Society News, Religion, History, Culture, Monuments, Communities

Who is Yevgeny Khaldei, the man behind the iconic ‘Banner of Victory over the Reichstag’ photograph?

It has been 80 years since Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The day, remembered as the Day of Memory and Sorrow, will be marked in Chennai with an exhibition of photographs by celebrated Russian war photographer, Yevgeny Khaldei

Following Father’s Day, meet a feathered dad who raises hatchlings all by himself

Polyandrous in their mating system, birds in the jacanidae family, including the pheasant-tailed jacana and the bronze-winged jacana in the Indian subcontinent, have this behaviour indelibly scripted into their DNA. Here is a ringside view of a father-son duo as they dodge the dangers in the wild

A devotee is rewarded

The life and works of Appayya Dikshitar reflect his multi-faceted personality. He had authored many spiritual texts of great value and carried on the

How a Kerala helpline for children helped a 12-year-old get his gooseberry tree back

‘Chiri’, a helpline in Kerala for children, started by the Kerala police, aims to go beyond just emotional counselling and mental health support

Green Humour

Radio reminiscences: The golden years

As radio becomes less and less a part of our lives, a look back at AIR’s best years and its brilliant pioneers

The Shudra queen Rashmoni and a sacred river

How a Bengali Shudra widow outwitted the East India Company with her sharp business acumen and a penchant for litigation

Betting on Father’s Hour

Save the trick questions and make time for TV, specifically, Euro Cup TV!

From Mandaveli to Mahabalipuram: How the ashy woodswallow receded from urban spaces

As this bird’s breeding season reaches its tail end, a throwback to the days when nesting pairs could be seen in urban spaces, sometimes atop lamp posts. Despite being more easily sighted in Chennai and other bustling sections within its distribution range, an erroneous notion about the bird persisted for a long time

Kamsa’s confusion

Kamsa was warned that Devaki’s eighth child would kill him. Kamsa spared Devaki’s life, but killed every child born to her because of the threat to

COVID-19: Helping Humans Hyderabad steps up to ease the crisis

Mohd. Abdul Yousuf and his team of volunteers networked across the nation to help tackle the second wave of the pandemic

Sunday bonding

Another epic adventure into the badlands of Noida in search of ‘khurpi’and garden furniture

Where winged women fly away: The art of Rithika Merchant

Artist Rithika Merchant, who won this year’s Vogue Hong Kong Women’s Art Prize, dabbles in myths, nostalgia and apocalyptic climate change

Unchanging Varadaraja

Kooratazhvan, in his Varadaraja Stavam, points out that Varadaraja, like Brahman, is unchanging, said Valayapet Ramachariar, in a discourse.

Looking on the bright side of portfolio careers

India-born Serena Kern-Libera on meeting the demands of a fulfilling corporate career in law through the week; and morphing into a pop singer when the weekend dawns

Govindaraja seen as Rama

In his Perumal Thirumozhi, Kulasekhara Azhvar praises the Govindaraja shrine in Chidambaram as Thillai Thiruchitrakootam, said Akkarakkani Srinidhi in

How the Covid Art Museum conveys the emotive consequences of the pandemic

Spanish-made online collective Covid Art Museum has been documenting the Coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown through art works from around the world

This clown walks the streets of Mumbai, spreading COVID-19 awareness among kids

Ashok Kurmi dresses up as popular characters and interacts with children in the slums of Mumbai, while sanitising localities

Gratitude Project offers countless ways to say thank you to COVID-19 frontline workers

Started by seven young women, Gratitude Project has seen more than 500 posts of thankfulness towards those on the frontline during lockdowns across India

Doing Karma without pride

Lord Krishna was not only charioteer and Acharya on the battlefield, but also showed His divinity, said Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse. At the end

Photographer Amita Talwar’s virtual fundraiser exhibition for COVID-19

‘Between Darkness and Light’ is a collection of Hyderabad-based Amita Talwar’s photographs, aimed at raising funds for those affected by the pandemic

Speciality of Ramayana

Of the two Itihasas, namely the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the former is special, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan, in a discourse. While the Mahabharata

G Prabha’s second film in Sanskrit, ‘Taya’, focusses on the landmark trial of Thatri

‘Taya’ is about how Thatri took on the patriarchy and the judiciary

Removal of ignorance

The greatest hurdle to the jivatma’s salvation is the ignorance of the true identity of the indwelling atma. For all of us, the ‘I’ sense or the ego

Chennai’s Vandalur zoo welcomes baby chimpanzee

Arignar Anna Zoological Park’s star chimpanzee couple Gowri and Gombe, give birth to a baby

Arti Dhand’s ‘The Mahabharata Podcast’: An epic retold

A professor’s podcast turns the classic into a tale for our times with a critical eye, contemporary language, and humour

Unblock?

Neither vulnerable, East deals

Between tribal, Christian and Buddhist beliefs, communities in Arunachal Pradesh try to protect their origins and practices

As the number of Christian adherents continues to grow and there is a resurgence among indigenous tribal faith believers, Christian leaders think there is space for both groups

Gated communities gear up for the third wave

Should we invest in oxygen concentrators? Should we establish COVID care centres on our premises? RWAs in the FOMRRA fold debate such questions

Acharya association

At some point of time in our journey through the cycle of birth, when one’s past good karmas bear fruit, one comes under the beneficial influence of

The pandemic’s compassion fatigue

Being witness to seemingly unending tragedy sapped COVID-19 volunteers’ emotional resources. Some look back at the burnout they felt, and how they are slowly healing

Into the open: struggles of the female athlete

Naomi Osaka has started a conversation about the mental load on young women athletes battling stressors on and off the field

Unique literature kit ‘Telugu Sahitimoorthulu’ introduces Telugu authors to the next generation

Compiled by Shanmukha Sunnapuralla, this specialised kit ‘Telugu Sahitimoorthulu — Mukhachitraalu Repati Tharam Kosam’ has biographies of 111 Telugu writers and poets

Thousands of children have lost parents to COVID-19. We urgently need a system to care for them

Between April 1, 2020 and June 5, 2021, 3,621 had lost both parents to the pandemic, 26,176 had lost one parent, and 274 had been abandoned, according to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

Children organise a virtual fundraiser for COVID-19

Delhi-based Ayanat Foundation started by two teenagers blends fun and educational events

Who’s in your head?

Making sense of wide foreheads, squeaking lizards and lengths of skirts

I was called a ‘behenji’ and ‘shameless’ in the same breath: Neena Gupta

The wickedly funny and talented actor has a lot to say about everything, from her theatre days to OTT platforms, in her autobiography

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