Tipu Sultan: A Hero or a Charlatan?
The deeds and misdeeds of Tipu Sultan are aired, discussed, debated and washed like dirty linen by all and sundry again and again even 300 years later, while a...
Bhaswati Bhattacharya: Coffee House became the Nerve Centre of Adda, Politics, Literary and Cultural Discourse
Bhaswati’s intensive and meticulous six-year-long research on Indian Coffee Houses in Kolkata, Allahabad, and New Delhi, has fructified in the form of a book, Much Ado Over Coffee. Here’s...
No Country for Shy People!
Humourist Soumya tells us about two men, Ram and Shyam, each other’s foil and what happened to them in a bawdy house Read more in the weekly column, exclusively...
The Unique Satyanarain: Secularism, Goan Style!
Humourist Soumya keenly observes rituals in government offices in various parts of India. Goa holds the surprise. Smile with him, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths. Traditionally,...
Urdu and the Influence of Punjab
Urdu, which was till now thought to have roots in Delhi, actually took birth in Lahore and adopted Old Punjabi contrary to Braj as its base language. Later, the...
Urdu: Today and Tomorrow
Sehar talks about Urdu, the language of emotions. She talks of Ibn Safvi, an Urdu writer from Kareli, a locality in Allahabad, who was acclaimed by Agatha Christie. Here’s...
Mughlai Mutton Curry: A Rich, Finger- licking Soul Food!
Sarika says that she was not cooking properly for some time, as she had so many things on my plate. Two weeks back, Memo, her son, asked her to prepare...
Allahabad Sanskiritik Parv: A Confluence of Literature, Culture, Music and History
Sanchaari organised a three-day cultural extravaganza, in Allahabad, the second such meet in over a year. It was a congregation of the intellectuals, litterateurs, art, and music lovers, along with the...
Life is no Magic Carpet for Salman in a Faraway Land!
Twenty-eight-year-old Salman is from Bhadohi, in East Uttar Pradesh. He was just 8-year-old, when he came to Chennai with his father. He and his six brothers are all in...
Naraka Chaturdasi: Diwali Celebrations in Tamilnadu
In Tamilnadu, Diwali is celebrated a day before the rest of the country, on the occasion of Naraka Chaturdasi, the day Lord Krishna vanquished the demon Naraka. People visit each other’s...