Kerala floods: The 2018 disaster brings back stories of destruction (and rehabilitation) from 1924

‘That year became a landmark in local history, and grandmothers would for long tell grim tales of the collective sufferings.’

Manu S Pillai

· 4 hours ago

Against ‘buvabaji’: Narendra Dabholkar’s warning about the falsehood of so-called godmen

Rationalist and anti-superstition activist Narenda Dabholkar was murdered on August 20, 2013. An excerpt from a translation of his writings.

Narendra Dabholkar

· Yesterday · 05:30 pm

‘A great shock’: Somnath Chatterjee (1929-2018) on being expelled from the CPI(M) after 40 years

The Marxist politician, who died on August 13, was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha when the CPI(M) withdrew support to the UPA government in 2008.

Somnath Chatterjee

· Aug 17, 2018 · 08:30 am

Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Achilles heel: Excerpts from Vinod Mehta’s memoirs

The poetry no one would review, the unusual family life, and the three powerful men who controlled the bachelor prime minister’s office.

Vinod Mehta

· Aug 17, 2018 · 06:30 am

‘Sitai and Surpanakai’: This story turns a female rivalry from the Ramayana on its head

An excerpt from ‘The Birth of Kali’, a collection of stories that subverts patriarchal narratives from Hindu mythology.

Anita Sivakumaran

· Aug 16, 2018 · 08:30 am

Memories of Hadali: Khushwant Singh’s recollection of a childhood home lost to time and Partition

On Khushwant Singh’s 103rd birth anniversary, an excerpt from a new edited collection of his writings.

Khushwant Singh

· Aug 15, 2018 · 05:30 pm

In this novel, a teenager tells the story of Independence and Partition as she sees them

Nisha and her family must leave their home because it is now a new country named Pakistan, while they must live in India.

Veera Hiranandani

· Aug 15, 2018 · 08:30 am

Freedom for India: How Tatya Tope gave the British a harrowing time before being betrayed

Born Ramachandra Panduranga, Tatya Tope played a leading role in the rebellion of 1857.

Pandit Sunderlal

· Aug 15, 2018 · 07:30 am

What KG Subramanyan’s poetry says about his art (and what his art says about his poetry)

The renowned artist also wrote poetry, which had a strong relationship with the subjects of his art.

R Siva Kumar

· Aug 14, 2018 · 05:30 pm

Writer-activist Lakshman’s autobiography is a coming-of-age story and a piercing indictment of caste

The writer and activist from the Madiga community died in 2017. His autobiography has finally been translated from Kannada into English.

Lakshman

· Aug 13, 2018 · 08:30 am

The world’s first South Indian Pathan? Why Sridevi’s accent in her Hindi films has never mattered

Edited excerpts from an upcoming biography of the actress, who would have been 55 today.

Lalita Iyer

· Aug 13, 2018 · 07:15 am

This Assamese novel about Bengali Muslim settlers uprooted from their homes resonates sharply today

A translated excerpt from Rudrani Sarma’s novel that tells the story of people rendered homeless by Partition and natural disaster.

Rudrani Sarma

· Aug 10, 2018 · 05:30 pm