Sacred Trees: How India Honours Its Forests

by Keya Gupta Every year on 5th June, the world pauses to mark World Environment Day, a reminder to look closely at the natural world and our place within it. Across India, many communities have long practised their own forms of environmental ethics through festivals, rituals and everyday traditions that treat trees, groves and landscapes not as resources alone, […]

Choosing Goa: How Goans Protected Their Identity

by Nidhi Murthi In January 1967, Goans stood in long lines, waiting to cast a vote that would change their future. It was the moment when the people of Goa were given the choice to either merge with Maharashtra or remain a Union Territory. Their choice eventually led to Goa being vested with full Statehood. […]

When Animals Speak: Why Jataka Tales Still Matter Today

by Shree Sauparnika V.  On Buddha Purnima, we celebrate the three most significant events in the life of Gautama Buddha: his birth, enlightenment (Nirvana) and passing (Parinirvana or complete enlightenment). His journey toward truth did not begin in a single lifetime. It is chronicled through the Jataka Tales, a vast collection of over 500 stories […]

Grassroots Warriors: The Story behind the Chipko Movement

by Nidhi Murthi ‘Ecology is a permanent economy.’ – Sunderlal Bahuguna In the Himalayan forests of Uttarakhand, a group of women once stood between axes and the trees that had sustained them most of their lives. This gave birth to the ‘Chipko Movement’ — one of India’s most important environmental movements. On this World Earth […]

Remembering Jallianwala Bagh

by Keya Gupta On 13th April 1919, General Reginald Dyer of the British Indian Army opened fire on a large gathering of people in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar. What was a joyful and lively gathering of people for the Baisakhi fair and a peaceful protest against the British Raj, turned into a gruesome scene as the […]

The Final 24 Hours of Bhagat Singh

by Keya Gupta and Shree Sauparnika V.  On the evening of 23rd March 1931, a revolutionary walked to the gallows in Lahore Central Jail singing ‘Inquilab Zindabad’. This was Bhagat Singh, who remains one of the most revered personalities of the Indian freedom struggle.  He was sentenced to death, along with his comrades Shivram Hari Rajguru and Sukhdev Thappar, for the killing of […]

Fasting and Feasting: Ramzan and Eid

by Keya Gupta As the month of Ramzan comes to an end, Muslim communities across India and the world are preparing to end their month-long fasts. The month of Ramzan culminates with Eid, a day of celebrations and togetherness.  Ramzan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, a calendar that follows the lunar cycle rather […]

Holi Beyond Colours: A Glimpse of Regional Flavours

by Sudhalekshmi M. Most of us visualise Holi as a vibrant festival of colours. While it is true, there is more to the festival beyond colours. Come, let us dive into some regional flavours of Holi which would prompt us to look at the festival with a fresh pair of eyes.  Manjal Kuli or Ukuli from Kerala:  Amidst a festival […]