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Devyani Onial
Devyani Onial is National Features Editor at The Indian Express, and heads the Sunday Eye (the paper's Sunday magazine section). She is a long-form journalist known for her deep-dive profiles, cultural features, and reporting from the Himalayan region. Professional Focus Her work is characterized by a strong interest in the arts, history, and environmental issues related to the hills. Her reporting beats include: Himalayan Narratives: Deeply connected to Uttarakhand, she writes extensively on the ecology, history, and politics of the hill state. Biographical Profiles: She specializes in intimate "At Home With" features of legendary figures like Ruskin Bond, Irfan Habib, and Nayantara Sahgal. Cultural Commentary: She explores film, literature, and social shifts, often through a lens of dissent and identity. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 - 2025) Her recent portfolio features significant interviews and historical retrospectives: 1. High-Profile Interviews & Profiles "Nayantara Sahgal on the Emergency and her rift with cousin Indira Gandhi" (June 29, 2025): A rare interview with the 98-year-old author at her home in Dehradun. "Ruskin Bond at home in Landour" (April 26, 2025): A look back at the author’s 91-year journey and his views on Landour's transformation into an "Insta destination." "At home with Irfan Habib: The History Keeper" (Jan 25, 2025): A profile of the legendary historian as he reflects on 75 years of the Indian Republic. "Sudhir Mishra on Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and his new series on the Emergency" (June 28, 2025). 2. Uttarakhand & The Hills "New Year Postcards: 'Women fought for Uttarakhand…we hope for a safer place'" (Jan 1, 2025): Recounting the 1994 statehood struggle and the current anxieties of activists. "Are Uttarakhand’s pine trees to blame for the fires?" (May 19, 2024): A historical and ecological investigation into the "pine cone" problem in Mussoorie and Landour. "The Purola Story: How an Uttarakhand town discovered 'love jihad'" (June 23, 2023): Exploring how social fault lines are weaponized in small hill towns. 3. Education & Society "All about a girl: The first girl to graduate from a 50-year-old boys' school" (Nov 9, 2024): A feature on Shekinah, the first girl at Colonel Brown, a historic Dehradun residential school. "Old Rajinder Nagar... and what series and films don't show" (July 31, 2024): An analysis of the crushing pressure on UPSC aspirants following the tragic deaths in coaching centers. Signature Beats Devyani is particularly noted for her literary-historical approach. She has written extensively on Jim Corbett, defending his legacy as both a hunter and a naturalist (specifically arguing against the renaming of Corbett National Park). She also curates the "Explained Books" section, recently covering the legacies of the Mughal Emperor Humayun and...
More From Devyani Onial - Page 2
How India’s birdman, Sálim Ali, showed us the interconnectedness of lifeSubscriber Only
April 03,2022 09:08:04 AM
A recent collection of his radio talks point to the stellar role birds play in preserving our environment
Sun, Apr 03, 2022
Jim Corbett was an Englishman and an IndianSubscriber Only
October 09,2021 04:00:03 AM
Devyani Onial writes: To be one was not to cancel out the other. This is something to be remembered, as the proposal to rename the Corbett National Park is being considered.
Sun, Oct 10, 2021
Explained: The story of Corbett National Park, and the man behind the nameSubscriber Only
October 06,2021 22:04:46 PM
India’s best known hunter, Corbett earned fame after he tracked down and killed a number of man-eating tigers and leopards
Mon, Dec 27, 2021
Prof D N Jha: Iconoclast scholar who made ancient history contemporarySubscriber Only
February 05,2021 04:00:13 AM
A former professor and chair at the Department of History at Delhi University specialising in ancient and medieval history, Jha consistently called out what he saw as distortions of Indian history.
Fri, Feb 05, 2021
From shadow of Emergency, a 94-yr-old who moved Supreme CourtSubscriber Only
December 16,2020 04:51:56 AM
Sitting in her apartment in one of the many blocks with a view that have come up in Dehradun, the 94-year-old remembers a personal journey dotted with the milestones of a century.
Wed, Dec 16, 2020
Stephen Alter: “Kipling’s stories had a much darker side which Disney erased”Subscriber Only
December 06,2020 06:20:32 AM
The writer on taking forward Mowgli’s story in his latest book, Feral Dreams and recapturing the shadows and fears of the original Jungle Books
Sat, Dec 05, 2020
Manbeena Sandhu: “Ma Anand Sheela is still the queen of her kingdom”Subscriber Only
October 11,2020 06:30:10 AM
An interview with the writer of a new biography on Osho’s controversial and flamboyant former secretary.
Sun, Oct 11, 2020
Kangana Ranaut, who cast herself as Bollywood’s disruptor, takes on a new roleSubscriber Only
September 15,2020 00:13:42 AM
Kangana Ranaut could have become the flag-bearer of a revolution in Bollywood. It’s a pity she has chosen, instead, to become the symbol of a million meaningless mutinies.
Tue, Sep 15, 2020
Explained: From assertive ‘Jai Shri Ram’, a reason to move to gentler ‘Jai Siya Ram’Subscriber Only
August 06,2020 04:32:29 AM
The “Jai Shri Ram” slogan had come to symbolise the Ram Janmabhoomi movement; on Wednesday, as the movement culminated in the first step of temple-building, there was, perhaps, no need for a battle cry anymore.
