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EXPLAINED CULTURE NEWS - Page 4
Taylor Swift finally owns all her master recordings: the story, and why this is significantSubscriber Only
May 31, 2025 15:37 IST
Friday’s announcement culminated a six-year-long saga when the Scooter Braun-owned Ithaca Holdings acquired her masters in 2019. The resulting ‘feud’ between Swift and Braun would have reverberations on the industry going forward.
The art of war: How artists have chronicled India’s conflicts, from Partition to 1971 warSubscriber Only
May 26, 2025 11:55 IST
Indian artists’ visual evocations of the tragedy and triumph of wars have created a corpus of artworks that now serve as indispensable documentation
‘Homebound’ at Cannes 2025: The real story behind Neeraj Ghaywan’s sophomore directorialSubscriber Only
May 23, 2025 09:51 IST
The film, backed by American filmmaking legend Martin Scorsese and Bollywood giant Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, was inspired by a 2020 essay in The New York Times by Basharat Peer, former Opinions editor at the publication.
Giacometti bust, estimated to fetch $70 million, goes unsold: How do art auctions work?Subscriber Only
May 22, 2025 17:44 IST
How do art auctions work? How are artworks valued for auction? What happens when an artwork fails to find a buyer at an auction? Here is what to know.
Explained: Banu Mushtaq’s journey from Karnataka’s rebel movement to the Booker stageSubscriber Only
May 21, 2025 18:06 IST
Banu Mushtaq Booker Prize, International Booker 2025 winner: Originally published in Kannada and previously translated into Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam, ‘Heart Lamp’ brings the voice of one of southern India’s most potent protest writers to a global audience.
In conflict-scorched Manipur, Shirui Lily festival kicks off: All you need to know, about the festival and the flowerSubscriber Only
May 20, 2025 12:27 IST
The Shirui Lily festival could see the first major movement of Meitei people through Kuki-Zo settlements in two years. What is the festival, and what makes this flower special?
What writers think of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs Dalloway’, a century laterSubscriber Only
May 18, 2025 16:32 IST
A century after the publication of Mrs Dalloway, writers, poets and academics speak of its quiet, radical power, and how it touched their lives.
Cannes 2025: How the Palm Dog awards celebrate the best canine performers on screenSubscriber Only
May 15, 2025 15:20 IST
The Palm Dog Woopets is named after the Palme d'Or, the highest recognition at the Cannes festival and recognises the best performances by a canine on film. The award was instituted in 2001.
Cannes 2025 rules ban ‘naked dressing’, long trains: How did the fashion trends originate?Subscriber Only
May 15, 2025 21:01 IST
The ban on naked dresses and voluminous outfits with long trails also marks a new addition to the film festival’s conservative dress code.
Who was Maria Callas, ‘the Bible of opera’, brought to life by Angelina Jolie in a new film?Subscriber Only
May 14, 2025 14:00 IST
Most opera directors were fascinated by Maria Callas, even though her voice had them divided. Also, back when a larger physique was believed to contribute to a richer voice, Callas decided to lose around 30 kg in the middle of her career. Here's the story of her remarkable life.
What are the Piprahwa relics, and why is India trying to stop their auction?Subscriber Only
May 6, 2025 22:02 IST
On May 5, the Ministry of Culture served notice on Sotheby’s and the family of William Claxton Peppé, the man who carried out the excavation at Piprahwa in Siddharthnagar district in UP close to the Nepal border, demanding “immediate cessation” of the auction and repatriation of the relics to India
Trump’s 100% tariff on foreign-made films: Is Hollywood ‘dying’, as he claimsSubscriber Only
May 5, 2025 16:53 IST
It is indeed true that a lot of Hollywood movies are being shot outside the US. Why is that happening, and what are the preferred locations? And what's the status of Hollywood itself?
