Durga Puja: Praying to the Demon Slayer
byFiercest of all Goddesses, consort of Shiva the Destroyer & Source of the Universe, Durga is the most revered deity in all of West…
Round-the-World Honeymoon
We are very far from the earthquake in Pakistan!
byIn fact, I didn’t even find out about the earthquake until I went to check my email and saw half a dozen “Are you…
Traveling with American Jewish World Service
byOur work on the “labor lines,†as the palm-lined neighborhoods of plantation-provided row houses are called, begins at four in the afternoon, when the…
Outstanding Article about the Indian Tea Crisis
by“A Machete, A Uterus, and Indian Tea,†by Charles Norman Todd, is an excellent breakdown that explains why the workers are starving.
Bengali Winter: The North Winds are A-Blowin’
byWe said goodbye to Sarmishtha and Debasish on the first day of winter. Or close to it, anyway. It was raining and fifteen degrees…
The Man Who Sells Me My Toilet Paper
byNote the tee-shirt-resting-on-the-belly method of keeping cool, an extremely popular practice in both Nicaragua and West Virginia.
Map: Birpara Town, Jalpaiguri District, North Bengal
byWhen I showed my map of Birpara to Tay, and asked her if I’d missed anything, I was startled when she immediately declared “Yes! 
Palm Reading: Of Mystery and Marriage
byThe first time I had my palm read on this round-the-world trip was by a man named Manzoor in the back of a Pakistani…
Bengali Birthday Bash: Bulbulda Will Arrange
byVikash “Bulbul†Roy, is much more than the owner of the vehicle we rent. He is our Godfather, our band manager, our bodyguard, and…
Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary: After the Revolution
byOur elephant’s name was Purnima, “Full Moon†in Bengali, and she was silent save for her heavy footsteps as she carried us through the…