Dispatches from Kolkata

Winter in Kolkata has a sound of it's own, and many reasons to enjoy the outdoors.But, Sandip has seen a troubling trend infringe upon what was once a time of cool reverie.

"Eat your veggies.” That’s an order many of us have grown up with. But now a deli in Cornwall in the U.K. wants to have its veggies and eat it too. And let no one else have any.

Sandip reflects on the past year and while reading his mother's diary finds that the real of one's life may be in the smallest of details.

The recent Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk meant more than just a weekend party to Sandip.

A small state with hilly terrain is turning into India’s fruit wine haven. Sandip Roy samples the vintage.

Vidya Rajan, an academic and author specializing in rubber's history, shares her insights on the fascinating world of this indispensable substance. She discusses ancient civilizations' use of rubber, including Olmec innovations that improved its durability. The conversation also covers the brutal colonial exploitation-driven rubber trade, the rivalry between Goodyear and Hancock, and the intriguing quest for sustainable alternatives, like using dandelions for rubber production. Rajan's expert commentary illuminates rubber's complex legacy and its future.

Thanksgiving was one of Sandip's favorite "American" holidays, now he considers what to give thanks for.

A city with lights galore is proof of how successful and important it is.Yet darkness too is an old friend. Sandip ponders the shadows.

Zohran Mamdani’s candidacy to be the next mayor of New York City has had an unexpected side effect.It’s been a crash course in South Asian Studies 101 for mainstream America.

Last week was Diwali, the Indian festival of lights. But Sandip Roy grew up with the Goddess Kali.