A Nation’s Song: The Early History of “Vande Mataram”
From its origins in the 1882 novel Anandmath, the attention of European Orientalists, and the impact on early Hindu nationalist movements, Abhimanyu Kumar traces the complicated legacy of India’s national song.
Knowledge Without Consent
The Ministry of Science & Technology has partnered with SARAL AI to convert research publications into ‘user-friendly’ social media content. But without clear parameters in scope, the initiative leaves ambiguity for the rights of researchers, academics, writers, publishers and more. By Madhuri Kankipati
Love is a Seasonal Fruit: On Intimacy Under Capitalism
Essay by Srishti Sharma: ‘Love has a stinky feeling… It comes around only once a year. You can try all you like to recreate it, inject it, grow it in laboratories, package it better, sell it faster, but it will still smell and taste odd. It resists standardisation.’
For Many Kashmiri Craftsmen, “Skill isn’t alone to survive”
In Kashmir, many rare and lesser-known forms of craftsmanship are slowly disappearing. The work of skilled and committed remains unseen, unsupported and increasingly undervalued in a changing economy. By Ayat Adil
Could AI usher in the advent of Universal Basic Income for India?
As the promises and threats of artificial intelligence signal a radical economic and social upheaval worldwide, Vipin Labroo argues why India may need to consider a fanciful UBI programme.
The Pendant of Exile and Inherited Memory: How the Dejhoor Chronicles the Passage of Kashmiri Pandit Women
The dejhoor had been an ornament for Kashmiri Pandit women for thousands of years, narrating a story of continuity under pressure, womanhood refracted through history, and identity surviving the corrosion of displacement. By Prerna Bhat
Nothing Impure: Why misogynist taboos around menstruation continue to plague India
In religion, politics, and mainstream pop culture, there is inexplicable hypocrisy and stinging prejudice surrounding the subject of menstruation in India. It begs for more proactive activism around the same. By Nivedita Dey
A Himalaya Under Torrential Threat
In the ecologically-sensitive Himalayan regions, the regularity of natural disasters and the scale of damage have increased rapidly in recent years. The two most-significant factors behind this phenomenon have been overdevelopment and climate change. By Vipin Labroo
Houses, Apartments, and Visions of a New Indian Home
As a generation of Indians move from living in houses to apartments, Vipin Labroo argues that we must envision our new spaces to reflect better synthesis with the rhythms of nature, the way that our traditional homes once were.
Aurangzeb, Sambhaji, and Other Misremembered Lessons from History
Films like Chhaava have highlighted the valour of Sambhaji and the tyranny of Aurangzeb; the final word in that film, however, is less concerned with history and more with the ideology of the country’s current rulers. By Mozid Mahmud
Maligned by Misinformation
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
Stork Sister
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