How Jules Verne’s Visionary Works Inspired Modern Technology and Innovation
When French author Jules Verne died in 1905, powered air flight, which he put at the centre of his 1886 book Robur the Conqueror, had moved from fiction to reality. Just two years earlier, the Wright brothers had achieved the first manned air flight in human history. Yet more of
Delhi’s Historical and Cultural Legacy Inaccessible due to Pricey Heritage Walks and Privatisation of Monuments
At the first interactive session on Delhi’s heritage, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), as part of its inaugural heritage walks and talks initiative held at Town Hall, Chandni Chowk, experts delved into the mystery surrounding the grave of Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and
TRIBUTE | M.T. Vasudevan Nair (1933-2024): Legacy of the Prolific Malayalam Writer, Scenarist, and Filmmaker
How does one describe M.T. Vasudevan Nair? Respectfully called “MT”, he was primarily a writer who was widely admired across generations, and his works have remained bestsellers for more than half a century. In the industry and among cineastes, he commanded the respect of both serious auteurs and commercial filmmakers.
Tribute | Zakir Hussain (1951-2024): An International Music Phenomenon Who Remained Rooted in the Classical
As tributes overflow for tabla maestro and composer Ustad Zakir Hussain, who passed away at 73, on December 15, contrarily, words seem to leave me. The only thing that occupies my mind is that an effervescent life was snatched away prematurely. How does one pay homage to this remarkable man,
TRIBUTE | M.T. Vasudevan Nair (1933-2024): Noted Malayalam Writer and Director Dies at 91
Noted writer and Jnanpith Award winner M.T. Vasudevan Nair, who had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala, following heart failure, has died, hospital sources said on December 25. He was 91. “M.T. has died,” a hospital source told PTI without elaborating. He had been under the
Frontline At 40 | ‘Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions are the only record of old Tamil’: Interview with Iravatham Mahadevan
Iravatham Mahadevan, an epigraphist of international repute. | Photo Credit: T.A. HAFEEZ Iravatham Mahadevan was an administrator-turned-scholar who did acclaimed work on the Tamil-Brahmi and Indus scripts. His Early Tamil Epigraphy, published in 2003, was based on 40 years of labour on Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions. His earlier work Corpus of Tamil-Brahmi
The State of Indian Art: How Cultural Freedom Survives Despite Government Control
Some time ago (in September 2024), government-friendly news portals exerted a lot of energy “fact-checking” and, in the process, denied a viral social media post that claimed that the gigantic “Statue of Unity” sculpture of Vallabhbhai Patel had developed “cracks” and was in danger of collapsing. It was also reported
The Show Must Go On: How Cinema Refuses to Fade to Black in India
Indian cinema began contemplating its own mortality exactly four decades ago, prompted into self-reflection by the seismic effects of the television and video revolution across the country. In 1984, just two years had passed since the Asian Games were held in Delhi, an event that was responsible for the mass-scale
Best of 2024: Frontline’s Top 12 Stories on Books and Culture
Cultural performances at the INS Khukri Memorial Amphitheatre in Diu on November 14, 2024. | Photo Credit: President of India-X/ANI In his essay in Frontline’s 40th anniversary special, the artist and curator Shuddhabrata Dasgupta writes: “In any society, the health of culture depends on the willingness of practitioners to set
Quiet Dies a Craft: Traditional Bengal Boat Making Documentary 2024
WATCH | Quiet Dies a Craft: Traditional Bengal Boat Making Documentary 2024 | Video Credit: Reporting and narration: Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay; Videography: Jayanta Shaw; Editing: Samson Ronald K., Kavya Pradeep M; Team Frontline: Abhinav Chakraborty, Saatvika Radhakrishna, and Mridula V.; Produced By: Jinoy Jose P. In West Bengal’s Shyampur, 74-year-old master