Chitralekha

As early as 6-5th century B.C. women poets were outwitting their male counterparts. J.S. Mill talked of Myrtis, a Greek poet who bested her student and rival, Pindar, five times in different poetry competitions. Despite their skill and proficiency,...

A common comedic trope in movies and TV shows is a white person fuming and wheezing after eating something remotely flavourful. This, along with the common belief that British food is bland, soggy and overcooked, makes one wonder how...

Today, weddings are a multibillion-dollar industry. It is believed that an Indian spends one-fifth of their total wealth (accumulated in a lifetime) on a wedding1. In fact in 2017, KPMG’s report estimated India’s wedding market at $ 50...

In 2019, The Indian Railways displayed their veneration of the Mahatma through a beautiful tableau at the Republic Day Parade. It featured the incident in South Africa and Gandhi's use of trains during the national freedom movement. In the...

Today, Chandni Chowk is synonymous with choked streets filled the sweet and savoury smell of the Delhi's delicacies and stuffed with busy haphazard shoppers, looking to strike bargains on everything from dry fruits and spices to replicas of designer...

While we’re shut in our homes these past few months (and possibly next few too), art galleries and museums are finding creative new ways to deliver art to us. Whether through online competitions or via storytelling sessions, art and...

The ‘Darvesh’ is a sculpture by eminent partition era artist and sculptor S.L. Parasher. Made in mulberry wood, it’s one of Parasher’s expressionist pieces and one of the masterpieces of the Government Museum and Art Gallery in Chandigarh. What is...

Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes but whoever said ‘less is more’ has clearly not set their eyes on this painting! Measuring 196" x 274", this is Russian painter Vasily Vereshchagin’s pièce de résistance. The “Jaipur Procession’, painted...

There is an age old debate on ‘Beauty vs. Utility’ that involved the likes of the 18th c. philosopher Immanuel Kant. While utility appeals to our rational mind, beauty makes us feel with our hearts. Which is more important?...

In 1757, the Battle of Plassey was fought between the Nawab of Bengal Siraj ud-Daulah and the British Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Clive. The history of the battle is usually polarised. While Indian's hail Siraj ud-Daulah as a hero fighting against...