How a British spy operation dragged neutral Goa into the bloodshed of the Second World War

Suspecting stranded German sailors of passing information to the Nazis, the British sank their ships and killed some of the men.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Nov 28, 2023 · 11:30 am

Why US and Japan chose Goa for a prisoner swap during World War II

Technically neutral in 1943, Portugal agreed to host the exchange of internees at its port in Mormugao.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Nov 11, 2023 · 11:30 am

Goa’s entry into the railway age was set in motion with an engineering marvel

An 82-km metre-gauge line called the West of India Portuguese Railway was built by a British company and inaugurated in 1888.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Nov 04, 2023 · 11:30 am

Why the Jewish communities in India left a Zionist writer deeply disappointed

Wolfgang von Weisl called India the most tolerant country in the world but was critical of the Baghdadi and Bene Israel Jewish communities.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Oct 28, 2023 · 11:30 am

When a business family in Bombay came to the aid of persecuted Jews from Jerusalem and Jaffa

Disturbed by the Ottoman clampdown on Jews, the wealthy Sassoons made large financial contributions to help those who were forced to flee their homes.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Oct 21, 2023 · 11:30 am

Disillusioned with Israel, hundreds of Jews chose to return to India in the 1950s

After migrating to the Promised Land, several members of India’s Jewish community opted to come back to their land of birth.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Oct 13, 2023 · 11:30 am

Why a celebrated Russian artist chose to become an Indian citizen

Svetoslav Roerich remained ‘stateless’ in India for decades before taking an oath of allegiance to the Indian constitution.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Sep 26, 2023 · 11:30 am

How camels from Punjab ended up joining a police force in southern Africa

In the early 20th century, an infectious disease killed thousands of cattle in Southern Rhodesia, creating an unlikely demand.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Sep 23, 2023 · 11:30 am

Bombay is better than Calcutta: Impressions of a US novelist in early 20th-century India

The witty EW Howe seemed particularly fascinated with Rajasthani landscapes and Bombay’s affluence.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Sep 16, 2023 · 11:30 am

After suppressing an Egyptian revolution, the British wanted to exile its leader to India

Ahmed Urabi and others were first sent to Ceylon. Years later, when they complained, the British seriously considered transferring them to Bangalore.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Aug 29, 2023 · 11:30 am

How Sumatra became a popular destination for Sikh immigrants in the 19th century

The story of how the large island in the Indonesian archipelago became home to Sikh policemen, security guards, traders and farmers.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Aug 19, 2023 · 11:30 am

‘Our talks will be of lasting value to me’: When Kwame Nkrumah visited Nehru’s India

Ghana’s first prime minister spent a fortnight in India in 1958-’59, packing in a series of official engagements and a vacation in Bangalore.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Aug 16, 2023 · 11:30 am