S.H. Bihari's daughter Shaheda by O.P. Nayyar monument in Thane near Mumbai. Photo by Muhammad Ashfaq.

How O.P. Nayyar and S.H. Bihari’s musical partnership became Bollywood folklore

The legacy they created together, collaborating in 94 iconic songs in 25 films, remains long after both have departed this world.

A Malayali journalist's discovery of Cuba

Castro, like many Malayalis, loved moringa, a key ingredient for sambar, a south Indian staple. The 2010 Haiti earthquake prompted Castro to accelerate his goal of providing nutritious food for the poor. Dr. Concepcion Campa Huergo, founder of Cuba's Finlay Institute, visited Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, leading India to ship tons of moringa seeds to Cuba for cultivation.

Ven. Ananda Mangala: The Sri Lankan monk who became an Indian citizen and was revered by Gandhi and Nehru

From Ananda Meemanage he became Ven. Ananda Mangala, when he donned the yellow robes of a Buddhist monk at the age of 40. Nehru sent him on a private mission to Missamari and Buxaduar to keep track of the fleeing Tibetan refugees. His mission was akin to espionage as the Chinese military buildup was already on and Nehru wanted to have a realistic picture of the border situation.

A daughter's emotional cross-border journey

It is unbearable to even imagine being forced to leave your hometown or risk being slaughtered simply because you belong to a different religion. But I did not find any bitterness in Bani Singh's eyes for Lahore or my country, Pakistan.

More on Medley

Indian entrepreneurs make a breakthrough in rocketry: A milestone for private space ventures

The vision of Agnikul is to bring space within everyone’s reach, aiming to enable launches from anywhere, anytime and affordably. 

Preserving the richness of Urdu: A unique quest to keep the language alive and thriving

The Joy of Urdu’s focus on linguistic preservation, cultural enrichment, plus promotion of social justice, and positive change through bilingual presentations and discussions helps ensure that the richness of Urdu remains alive in modern times.

The importance of India's sacred tree groves to climate change

The preservation of sacred trees and tree groves is paramount in the fight against rampant deforestation in India. This is a unique practice that sadly is in decline;  in the interest of cleaner air and healthy communities, it needs to be promoted and preserved, not only amongst the Indian population but worldwide.

Subcontinental kinetics: Vignettes of a South Asian watcher's journalistic chronicle

The new influencing geopolitical factor, Ved observes, is the emergence of China as the regional, even global player, in the “Heart of Asia” in what can become the new avatar of the 19th century “Great Game”. The contexts have changed, but not the strategic interests of the players, old and new.

Tri-Services all-women world sailing expedition from India prepares to make history

This historic expedition, the first of its kind, marks a significant milestone in India’s maritime history.

Why are Indians running away from India?

Quite a few years ago I had given a lecture at my alma mater IIT Kanpur. I asked the students if I had the power to grant them a US green card how many would like to migrate.  In the auditorium of around 200 students most raised their hands. This pursuit of excellence can be helped by the constant exposure of students to lectures by achievers. Students at an impressionable age once inspired can do wonders in later life. 

An agenda for the nation: Streamline business cycle; unleash entrepreneurial enthusiasm

We must also insulate enterprises from pressure and extortion by local power elites, which adversely distorts factory pricing and ultimately adds a burden to the consumer price. This will also enable enterprises to maintain healthy returns within the fixed MRP system, especially for FMCG

Kashmir: A shark-infested 'Heaven on Earth'!

Despite all my patriotic feelings, I do not recommend a visit to Kashmir. It is ill-organized and ill-prepared to receive the rush of tourists. It lacks elementary infrastructure, basic amenities, and essential facilities at present. Worse, the tourists are always at the mercy of the local mafia.

A quest in the evolution and purpose of life

This production of matter, life forms and galaxies will keep on happening till the space is “exhausted”, and then the cycle reverses which will finally lead to time and space coming into equilibrium. This is the eternal Brahmakala cycle where all life is destroyed at its end.

Barefoot in Ridi Vihare: Learnings from a unique a people-to-people experience in the ‘silver caves’ of Sri Lanka

As someone from Karachi, where heritage and culture find little importance and are often forgotten, where the metropolis pushes the seashore backward, the Sri Lankan experience felt surreal. The land of Ridi Vihare held impeccable beauty and gave us much to learn and take back.

A dream that connects millions: South Asia peace activists committed to regional dialogue and harmony

The ‘peacemongers’ vowed to not only continue talking to each other, but to continue talking until they achieve their dream, their Sapan, of a South Asia with soft borders, or at least, ease of visas.

Bollywood films building up majoritarian narratives with an eye on elections?

The common theme is a tilting of truth and in most cases glorification of Hindu nationalist icons. The clever undermining of truth and building up of ‘fiction as fact’ is the underlying theme of most of these films.

Bangladesh's future will depend in many ways on the foreign policy choices it makes

Attention must also be paid to the changing structural dynamics within South Asia where countries (including Bangladesh) are increasingly working with each other, moving away from a primarily India-driven engagement within the neighbourhood.

Unraveling "Gandi Baat": Popular Bollywood culture needs to embrace responsible storytelling, eschew misogyny

"Gandi Baat" serves as a microcosm of a larger issue within popular culture, normalizing the silencing of female voices and perpetuating harmful behaviors. 

What the Jamnagar 'pre-wedding' gala tells us about Indian society

The postcards from Jamnagar frame some other stories that have emerged as a theme in the 'New India'. These are stories of unrivalled pomp and power, of material riches beyond compare, of an elite space where forces work differently from the way they work elsewhere on the planet.