Sandip Roy
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Kolkata now has its first food truck: Agdum Bagdum, which hawks Indian fusion food. It was inspired by American food trucks — which were originally inspired by street food in places like Kolkata.
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Seen as indestructible in the West, fruitcakes are indispensable in the bustling Hindu city. Bakers of all faiths have the ovens running round the clock to feed Calcutta's appetite for the cakes.
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Commentator Sandip Roy says the traditional sari has been falling out of fashion in the new India, but designers are turning to pop art prints and other changes to boost its appeal.
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Cyclone Phailin slammed into the east coast of India over the weekend. It caused widespread destruction of property, but minimal loss of life. Indians are surprised and pleased at how well the government's evacuation effort worked.
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It began like a typical Bollywood story. Boy meets girl in pre-independence India. They fall in love. Her family says no way. So one night, she escapes. NPR commentator Sandip Roy recounts how his great-aunt jumped off a moving train for love, and went on to have a happy 60-year-long marriage.
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Commentator Sandip Roy tells the story of classical dancer Alokananda Roy, who was inspired to teach dance to convicted murderers and rapists after a visit to a Calcutta prison.
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Women on the subcontinent may have gained more economic and political clout in the past few decades, but many still cannot escape indiscriminate acts of violence known as "eve teasing." Commentator Sandip Roy takes a look inside the problem and at what women are doing to fight back.
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Once, moviegoers in India waited patiently for the latest Hollywood releases to trickle their way over. That's no longer true for the big popcorn blockbusters like The Avengers, which was in 39 countries before its U.S. debut. A fan in India welcomes the change.
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Tamil is a language known for its poetry, but commentator Sandip Roy knows it has another side. Dime-store pulp fiction has a large Tamil-speaking following — and a newly translated anthology is coming to America.
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Thursday begins the five-day Indian festival Durga Puja, the largest annual celebration for Bengali Hindus. Commentator Sandip Roy contrasts celebrating the holiday as a child in Calcutta and as an adult in California.