance with songs ranging from Arijit Singh and KK, to going back to the old days, with an electrifying stage presence. The last day ended with the main star event, with a very distinguished performance from famed Bollywood singer Asees Kaur which invigorated the students with her awe-struck talent of harmony. With this, the 2025 Edition of Amiphoria by Amity University Kolkata came to an end.

What follows is a visual presentation of how Amiphoria 2025 unfolded.

Anchors interacting with the audience 

Beatboxing battle, who will start first? 

Mr.Amiphoria ready to interact 

The DJ artist playing pieces of music

A woman dancing in a way that catches everyone's attention

Everyone enjoys the beats of the music

These beautiful ladies are ready to rock the stage on fire

Participants are waiting for their turn

Anchors are calling the participants

Chief guest giving her speech

People are eagerly capturing the moments

Photographers are doing their job

Musicians are playing music for everyone to enjoy

Artist of the day performing

Everyone’s dancing and cheering

Bands from different institutes competing against each other

Picture courtesy: Adrija Sengupta.

Write-up courtesy: Subhojit Haldar.

Bound Beyond Time

Poem by

Bipasha Sengupta

                     (Representational Image by Pixabay)

He's so beautiful, 

like that of the voice of a siren 

that attracts you to your own grave 

and if that leads me to him 

even if it's for one last time 

let death be it, 

for then it'll be 

till death do us part. 

My heart full of love  

As I look into his eyes 

For one last time 

As I end my story here in this land 

And as I fall into his embrace, 

The world fades, 

His touch, both gentle and divine, 

Seals my fate; 

he was always mine. 

Binding my soul to his, endlessly, 

let the stars bear witness to this vow;

If love is but a fleeting fire, 

Then let it burn with fierce desire. 

To taste his kiss, though it be the last, 

I'd trade the future, and forget the past. 

For in his arms, no fear can dwell, 

Even as I hear the tolling bell. 

For in his eyes, I find my peace, 

A moment's bliss, a sweet release. 

And as I leave this earthly strand, 

I'll journey on, still holding his hand. 

 

Around Varanasi In Assi Days by Raja Venkateswara 

A book launch event at Oxford Bookstore

English Report: Subhojit Haldar, M.A Sem 4
Bengali Report: Indira Senapati, M.A Sem 4

 

Book launch poster; Presence of the panelists and the audience at Oxford Bookstore, Kolkata

Picture credit: Subhojit Haldar

19th February, 2025: On a brilliant February evening, we witnessed a book launch event of Around Varanasi In Assi Days by Raja Venkateswara at the Oxford Bookstore, Park Street, Kolkata. The event was graced by a prestigious panel, which included the author, Raja Venkateswara, chief guest Alokananda Roy—an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, Dr. Gautam Basu, professor at Ashoka University, Professor Shakti Ghoshal, CEO of Profit Centre, and Reetasri Ghosh, a leadership development educational coach - moderated by award-winning film director, Ashoke Viswanathan.

The author commenced the discussion by saying that through the influence of his transformation from Kolkata to Kashi, during his IIT days back in the 90s, he began writing the book towards the end of the decade. Although it was published relatively late. Describing Varanasi as "Kashi", he recounted that its rich culture had left an indelible mark that shaped his later life. The central aspect of how compelling the panel discussion went was the personal narrative of the panelists and members, over the discussion on identity, culture, and education.

Panelists (L-R): Prof. Shakti Ghoshal, Ashoke Viswanathan, Raja Venkateswara, Reetasri Ghosh, Dr. Gautam Basu

Picture Credit: Subhojit Haldar

The panel discussion revealed some interesting layers of interest in the book. Dr. Gautam Basu said that he imagined it as a short short story where the quick metamorphosis of the protagonist happened within about 80 days. How? By a creative "graffiti gang" instead of the usual ragging - a practice, which he criticized based on his own experiences. Professor Shakti Ghoshal talked about the cohesive creativity in weaving together diversity through languages (with Bangla, Hindi, and Tamil phrases) and the relative cultural differences between Kolkata and Varanasi. Reetasri Ghosh appreciated the book for how relatable and accessible the style and educational value it offered, particularly for the IIT lingo glossary that enriched her experience. These analyses seemed to underscore the book's ability to make a statement across academic and cultural contexts.

A key discussion was around ragging as it started involving a wider spectrum of conversations, often within personal narratives. Raja suggested that it disintegrated some sort of social barriers and prepared one for real-world interaction, although he qualified it by saying they were all fictional. Dr. Basu countered that it was actually forces like the graffiti gang-not ragging-that helped to mold the protagonist. This discussion-or so it went-was gracefully managed by Ashoke Viswanathan, allowing the issues of communication to be expressed.