Jab he Met: Before Shah Rukh Khan’s Met Gala debut, all you need to knowSubscriber Only
May 5, 2025 12:31 IST
Shah Rukh Khan’s Met Gala 2025 Debut: Shah Rukh Khan’s Met Gala look is being put together by ace designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. But what is the Met Gala, and why is it a big deal? What's the theme this year, and does that have anything to do with SRK's debut?
This Word Means: Akshay TritiyaSubscriber Only
April 30, 2025 17:54 IST
What is Akshay Tritiya, and why is buying gold on this day considered auspicious? What are the other reasons that make this day important, in Hinduism and in Jainism?
International Dance Day commemorates ‘father of modern ballet’: Who was Jean-Georges Noverre?Subscriber Only
April 29, 2025 20:54 IST
International Dance Day 2025, Ballet history significance: The day celebrates the spontaneity of movement and expression that the art form is capable of. The French ballet dancer Noverre pioneered a more emotive, story-driven approach to dance.
Why Tamil Nadu banned mayonnaise, and its strange Madras connectionSubscriber Only
April 28, 2025 16:16 IST
In India, mayo was mostly eaten by the Westernised elites, in colonial clubs and their copycat restaurants. Its ubiquitous presence in street food is something entirely new. Here are two easy recipes – one for traditional egg-based mayo, and the other eggless.
Stamp to commemorate Pandit Chatur Lal’s centenary: Who was this trailblazing tabla player?Subscriber Only
April 28, 2025 18:42 IST
Chatur Lal was a pioneer who introduced the tabla to western audiences as he travelled the world playing with other Indian greats, like Pandit Ravi Shankar, in the 50s and early 60s. In his centenary year, here's his story.
Hanuman Garhi priest to break centuries-old tradition to visit Ram temple: What is happening, whySubscriber Only
April 29, 2025 07:47 IST
The rule book of Ayodhya's Hanuman Garhi states that the chief priest should not leave the premises of the Garhi. This has been followed strictly so far. Why is the rule in place, and why is Mahant Prem Das now breaking it?
Origins of the viral Dubai chocolate, now helping drive up pistachio pricesSubscriber Only
April 22, 2025 12:48 IST
Here is the story of the Dubai chocolate which social media has gone nuts for, and why it has been cited as one of the reasons behind high pistachio prices this year.
Truths and myths around the beloved biryani, and how to make the mutton version at homeSubscriber Only
April 20, 2025 16:37 IST
Tracing biryani's history mostly leads to apocryphal tales of queens and nawabs, but it may actually have roots as a working class meal. Whatever its inspirations may have been, it enjoys unrivalled popularity today. Here is how you can make a version of the Royal mutton biryani.
The legends around eggs’ Easter connection, from rebirth symbolism to restrictions on meatSubscriber Only
April 20, 2025 15:31 IST
Easter eggs history: Items such as hot cross buns, which are sweet and fruity loaves of bread baked with the shape of a cross, were traditionally eaten around this time of the year. The egg supposedly became a part of Easter around the 13th century.
Bhagavad Gita and Natyashastra added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register: All you need to knowSubscriber Only
April 18, 2025 18:37 IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the inclusion of the two ancient Indian texts as ‘a proud moment for every Indian across the world’
On Good Friday, the story of da Vinci’s Last Supper & its Indian interpretationsSubscriber Only
April 18, 2025 12:04 IST
One of the most important episodes in the Bible, Christ’s last meal with his twelve apostles has long been a popular subject among artists
London’s oldest Indian restaurant, Michelin-starred Veeraswamy, facing closure: here’s whySubscriber Only
April 15, 2025 19:05 IST
Established in 1926, London's Veeraswamy has served guests like former British PM Winston Churchill, late Queen Elizabeth II, former Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru, actor Charlie Chaplin among others. Here's its history, and the shadow on its future.
Remembering author Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel laureate and stalwart of Latin American BoomSubscriber Only
April 15, 2025 21:28 IST
A liberal who revered order, a novelist devoted to realism, a critic of radicalism who once flirted with revolution, Vargas Llosa was, in many ways, an anachronism. However, his contradictions did not diminish his influence.
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