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

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

The Gurmukhi script (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

The fight to keep Punjabi alive in PakistanSubscriber Only

Apr 17, 2025 12:27 IST

Despite being the most spoken language in Pakistan, Punjabi lacks official status, while Urdu and...

Fri, Apr 18, 2025

Tulsidas and the colonial map of Awadh (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

Awadhi: A language from the Oudh struggling to retain its rootsSubscriber Only

Apr 12, 2025 10:30 IST

Awadhi, established as a literary language in the 14th century and widely spoken in Uttar Pradesh...

Sat, Apr 12, 2025

George Abraham Grierson (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

What George Grierson’s First Linguistic Survey of India tells us about multilingual South AsiaSubscriber Only

Apr 09, 2025 10:52 IST

Amid ongoing debates on multilingualism, a look at George Grierson’s First Linguistic Survey of...

Fri, Apr 18, 2025

Bar-B-Q on Park Street (Edited by Angshuman Maity)

The story of BarBQ: From a 1962 rotisserie to Calcutta’s beloved North Indian restaurantSubscriber Only

Apr 04, 2025 17:27 IST

Nestled in the heart of Calcutta on Park Street, BarBQ was once a rotisserie that now sells the...

Fri, Apr 04, 2025

India’s First Radicals: Young Bengal and the British Empire by Rosinka Chaudhuri (Source: Penguin Random House India)

‘Young Bengal was the crucible within which the Indian left first took shape’: Author Rosinka ChaudhuriSubscriber Only

Apr 03, 2025 14:19 IST

In her latest book India's First Radicals, Rosinka Chaudhuri sheds light on the pioneering...

Thu, Apr 03, 2025

Bengal, a hub for female domestic labour (Source: Express archives)

The rise of Bengal as a hub for female domestic labour: from Partition to the presentSubscriber Only

Mar 26, 2025 16:32 IST

Despite historically low female labour force participation rates, West Bengal in recent years has...

Wed, Mar 26, 2025

How Muthulakshmi Reddy became British India’s first woman legislator and Madras Presidency’s first woman doctorSubscriber Only

Mar 20, 2025 10:24 IST

Born as the daughter of a college principal in Pudukkottai in 1886, Muthulakshmi Reddy broke...

Tue, Mar 25, 2025

Cornelia Sorabji (Edited by Abhishek Mitra)

The trailblazing journey of Cornelia Sorabji, India’s first woman lawyer who fought against odds to graduate from OxfordSubscriber Only

Mar 17, 2025 17:12 IST

Born in 1866 in Pune, Cornelia Sorabji saw opportunities when others merely saw her gender. She...

Wed, Mar 19, 2025

Girish Ch. Dey & Nakur Ch. Nandy (Express photo by Nikita Mohta)

From a street cart to a sandesh legacy: The 180-year-old journey of Girish Ch. Dey & Nakur Ch. NandySubscriber Only

Mar 13, 2025 12:16 IST

Girish Ch. Dey & Nakur Ch. Nandy has been serving sandesh-loving Bengalis for over 180 years....

Thu, Mar 13, 2025

Women in Assam's tea industry (Source: Wikipedia)

Women in Assam’s tea industry: Forced to pluck or left to perishSubscriber Only

Mar 11, 2025 15:09 IST

For generations, women have been the backbone of Assam’s tea industry, enduring harsh conditions,...

Thu, Mar 13, 2025

Dicky Braganza at Braganza & Co. (Express photo by Nikita Mohta)

From Goa to Burma to Calcutta: The story of Kolkata’s premier musical instrument sellerSubscriber Only

Mar 06, 2025 17:57 IST

Founded at 2A Marquis Street, Calcutta, during World War II, Braganza & Co. began with pianos...

Thu, Mar 06, 2025

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

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