Simanta Barman
@simantabarman.bsky.social
Independent Journalist | Words @The Hindu, Mint Lounge, Deccan Herald, Firstpost, The Telegraph, Goya Journal, Gaon Connection, The Assam Tribune, India Today NE, EastMojo, The Shillong Times, etc.
📍Guwahati, Assam | simanta.contently.com
📍Guwahati, Assam | simanta.contently.com
Pinned
Simanta Barman
@simantabarman.bsky.social
· Nov 22
This autumn, Northeast blushes in cosmos
With October, among all things autumnal, comes cosmos, the ephemeral blossom that shrouds parts of the Northeast in mostly pink, but also yellow, orange and white. We travel to get the best views
www.thehindu.com
Every autumn, the Northeast blushes in pink, white, yellow and orange, thanks to the glorious cosmos. Our account in The Hindu.
www.thehindu.com/life-and-sty...
www.thehindu.com/life-and-sty...
লাই -গাহৰি (Pork cooked with mustard greens) is an emotion for many in Assam. Easy to make and smacks your tastebuds with an earthy goodness. Variations exist, but the no-oil version is popular. I note one of the many ways to make the beloved Laai-Gahori in @GoyaJournal
www.goya.in/blog/laai-ga...
www.goya.in/blog/laai-ga...
I First Made Assamese Laai Gahori in an Electric Kettle — GOYA
Simanta Barman first made this beloved Assamese dish of mustard greens and pork in an electric kettle while living in a students’ hostel. Here, he shares a more refined version—rooted in memory, eleva...
www.goya.in
June 22, 2025 at 4:23 PM
লাই -গাহৰি (Pork cooked with mustard greens) is an emotion for many in Assam. Easy to make and smacks your tastebuds with an earthy goodness. Variations exist, but the no-oil version is popular. I note one of the many ways to make the beloved Laai-Gahori in @GoyaJournal
www.goya.in/blog/laai-ga...
www.goya.in/blog/laai-ga...
There's something about legacy cinema halls, and there are many things we're not doing to save the glory. They carry stories, of passion, art, history and a shared past. Penned some thoughts on Mumbai's iconic Regal Cinema, and bits of what's left of our Jonaki, in today's The Assam Tribune.
May 2, 2025 at 5:20 AM
There's something about legacy cinema halls, and there are many things we're not doing to save the glory. They carry stories, of passion, art, history and a shared past. Penned some thoughts on Mumbai's iconic Regal Cinema, and bits of what's left of our Jonaki, in today's The Assam Tribune.
Strolled around the Manipuri Basti area of Guwahati some six months back to know their stories. The story is finally out as my 2nd feature for @thehindu.com
March 16, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Strolled around the Manipuri Basti area of Guwahati some six months back to know their stories. The story is finally out as my 2nd feature for @thehindu.com
Deepak is a young promising tennis ball cricketer from Dibrugarh. I met him during ISPL, where he plays for Majhi Mumbai. Traced his journey from Assam to Mumbai in today's Eastern Chronicle.
March 1, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Deepak is a young promising tennis ball cricketer from Dibrugarh. I met him during ISPL, where he plays for Majhi Mumbai. Traced his journey from Assam to Mumbai in today's Eastern Chronicle.
Deepak Kumar Limboo and Devid Gogoi have gone from playing in Assam's fields to representing the state in a national-level league like ISPL. My take on their journey in IndiaToday NE.
www.indiatodayne.in/opinion/stor...
www.indiatodayne.in/opinion/stor...
From Assam's fields to Mumbai: Devid and Deepak’s spell at ISPL
Deepak Kumar Limboo and Devid Gogoi from Assam have made a mark in the Indian Street Premier League, showcasing the potential of tennis ball cricket. Supported by Sachin Tendulkar, ISPL offers financi...
www.indiatodayne.in
February 17, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Deepak Kumar Limboo and Devid Gogoi have gone from playing in Assam's fields to representing the state in a national-level league like ISPL. My take on their journey in IndiaToday NE.
www.indiatodayne.in/opinion/stor...
www.indiatodayne.in/opinion/stor...
A recipe story in @GoyaJournal after so long! My 2nd for them where I documented our love for smoked cuisine in Assam.
'Kosu paat patot diya' is a staple in my home and our village Kharua. The smokey goodness wrapped in banana leaf gives a unique flavour.
www.goya.in/blog/a-charc...
