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

Asma Khan at Darjeeling Express (Express photo)

A taste of Calcutta in London: The story behind Asma Khan’s restaurant Darjeeling ExpressSubscriber Only

Jul 24, 2025 19:24 IST

Founder Asma Khan, an India-born British restaurateur, began her journey by hosting intimate...

Thu, Jul 24, 2025

The last Jews of Calcutta: A community on the brink of disappearanceSubscriber Only

Jul 15, 2025 11:19 IST

By the 1940s, there were over 4,000 Jews in the city. Several Jewish institutions had also been...

Tue, Jul 15, 2025

Indian citizen Nimisha Priya (File photo)

Understanding blood money in Islamic law as Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya’s execution date draws nearSubscriber Only

Jul 11, 2025 17:02 IST

According to experts, ‘diyat’ or blood money was known among Arab tribesmen as a peaceful...

Fri, Jul 11, 2025

Raja Mahmudabad (center) with leaders of Aligarh Movement (Source: Wikipedia)

Saif Ali Khan’s case: understanding the Enemy Property Act, a law born out of war and the legacy of PartitionSubscriber Only

Jul 08, 2025 15:57 IST

At present, there are approximately 2,000 enemy properties in India – initially called evacuee...

Tue, Jul 08, 2025

Who makes the Kolhapuri chappal? Amid Prada row, a look at the artisans behind the iconic footwearSubscriber Only

Jul 05, 2025 08:43 IST

The Charmakars, who belong to the Scheduled Caste category in Maharashtra, have long been...

Sat, Jul 05, 2025

The journey of Calcutta’s oldest watch seller and its Swiss ancestrySubscriber Only

Jul 03, 2025 15:59 IST

A Swiss watchmaker fell in love with an Anglo-Indian woman during his travels in 20th century...

Thu, Jul 03, 2025

The city of Isfahan: From a Persian capital to a nuclear hubSubscriber Only

Jun 26, 2025 15:52 IST

Isfahan, one of Iran’s most historic cities, is home to one of the three nuclear facilities...

Thu, Jun 26, 2025

Satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz (Source: Wikipedia)

From empires to oil: The story of the Strait of HormuzSubscriber Only

Jun 24, 2025 14:44 IST

As one of the world’s most important shipping routes, the Strait of Hormuz has long been a...

Tue, Jun 24, 2025

Khamenei as Tehran's Friday Prayer Imam in 1979 (Source: Wikipedia)

Who is Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, and what is the Axis of ResistanceSubscriber Only

Jun 19, 2025 16:21 IST

A seminary-trained cleric, Khamenei ’s core revolutionary ideology includes the supremacy of...

Sat, Jun 21, 2025

Awadh Neyazuddin Allah Bukhsh at Haji Khuda Bukhsh Nabi Bukhsh (Express photo)

The story of Kolkata’s oldest attar shop and its Awadh originsSubscriber Only

Jun 18, 2025 10:43 IST

Haji Khuda Bukhsh Nabi Bukhsh, in Calcutta, has continued to sell attar for over 200 years, holding...

Wed, Jun 18, 2025

Preah Vihar Temple (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The Preah Vihear temple: understanding Thai-Cambodia conflicts over an 11th-century Hindu templeSubscriber Only

Jun 13, 2025 09:54 IST

The influence of Hinduism and Buddhism was evident in many aspects of Khmer life in Cambodia....

Fri, Jul 25, 2025

A group of Brahui tribesmen & the Kurux script (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

Brahui, Malto, Kurux: The histories and the unsettling futures of the North Dravidian languagesSubscriber Only

Jun 12, 2025 17:26 IST

Although often associated with Southern India, the Dravidian language family includes 27 languages,...

Tue, Jun 17, 2025

Image for representational purposes only ( Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

The Kilvenmani massacre: When 44 Dalits were burned alive in one of independent India’s earliest caste-based atrocitiesSubscriber Only

Jun 10, 2025 13:23 IST

In 1968, 44 Dalits were burned alive in Kilvenmani village in present-day Nagapattinam district in...

Tue, Jun 10, 2025

Harvard University during the 17th century (Source: Wikipedia)

From revolution to wars: The history of Harvard, America’s oldest universitySubscriber Only

Jun 06, 2025 13:34 IST

As Harvard stands embroiled in a legal battle with President Donald Trump's government, a look at...

Sat, Jun 07, 2025

Image for representational purpose (Source: Wikipedia)

When the Nadar women in 19th-century Travancore revolted to reclaim public spaceSubscriber Only

Jun 05, 2025 16:13 IST

Prohibited from covering their breasts, the Nadar women in 19th-century Travancore fought for their...

Thu, Jun 05, 2025

Mahishyas, earlier known as Kaibartas, are divided on the issue of reservation. While one section was declared a ‘Backward Caste,’ the other resists any association with a fishing past (Source: Wikipedia)

The Mahishyas of Bengal: A caste in conflict Subscriber Only

May 30, 2025 13:41 IST

Earlier known as Kaibartas, the Mahishyas are a farming community concentrated in the southern...

Fri, May 30, 2025

Manual scavenging remains a harsh reality in India ( Image for representational purposes, PIB)

From Manusmriti to British Empire: what history tells us about the practice of manual scavenging in IndiaSubscriber Only

May 23, 2025 12:42 IST

One of the earliest references to manual scavenging, a practice rooted in India’s caste system,...

Fri, May 23, 2025

An illustration of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the Golden Temple (Source: Wikipedia)

How caste permeated the Sikh communitySubscriber Only

May 22, 2025 12:19 IST

Sikhism, considered one of the youngest religions in the world, has since its inception denounced...

Thu, May 22, 2025

Terror, treaties, and civilisations: Indus through the centuriesSubscriber Only

May 16, 2025 10:00 IST

In response to the terror attack on tourists in J&K’s Pahalgam on April 22, the Indian...

Fri, May 16, 2025

The Portuguese in India (An illustration)

Caste: how a Spanish word, carried by the Portuguese, came to describe social order in IndiaSubscriber Only

May 13, 2025 11:41 IST

Despite being inextricably linked to Indian tradition, the modern understanding and usage of the...

Thu, May 22, 2025

Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global (2025) by Laura Spinney (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

‘Some suggest we might lose a quarter of all living languages by end of the century’: Author Laura SpinneySubscriber Only

May 09, 2025 13:14 IST

Author Laura Spinney weighs in on the linguistic expansion of Indo-European languages thousands of...

Fri, May 09, 2025

Clocks, cameras, and cards: The story of Taher Suratwala and Calcutta’s Memon communitySubscriber Only

May 05, 2025 13:15 IST

When Ammar Hamid opened his late grandfather’s cupboard in Kolkata, he didn’t expect to unearth...

Mon, May 05, 2025

The Panchatantra & Indian epics (Source: Amazon)

From Ashokan edicts and Manusmriti to modern novels: deciphering the art and politics of translation in multilingual South AsiaSubscriber Only

May 01, 2025 10:14 IST

Understanding the complexities and nuances of translation in a linguistically diverse landscape...

Thu, May 01, 2025

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

Bengali through the ages: from Islamic rule to the colonial era and beyondSubscriber Only

Apr 24, 2025 13:37 IST

While Bengali is primarily derived from Magadhi Prakrit, over the years, the language has taken on...

Thu, Aug 21, 2025

The Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution (Edited by: Angshuman Maity)

The Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution: how language inclusion creates exclusionSubscriber Only

Apr 19, 2025 10:07 IST

Linguists argue that the 22 languages currently on the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution “have...

Sat, Apr 19, 2025

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