Culture
Parumala Perunnal: Homage to India’s first c...
November 2, 2021
Parumala is a hamlet and island on the Pampa River in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta district in Kerala. The grand annual Parumala Perunnal festival takes places at Parumala St Peter’s & St Paul’s Orthodox Church. Geevargese Mar Gregorios established the church and he...
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Fiery works of Indian feminist writers
October 29, 2021
Often shackled by a society that still runs on a patriarchal set of values, for centuries feminist fiction has been an imperative way for Indian women to bare their hearts through writing for centuries, starting with iconic Mughal women like Nur Jahan and Zeb-un-Nissa. During the...
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Ramayana, Mahabharata through queer lens
October 27, 2021
Even after the decriminalisation of homosexuality in India in 2018, one of the most common arguments against homosexuality in India involves a verbose monologue about the absence of such phenomenon historically. However, historians and gender activists have time and again asserte...
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Male beauty influencers in India break gender ster...
October 24, 2021
As in most countries around the world, India’s USD 11 billion beauty industry has always largely focused on women. Even when the target is men, attention is mainly limited to skincare, geared towards skin whitening or bleaching or making someone more ‘masculine’. Anything o...
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Reviving the lost melody of Sarangi
October 20, 2021
In the world of Indian folk and classical Hindustani music, a humble, bow-stringed instrument carved from a single piece of wood, called Sarangi, is acclaimed for resembling the sound of a trained vocal artist. The Sarangi is the only instrument which can produce almost all the ...
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Nadahabba: Celebrating extravagant Mysuru Dasara
October 14, 2021
The 10-day long Mysuru Dasara, that normally falls in the month of September or October as per the Hindu calendar, is celebrated in a distinct and unique manner. Though the entire city, which is the second largest city in Karnataka and home to the erstwhile royal family of Wodeya...
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Explore different faces of Ramlila
October 7, 2021
Ramayana, India’s best-known historical epic, tells the tale of the Indian Prince Lord Ram, whose wife Sita is stolen from him by the ten-headed demon King Ravana and taken to his mountain kingdom. Aided by his brother Lakshman and the loyal monkey god Hanuman, Ram eventually r...
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Durga Puja preparations enter last lap in Delhi’...
October 5, 2021
With Durga Puja just around the corner, talented artisans are busy putting their final touches on idols of gods and goddesses to be delivered to magnificent pandals, temples and homes of worshippers. The biggest Bengali festival of the year, Durga Puja celebrates the victory of H...
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Mata ni Pachedi: Tales of Goddess told on fabric
October 3, 2021
Mata ni Pachedi means “behind the Mother Goddess” in Gujarati. Pachedi is a religious textile folk art derived from the Kalamkari style of painting, featuring the Mother Goddess at the centre and her stories, the remaining cloth is then filled with images of devotees along wi...
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Ballet leaps into mainstream Indian dance scene
September 30, 2021
Growing up in the small town of Siliguri at the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal, 20-year-old Dipesh Verma always knew he was born to dance. However, Verma’s father, a grocer, was adamant against letting his son pursue the art form, forcing him to practice secretly at ...
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