'Kosu paat patot diya' is a staple in my home and our village Kharua. The smokey goodness wrapped in banana leaf gives a unique flavour.
www.goya.in/blog/a-charc...
Recipe for Kosu Paat Patot Diya — GOYA
Kosu Paat Patot Diya (also Kosu Paat Pitika/Patot Diya Kosu Paat) is such a delicacy from the taro kingdom that the Assamese love as a side dish. It involves foraging for the tender taro/colocasia lea...
www.goya.in
January 30, 2025 at 4:02 AM
A recipe story in @GoyaJournal after so long! My 2nd for them where I documented our love for smoked cuisine in Assam.
'Kosu paat patot diya' is a staple in my home and our village Kharua. The smokey goodness wrapped in banana leaf gives a unique flavour.
www.goya.in/blog/a-charc...
'Kosu paat patot diya' is a staple in my home and our village Kharua. The smokey goodness wrapped in banana leaf gives a unique flavour.
www.goya.in/blog/a-charc...
Laitumkhrah is a traveller's delight for all the warmth it offers. Be it momo, soup or jadoh by the street, there's a vibe that lingers long after you leave. My thoughts in The Horizon of The Assam Tribune.
January 30, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Laitumkhrah is a traveller's delight for all the warmth it offers. Be it momo, soup or jadoh by the street, there's a vibe that lingers long after you leave. My thoughts in The Horizon of The Assam Tribune.
Wrote on India's space-tech journey and the way ahead. Published in The Assam Tribune on 06.01.2025.
January 30, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Wrote on India's space-tech journey and the way ahead. Published in The Assam Tribune on 06.01.2025.
Wrote about the community-driven Big Bang Festival from Assam in my second feature for Mint.
www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/...
www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/...
www.livemint.com
December 14, 2024 at 11:48 AM
Wrote about the community-driven Big Bang Festival from Assam in my second feature for Mint.
www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/...
www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/...
My first for Ukhrul Times where I reminisce chasing cherry blossoms and jadoh on a rainy day in Shillong.
ukhrultimes.com/chasing-cher...
ukhrultimes.com/chasing-cher...
Chasing Cherry Blossoms And Jadoh In Shillong: A Reminiscence | Ukhrul Times
I was half asleep when the shared car I was in entered Shillong. It was October pre-Covid, cold morning and a drizzle outside that soon turned into a downpour
ukhrultimes.com
December 1, 2024 at 6:00 AM
My first for Ukhrul Times where I reminisce chasing cherry blossoms and jadoh on a rainy day in Shillong.
ukhrultimes.com/chasing-cher...
ukhrultimes.com/chasing-cher...
A godhuli bozaar (evening market) that is lit with the assembly of old kerosene lamps. For us who are from villages, the experience of a local market remains vivid, and melancholic. And we draw parallel even if we move out to a city.
I write in this piece for The Assam Tribune.
I write in this piece for The Assam Tribune.
December 1, 2024 at 5:54 AM
A godhuli bozaar (evening market) that is lit with the assembly of old kerosene lamps. For us who are from villages, the experience of a local market remains vivid, and melancholic. And we draw parallel even if we move out to a city.
I write in this piece for The Assam Tribune.
I write in this piece for The Assam Tribune.
Kohima felt like a cold night's dream when I first visited. Slow walks, vibrant surroundings, blooms and a silence. It had not much to offer yet it felt full.
Wrote about that quaint experience in my first for The Telegraph My Kolkata.
www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/p...
Wrote about that quaint experience in my first for The Telegraph My Kolkata.
www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/p...
Exploring Kohima — a slow traveller’s delight
For this first-time visitor, the Naga capital city unfolded like a cold night’s dream offering stories of history, culture, and more
www.telegraphindia.com
November 29, 2024 at 3:31 PM
Kohima felt like a cold night's dream when I first visited. Slow walks, vibrant surroundings, blooms and a silence. It had not much to offer yet it felt full.
Wrote about that quaint experience in my first for The Telegraph My Kolkata.
www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/p...
Wrote about that quaint experience in my first for The Telegraph My Kolkata.
www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/p...
ILO observes that global labour income share has been on a descent for a long time, aggravated by the pandemic, and now with the emergence of artificial intelligence. I reflect on some concerning data for youth NEET, especially in India, for India Today NE.
www.indiatodayne.in/opinion/stor...
www.indiatodayne.in/opinion/stor...
