Of Coconuts, Bananas, and Twinkies
Coconut, Banana, and Twinkie are racial slurs – slang terms for those who are from a ‘third culture.’
Ratirahasya: The 12th-Century Sex Manual
Ratirahasya, a sex-manual written in the 12th-century, tells how men and women were classified and represented.
Rabindranath Tagore: The Painter
“It is the element of unpredictability in art that seems to fascinate me strongly” – Rabindranath Tagore
India Has Too Many Cults Of Personality
There is one thing that Gandhi, Nehru, Indira, and Modi have in common – a cult-like, larger than life personality.
The Historic Roots of Xenophobia in India
Many aspects of xenophobia, discrimination on the basis of caste, colour and creed, existed in India for centuries.
The Many Associations of the Godna Tattoo
The Godna tattoo, once associated with serial killers & wayfarers, is now a millennial fashion statement.
Lessons From The Yolo Bypass
India’s flood-prone states have much to learn from the Yolo Bypass & the Dykes in the Netherlands on how to manage floods.
Ikhlas Khan:The Abyssinian Who Ruled The Deccan
In the 16th-century, Ikhlas Khan, an Abyssinian slave, ruled the Deccan sultanate as the Prime Minister.
On Britain’s Royal Baby & India’s Global Gene Pool
Britain’s royal baby has Gujarati ancestry; India’s diversity is the product of shared genetics of much of the world.
The Future of Indian Universities
Will it be possible to repair India’s broken education system? Can we ensure that it isn’t commodified and politicised?
Fort St George: The British Landmark That Became Madras
The history of Chennai dates back to an out-of-the-way fort set up by the East India Company.
How A Pigsty Dispute Led To Environmental Law
Aldred’s case, a dispute over a pigsty in 16th-century England, laid the foundations of Environmental law.
The Dutch Travel Writer Johan Nieuhof & The Oriental East
The Dutch traveller, Johan Nieuhof, left a repository of incredible drawings and writings that depict life in the Orient.
What’s In A Name?
In India, a beach is named after Saddam Hussein, even as some outrage of roads named after the Mughal Emperors who built them.
The Hundi System, Indian Merchants & Global Trade
Indian merchants from the Sindh & Hyderabad built global businesses using the Hundi, an indigenous system of payments.