Rediscovered 1956 Buddhist Monk Diary Reveals Insights on Post-Independence India
On March 29, 1956, 27-year-old Bandara Manatunga left his hometown of Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka and embarked on a singular expedition to India. His destination was Nalanda, where he would be ordained as a “temporary” monk in the Buddhist monastery there. During his two-month stay in India, Manatunga maintained
Paperclip: Website Run by Seven Friends is Making Waves by Sharing Intriguing Stories from India’s Past to Counter Misinformation
“Stay curious!” is the tagline that comes at the end of all posts by Paperclip, a digital media house dedicated to storytelling run by a team of seven operating out of multiple locations, from Chicago to Kolkata. The description on its website reads: “Through captivating storytelling, Paperclip aims to inform,
Gandhi Ashram in Bihar’s Khoraitha, Which Played Pivotal Role in Independence Movement Lies in Shambles
At the height of the Independence struggle in 1920, a group of young freedom fighters from Bikram, in erstwhile Bihar, were training in arms and ammunition on an island in the Sone River in Dullahpur village in preparation for a secret mission. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar, in 1919,
Short Story | India: A Bengali Story In Translation
A small market had sprung up where the asphalt highway turned to the left. The village stood behind it, hidden from view by a dense bamboo grove. The village had no electricity, but the market did. There were three tea-shops, two for sweetmeats, three for garments, one stationery store and
Jenny Erpenbeck’s Kairos: East Germany’s Past Haunts Toxic Romance
The 1993 revised edition of the popular German language primer Sprachkurs Deutsch 1 contains a small text about Germany, Austria, and Switzerland meant for simple reading comprehension. About German reunification it says pithily: “The wall has fallen, but the deep economic differences, the social differences, the psychological differences are not going away
Vikas Swarup, Q&A Author Discusses New Book, Writing Process, and Diplomacy
Former diplomat and author Vikas Swarup (left) with journalist Vir Sanghvi (right) during the book launch of The Girl with the Seven Lives at the India International Centre, New Delhi, on July 19. | Photo Credit: Vitasta Kaul The appreciation he received for his “authentic portrayal” of women in his
Mangifera Indica: Sopan Joshi’s New Book Details India’s Never-Ending Love Affair With the Mango
Sopan Joshi is an independent journalist and author based in Delhi. | Photo Credit: By Special Arrangement There is no other country that has a compulsive relationship with a fruit like India has with mangoes, said Sopan Joshi, journalist and author of the book Mangifera Indica: A Biography of the
Tripura’s Forgotten Risha: The Ancient Fabric Making a Comeback
Once upon a time, not so long ago, tribal women of Tripura carried the forested landscape of the tiny north-eastern State in their hearts in the form of a narrow band of cloth with intricately woven patterns of butterflies, birds and leaves that they wore on their breasts. Called risha,
Mosuo: China’s Last Matrilineal Society
WATCH | Mosuo: China’s last matrilineal society The Mosuo, only 40,000 strong, run their world differently from most: women are in charge. | Video Credit: Camera and editing by Samson Ronald K.; Presentation by Saatvika Radhakrishna; Supervising producer: Jinoy Jose P. On the shores of the picturesque Lugu Lake in
Why Is Ukraine’s Theater Scene Thriving Amid War?
“For these occasions I choose a beautiful dress, do my makeup, and wear perfume. These are rare opportunities we lost during the war,” Olena Vdovychenko, a theatergoer living in Kyiv tells DW. For her, the theatre is a beautiful escape. It had always been special—long before the Russian invasion. And the daily air