Devraj Roy, Author at Masala Mug

The Kalpurush or the Orion Constellation

Kalpurush: Bet You Didn’t Know These Interesting Facts About The Orion

On September 24, 2024 By Devraj Roy In Lifestyle

Reading Time: 6 minutes It’s September. The emotional overcast skies of the monsoon are making way for the azure skies of the autumn. You can feel a cosy nip in the air, especially during early mornings. Fans of Game of Thrones couldn’t resist quoting Ned Stark’s legendary remark “Winter is coming”. Sky gazers, however, would reflect on something very different to sense the arrival of the snow season. The appearance of the Kalpurush Star (though, it’s a constellation) or the Orion in the night sky signals that winters are here. While the striking Saptarshi Mandal or the Great Bear claims celebrity status on summer …

Guess The Most Popular Flag In The Country? If You Think It’s Tiranga, Read On!

On August 15, 2024 By Devraj Roy In Opinion

Reading Time: 10 minutes Happy Independence Day! Despite being a national holiday, we have been immensely busy since morning. Roaring our favourite playlist of patriotic songs, hoisting the national flag in the neighbourhood, and not to mention, flaunting our ephemeral nationalism by mounting the Tiranga on our balconies. Ephemeral? Now that word caught your attention, didn’t it? How in the name of god can somebody dare to earmark our love for the nation in such a trivial way? Okay, I apologize. But honestly, think how many times we actually sport the Indian flag throughout the year? And I’m not talking about government offices and …

Best Horror Movies of 2023 To Binge-Watch On Netflix/Prime This Halloween

On September 18, 2023 By Devraj Roy In Films

Reading Time: 7 minutes 2023 has been the lollapalooza of spine-chilling horror movies, the Mardi Gras for scare junkies. From friendly spirits to evil animatronic humanoids, and from demonic possessions to gut-wrenching body horrors – the year has been mind-leeched (Yes, that’s too a 2023 movie!) with some of the best horror flicks of the decade. Not to forget, Renfield and The Last Voyage of the Demeter, which revived the good old memoirs of Count Dracula. And it’s just September! With Halloween just around the corner, confess your darkest secrets and absolve yourself of your sins to step into this eerie horror hole. Here …

stories of indian mythology in the night sky cover image

5 Stories of Indian Mythology That Come Alive In The Night Sky

On August 14, 2021 By Devraj Roy In Lifestyle

Reading Time: 16 minutes It was the spring of 2005. I was enjoying a late-night stroll on the barren Ghats of the otherwise busy Har Ki Pauri. The nomadic waters of the river Ganga, shimmering in the neon lights of the sleepy temples, was flowing briskly, rubbing shoulders with its stone-hearted steps. Haridwar is a city that is paved with stories of Indian mythology. Every temple here tells a different tale, every alley narrates a new allegory. I was walking under a new moon night, and the sky – gilded with a billion stars – was dazzling like a newly-wed bride. As I reached …

Planted Saplings - Gardening for Beginners

Gardening for Beginners: 6 Easy Tips for a Charming Home Garden

On September 29, 2020 By Devraj Roy In Lifestyle

Reading Time: 8 minutes A lush blooming garden not only attracts butterflies and birds, but also sweet compliments. Growing a garden may seem daunting at first glance, and you might find a thousand excuses to not getting your hands dirty (literally); but believe you me, it doesn’t call for beginner’s luck. Watching those green leaves and colorful flowers dance in the wind with a smile is surely worth the effort. And as gardeners would agree, nothing tastes better than fresh vegetables you grow at home. Gardening is one of the easiest and more rewarding pastimes for beginners to pick up. Why else thousands of …

2020 Calamities: Is It Fate or Is Mother Earth Flipping Out?

On June 16, 2020 By Devraj Roy In Opinion

Reading Time: 8 minutes Every mother has her own way of dealing with kids. Nature is no different. For thousands of years, we have been incorrigible, despite her warnings and endless retributions. Like a spoiled, psychopath brat, we gradually poisoned our mother till she was compelled to hit back in self-defense. Humans have always taken nature for granted and now we are paying the price for it. Today, it feels like she is angry and is bent on to avenge her sufferings. And we are walking the green mile ready to be thrashed, squished, burnt, drowned, and hit by asteroids. All at once. In …

Snake plant: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Mother-In-Law’s Tongue

On May 3, 2020 By Devraj Roy In Fiction, Lifestyle

Reading Time: 6 minutes ‘Would you care to wake up today’? The clarion call from behind the trembling curtains was enough to jolt me out of my morning siesta – the last leg of your goodnight sleep. The extra five minutes of sweet nothings that you whisper in the ears of your comfy pillow. The time when you leisurely bid farewell to your slumber. You love to roll over, stretch, and squeeze. In the end, you find solace only through unconditional surrender. ‘Hello… Mr. Shameless Sleeper!’ The shout was more alarming than my timid clock. Reluctantly, I scraped myself out of the bed. It …

Unlocking my travel fantasies in times of lockdown

On April 28, 2020 By Devraj Roy In Travel

Reading Time: 4 minutes Gates are locked. Borders are sealed. Airlines have ceased their operations. Our summer holiday plans have gone for a toss. It’s a complete lockdown for us and our dreams. We have voluntarily shut ourselves inside our cosy homes for the greater good. But that shouldn’t restrict ourselves from letting our imagination fly, From spreading the wings of our thoughts and soaring over our dream destinations. What’s the harm in titillating the pleasure centres of our brain to taste the feel-good chemical dopamine, while lying on our beds, flipping through the pages of our favourite travel magazine for a satiating ‘window …