Himachal Som (died 26 November 2013) [1] was an Indian diplomat. He was an Indian Foreign Service officer of 1970 Cadre and retired as the Indian Ambassador to Italy and the Permanent Representative to various United Nations bodies in Europe.
Som was born in West Bengal. He went to St. Patrick's School, Asansol, Asansol and did his Bachelor's from Presidency College, Kolkata.
Som was married to Reba Som, an academic, historian, writer and classical singer from India. She is the director of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Rabindranath Tagore Centre in Kolkata. She is also a trained singer of Rabindrasangeet.
He had two sons, Vishnu Som, a television journalist and news anchor for NDTV, and Abhishek Som, an investment banker. [2]
He loved cooking and said that it is a great diplomatic tool. [3]
Asansol is a (Tier-II) metropolitan city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the second largest and second most populated city of West Bengal and the 33rd largest urban agglomeration in India. Asansol is the district headquarters of Paschim Bardhaman district. According to a 2010 report released by the International Institute for Environment and Development, a UK-based policy research non-governmental body, Asansol was ranked 11th among Indian cities and 42nd in the world in its list of 100 fastest-growing cities. Asansol is classed as a Y-category city for calculation of HRA for public servants, is rate 16%, making it a Tier-II city.
Durgapur is a planned tier-II urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the fourth largest urban agglomeration after Kolkata, Asansol and Siliguri in West Bengal and a major industrial hub of West Bengal. It was planned by two American architects, Joseph Allen Stein and Benjamin Polk in 1955. Durgapur is the only city in eastern India to have an operational dry dock. Durgapur has been nicknamed the 'Ruhr of India'.
The Eastern Railway is among the 19 zones of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is at Fairley Place, Kolkata and comprises four divisions: Howrah, Malda, Sealdah, and Asansol. Each division is headed by a Divisional Railway Manager (DRM). The name of the division denotes the name of the city where the divisional headquarters is located. Eastern Railway oversees the largest and second largest rail complexes in the country, Howrah Junction and Sealdah railway station, and also contains the highest number of A1 and A Category Stations like Howrah, Malda Town, Sealdah, Asansol, Kolkata, Durgapur, Barddhaman, Rampurhat Junction, Bhagalpur, Jasidih, Bandel and Naihati. Eastern Railways operates India's oldest train, Kalka Mail.
St. Patrick's Higher Secondary School or SPS is one of the oldest schools in eastern India. The school admits students from kindergarten to 12th standard providing them with complete secondary education. Located in Asansol, in the Paschim Bardhaman district of the western part of West Bengal, with a distance of 200 kilometres from Kolkata (Calcutta).
Jamuria is a neighbourhood in Asansol of Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is governed by Asansol Municipal Corporation
Babul Supriyo is an Indian playback singer, live performer, television host, actor and politician who currently serves as Cabinet Minister of Information Technology and Electronics and Tourism of the Government of West Bengal. He was elected Member of Parliament from Asansol in the 16th and 17th Lok Sabha and also served as the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in the Union Council of Ministers. He officially resigned as MP on 19 October 2021. and was elected as a Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on 16 April 2022 from Ballygunge Assembly seat.
Old National Highway 2 or Old NH 2, was a major National Highway in India, that connected the states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. It constitutes a major portion of the historical Grand Trunk Road along with old NH 91 and old NH 1 in India. The highway connects national capital Delhi with Kolkata as well as important cities such as Faridabad, Mathura, Agra, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Dhanbad, Asansol, Durgapur and Bardhaman.
Dr. Reba Som is an academic, historian, writer and classical singer from India. She was the director of Indian Council for Cultural Relations' Rabindranath Tagore Centre in Kolkata from 2008-2013.
Dishergarh is a neighbourhood in Asansol of Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is governed by Asansol Municipal Corporation. It is situated at the border of the Purulia district and Paschim Bardhaman district in West Bengal. The State Highway 5 (SH5) passes through Dishergarh. The neighbourhood is located on the banks of Damodar River.
Asansol Junction railway station is a Division of Eastern Railway Zone in Asansol Sadar subdivision of Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The station is on the Howrah–Delhi main line. It is the 8th busiest railway station in India in terms of frequency of trains after Kanpur Central, Vijayawada Junction, Delhi Junction, New Delhi, Ambala Cant, Howrah and Patna Junction. Around 171 trains pass through the station daily. It serves Asansol and the surrounding areas.
The Howrah–Delhi main line is a railway line connecting Delhi and Kolkata cutting across northern India. The 1,531 km (951 mi) railway line was opened to traffic in 1866 with the introduction of the "1 Down/2 Up Mail" train.
Khana Junction is a railway station in Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision of Purba Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
The Bardhaman–Asansol section is a railway line connecting Bardhaman and Asansol. This 106 kilometres (66 mi) track is part of the Howrah–Delhi main line, Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line and Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line. It is under the jurisdiction of Eastern Railway, and is connected to the South Eastern Railway through Asansol–Adra line at Asansol Jn and Kalipahari–Damodar connector at Kalipahari.
The Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line officially known as Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line is a railway line connecting Kolkata and Mumbai via Allahabad. The 2,160-kilometre long (1,340 mi) railway line was opened to traffic in 1870. This railway line was 2,146-kilometre long (1,333 mi) until 2004. In 2004 the construction of Indira Sagar Dam submerged the old alignment near Khandwa & a new alignment of 14-kilometre long (8.7 mi) was relaid.
The Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line is a railway line in India connecting Kolkata and Mumbai via Nagpur. The 1,968-kilometre-long (1,223 mi) railway line was opened to traffic in 1900.
Barachak is a railway station in Asansol, Paschim Bardhaman district, West Bengal, India. This is a railway station between Asansol and Sitarampur railway stations.
Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC) is the civic body that governs Asansol in Asansol Sadar subdivision of Paschim Bardhaman district, West Bengal, India.
Asansol railway division is one of the four railway divisions under Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 1925 and its headquarter is located at Asansol in the state of West Bengal of India. Currently it is the highest revenue generating division of Eastern Railways.
Paschim Bardhaman district is a predominantly urban mining-industrial district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Asansol. It was formed on 7 April 2017 after bifurcation of the erstwhile Bardhaman district as the 23rd district of West Bengal.
Agnimitra Paul is an Indian fashion designer turned politician who serves as the Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from Asansol South and as the President of the West Bengal unit of BJP Mahila Morcha. Prior to entering politics she was a Kolkata-based fashion designer.