Culture & Heritage
9 min read
461

Interview with Srikar Raghavan: Exploring Cultural Investigations into Modern Karnataka in Rama Bhima Soma

January 27, 2025
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Author Srikar Raghavan reveals that the book is a personal journey more than a comprehensive survey. | Photo Credit: Faisal Ahmed Rama Bhima Soma: Cultural Investigations into Modern Karnataka by Srikar Raghavan is a work of astounding audacity as it delves into the complicated cultural world of modern Karnataka, using a

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Culture & Heritage
5 min read
448

BOOK REVIEW | A Dark Tale from Cottonwood Grove is a Story of Love and Betrayal

January 27, 2025
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As in Indonesian folktales, moments of beauty and darkness are woven together in the novel. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStock The silky filaments of cottonwood seeds float across the dark Javanese landscape of Mahfud Ikhwan’s mysterious account of a murder foretold with teasing tenderness and underlying savagery. It is a

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Culture & Heritage
5 min read
485

BOOK REVIEW | Samantha Harvey’s Orbital’s Pertinent Political Point is Held Back by a Weak Narrative

January 27, 2025
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Six astronauts circle the earth aboard the International Space Station. How do they feel and what do they see in the course of one earth day? This is the premise of Samantha Harvey’s Orbital, which won the 2024 Booker Prize. A slim 136-page affair set in space, it is neither science

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Culture & Heritage
4 min read
467

Manu Pillai: How the Roots of a Defensive Hindu Identity Developed | Frontline At 40 at The Hindu Lit for Life 2025

January 20, 2025
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Manu Pillai in conversation with Vaishna Roy at The Hindu Lit for Life festival 2025 held at Sir Mutha Concert Hall in Chennai on January 19. | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B “The ease and enthusiasm with which Hindus in India were able to appropriate that term [Hinduism] shows that

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Culture & Heritage
1 min read
484

INTERVIEW | We Wanted to Understand the Civilisation we Come from: Minister Thangam Thennarasu

January 20, 2025
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WATCH | R.K. Radhakrishnan in conversation with Minister Thangam Thennarasu Minister Thennarasu says the younger generations of Tamil Nadu are keen to know about their history. | Video Credit: Interview by R.K. Radhakrishnan; Camera: Mridula V and Samson Ronald K.; Editing by Samson Ronald K.; Produced by Saatvika Radhakrishna On

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Culture & Heritage
7 min read
130

The Disposable Woman: How Indian Cinema Uses Sexual Violence to Build Male Heroes

January 13, 2025
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A girl gets raped in Baby John, the Hindi remake of the Tamil film Theri, a crime that is repeated in Bagheera, Kannada cinema’s most successful film this past year, as also in Maharaja, starring Vijay Sethupathi, another Tamil blockbuster. In the Rajinikanth-starrer Vettaiyan, again, it is a woman who is assaulted, raped, and murdered. In Pushpa

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Culture & Heritage
10 min read
112

INTERVIEW | Through Paintings, I Tell Stories of Those Who Are Being Erased from the Dominant Narrative: Labani Jangi

January 12, 2025
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Labani Jangi says her award came at a time when she was being questioned by many about the validity and nuances of her art. | Photo Credit: By Special Arrangement Labani Jangi was born in Dhubulia, a village about 40 km away from Plassey, in the district of Nadia in West

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Culture & Heritage
5 min read
108

One and Three Quarters Book Review: A Tale of Cats, Corruption and Political Ambition

January 12, 2025
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Serendipity brought One and Three Quarters by Shrikant Bojewar, translated by Vikrant Pande, to your reviewer who, over the years, has found and loved books about cats. Most are Japanese, though there are scattered gems in the West, like Edgar Allen Poe’s memorable short story, “The Black Cat”. However, even Kathryn Hughes’

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Culture & Heritage
5 min read
122

PHOTO ESSAY | A Tribute to Malayalam Writer and Scenarist, M.T. Vasudevan Nair

January 12, 2025
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MT was a man of many parts. A doyen of Malayalam literature who mentored many people with his trademark kindness, warmth, and genuine concern. M.T. Vasudevan Nair was an iconic figure in Kerala during my childhood. His versatility and creativity in literature, cinema, and journalism, combined with his star-like fame,

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Culture & Heritage
5 min read
119

TRIBUTE | P. Jayachandran (1944-2025): Soulful Voice of Indian Playback Music, Passes Away

January 10, 2025
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Jayachandran recorded over 16,000 songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi, was widely recognised for his contribution to Indian music, having won several awards for best playback singer. | Photo Credit: S. MAHINSHA Renowned playback singer P. Jayachandran, popular across South India and affectionately called “Bhava Gayakan” for his

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