What the Charles Sobhraj series ‘The Serpent’ gets right about the dark side of the hippie dream

The BBC mini-series on the career criminal, played by Tahar Rahim, is being streamed in India on Netflix.

Vikram Zutshi

· Apr 08, 2021 · 10:30 am

How the origins of Persian and Kashmiri new year rituals may be found in the Vedas

While the events coincide with Spring Equinox, the form of celebration may be traced back to ancient texts.

Vikram Zutshi

· Mar 21, 2021 · 05:30 pm

How to destroy enemies and walk on water, according to old Indian magic texts

The Uḍḍ-corpus texts of sorcery and magic are of endless interest to some academics, for they represent the heterodox nature of Hinduism.

Vikram Zutshi

· Nov 22, 2020 · 11:30 am

Here lies one who spared neither man nor god: Discovering Khushwant Singh during the pandemic

Singh’s was the kind of authentic writing that readers want now.

Vikram Zutshi

· Sep 14, 2020 · 08:30 am

What growing up with two abusive men taught me about the #MeToo movement in India

Witnessing my father and grandfather’s acts of violence filled me with an inchoate rage and internal chaos that have never completely left me.

Vikram Zutshi

· Jul 17, 2019 · 11:30 am

How the ancient Indian tradition of Tantra became all about sex and orgasms in the US

What is practised today as Neotantra is a bastardised version of an ancient spiritual practice.

Vikram Zutshi

· Mar 25, 2019 · 11:30 am

The dark and comical side of Americans’ fascination with Indian spiritualism

The New Age community’s disenchantment with the mainstream can have funny and, at times, grim consequences.

Vikram Zutshi

· Feb 04, 2019 · 11:30 am

‘Admonish me if I call myself Hindu or Muslim’: SH Raza’s art was an exploration of spirituality

A major retrospective traces the evolution of one of India’s finest modernist artists.

Vikram Zutshi

· Jun 28, 2018 · 11:30 am

In cinema and life, surrealist filmmaker Luis Bunuel defied expectations till the very end

Rebellion marked the entire career of the Spanish-born director who is known as the father of cinematic surrealism.

Vikram Zutshi

· Feb 22, 2018 · 07:30 pm

‘If you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper’: David Lynch revisited

Film, music, art, literature, photography and architecture – is there anything the American artist cannot do?

Vikram Zutshi

· Jan 21, 2018 · 08:15 am

Yes, we should celebrate yoga – but not for the reason Modi and his admirers want us to

Yoga didn’t emerge from a homogenous Hindu culture, nor did it ever have fixed metaphysical goals.

Vikram Zutshi

· Jun 21, 2017 · 08:00 am

How Wazawan came to Kashmir and the secret of its sensual flavours

When done right, Kashmiri cuisine is a feast for all the senses and not just the palate.

Vikram Zutshi

· Jun 03, 2017 · 11:30 am