Photo: Dr. Lopamudra Maitra

Homage to an Iconic Ray Film Whose Popularity Spans Generations and Cultures

The result was a phenomenal script with a stellar cast and a music which not only took the storyline ahead but also paused to reflect upon each moment. Satyajit’s rendition of the story has several of his beliefs reflected, including his anti-war stance, his love for performative arts, including various forms of classical dance, his love for history and regional history, amidst others, his stance against caste and class discrimination and oppression of the poor and the tyranny and subjugation of the ruling class

How a Russian-Jewish Bride Internalised Santiniketan: Arc of a Family History Book-Ended by the Russian Revolution and Indian Independence Across Three Generations and Three Continents

It is a neat division and the first part of 70 pages is the Kotia-Ketaki memoir.  In the second section, Chandana picks up the narrative  and weaves the micro family history of the Jonas family with the macro events of the late 19th century and her grandmother's  journey that brought her to Santiniketan  in the 20th century.
 

A Scientist’s Rebuttal to the "Hellhole" Rhetoric: Why the West Misjudges Global Happiness

The rhetoric targeting these nations ignores the fact that they steer the very firms—Google, Microsoft, Adobe—that sustain Western dominance. This wasn't "loophole" migration. It was strategic resource acquisition. During the Y2K crisis, the U.S. was desperate for Indian talent to prevent a digital infrastructure collapse. 

A Thousand Splendid Wounds: Afghanistan through Hosseini’s prophecy

India's engagement with the Taliban is strategic as much as it is humanitarian, a counterweight to Pakistani influence, a gateway to Central Asian connectivity. And the Taliban's continued erasure of women and minorities sits as a profound moral contradiction at the heart of any diplomatic embrace.

More on ART AND CULTURE

India gets back more stolen antiquities from the US

The operation targeting Kapoor began around 2011 after a tipoff from Indian officials and discovered a web of crime spanning India  Afghanistan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Remembering W. Khan and his love affair with the harmonium

This 12 July marked the 100th birthday of an airline executive who died young – an accomplished Urdu poet and, above all, “an amazing practitioner of Indian classical music” who elevated the humble harmonium to a solo instrument

Dramatizing an ancient Sindhi folk tale with South Asian relevance

The River’s Daughter addresses urgent contemporary concerns about environmental destruction caused by the unethical practices of developers and extractive industries – issues that are relevant not just to Pakistan but all of South Asia.

Will NMACC speak truth to power through the arts?

Will the cultural centre established by the Ambani’s support dissent and debate, and encourage freedom of expression, as is expected of a world-class arts and culture institute? Will it open its nine-star doors to Dalits and Adivasis, other than to put them on “display” as folk artists?

Yoga is a way of life, it should be free from commercialisation: Modi in New York

“Yoga comes from India and it has a very old tradition”, Modi said, "but like all ancient Indian traditions, it is also living, dynamic”.

All roads lead to Kabir: South Asian diaspora celebrates the mystic poet-philosopher and his vast oeuvre

The Kabir festival idea arose from the need to develop a sense of cooperation amongst the people from South Asia that call this area home, conceived as an entirely voluntary effort by community members.

Recalling Mehar Baba, India’s legendary aviator and his flying exploits

While the British conferred the DSO (Distinguished Service Order) on Meher Singh, the Indian Air Force awarded him the MVC (Maha Vir Chakra). The citation for the MVC awarded to Mehar Singh read “Throughout his tenure as overall Commander of air operations in Jammu and Kashmir, Air Commodore Mehar Singh showed great devotion to duty at great personal risk and set an example to those serving under him”. 

Love in the time of division: The making of India’s first forum for interfaith arts and dialogue

The prevalent majoritarian politics necessitated the need to work towards interfaith harmony. I drew strength from the memory of the anti-CAA-NRC protest movement, when the power of the people coursed through the streets of India.

Global warming impacting Mt Everest: Is it also turning into the world's highest garbage dump?

Mount Everest’s glaciers have lost 2,000 years of ice in just the past 30 years, according to recent research. This is not only alarming for those residing in the mountainous areas but also poses a threat to everyone in the region, particularly those living downstream. Much of South Asia depends on rivers that originate in the Himalayas for agriculture and drinking water. 

When artistic freedom becomes a propaganda tool: Film on Hindu rightwing icon Veer Savarkar distorts history

In response to the teaser of the film, Netaji's daughter Anita Pfaff told the Times of India, "Like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji was opposed to the divisiveness based on religious differences. Let Sarvarkar's followers join Netaji in his vision for India and not hijack him for views that certainly were not his."  

Tagore's immortal words resonate at Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago

Dookeran pointed out that a journey for freedom, is what ignited the 'Yatra Jaaree Hai' (the journey had begun). In India in modern times, that freedom was given political expression in 1947; it was not only the freedom of India, and it soon spread to all places that was called the British Empire in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean"

Little known heroes of Indian Air Force's 44 Squadron: 50 years of crucial airlifts

During the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) operations in Sri Lanka, 44 Squadron played a crucial role in transporting men and material, including T-72 tanks and artillery guns, in the early hours of 30 July 1987, greatly contributing to the airlift effort.

The reality behind the window dressing: An Afghan perspective on the US 'war on terror' in Afghanistan and Iraq

One of the key learnings for me as a linguist and interpreter at the frontline of the Afghan war and occupation for years, that I cannot forget and forgive, was that the US politicians and policymakers did not support and establish secular institutions in Afghanistan. They deceived both the American and the Afghan people. 

“Congratulations! It’s a girl!” How one crusader helped change attitudes toward daughters in an Indian state

Young women in Haryana are proving themselves in male-centric sports like wrestling, winning on national and international platforms. They include Geeta Phogat, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik, besides the pilot Priyanka; Miss World Manushi Chillar; gold medalist shooter Mannu Bhakar; and Khap Panchayat participant Ritu. These women, and many more, are defying social norms; and bring laurels to the state and the country.

Prayers and calls to find missing Indian climber, a passionate peace enthusiast, in Nepal

Anurag believed strongly in the common civilization shared by India and Pakistan. “It seems visible even today looking at the twin sister cities, Delhi - Lahore and Mumbai - Karachi,” he said.