On the face of it, the Bharatiya Janata Party seems to have realised it was time it did something to honour Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, after the new government declassified some files on Netaji and sent them to the National Archives, researchers... Continue Reading →
Karnataka II – The Ancient Nursery of Temple Architecture
The cave temples of Badami, and the temples of Aihole and Pattadakal together represent an extremely vibrant and productive period - between the 6th and 9th centuries - in the history of temple architecture in the Deccan. My friend and guide Ananthakrishna said that Aihole, the ancient town, was a sort of laboratory of temple... Continue Reading →
Karnataka I – the Marvels of Vijayanagara
"On the Banks of the Tungabhadra" is a historical novel in Bengali penned by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay, who perhaps is known to readers outside Bengal as the creator of the detective character Byomkesh Bakshi. In the novel, the web is spun around a story that the ruler of Kalinga offered his daughter in marriage to Krishnadeva... Continue Reading →
Why I adore Swami Vivekananda
It started early - at an age when one was yet to learn reading. In those halcyon days children were not sent to school till they were old enough to join Grade I. In that golden period of life for us it was mostly playing, and maybe a bit of learning and memorising Bengali rhymes.... Continue Reading →
Arunachal – the Virgin Beauty of the North East
As our car slowed down on the narrow, hilly road and came to a halt behind a long line of stranded vehicles, we noticed the men and machines at work. A huge crane was busy removing the boulders and earth that obviously had rolled down the hill and blocked the road. It looked like... Continue Reading →
Croatia : My Favourite Team Today
In August 2010, when I told my relatives, and friends outside the Ministry of External Affairs, that I had been transferred to Zagreb, many of them had no clue either about that city, or the country of which it is the capital. In fact, Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was better known to... Continue Reading →
A Toast to Spring in Delhi
It is a couple of weeks now that winter has said good-bye to Delhi. The weather has turned balmy. There still is a hint of chill in the early mornings and late evenings, though the mid day heat is an indicator of the days ahead. It is that time of the year "when the dainty... Continue Reading →
Bhagat Singh, Valentine’s Day and Love in Indian Tradition
Bhagat Singh and Valentine's Day: A message that circulates in the social media every year in the weeks preceding the Valentine's Day calls upon us not to forget that "the hanging of the great freedom fighters - Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru happened on 14th February". A few friends share the message "as received". Obviously,... Continue Reading →
Pollution in Delhi – Time to seek Divine Intervention?
Photo credit: Internet Even a decade ago, winter in Delhi used to be quite different. Once the Diwali festivities were over, Sunday editions of newspapers would publish articles talking about the nip in the air, on ways of enjoying the winter - the picnic spots to be explored, trips to the zoo garden with the... Continue Reading →