Another topic ventured into was gender roles. Reetashri Ghosh, in conjunction with her own transformative time in JNU, talked about the plurality of men, back then in the IIT nexus which was sensitive toward the portrayal of female characters. Ashoke Viswanathan framed the book as a new genre- English in language, Indian at heart- that increased its powers of communication through cross-cultural infusion.

The audience added another layer with their line of questions regarding the international appeal of the book and the significance of "Assi" in Varanasi. Raja reverted naturally, pointing in socio-cultural. geographical and thematic ways at Assi's significance, but pointing back to the universal nature of the story. His bridging of audience and speaker showed some subtle but strong audience-speaker rapport, an important aspect within communication studies.

Chief guest Alokananda Roy, with warmth as is her natural disposition, concluded by comparing her task with dancing after the panel had done such elaborate performing. The book characterization was "unputdownable" and it reminded her of nostalgic moments, which she attributed to Raja for the brilliant storytelling.

From the perspective of literature and communication studies, the experience was marvelous and unique, in establishing social and cultural structures about personal experiences and consequences, while peeking into the characters of the cities of Kolkata and Kashi, and IIT itself. Ashoke Viswanathan handled this with assurance so that despite some measure of coherence on a subject, it still turned dynamic in discussion as points made by the panelists reminded communication of literature and society. For students having their hands on this launch then, it was a first lesson on how stories go far to bridge cultures and exchange dialogues, making Around Varanasi In Assi Days a worthy contemporary story.

The audience in rapt attention at the event

Picture credit: Subhojit Haldar

গত ১৯ ফেব্রুয়ারি শেষ শীতের এক সন্ধ্যেয় কলকাতার বুকে অনুষ্ঠিত হয় বই প্রকাশের অনুষ্ঠান। যেখানে রাজা ভেঙ্কটেশ্বরার লেখা "Around Varanasi in Assi Days" নামে একটি বই প্রকাশ হয়। "Around Varanasi In Assi Days"—লেখক রাজা ভেঙ্কটেশ্বরার লেখা এই বইটির উদ্বোধনী অনুষ্ঠানে উপস্থিত ছিলেন বিশিষ্ট ব্যক্তিরা। প্রধান অতিথি ছিলেন ভারতীয় শাস্ত্রীয় নৃত্যশিল্পী ও কোরিওগ্রাফার অলোকানন্দা রায়, আর আলোচনা সঞ্চালনার দায়িত্বে ছিলেন চলচ্চিত্র পরিচালক অশোক বিশ্বাসনাথন। প্যানেলে আরও ছিলেন আশোকা ইউনিভার্সিটির অধ্যাপক ড. গৌতম বসু, প্রফিট সেন্টারের সিইও অধ্যাপক শক্তি ঘোষাল, এবং লিডারশিপ ডেভেলপমেন্ট এডুকেশনাল কোচ রীতাশ্রী ঘোষ।

লেখক রাজা ভেঙ্কটেশ্বরা তাঁর বই লেখার অনুপ্রেরণা ও অভিজ্ঞতা শেয়ার করে অনুষ্ঠান শুরু করেন। তিনি জানান, ৯০-এর দশকে তাঁর আইআইটি-র দিনগুলিতে কলকাতা থেকে কাশীতে যাওয়ার অভিজ্ঞতা তাঁকে বদলে দিয়েছিল। সেই সময় থেকেই তাঁর এই বই লেখার ভাবনা আসে, যদিও বইটি প্রকাশ হতে অনেক দেরি হয়। তিনি বারবার কাশীকে শুধুমাত্র একটি জায়গা নয়, বরং সংস্কৃতি, বন্ধন, এবং আত্ম-অনুসন্ধানের প্রতীক হিসেবে তুলে ধরেন।

প্যানেল আলোচনায় উঠে আসে বইটির বিভিন্ন দিক। ড. গৌতম বসু মজার ছলেই বললেন, এটি যেন এক প্রকার ‘শর্ট শর্ট স্টোরি’, যেখানে গল্পের নায়ক মাত্র ৮০ দিনের মধ্যে বদলে যায়, আর এটি সম্ভব হয় ‘গ্রাফিটি গ্যাং’-এর মাধ্যমে, যা প্রচলিত র‍্যাগিং-এর বিপরীত। তিনি র‍্যাগিং-এর বিরুদ্ধে তাঁর মতামতও তুলে ধরেন। অধ্যাপক শক্তি ঘোষাল বইটির ভাষাগত বৈচিত্র্যের কথা বলেন—বাংলা, হিন্দি ও তামিলের সংমিশ্রণ বইটিকে আরও প্রাণবন্ত করে তুলেছে। রীতাশ্রী ঘোষ বইয়ের সহজ ভাষাশৈলী ও শিক্ষামূলক দিকের প্রশংসা করেন, বিশেষ করে আইআইটি-র টার্মগুলো বুঝতে গ্লসারিটির কথাও উল্লেখ করেন।