The future of youth NEET is not so neat
ILO report highlights pandemic's impact on global labour income share, worsened by AI. In India, youth unemployment and skills mismatch remain critical issues.
www.indiatodayne.in
November 24, 2024 at 12:01 PM
ILO observes that global labour income share has been on a descent for a long time, aggravated by the pandemic, and now with the emergence of artificial intelligence. I reflect on some concerning data for youth NEET, especially in India, for India Today NE.
www.indiatodayne.in/opinion/stor...
www.indiatodayne.in/opinion/stor...
Reposted by Simanta Barman
This site feels like twitter when twitter was fun and weird and cool.
November 12, 2024 at 1:35 PM
This site feels like twitter when twitter was fun and weird and cool.
Can we call each other blueskies now?
November 23, 2024 at 5:28 AM
Can we call each other blueskies now?
Every autumn, the Northeast blushes in pink, white, yellow and orange, thanks to the glorious cosmos. Our account in The Hindu.
www.thehindu.com/life-and-sty...
www.thehindu.com/life-and-sty...
This autumn, Northeast blushes in cosmos
With October, among all things autumnal, comes cosmos, the ephemeral blossom that shrouds parts of the Northeast in mostly pink, but also yellow, orange and white. We travel to get the best views
www.thehindu.com
November 22, 2024 at 7:18 AM
Every autumn, the Northeast blushes in pink, white, yellow and orange, thanks to the glorious cosmos. Our account in The Hindu.
www.thehindu.com/life-and-sty...
www.thehindu.com/life-and-sty...
Nongpoh is a neatly arranged town by the Guwahati-Shillong highway. It presents a quieter experience for travellers stopping by. I wrote about the food and quaint aura of this place for The Shillong Times.
theshillongtimes.com/2024/08/18/w...
theshillongtimes.com/2024/08/18/w...
Why Nongpoh could be a slow traveller’s ideal stop - The Shillong Times
Clean highway, clear sky, lush mountains, and you stop your vehicle by a roadside stall that reads ‘Local Khasi food.’ You scan through the large steel bowls displaying different dishes of the day, fr...
theshillongtimes.com
November 22, 2024 at 7:16 AM
Nongpoh is a neatly arranged town by the Guwahati-Shillong highway. It presents a quieter experience for travellers stopping by. I wrote about the food and quaint aura of this place for The Shillong Times.
theshillongtimes.com/2024/08/18/w...
theshillongtimes.com/2024/08/18/w...
Jalikhata is a small village in Assam that boasts a giant banyan tree, some even believing it to be Asia's 2nd largest. I debunked the claim with available data in this piece for NEZINE.
www.nezine.com/info/Ky9ucUh...
www.nezine.com/info/Ky9ucUh...
Jalikhata: A quaint little village in Assam where a giant two-century-old banyan tree is teaching lessons of sustainability
Jalikhata: A quaint little village in Assam where a giant two-century-old banyan tree is teaching lessons of sustainability
On the National Highway 27, just between the towns of Pathsala and Patachar...
www.nezine.com
November 22, 2024 at 7:13 AM
Jalikhata is a small village in Assam that boasts a giant banyan tree, some even believing it to be Asia's 2nd largest. I debunked the claim with available data in this piece for NEZINE.
www.nezine.com/info/Ky9ucUh...
www.nezine.com/info/Ky9ucUh...
A travelogue I wrote for NEZINE on Eyi, a quaint village in Aalo, Arunachal Pradesh.
www.nezine.com/info/SExWMGx...
www.nezine.com/info/SExWMGx...
Pinning an Eye on Eyi: A remote village in West Siang where the mountains take you to the paddy fields of Vincent Van Gogh
Pinning an Eye on Eyi: A remote village in West Siang where the mountains take you to the paddy fields of Vincent Van Gogh
“Kaha se aaye ho? Kyun aaye ho yaha?” (Where are you from? Why are you here?...
www.nezine.com
November 22, 2024 at 7:11 AM
A travelogue I wrote for NEZINE on Eyi, a quaint village in Aalo, Arunachal Pradesh.
www.nezine.com/info/SExWMGx...
www.nezine.com/info/SExWMGx...
