In Search of the Banaras of Ustad Bismillah Khan
He was an amazingly secular person. The ease with which Bismillah, a Shia musician, embraced the tenets of the Hindu faith seems improbable in the present day.
Freedom
A poem.
The Indian Ease with Translation and Multilingualism
It cannot be understood by an ideology that thinks of every “other” as an enemy within.
The Beginning and the End: Robinson Jeffers’s Epic Poem About the Interwoven Mystery of Mind and Universe
Although Jeffers is celebrated as one of the great environmental poets, he was as enchanted by the wonders of nature, for he understood better than any artist since Whitman that these are parts of a single and awesome reality, and we are part of it too — not as spectators, not as explorers, but as living stardust.
Demystifying the Halo Around ‘Naatu Naatu’ and ‘RRR’
In the midst of all the hullabaloo around the award to the musical score ‘Naatu Naatu’ at the Oscars Academy Awards ceremony, let us spare a few moments to see the song and its film in a wider context – which is both cultural, historical and political.
How to Grow Old
The great British philosopher, mathematician, historian, and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell (May 18, 1872–February 2, 1970) contemplated the question of what could be the measure of a life well lived in this wonderful short essay penned in his eighty-first year.
Caste | Culture | Online Blog
Dedicated to God, Brutalised by Men
On paper the devadasi system is banned. Yet, across South India, it continues to cast a long shadow of violence in the lives of Dalit women.
Progressive Artists’ Group @75: Rebels with a Cause
The Progressive Artists’ Group (PAG), founded in 1947, belonged to a moment of transition and optimism. Last year, it celebrated its 75th anniversary along with the country. A look back at the PAG’s claims and achievements.
Caste | Culture | Online Blog
Rahul Sankrityayan’s Tibet Story
An excerpt from the book ‘Mystics and Sceptics : In Search of Himalayan Masters’, edited by Namita Gokhale.
It’s This Way
A poem.