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

Tarabhai Shinde (An illustration, edited by Abhishek Mitra)

Tarabai Shinde: The woman credited with writing India’s first feminist textSubscriber Only

Mar 04, 2025 12:32 IST

Disturbed by the case of a widow arrested for murdering her newborn, Tarabai Shinde penned the...

Mon, May 05, 2025

Arabinda Dasgupta, Managing Director, Dasgupta & Co. (Express Photo by Nikita Mohta)

Calcutta through a bookseller’s eyes: The legacy of Dasgupta & Co.Subscriber Only

Feb 27, 2025 11:06 IST

Established in 1886 at 54/3 College Street, Calcutta, amid the flourishing Bengal Renaissance,...

Thu, Mar 06, 2025

An old family picture of Prochy N Mehta (Source: Prochy Mehta)

The story of Calcutta’s Parsi community: Once thriving, now dwindlingSubscriber Only

Feb 24, 2025 15:25 IST

The Parsis once played a key role in Bengal’s trade and social landscape, but today, their...

Tue, Feb 25, 2025

‘The largest volume and finest quality of Bengal textiles likely ended up in England’: Economic historian Tirthankar RoySubscriber Only

Feb 21, 2025 13:52 IST

Tirthankar Roy discusses the unique appeal of Bengal’s textiles, its global significance, and the...

Mon, Feb 24, 2025

Jack the Ripper: Has a DNA breakthrough finally unmasked the murderer who terrorised Victorian London?Subscriber Only

Feb 19, 2025 10:12 IST

Amid claims that the killer in one of history’s most chilling crime mysteries has finally been...

Mon, Feb 24, 2025

Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran (Source: Wikipedia, edited by Angshuman Maity)

Amid award for Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran, a look at the British honours systemSubscriber Only

Feb 14, 2025 14:58 IST

From native rulers during the British Raj to Ratan Tata and Pandit Ravi Shankar in the recent past,...

Wed, Feb 19, 2025

This image is for representational purposes only (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Phulmoni Das: The child bride whose death impacted India’s age of consent lawSubscriber Only

Feb 11, 2025 15:13 IST

Phulmoni Das was a little more than 10 years old when she died in 1889. Her death ignited a fierce...

Wed, Feb 12, 2025

Jawaharlal Nehru atThe Doon School in 1959 (Source: Wikipedia)

The rise of India’s premier boarding schools: From Empire to Independence and afterSubscriber Only

Feb 06, 2025 10:35 IST

While The Lawrence School, Sanawar, began as a military asylum for orphans, The Doon School emerged...

Thu, Feb 06, 2025

The sadhu akharas of Kumbh Mela (Source: Wikipedia)

Where rituals and reverence converge: The sadhu akharas of Kumbh MelaSubscriber Only

Jan 31, 2025 10:55 IST

The sadhu akharas at the Kumbh Mela are more than spiritual sanctuaries. These camps, led by...

Fri, Jan 31, 2025

Crowd gathered at the confluence for bathing. (Source: Indian Express archive)

When unbridled devotion led to disaster: Remembering the 1954 Kumbh Mela stampedeSubscriber Only

Jan 30, 2025 11:49 IST

Hundreds died in a stampede at the first Kumbh Mela in independent India in Allahabad in 1954 – a...

Sun, Feb 02, 2025

Gulbadan Begum’s Haj: A Mughal woman’s quest for faith, freedom and how it defined the empire’s identitySubscriber Only

Jan 29, 2025 11:33 IST

Between the 14th and 19th centuries, when women’s journeys across the Indian Ocean were rarely...

Fri, Jan 31, 2025

Kolkata Book Fair (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Kolkata’s ‘boi mela’: India’s oldest book fair inspired by the Frankfurt traditionSubscriber Only

Jan 21, 2025 14:43 IST

Since India’s first-ever book fair was held in 1918 in the city, the Kolkata Book Fair has grown...

