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Nikita MohtaMay 22, 2026
Joy, desire, and the everyday in Christina Dhanuja’s new book on Dalit women Subscriber Only
In Dalit Women and the Fullness of Life, author Christina Dhanuja explores the interior lives and everyday experiences of Dalit women, moving beyond dominant narratives centred on violence, labour, and survival.
Adrija RoychowdhuryMay 14, 2026
How Persian became the language of colonial India’s religious surveys Subscriber Only
Historian Jean Arzoumanov’s discovery of an 18th-century Jain text in Persian reveals a forgotten era where Hindu scholars used the ‘Islamic’ lingua franca to help British officers survey India’s faiths.
Nikita MohtaMay 6, 2026
The forgotten architect: Syama Prasad Mookerjee and the BJP’s origins Subscriber Only
How politician, educationist, and social reformer Syama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the BJP’s precursor, and reshaped India’s political discourse
Nikita MohtaMay 1, 2026
How Rekhta Foundation is preserving—and reimagining—Urdu in the AI age Subscriber Only
The Rekhta Foundation began as a digital archive. It has now evolved into a larger ecosystem, using technology and programming to expand access to Urdu and other Indic languages
Nikita MohtaApr 29, 2026
What if America spoke French? King Charles’s remark and its deep roots Subscriber Only
Had the French monarchy’s diplomatic and military strategy prevailed in the Pennsylvania backcountry, the map and even the linguistic landscape of the modern US might have looked very different.
Nikita MohtaApr 28, 2026
Memories of home: 7 years on, India returns to the Venice Biennale Subscriber Only
The India Pavilion will mark its comeback at the Venice Biennale, anchored by five contemporary artists addressing questions of home through traditional Indian materials and techniques.
Nikita MohtaApr 25, 2026
‘Maachey, bhaatey Bangali’: A timeless rendezvous between the Bengali and their beloved fish Subscriber Only
Folklore, folk songs, and historical sources highlight the enduring reverence for fish in Bengal. It also features in rituals associated with birth, marriage, and death. Today, it has acquired political significance, emerging as a symbol
Nikita MohtaApr 22, 2026
More than a meal: In ‘First Bite’, Priyadarshini Chatterjee uses breakfast as a lens on society and livelihoods Subscriber Only
Drawing on ancient texts, regional literature, fieldwork, and interviews, Priyadarshini Chatterjee’s 'First Bite' maps the distinct breakfast traditions of ten Indian cities.
Nikita MohtaApr 16, 2026
When Persian served in Bengal as the language of power and culture Subscriber Only
Persian once functioned as the dominant language of public administration, revenue accounting, and courtly communication in Bengal
Nikita MohtaApr 9, 2026
Indian merchants and the rise of Hormuz in global trade Subscriber Only
Indian traders stood at the heart of a global maritime story, with the Strait of Hormuz gaining prominence from the 13th century until it became a crucial strategic centre under the Safavids.
Arup K ChatterjeeApr 6, 2026
The politics behind Dhurandhar’s addictive 90s soundtrack Subscriber Only
Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar films, supported by Shashwat Sachdev’s soundtracks, try to resurrect the sounds of 1990s Bombay to awaken a deeply conditioned collective memory.
Rohan BasuApr 2, 2026
The European Jesuits who championed Vedanta: Challenging the ‘outsider’ myth of Indian Christianity Subscriber Only
A group of highly educated Jesuits once championed Indian languages, classical texts, and philosophical traditions, asserting that one could be a culturally rooted Indian nationalist while remaining within the Catholic faith.
Sadaf Modak, Mohamed ThaverApr 1, 2026
Statute and society: What Maharashtra’s 80 repealed laws say about who we were under our colonial masters Subscriber Only
Maharashtra has repealed 80 obsolete Acts and buried in them is a history of opium dens, flogging courts, leprosy asylums and wartime grain control
Nikita MohtaMar 31, 2026
Rethinking Wajid Ali Shah, more than a ‘debauched king’ Subscriber Only
Drawing from rare documents, Wajid Ali Shah: A Cultural and Literary Legacy reconstructs the life of Wajid Ali Shah, who was not only a patron of music and the arts but also a poet, dramatist,
Nikita MohtaMar 26, 2026
From ‘kagaz’ to ‘naan’: How Persian became the ‘English of the era’ and wove itself into India’s cultural DNA Subscriber Only
Persian has deeply influenced India’s language and literature for centuries, and everyday speech, shaping administration, poetry, and vocabulary in Hindi, Urdu, and regional cultures.
Mar 23, 2026
The war on the walls: History and growth of Bengal’s election campaigning Subscriber Only
With the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election underway, campaigns spill across walls, WhatsApp, and social media. From painted slogans to viral memes, Bengal’s politics has simply changed its canvas, not its creativity or bite.
G N DevyMar 21, 2026
From Avestan and Persian to Rumi and Sufism: The many links between India and Iran Subscriber Only
The Indo‑Iranian connection did not end with the Indus Valley civilisation; it carried forward through language, philosophy, and poetry.
Nikita MohtaMar 19, 2026
How World War 1 redrew Persian Gulf’s map and why Trump’s South Pars threat echoes a century of conflict Subscriber Only
For over 5,000 years, the Persian Gulf has been a hub of civilisation. From Elam and Sumer to the Assyrians and Babylonians, ancient societies thrived along its shores, trading and connecting with coastal communities.
Adrija RoychowdhuryMar 18, 2026
‘He was passionately committed to nonviolence’: Rajmohan Gandhi on James Lawson, who brought Satyagraha to the US civil rights movement Subscriber Only
In ‘James Lawson: The teacher of Satyagraha’, author Rajmohan Gandhi throws light on a key figure in the American civil rights movement and his reverence towards Mahatma Gandhi.
Adrija RoychowdhuryMar 13, 2026
How Shi’ism in India evolved differently from the rest of the Shia Muslim world Subscriber Only
Although a minority, Indian Shias maintained cultural influence through connections with ruling dynasties, balancing local customs with ties to broader Shia networks in Iraq and Iran. They saw a significant shift in identity following the
Nikita MohtaMar 12, 2026
A German school and the untold history of Berlin’s century-old ties with Bombay Subscriber Only
Founded in 1960, the Deutsche Schule Bombay was the realisation of a long-cherished dream of the German diaspora in the city.
Aishwarya KhoslaMar 11, 2026
Author Daneesh Majid on Hyderabad, the Gulf dream, and an identity under strain Subscriber Only
The author of The Hyderabadis on the Shia roots of the Old City, the slow collapse of the Gulf dream, and whether a composite culture can survive the pressures closing in on it.
Arup K ChatterjeeMar 9, 2026
Trade, language, and shared identities: How an ancient world linked India and Iran thousands of years ago Subscriber Only
Today, India, despite global scrutiny, has maintained a principled partnership with Iran, balancing its energy and strategic interests with Western diplomacy.
Nikita MohtaMar 6, 2026
US strike on IRIS Dena and the memory of a German warship shelling Madras Subscriber Only
In September 1914, Captain Karl von Müller, who was in charge of ‘SMS Emden’, ordered an attack on several large oil tanks in Madras—a bombardment that was a severe blow to British morale.
Nikita MohtaMar 5, 2026
How Shi’ism took root in Iran and shaped its politics for centuries Subscriber Only
In 1501, Shah Isma'il the Safavid, from the Central Asian Safavid tribes, established the first Shi'i state in Iran, marking a turning point in the country's history.
