2024 / Articles
-
India’s Rich History of Trade and Cultural Exchanges
India has had relations with cultures around the subcontinent by both land and sea. By land, it was connected across the Hindu Kush to Persia (modern-day Iran) as well as Central Asia. By sea, it was connected to Persia, Arabia,…
-
This & That, Both & Neither: Cracking the Origins of the Mystifying Indian Headshake
Some of the earliest documented myths come from Mesopotamia, the Fertile Crescent where the earliest farming communities built cities around temples. These stories spoke of gods who wanted to enjoy luxury without labour, so they created humans out of clay.…
-
From Yakshas to Nagas — the Mainstreaming of Local Deities
Yakshas are magical creatures in Indian mythology much like dwarves of European lore, linked to gems and gold. They appear as corpulent deformed beings, wearing elaborate jewellery, on Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu shrines.
-
Replacing Goddess Culture
In Hindu mythology, the four months of the rainy season is when Vishnu sleeps. Who protects the world then? It is the Goddess, identified as Yogamaya. And so traditionally, women’s festivals, involving Goddesses, are found in the latter half of…
-
Tricking Ourselves Into Immortality
Humans have invented a smart way to outsmart death. We have split ourselves: a mortal part (who we are) and an immortal part (what we have). We can die but our possessions can outlive us. Thus through our property, we…
-
Speaking of Shiva
In the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, Bhisma tells Arjuna the story of the fight between Shiva and Daksha. Shiva destroys the yagna of Daksha as he refuses to invite him to partake in a share of the sacrifice. This event happens…
-
A Walk Through Delhi’s Historical Tapestry
When we think of Delhi today, we think of it being the nerve centre of political activity and India’s capital. But it was not always so.
-
Hinduism Beyond Caste
In Hindu stories, the divine is the embodiment of contentment, the opposite of craving, conflict, and competition.
-
Magic Is Proof Of Sainthood
The common man seeks protection from negative forces and desires to attract positive ones. He wants prosperity, health, and success. These needs draw him towards holy men, gods, and various spirit deities whose powerful rituals give immediate benefit to material…
-
How to Visit a Temple
A visit to a Hindu temple can be a lesson in history and geography, politics and economics, along with spiritual upliftment. If we allow it, the structure, to speak to us.
-
The Golden Closet
No one wants to believe the unhappiness of the rich. The elite are privileged, say activists. They have all the agency in the world they argue, refusing to believe that gays and lesbians in Brahmin household face the same degree…
-
If India Was Five Days Old
If the 5,000-year-old history of India can be reduced to five days, this is how events unfurled…
-
The Significance of Rebirth
Modern people tend to be contemptuous of tradition and feel they are more rational than their predecessors. But if we accept rebirth as a concept, we need to understand what purpose this narrative tool serves. Rebirth brings forth three interesting…
-
View: No Safe Space For Gen Z
As Gen Z enters the workplace, they are hearing on social media handles that Boomers (grandparents) and Gen X (parents) and Gen Y (older siblings), saying they have to work 70 hours a week if they wish to be successful,…
-
Tracking the Tale of Padmasambhava from Odisha to Tibet
mages of Padmasambhava are found across Tibet. He appears very Shiva-like, with a trident and a string of human heads, and is linked with powerful female figures said to have come from various parts of Tibet, Nepal, India, and China.