The author, Raja Venkateswara

Picture credit: Subhojit Haldar

র‍্যাগিং প্রসঙ্গে আলোচনা আরও গভীরে চলে যায়। লেখক রাজা বলেন, র‍্যাগিং কখনও কখনও সামাজিক বাধা ভাঙতে সাহায্য করে এবং বাস্তব জীবনের জন্য প্রস্তুত করে, যদিও বইয়ের ঘটনাগুলো পুরোটাই কাল্পনিক। কিন্তু ড. বসু একে প্রত্যাখ্যান করে বলেন, চরিত্রের গঠন র‍্যাগিং-এর কারণে নয়, বরং ‘গ্রাফিটি গ্যাং’-এর সাহায্যে হয়েছে। অশোক বিশ্বাসনাথন দক্ষতার সঙ্গে আলোচনা পরিচালনা করেন, যাতে প্রতিটি মতামত গুরুত্ব পায়।

একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ বিষয় ছিল, বই-তে লিঙ্গ নিয়ে যে ভূমিকাগুলোর উপস্থাপন করা হয়েছিল। রীতাশ্রী ঘোষ তাঁর নিজস্ব অভিজ্ঞতা থেকে বলেন, আইআইটি-তে নারীদের প্রতি দৃষ্টিভঙ্গি কেমন ছিল এবং সময়ের সাথে কীভাবে তা পরিবর্তিত হয়েছে। অশোক বিশ্বাসনাথন বইটিকে "ইংরেজিতে লেখা, কিন্তু ভারতীয় হৃদয়সম্পন্ন" বলে ব্যাখ্যা করেন, যা ভাষা ও সংস্কৃতির মিশ্রণে এক নতুন ধারার সৃষ্টি করেছে। অনুষ্ঠানে উপস্থিত দর্শকদের প্রশ্নও বেশ প্রাসঙ্গিক ছিল। কেউ জানতে চান, বইটির আন্তর্জাতিক আবেদন কেমন? কেউ প্রশ্ন তোলেন, বইয়ের শিরোনামে "Assi" শব্দের তাৎপর্য কী? লেখক রাজা নিখুঁতভাবে ব্যাখ্যা করেন যে, এটি শুধুমাত্র ভৌগোলিক নয়, বরং সমাজ, সংস্কৃতি ও আত্ম-অন্বেষণের প্রতীক। তিনি শ্রোতাদের সঙ্গে দারুণ সংযোগ স্থাপন করেন, যা সাংবাদিকতা বিভাগের ছাত্র হিসেবে আমাদের জন্য একটি শিক্ষণীয় বিষয় হয়ে ওঠে। প্রধান অতিথি অলোকানন্দা রায় তাঁর স্বভাবসিদ্ধ উষ্ণতায় অনুষ্ঠানটির উপসংহার ঘটে। তিনি বলেন, প্যানেলের আলোচনা এত সুন্দরভাবে উপস্থাপিত হয়েছিল যে, এখন তাঁর নাচের মতোই সাবলীল লাগছে! বইটি তাঁকে অনেক স্মৃতির মধ্যে ফিরিয়ে নিয়ে গেছিল, আর লেখকের গল্প বলার দক্ষতা তাঁকে মুগ্ধ করেছে। একজন ম্যাস কমিউনিকেশন শিক্ষার্থী হিসেবে এই অভিজ্ঞতা ছিল অসাধারণ। কীভাবে গল্পের মাধ্যমে সংস্কৃতি, পরিচয়, ও ব্যক্তিগত অভিজ্ঞতাগুলো একসূত্রে গাঁথা যায়, সেটার একটা বাস্তব উদাহরণ হয়ে থাকল এই বই প্রকাশনা অনুষ্ঠান। "Around Varanasi In Assi Days" শুধুমাত্র একটি বই নয়, বরং ভাষা, সংস্কৃতি ও মানুষের গল্পের এক সুন্দর সংমিশ্রণ।

Team members (L-R): Isha Ballav, Subhojit Haldar, Indira Senapati, Ayush Biswakarma (not in the picture)