Remembering the Gujarati lawyer who fought for Indian indentured labourers in Fiji and Mauritius

Manilal Doctor answered the call of Indians when they needed help to take on an exploitative regime of indentured servitude.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Jan 31, 2023 · 11:30 am

How a German missionary changed the way houses were roofed in western India

Georg Plebst’s brainchild, the Mangalore tile, has spread as far as Australia and Africa – and yet very little is known about him.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Jan 24, 2023 · 11:30 am

The story of the Indian immigrant who catalysed the New Zealand gold rush but died in near penury

Although it was Edward Peters from Satara who first discovered gold in Otago, New Zealand, the credit went to an Australian for almost a century and half.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Dec 24, 2022 · 11:30 am

How an Irish poet and playwright became a part of India’s cultural mosaic

James Henry Cousins, an accomplished writer, moved to India in 1915 and dedicated his life to cultural and educational activities in the country.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Dec 17, 2022 · 11:30 am

Why a plan to link India and Burma with one of the world’s most scenic railroads didn’t work out

In 19th century, engineers trekked through the jungles of Assam and Kachin state to decide the ideal path for a railway line. But economics and war intervened.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Dec 10, 2022 · 11:30 am

Remembering the ‘Indian Titanic’ that was sunk by the Japanese

In November 1942, SS Tilawa was on its way to Mombasa when it was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy’s I-29 submarine, claiming 280 lives.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Nov 29, 2022 · 11:30 am

One of the most compelling accounts of Western India in the 19th century was written by this woman

Marianne Postans, who lived in Bhuj with her army officer husband, published a book about the region’s people, customs, traditions and landscapes.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Nov 22, 2022 · 11:30 am

A Kenyan Goan’s fight against colonialism in Africa and India

Pio Gama Pinto, a key figure in Kenya’s freedom struggle against the British, also supported the liberation movements in Goa and Mozambique.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Nov 15, 2022 · 11:30 am

The journey of a young Indian Jewish woman to becoming the first lady of Cyprus

Lila Irene Clerides, who was born in Ahmedabad to an illustrious Jewish family, became a beloved public figure in the Mediterranean island nation.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Nov 01, 2022 · 11:30 am

How Hindu cosmology influenced Romania’s national poet

Inspired by Schopenhauer and Kant, Mihai Eminescu combined Indian and Western philosophies to produce Romania’s most celebrated poetic works.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Oct 22, 2022 · 11:30 am

How a Lutheran missionary became the first cultural bridge between Tamil Nadu and Germany

Mastering Tamil in mere months, Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg became a pioneer of linguistic exchange between the Tamil- and German-speaking worlds.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Oct 18, 2022 · 11:30 am

How a bank branch in Bombay helped establish a financial relationship between Japan and India

The now-defunct Yokohama Specie Bank bankrolled the cotton trade between the two countries in the 19th century after Japan emerged from self-imposed isolation.

Ajay Kamalakaran

· Oct 01, 2022 · 11:30 am