Fri, Aug 07, 2020
#BlackLivesMatter: ‘There has never been a reckoning for (American) policing’s slave-patrol origins’Subscriber Only
June 10,2020 18:37:11 PM
Hiring more Blacks, Hispanics and women into law enforcement will certainly help, but it’s not the sole fix for systematic racism in policing. A more multi-pronged approach is needed.
Fri, Jun 19, 2020
Explained: George Floyd’s America in black & whiteSubscriber Only
June 05,2020 04:00:10 AM
Black Rights Matter carries echoes of MLK’s civil rights movement. A look at what is similar, what is different, and what African Americans have faced in between.
Mon, Jun 22, 2020
Ruskin Bond on simple living in complicated timesSubscriber Only
May 17,2020 06:20:12 AM
"Maybe people will get a chance to discover themselves in this enforced solitude, to become more thoughtful because we can’t rush around as we used to"
Tue, May 19, 2020
From Garm Hava to Naseem: Two Hindi films that captured the predicament of the Indian MuslimSubscriber Only
January 26,2020 06:00:16 AM
Reading new meanings into a film that captured the aftermath of Partition, and one that showed an India leading up to the Babri Masjid demolition.
Sun, Jan 26, 2020
‘Kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thodi hai’: Rahat Indori’s line from three decades ago is rallying callSubscriber Only
December 25,2019 04:13:17 AM
A poet who gets the crowds on his feet at mushairas across the country and abroad with his distinct style of delivery, Rahat Indori’s often deceptively simple words give a hard-hitting message, with the political informing the lyrical.
Wed, Dec 25, 2019
On that side is Queen, on this is Gandhi: In royal Patiala, it’s the commoners who will decideSubscriber Only
May 14,2019 04:40:33 AM
With Congress winning the Assembly polls in 2017, Preneet Kaur’s husband Capt Amarinder Singh in the Chief Minister’s chair and with Gandhi dismissed by the AAP, the Congress appears upbeat about its chances in Patiala.
Tue, May 14, 2019
Una: In town of defence forces, job issue jostles with PulwamaSubscriber Only
May 05,2019 02:46:53 AM
Within Una’s government college campus, jobs and national security are what they discuss when they talk about politics.
Sun, May 05, 2019
Kargil: War is a way of life, now need schools and jobsSubscriber Only
April 20,2019 04:00:35 AM
Two decades after the India-Pak war, it’s in Elections 2019 that nationalism has emerged as a poll issue for the rest of the country. But in Kargil, conflict is far from the idea sold on the mainland. Here, it’s a way of life, felt, not expressed, and definitely not voted upon.
Thu, Apr 25, 2019
Quota pe CharchaSubscriber Only
January 13,2019 00:20:34 AM
Chunaavi jumla or bold move? Right decision or wrong income cap? Great equaliser or more of the same? From its tea shops and college campuses to its ghats and temples, the 10% quota for general category has the PM’s constituency of Varanasi divided. The Indian Express reports.
Sun, Jan 13, 2019
‘Everything he wrote was imbued with the people, the art of India’Subscriber Only
November 11,2018 06:00:50 AM
Parvati Sharma on her new book on emperor Jahangir, digging him out of obscurity and why the Mughals continue to be labelled outsiders.
Sun, Nov 11, 2018
‘A fear of the Other is at the core… This is still relevant in 2018’Subscriber Only
April 15,2018 00:01:54 AM
Brothers Chapman and Maclain Way, directors of the Netflix series Wild, Wild Country, on what prompted them to make the docu-series, its relevance today and their meeting with the feisty Ma Anand Sheela.
Sun, Apr 15, 2018
Farmers, Ponzi victims: Everyone has a cause at Anna Hazare sit-inSubscriber Only
March 29,2018 01:33:16 AM
From Tamil Nadu and Punjab farmers to Jaypee home buyers and employees against the Moser Baer boss, everyone hoped the spotlight on him would also throw a light on them and their troubles.
Thu, Mar 29, 2018
Padmini’s poet: The man behind the first known narrative of Rani Padmavati is known more as a peerSubscriber Only
November 26,2017 02:49:40 AM
Miles from Chittor, Malik Muhammad Jayasi, the man behind the first known narrative of Padmini, is known more as a peer
Sun, Nov 26, 2017
Dalhousie to Dara Shukoh: On the road with the ‘good’ MughalSubscriber Only
February 08,2017 00:04:32 AM
Dara Shukoh is said to have been a philosopher, a tolerant and pluralist prince, who found common threads in Islam and Hinduism.
Wed, Feb 08, 2017
With a little help from my family
October 30,2016 00:10:21 AM
As in everything else in India, there is scope for diversity in Diwali too.
Sun, Oct 30, 2016
Ansari’s visit brightens Algeria plant prospectsSubscriber Only
October 20,2016 01:42:46 AM
With Algeria’s phosphate reserves standing at over 5 billion tonne, India is looking to set up a joint venture mega fertiliser plant with a possible investment of $5-7 billion.
Thu, Oct 20, 2016Journalism of Courage
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