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Before Indian classical music loses its diversity, an online project is rushing to archive it
Malini Nair
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What a tiny difference in two very similar portraits of a sultan tells us about 16th-century India
Kamayani Sharma
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When an American woman briefly became a spokesperson for anti-casteism in India
Anu Kumar
All Magazine Stories
After the news
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How a mysterious diamond trader inspired the first American novel on India
Francis Marion Crawford’s meeting with Alexander Malcolm Jacob in Simla changed his life and produced a literary success.
Anu Kumar
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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
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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
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In the poetry of Amir Khusrau, food is served with style and flourish
Through food references, the great poet shone indirect light on the society and culture of India in the 13th and 14th century.
Priyadarshini Chatterjee
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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
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How the Chakhesang Naga community weaves a world of meaning into a shawl
Members of the tribe are allowed to wear the apparel only when they have acquired enough social status.
Kamayani Sharma
Food
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In the poetry of Amir Khusrau, food is served with style and flourish
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The story of how Hindus stopped distrusting biscuits and began eating them
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Carrots and sticks: How food was used to oppress Indian sailors on colonial ships
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Dongmo, charoti, saikala: The ingenuity of India’s little-known cookware
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How food came to the rescue of the British in India
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Who was William Borden, the American who helped take libraries to every corner of Baroda?
Borden’s cataloguing system gave readers across the state – including in towns and villages – access to 10 lakh books.
Anu Kumar
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The story of how Hindus stopped distrusting biscuits and began eating them
By yielding to caste rules at the turn of the 19th century, the ‘Hindu biscuit’ ended up subverting them.
Priyadarshini Chatterjee
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In Diwan Singh, an unsung instrument of Indian classical music found an unsung champion
Singh went to Delhi to become a domestic worker but somehow became a sought-after tanpuriya. He is among the last few who haven’t abandoned the manual tanpura.
Malini Nair
Internet Culture
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From Jaipur to Kochi, these Instagram projects are archiving a snapshot of Indian architecture
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Ukraine’s official Twitter handle is processing the nation’s trauma in real time with memes
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Small is beautiful: An artist in Tamil Nadu is carving miniature sculptures on pencil tips
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An artist looks at Grimms’ fairy tales and finds sexist stereotypes that are common in India
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An engineer in Canada is urging South Asians to post their family photos and memories on Instagram