Allô Chatrath

I have been to Chile thrice and I love the country. It has it all- snowy mountains, sea beaches, friendly people. I visited Valparaiso during one of my visits to Chile.  I visited Valparaiso during my last visit to Chile. It is a historic port city on the central coast of Chile, known for its steep hills, colorful houses, and vibrant cultural life. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the city has a unique layout shaped by its geography, with narrow streets, stairways, and old funicular elevators connecting the lower port area to the hilltop neighborhoods. Valparaíso played a crucial role in international trade during the 19th century, especially before the opening of the Panama Canal, and this past prosperity is reflected in its diverse architecture and strong European influences. Today,Valparaíso is celebrated as a center of art, poetry, and political thought. It is the hometown of the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, whose house La Sebastiana is now a museum. The city’s walls are co...

                                         May I invite you to follow me on 'X' and on 'Instagram'?                                    You would be surprised at the wide spectrum of subjects covered.

I was in Odisha from 1968 to 2003, excepting the years that I was posted in Delhi/Shimla etc. Right from day one I had been fascinated by the existence of detailed record of Jagannath Puri temple and the Kings.   Unfortunately I could not get to visit the chambers in Puri where it is kept, much less to read it. What was also a major handicap was that my proficiency of reading hand written Odia script was very poor. And the years passed by. There came a spark in between which could have rekindled my interest in Madala Panji. One of my senior colleagues told me that his daughter was applying for a scholarship/fellowship to a German University to do research on Madala Panji. But I was so tied up in my own personal and official matters that I soon forgot about it.   I retired in 2003 and left Odisha for Panchkula, of course I leaving a part of my heart in Odisha. And now comes the trigger for the present write up. While going through internet I few days back I discovered tha...

Venice Film Festival is one of the most prestigious annual film festival of the world. While going through the newspaper this morning I came across a small item about a film on 'Hind Rajab' gettting a big ovation. The mention of 'hind' made me go deeper into the story.                                                      The Times of India, September 5, 2025.   In 2025, the film The Voice of Hind Rajab by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania had its world premiere   on Wednesday in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival . It shattered all previous records by receiving a 23 minute long standing ovation.   It follows the killing of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who lived in the Gaza Strip and was killed by the IDF during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip  The film recounts ...

      May I invite you to follow me on Instagram? You would be surprised at the range of topics covered. 

  May I invite you to follow me on the Instagram?  You would be surprised at the wide spectrum of topics covered.