Nikita Mohta

Introduction

Nikita writes for the Research Section of IndianExpress.com, focusing on the intersections between colonial history and contemporary issues, especially in gender, culture, and sport....Read More

Nikita writes for the Research Section of IndianExpress.com, focusing on the intersections between colonial history and contemporary issues, especially in gender, culture, and sport.

For suggestions, feedback, or an insider’s guide to exploring Calcutta, feel free to reach out to her at nikita.mohta@indianexpress.com.

Articles by Nikita Mohta

Jesse Jackson: The Civil Rights icon who popularised the term ‘African American’ over ‘Black’

Feb 17, 2026 20:27 IST

Born in 1941, Jesse Jackson emerged as a civil rights leader, shaped by the principles of Martin...

Tue, Feb 17, 2026

Deepta Roy Chakraverti’s ‘Daktarin Jamini Sen’ (Penguin Random House India)

Jamini Sen: The forgotten Indian doctor who became Glasgow’s first female fellow

Feb 12, 2026 15:11 IST

Deepta Roy Chakraverti’s ‘Daktarin Jamini Sen’ traces Jamini Sen’s journey from her birth...

Thu, Feb 12, 2026

Shrewsbury International School India (official photograph)

How a 500-year-old British school found a new home in the heart of IndiaSubscriber Only

Feb 11, 2026 12:30 IST

Founded in 1552 by King Edward VI in the United Kingdom, Shrewsbury School opened its fully...

Wed, Feb 11, 2026

A 1888 anti-free trade cartoon (Wikipedia)

Weapon of peace or trade war? Trump slashes India tariffs to 18% in historic deal. But the Founding Fathers might disagree

Feb 04, 2026 11:22 IST

While Trump described the reduction of tariffs on Indian goods as an act of reciprocity, an idea...

Wed, Feb 04, 2026

Echoes of history: Before Sunetra Pawar, VN Janaki was sworn in as Tamil Nadu CM after MGR’s deathSubscriber Only

Feb 02, 2026 16:55 IST

Vaikom Narayani Janaki served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for 23 days in 1988 following the...

Mon, Feb 02, 2026

In the Margins of Empires: A History of the Chicken’s Neck (Penguin Random House India).

Book excerpt: How Sikkim went from kingdom to Indian stateSubscriber Only

Jan 30, 2026 13:57 IST

Akhilesh Upadhyay’s book, In the Margins of Empires: A History of the Chicken’s Neck,...

Fri, Jan 30, 2026

Why Gandhi and Ambedkar clashed: From separate electorates to Hinduism to concept of justiceSubscriber Only

Jan 30, 2026 06:44 IST

Shahid Diwas, Mahatma Gandhi Ambedkar Debate: In 1931, Mahatma Gandhi questioned Ambedkar about his...

Fri, Jan 30, 2026

The first meeting of the Assembly, 1920 (Wikipedia)

A warning from history: What League of Nations can teach UN in the Trump eraSubscriber Only

Jan 22, 2026 10:57 IST

At a time when US President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ threatens the UN’s future, the...

Thu, Jan 22, 2026

Why Kabaddi still lives in the shadow of CricketSubscriber Only

Jan 20, 2026 13:31 IST

Once played across the subcontinent under many names, kabaddi was rapidly standardised in newly...

Wed, Jan 21, 2026

An 1893 painting depicting Leiv Erikson Discovering America (Wikipedia)

The Vikings and the contested discoveries of Greenland and AmericaSubscriber Only

Jan 14, 2026 11:48 IST

While US President Donald Trump has reiterated his desire to take control of resource-rich...

Wed, Jan 14, 2026

A 1896 political cartoon depicting Uncle Sam standing between the Europeans and Latin Americans (Wikipedia)

Why the Monroe Doctrine, meant for Europe, still echoes in Venezuela — and once in IndiaSubscriber Only

Jan 09, 2026 15:07 IST

The Monroe Doctrine was meant to keep European empires out of the Americas. But it has, scholars...

Tue, Jan 13, 2026

IndiGo flights operational, IndiGo flights cancelled, Airport Authority of India, DGCA, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Indian express news, current affairs

‘Your IndiGo flight is cancelled’: The words that nearly derailed my weddingSubscriber Only

Dec 12, 2025 18:30 IST

We all hope for a memorable wedding, I just didn’t expect mine to end up as aviation...

