Kishor, whose team I-PAC is working in planning TMC's election campaign, in his latest tweet said that one of the key battles for democracy in the country will be fought in the West Bengal.

BJP chief J P Nadda on Thursday launched 'Lokkho Sonar Bangla' (target to build golden Bengal) manifesto crowdsourcing campaign to seek suggestions from more than two crore people in West Bengal ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

'If the BJP thinks it is going to overnight transform Bengal into Madhya Pradesh, sorry, that's not going to happen because I have faith in our ethos and culture.'

The iconic Waheeda Rehman tells Subhash K Jha why she refused her most memorable role in Guide until...

The Mamata Banerjee-led party, which has often been mocked by opponents for not having a well-defined ideological plank, seems to have finally found its calling in Bengali sub-nationalism, as a section of top party leaders feel only an 'inclusive message of regionalism, which the Bengalis can identify with, will counter the aggressive nationalism and Hindutva practised by the saffron camp'.

'He always seemed one of us, part of the great aspiring middle class -- his values, his simplicity, even the intellectual snobbery which he could barely hide,' observes Mousumi Sengupta.

'I don't look forward to seeing my films because this only sort of gives me a deep sense of dissatisfaction that I could have done better, and I lose my self-confidence.'

Bengali sub-nationalism is slowly emerging as a rallying cry ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections due next year.

Ambassador Venu Rajamony, who served as press secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee during his tenure, salutes the statesman and political legend, who passed into the ages on Monday.

The politicisation of ethnic sentiments in the state has coincided with the ascent of the BJP and increased activities of far right Hindu outfits, which organised rallies and other events on religious occasions such as Ram Navami a festival not very popular in West Bengal- unlike states in north India.

'If there is one thing our politicians, especially those with their ear to the ground, understand, it is the reality that their voters want three things from their children's schooling: English, English, English', notes Shekhar Gupta.

Pandit Ravi Shankar was George Harrison's link into the Vedic world.

'The Shaheen Bagh model of bullets and biryani won't work. The RSS looked at a template that would play to Bengali pride and harp on the state's development. Mamata's slogan to defeat the Left Front was 'Bengal awake and arise'. She promised to check the flight of capital from Bengal to far-flung states and usher in a renaissance. The RSS wants the BJP to pitch this line because it feels Mamata hasn't delivered on her promises.'

With Sheikh Hasina as Bangladesh prime minister, all is well with the world of India-Bangladesh relations, says Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.

The quizmaster-turned-parliamentarian was interrogated for about two hours on some financial transactions in bank accounts related to the TMC mouthpiece 'Jago Bangla'.

The Rajya Sabha MP, who is also a spokesperson of West Bengal's ruling party, was asked to appear before a CBI team in the first week of August, officials said on Friday.

The agency had summoned him in January too but he sought time, citing the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, they said.

Changing a state's name requires constitutional amendment and it is done after taking into consideration all relevant factors, he said.

'No right thinking student of politics can name one state where the BJP gains in double digits.'

While lashing out at Mamata Banerjee, the prime minister said he was going for a rally in Dum Dum later in the day but was not sure if the West Bengal Chief Minister will allow his helicopter to land.

The four south Indian languages grew by 7% while regional languages within the Hindi speaking markets (such as Bhojpuri, Bangla, Marathi, etc) grew by 26%.

In this excerpt from a conversation with Samik Bandopadhyay, Mrinalda discusses three legendary actors he has worked with.

Ajit Pal Singh tells us how and why he fell in love with Gujarati food.

The BJP chief began his speech with the slogan of uprooting the TMC government from Bengal and said in order to do that, he would visit all the districts of the state.

The resolution said the state will be called Bangla in three languages -- Bengali, English and Hindi.

What better way to know a place than to learn its cuisine? Learn the art of working with terracotta and stoneware clay... ...If it's textiles that turn you on, a holiday in Jaipur could be just the thing for you.... ...Add an extra dimension to a holiday in spiritual Dharamsala by immersing yourself in Tibetan art...

Netflix and Amazon Prime are raising their stakes in the game, commissioning original shows and going all out to acquire regional films for their libraries.

Tirthak Saha is living the American dream, but his work has a typically Indian context.

Tarun Vijay visits 20 Durga Puja pandals in five towns in Bangladesh and comes back impressed.

'As a great democracy, we must be responsible and uphold the rights of those who come to us seeking shelter.' 'Everything in the Hindu faith tells us that this is obligatory on us,' says Aakar Patel.

'Since when have our concert audiences become so intolerant?' the legend asks Subhash K Jha.

The BJP doesn't want to focus entirely on an anti-Mamata campaign.

The film flaunts Bindu as some sort of a free-spirited bohemian when she's really this unlikable, untrustworthy, selfish, vain, flighty opportunist sweet-talking Abhimanyu into catering to her needs all the time, feels Sukanya Verma.

With Tetley, Essilor and other brands seeking him out, Ganguly is the highest paid endorser among retired cricketers.

While the standards of Visva Bharati University fall, the chief minister of West Bengal fantasises about a Biswa Bangla University a few kilometres away. Keya Sarkar ponders the sad state of affairs.

A war hero looks back at the men and the moments that forged India's greatest military victory.

The actors are good and Sujoy Ghosh is tremendous at creating a textured Bengal setting, but this is a thriller which could have used more twists and smarts, says Raja Sen.

The state will be referred to as Bangla in Hindi and Bengal in English.

Citing examples of other states like Odisha and cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, he said the word "Bengal" has the state's culture.

Bangladeshis say it is easier in Portugal to get Residency papers, which give them access to all EU countries, reports Sunanda K Datta-Ray.