The canyon at world’s end - a travelogue on the Laitlum Canyons in Meghalaya. Published in The Shillong Times (2020).
theshillongtimes.com/2020/08/02/t...
theshillongtimes.com/2020/08/02/t...
The canyon at world’s end - The Shillong Times
By Simanta Barman Some journeys are so dreamy and peaceful that it rings in your heart long after you have left that place. Laitlum happened to be one such place for me. I was half asleep from exhaust...
theshillongtimes.com
November 22, 2024 at 7:10 AM
The canyon at world’s end - a travelogue on the Laitlum Canyons in Meghalaya. Published in The Shillong Times (2020).
theshillongtimes.com/2020/08/02/t...
theshillongtimes.com/2020/08/02/t...
From Scheduled Tribe status to battle over 'D voter' tag, Assam's Gorkhas give voice to longstanding demands. Wrote about their plight in view of the 2021 Assembly Election in Assam in my first for Firstpost.
www.firstpost.com/politics/fro...
www.firstpost.com/politics/fro...
From Scheduled Tribe status to battle over 'D voter' tag, Assam's Gorkhas give voice to longstanding demands
The Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha (BGP), a pan-India organisation and one of the parties to the NRC case at the Supreme Court, has estimated that more than one lakh Gorkhas have been excluded from the N...
www.firstpost.com
November 22, 2024 at 7:08 AM
From Scheduled Tribe status to battle over 'D voter' tag, Assam's Gorkhas give voice to longstanding demands. Wrote about their plight in view of the 2021 Assembly Election in Assam in my first for Firstpost.
www.firstpost.com/politics/fro...
www.firstpost.com/politics/fro...
150 migrant families from Bihar get busy in an aromatic corner of Tezpur, Assam, as they prepare vats of fresh jaggery in time for the harvest festival of Bhogali Bihu, also known as Magh Bihu. Wrote their story for Gaon Connection (published in 2021).
en.gaonconnection.com/reportage/gu...
en.gaonconnection.com/reportage/gu...
November 22, 2024 at 7:06 AM
150 migrant families from Bihar get busy in an aromatic corner of Tezpur, Assam, as they prepare vats of fresh jaggery in time for the harvest festival of Bhogali Bihu, also known as Magh Bihu. Wrote their story for Gaon Connection (published in 2021).
en.gaonconnection.com/reportage/gu...
en.gaonconnection.com/reportage/gu...
From its origin in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh to its final meeting with the Brahmaputra, the Jia Bhoroli river nurtures flora and fauna and sustains the livelihood of local communities. I traced some stories down the river for Gaon Connection. (pub. year 2020)
en.gaonconnection.com/reportage/a-...
en.gaonconnection.com/reportage/a-...
November 22, 2024 at 7:04 AM
From its origin in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh to its final meeting with the Brahmaputra, the Jia Bhoroli river nurtures flora and fauna and sustains the livelihood of local communities. I traced some stories down the river for Gaon Connection. (pub. year 2020)
en.gaonconnection.com/reportage/a-...
en.gaonconnection.com/reportage/a-...
Lokri is a rare dish native to certain parts of rural Assam, especially the region referred to as ‘lower Assam,’ where the locals speak various dialects of the formal Assamese language. I wrote this treasured family recipe story in The Goya Journal, three years back.
www.goya.in/blog/an-assa...
www.goya.in/blog/an-assa...
An Assamese Family Recipe for Lokri — GOYA
The most delicious way to use up milk solids | Simanta Barman
www.goya.in
November 22, 2024 at 6:41 AM
Lokri is a rare dish native to certain parts of rural Assam, especially the region referred to as ‘lower Assam,’ where the locals speak various dialects of the formal Assamese language. I wrote this treasured family recipe story in The Goya Journal, three years back.
www.goya.in/blog/an-assa...
www.goya.in/blog/an-assa...
#Sangti remains a postcard to me. Visited this valley before the tourism boom hit and it appeared to me like a place some artist plotted in the midst of a mountain, where life clocked by the sunset and serenity blanketed the corners. I write in my first for Deccan Herald.
#ArunachalPradesh
#ArunachalPradesh
November 22, 2024 at 6:37 AM
#Sangti remains a postcard to me. Visited this valley before the tourism boom hit and it appeared to me like a place some artist plotted in the midst of a mountain, where life clocked by the sunset and serenity blanketed the corners. I write in my first for Deccan Herald.
#ArunachalPradesh
#ArunachalPradesh