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President Murmu presented with a Ramman mask: What is the festival, and how did it originate?

November 03, 2025 7:09 pm

Ramman is a festival celebrated annually in late April during Baisakhi at the twin villages of Saloor-Dungra in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli. It is dedicated to the tutelary god, Bhumiyal Devta, a local divinity whose temple houses most of the festivities

A painting titled "Hallowe'en", showing a witch riding a broomstick with a black cat

Explained: With Halloween around the corner, the many mysterious meanings of black cats

October 30, 2025 8:02 pm

Black cats have a long legacy in culture, with innumerable superstitions associated with them. As Halloween approaches, these creatures are popping up everywhere, appearing as decorations, in movies and on costumes.

Chhath Puja 2025: As lakhs worship setting sun, understanding the festival, its significance

October 29, 2025 12:10 pm

Chhath Puja 2025 History, Significance, Rituals: What is Chhath puja and why is it celebrated? Which deity is Chhathi maiya? What is it about Chhath that makes it so close to the Bihari heart?

Bhai Dooj: How is this festival different from Rakshabandhan

October 27, 2025 2:09 pm

Bhai Dooj vs Rakshabandhan, Rakhi festival difference: What's the difference between Raakhi and Bhai Dooj, and why is the brother-sister relationship celebrated through two different festivals? The answer lies in the origin mythology of both the festivals, and also their significance.

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Holding chaos together by a comma: Understanding Nobel laureate László Krasznahorkai through his first novel

October 21, 2025 12:17 am

What is the genesis of László Krasznahorkai's writing? Why would anybody write a novel, their very first novel, that could potentially invite the ire of a communist dictatorship? In the answers to this lie the secret of the Hungarian's genius.

Harry Potter reboot: How JK Rowling’s continued anti-trans activism spurred boycott call

October 18, 2025 9:33 am

The boycott call, which extends to all properties affiliated with Rowling, aims to create financial consequences for the author who has lent her conviction and money to anti-transgender rights advocacy for years. Here is what to know.

The enduring impact of MTV, and why it's shutting down

October 17, 2025 11:33 am

For a generation of listeners, MTV was the definition of cool and the ultimate vehicle for consuming popular cultural trends

Why UNESCO’s new Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects matters

October 12, 2025 12:08 pm

The ambitious project seeks to confront the illicit trafficking of stolen items, particularly as a result of colonialism

Private players to conserve heritage monuments: Govt plan, guardrails

October 08, 2025 4:07 pm

The government plans to empanel over a dozen conservation architects with established credentials, who will guide private donors in hiring agencies for the effective conservation of significant heritage sites across the country, some dating back thousands of years

Tilly Norwood, AI are coming for Hollywood. It’s not art, but a piece of code

October 07, 2025 2:54 am

Calling AI avatars actors is an act of quiet deceit — a linguistic dodge designed to legitimise what is essentially an act of theft as innovation. These digital bodies are not born of imagination or creativity, but built on the extracted labour of real performers.