Culture
Arabic Calligraphy: Art in alphabets
February 26, 2021
As beautiful as pearls, his works attract the attention even of those who are not familiar with the Arabic language. According to him, aesthetics and refinement are the specialities of Islamic art. Arabic calligraphy is ‘worship’ for Muqtar Ahmed, a Bengaluru-based calligraph...
Read More
Pretty & plucky but not ‘plus size’ model...
February 19, 2021
“What does it even mean when you say plus size? What is ‘plus’ here? Is there a ‘minus’ too? What is the neutral size model? Is there a need to use such terms,” asks 32-year-old Niharika Achalkar, a Delhi-based model and Instagram influencer. “People laughed at me t...
Read More
A Sufi Basant at Nizamuddin Dargah
February 17, 2021
After a rather cold and often bleak winter, the very idea of a festival marking the onset of spring is uplifting, but when it also brings with it the fragrance of a syncretic culture, it becomes incomparable. Such is the annual celebration of Basant Panchami at the ...
Read More
Saraswati Puja amid pandemic
February 16, 2021
“The Saraswati Puja or Basant Panchami is extra special this year. As this festival is dedicated to the goddess Saraswati, it is also considered an auspicious day for the inauguration of academic institutes and teaching toddlers their first academic lessons. It is really happen...
Read More
World Radio Day 2021: Community radio in India
February 12, 2021
“The community radio station, Radio Hevalvani’s interviews with doctors pushed me to get myself tested for the deadly disease,” says Ram Lakhi. “And I tested positive. I did not bother much till I heard about it on the radio. Thankfully, with timely intervention and a...
Read More
Miniature art: Inside the magnificent 3mm universe
February 1, 2021
For many, passing a thread through the eye of a needle would rank among one of the toughest things to do. It requires immense concentration and patience to find success. And, here is Ganesh Subramanian, a goldsmith and miniature artist, who has perfected the art of the small and ...
Read More
Weaving a regional heritage in Dakmanda
January 29, 2021
“The Dakmanda is my identity. It is comfortable and makes for excellent formal wear, especially for my ministerial meetings,” says Eva Marak, Assistant Director with the Border Area Development of Meghalaya. Marak is among several women of the Garo tribe of the north-eastern ...
Read More
Of Chacha Chaudhary, Champak & childhood
January 23, 2021
Remember superhero Sabu? The alien from Jupiter who was Chacha Chaudhary’s constant companion? Or the simpleton Supandi in Tinkle? Or the notorious but intelligent Cheeku from Champak? All these and many more characters from different children’s magazines had been a constant ...
Read More
Pandemic chokes bookstores, but books survive
January 18, 2021
The little nooks and crannies in bookshops had long been the abode of bookworms until the stores were shut suddenly due to the onset of Covid-19 pandemic. While booklovers tried to do with digital alternatives for their reading, bookstore owners had little choice but to sit out t...
Read More
Patna Kalam: Bihar’s adrift artform
January 15, 2021
The eastern state of Bihar is known for its highly stylised Mithila and Madhubani painting traditions. But very few are aware of an equally popular folk-based school of painting, which has survived in the region for more than 200 years – the Patna Kalam. “Once very popula...
Read More