It is a neat division and the first part of 70 pages is the Kotia-Ketaki memoir. In the second section, Chandana picks up the narrative and weaves the micro family history of the Jonas family with the macro events of the late 19th century and her grandmother's journey that brought her to Santiniketan in the 20th century.
Today, the tape-jama survives on the margins of a rapidly changing marketplace. It is still found in local bazaars, though no longer a default festive purchase for children. Yet its significance lies beyond its material presence. The garment endures as a symbol of memory—of simpler times, of long summer afternoons, and of a cultural ethos shaped by resourcefulness and tradition. Its soft cotton folds carry stories of Bengal’s textile heritage, its artisanal practices, and its ability to absorb and reinterpret external influences. In doing so, the pinny becomes more than a childhood dress—it is a living archive of history and identity.
According to the latest (2024) survey by the International Mother Language Institute, 45 languages have been identified as existing now in Bangladesh out of which there are 11 indigenous languages including Lushai (Mizo)—that have become critically endangered. Based on UNESCO data, a handful of languages which have made it to the endangered list in Bangladesh are in such a forlorn state that only 5-12 older folks from respective communities can still converse in them.
And perhaps the greatest truth is this: when veterinarians do their work properly, the world stays normal. People drink milk without fear. Farmers sleep without panic. Markets remain stable. Outbreaks do not explode into disasters. Children grow up safer. Communities remain healthier. The world continues smoothly, unaware of how close it often stands to crisis.
The peppy beat of Sri Lankan singer Yohani de Silva’s “Menike Maga Hithe”, which had taken the Indian music scene by storm, has been adapted by the ruling BJP in important local elections in the country's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh as its campaign song
The Covid-19 pandemic is having a positive spinoff for cricket lovers, at least. Australia will host the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2022 as reigning champions in October-November
Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is having its fallout in unexpected areas. Employees in Sri Lanka’s National Zoological Gardens in capital Colombo have threatened to stop feeding the zoo animals there, demanding payments of their allowances and removal of officials who are accused of misappropriation of funds
In a significant verdict for gender equity, India's Supreme Court has said the daughters of a male Hindu, dying intestate, would be entitled to inherit the self-acquired and other properties obtained in the partition by the father and get preference over other collateral members of the family
In a laudable gesture of restitution for a heinous act of their compatriots, Pakistan’s business community has come forward to assist the widow of the Sri Lankan manager who was lynched last year in Sialkot's industrial area
Some India-Pakistan stories do have a happy ending. Two brothers, one Indian and one Pakistani, who were separated during the India-Pakistan partition of the subcontinent in 1947, were reunited after 74 years in Kartarpur, the Sikh pilgrim center in Pakistan, local media reported
For Kabul, murals aren’t just paintings. It is also a general expression of protest, resentment against both their past and present rulers
An undated video of a little girl from Jammu and Kashmir who turned reporter to show the poor condition of roads, especially those leading to her home, has created a storm on the internet, with people complimenting her for her coverage
In a widely appreciated gesture, hundreds of migrant labourers were provided cooked food and winter clothing by the Indian Army amid biting cold and heavy snowfall in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has confirmed the appointment of Justice Ayesha Malik to the country’s top court amid strong protest by lawyers who have been opposing her elevation as it supersedes several senior judges
Sri Lanka plans to increase forest cover from currently 29.3 percent to 30 percent by 2025 by cultivating rubber plants over an area of 500 hectares
Since the pandemic began in early 2020, much has changed in the education sector across the world
Lawyers in Pakistan are gearing up to resist the appointment of Ayesha Malik, currently a judge in Lahore High Court, to the Supreme Court
After two dismal summer seasons for tourism in Kashmir due to the pandemic, winter has brought cheer back to the valley
In times of social disharmony in inter-community ties, a church and a temple in Kerala are epitomising the traditional 'idea of India'