Fri, Dec 12, 2025

Panoramic view of Delhi around 1857 (Wikimedia Commons)

Why Delhi was chosen as India’s new capital 114 years agoSubscriber Only

Dec 12, 2025 11:00 IST

Apart from its proximity to the princely states—and Simla—Delhi’s symbolic importance as the...

Sun, Dec 14, 2025

Escape From Kabul: A True Story of Escape and Survival (HarperCollins Publishers).

‘You have two days. Pack…’: Indian author recounts her harrowing Escape From KabulSubscriber Only

Dec 10, 2025 09:00 IST

When survival meant erasing their own history, five women forged a desperate escape from the fall...

Tue, Dec 23, 2025

Birth of IKEA: how Ingvar Kamprad built a global brand with DIY furniture, powered by 40 years of its iconic meatballsSubscriber Only

Nov 28, 2025 13:59 IST

Furniture is not IKEA’s only claim to fame. It is also their meatballs. As the brand celebrates...

Sat, Nov 29, 2025

Trincas: Where Calcutta’s love for Szechuan food and jazz resideSubscriber Only

Nov 28, 2025 10:17 IST

Approaching its centenary, Trincas on Park Street stands as a symbol of Calcutta’s cosmopolitan...

Fri, Nov 28, 2025

India remains ‘an obscenely unequal country’; scams are operations anchored in caste and community networks: Snigdha PoonamSubscriber Only

Nov 20, 2025 14:04 IST

In an interview with Nikita Mohta, Snigdha Poonam talks about her latest book, Scamlands, which...

Fri, Nov 21, 2025

From IPC to ‘Manifesto of English Education in India’: The colonial legacy of Thomas MacaulaySubscriber Only

Nov 19, 2025 09:43 IST

PM Narendra Modi has questioned Thomas Babington Macaulay’s influence, saying his philosophy on...

Wed, Nov 19, 2025

Where tehzeeb meets taste: How Awadh’s royal kitchens shaped Lucknow’s food identitySubscriber Only

Nov 15, 2025 09:38 IST

Gourmetship has long been cherished in Lucknow not only by Nawabs and aristocrats but also by the...

Mon, Nov 17, 2025

The Delhi Gate at the Red Fort from the Curzon Collection (1890s, Wikimedia Commons)

From a palace that once defined the East, scarred by the 1857 revolt, to the site of Independence Day celebrations: Red Fort’s journeySubscriber Only

Nov 11, 2025 17:03 IST

Built by Shah Jahan in the 17th century, the Red Fort has witnessed the trials of Bahadur Shah...

Wed, Nov 12, 2025

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

The making of Vande Mataram and its controversial journey thereafterSubscriber Only

Nov 10, 2025 12:18 IST

Beginning in 1905, Vande Mataram evolved into a powerful political slogan, but during the 1930s,...

Mon, Nov 10, 2025

Girls who said nothing & everything (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

Gender, media, and modernity: The making of the ‘new Indian woman’ in liberalising IndiaSubscriber Only

Nov 07, 2025 15:52 IST

Drawing from journals she kept between 1997 and 2008, author Meera Vijayann invites readers to...

Fri, Nov 07, 2025

Sarika & The Illustrated Weekly (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

Francesca Orsini’s work on the cosmopolitan legacy of Hindi magazinesSubscriber Only

Oct 30, 2025 12:34 IST

From Kahani and Sarika to the body of work of writer-editor Kamleshwar, Francesca Orsini highlights...

Thu, Nov 06, 2025

The Forgotten Indian Prisoners of World War II (Penguin Random House India)

The Indian soldiers in World War II who refused to join the Indian National ArmySubscriber Only

Oct 28, 2025 11:43 IST

Gautam Hazarika explores the hesitation and the fate of the Indian soldiers and officers who did...

Tue, Oct 28, 2025

An old image of Nasreen (Welham Girls' School website)

From Indira Gandhi’s letter to Indo-Pak wartime contributions: how Welham Girls’ School, Dehradun, preserves its rich legacySubscriber Only

Oct 25, 2025 11:28 IST

As it completes 68 years, Welham Girls’ School in Dehradun has transformed its old staffroom into...

Tue, Oct 28, 2025

Recommended for You