Media literacy is an urgent need in a country as diverse and complex as India, where the unchecked spread of misinformation carries profound consequences for the very fabric of democracy and social harmony. By Arsalan Shamsi

For over a decade, the wildlife biologist Purnima Devi Barman has committed herself to the preservation of the greater adjutant in Assam, and has led a community-driven initiative with local women to work towards stork conservation. By Vinita Agrawal

Deities like Shitala represent a specific premodern response to disease. Paromita Patranobish explores what Bengal’s pox goddess could teach us about social ethics in Anthropocene times.

With the participation of women in the workforce telling a sobering story, the journey toward true equality in India remains unfinished. Palak Singh and Paritosh Sinha discuss the magnitude of this ongoing plight.

With tens of crores of expected visitors, the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj is among the largest human gatherings in the world. The mythologies associated with the Samudra Manthana and Shiva’s affinity for bhang often associate it with spiritual cannabis use, too. By Karan Madhok

Indians have long held a close respect for the rhythm of nature, working in close consort with the environment. But recent big-ticket government projects have ignored ecological concerns, threatening India’s rich biodiversity and causing severe damage to forest lands. By Vipin Labroo

Ronald Ross was once immortalized in Amitav Ghosh’s historical novel. Nivedita Dey rediscovers a memorial dedicated to Kolkata’s forgotten, Nobel laureate physician.

With a major national robotics win, two Mumbai teenagers take their creation to the World Robotics Olympiad. Their accomplishment could pave the way for more future leaders from India in the fields of science and technology. By Bushra Satkhed

A city rooted in colonial legend, Nivedita Dey examines the linguistics of place, names, food, and culture that keep the “Calcutta” in Kolkata.

Nivedita Dey recalls the glory days of Mumbai’s bygone Cafe Samovar, where for decades, friends, family, strangers, students, lawyers, homemakers, thinkers, creative souls, Bollywood icons, Marxists, liberals, and more diverse groups of humans huddled over cups of cutting chai.

Indian urban centres are getting hotter every year due to the heat island effect. With millions of lives at stake, urgent city-planning measures are needed across the country to mitigate the incoming crisis. By Vipin Labroo

India’s high youth unemployment should be a cause for greater alarm. Not only is it a question of under-utilization of the most precious resource of a nation—its young people—but it also raises the spectre of social tension and unrest. By Vipin Labroo