Fri, Jan 31, 2025

Snehalata Mukhopadhyay ( Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

Snehalata Mukhopadhyay: The teen whose dowry death shook 20th-century Bengal into actionSubscriber Only

Jan 17, 2025 11:26 IST

A turning point for Bengali society, Snehalata Mukhopadhyay’s suicide drew widespread...

Mon, Jan 20, 2025

Source: Wikimedia Commons (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

As Donald Trump eyes Greenland, a look at the island’s colonial pastSubscriber Only

Jan 15, 2025 12:45 IST

The history of Greenland is marked by Denmark’s domination of the island since 1721 and is...

Wed, Jan 15, 2025

Dak runners in colonial India ( Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

Pigeons, dak runners, and railways: How India’s postal services evolved over timeSubscriber Only

Jan 11, 2025 12:51 IST

India Post discontinued its iconic ‘Book Post’ service, a low-cost initiative that allowed book...

Sat, Jan 11, 2025

George Washington Goethals, renowned for his supervision of the construction of the Panama Canal (Edited by Angshuman Maity)

The Panama Canal: Trump’s bold claims and the history behind the waterwaySubscriber Only

Jan 08, 2025 17:10 IST

Built and managed by the US for several years, the Panama Canal was transferred back to the country...

Wed, Jan 08, 2025

The Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth (Edited by Angshuman Maity)

Armenians in Kolkata: Why the city’s centuries-old Christian community celebrates Christmas in JanuarySubscriber Only

Dec 23, 2024 18:27 IST

The first Armenian settlement in Bengal dates back to 1665 in Saidabad, a suburb of Murshidabad....

Tue, Dec 24, 2024

L-R: Sultan Khan, Viswanathan Anand, Gukesh Dommaraju (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

Chaturanga to checkmate: How chess spread from India to the worldSubscriber Only

Dec 18, 2024 13:48 IST

Known as chaturanga in ancient India, chess has traveled a remarkable journey over centuries —...

Thu, Dec 19, 2024

L-R: Shreyas Iyer, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen and the 1932 Indian Cricket Team in England

From Tests to IPL: In a break from tradition, when cricket moved towards a level playing fieldSubscriber Only

Dec 13, 2024 10:51 IST

Test cricket may be the sport’s oldest and most prestigious format. Yet, modern cricket is...

Fri, Dec 13, 2024

How Bangladesh’s Constitution was adopted and what it says about minority rightsSubscriber Only

Dec 09, 2024 12:42 IST

Minorities, including Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, and Ahmadiyyas, make up a significant portion...

Mon, Dec 09, 2024

L-R: Shahi Jama Masjid, Gyanvapi Mosque & Babri Masjid (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

Balancing faith and law: The Places of Worship Act, 1991, and why it continues to be invokedSubscriber Only

Dec 03, 2024 12:52 IST

The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, states that the religious character of any...

Tue, Dec 03, 2024

The Harappan Settlement of Lothal in Gujarat (Edited by Angshuman Maity

Unearthing the past: What draws researchers to the Harappan archaeological site in Lothal?Subscriber Only

Nov 29, 2024 16:35 IST

The death of a researcher from IIT Delhi in the recent pit collapse in Gujarat’s Lothal has drawn...

Fri, Nov 29, 2024

Dr. Rajendra Prasad addressing the Midnight session of Parliament (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The historical journey of parliamentary sessions in IndiaSubscriber Only

Nov 25, 2024 15:44 IST

Over time, governments have adjusted Parliament session schedules to address political and...

Mon, Nov 25, 2024

Maratha indentured labourers in Mauritius (Edited by Angshuman Maity)

Carrying Chhatrapati Shivaji overseas: Maratha indentured labourers in MauritiusSubscriber Only

Nov 22, 2024 10:13 IST

Rooted in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s vision of Maratha nationalism, indentured labourers...

Sat, Nov 23, 2024

The earliest recorded use of cloud seeding dates back to the Vietnam War (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Cloud seeding: From a weapon of war to a solution proposed for Delhi’s polluted skiesSubscriber Only

Nov 21, 2024 12:55 IST

Cloud seeding was once a controversial tool for military and commercial use. Now, Delhi is turning...

Thu, Nov 21, 2024

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