EXPLAINED CULTURE NEWS - Page 7

Padma Bhushan awardees Anant Nag, Nandamuri Balakrishna, Ajith and Shobana.

Ajith, Balakrishna, Shobana and Anant Nag: The 4 South filmstars awarded Padma Bhushan this yearSubscriber Only

January 27, 2025 13:45 IST

The Padma Bhushan is awarded for “distinguished service of high order”. The four awardees from the film world this year are regarded as icons in their field. We take a look at their careers and achievements.

The Kaaba located at the Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia). This photo was taken during the 2018 Hajj Season. (Wikimedia Commons)

Explained: The story of the Kiswah, sacred cloth that covers the Holy Kaaba in MeccaSubscriber Only

January 25, 2025 11:55 IST

For the first time, the full Kiswah will be displayed outside Mecca. It will be the central element of the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 that begins in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on January 25

Left - Architect Frida Escobedo at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Right - A design for the newly proposed Tang Wing for Modern and Contemporary Art

What to know about Frida Escobedo, first woman to design a wing of the Met MuseumSubscriber Only

January 22, 2025 14:45 IST

In 2018, Escobedo became the youngest architect and only the second solo woman to design the Serpentine Gallery’s annual pavilion at the Kensington Gardens in London.

Coldplay Chris Martin with a guitar and mic at the Global Citizen Fest 2016 in Mumbai

The story of Coldplay’s enduring affection for IndiaSubscriber Only

January 21, 2025 14:28 IST

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin first visited India in 2015. Since then, he and the band have developed a special relationship and bond with the country

Ilya Repin's 'Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks' (left) and photographer Emeric Lhuisset's recreation.

Explained: The painting at the centre of a larger Ukraine-Russia cultural warSubscriber Only

January 20, 2025 19:52 IST

Ukrainian troops were recently photographed by an artist to create a replica of a 19th-century painting. However, both Russia and Ukraine have claimed the artist’s legacy. Here is why.

What is Xiaohongshu or RedNote, the Chinese social media platform that US TikTok ‘refugees’ are flocking to?Subscriber Only

January 17, 2025 13:38 IST

Ahead of an impending ban on TikTok in the US, young Americans are flocking to RedNote which many say is “China’s answer to Instagram”. Xiaohongshu’s US downloads surged more than 200% year-on-year this week.

What are the sexual assault allegations against author Neil Gaiman?Subscriber Only

January 16, 2025 15:15 IST

An essay published in The New York magazine on Monday builds on allegations first made in July 2024

Mahakumbh First Amrit Snan explained: What is it, why is it held on Makar SankrantiSubscriber Only

January 15, 2025 15:57 IST

Mahakumbh 2025 Amrit Snan: What is amrit snan or shahi snan, and why was the first one today? What is the significance of Makar Sankranti? What are the other auspicious dates for bathing at the Mahakumbh? We explain.

A pictorial depiction of the legend of Madho Lal Hussain and Dulla Bhatti, the Punjabi folk hero who led a revolt against the Mughal emperor Akbar, (right) the chains holding Hussain vanish even as Dulha Bhatti is executed.

In Lohri celebrations, the story of Punjabi folk hero Dulla BhattiSubscriber Only

January 18, 2025 00:21 IST

In folklore, Rai Abdullah Khan Bhatti, better known as Dulla Bhatti, has been described as a son-of-the-soil Punjabi Robin Hood who stood up to Mughal rule.

Kumbh Mela, explained: Its mythology, history, astrology, and why millions flock to itSubscriber Only

January 21, 2025 18:21 IST

Maha Kumbh Mela Mythology, History, Astrology: What is the Kumbh Mela, and why is it held in four cities periodically? What is Ardh Kumbh and Maha Kumbh? What is the origin of this pilgrimage festival?

Gen Beta is here: what is a generation, how do different generations vary from each other?Subscriber Only

January 14, 2025 13:34 IST

Generation Beta will be the children of younger millennials and older Gen Zers, and is so-named because the letter Beta follows Alpha in the Greek alphabet.

Why there are no prehistoric cave paintings in the LevantSubscriber Only

January 11, 2025 11:40 IST

According to a new study, prehistoric humans in the region comprising modern-day Palestine and Israel did not see the ritualistic purpose of painting on cave walls, unlike their European counterparts

How the practice of removing shirts in Kerala temples beganSubscriber Only

January 11, 2025 21:39 IST

Swami Satchidananda of Sivagiri Mutt and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan have said that men should not be required to take off their shirts in the sanctum sanctorum. It’s an old practice – and it is probably rooted in caste rather than ‘tradition’.

Story of the evolution of the tabla and its various gharanasSubscriber Only

January 8, 2025 16:45 IST

The popularity of the tabla can be traced to the reign of the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangeela, but there are various origin stories about the instrument

The Brutalist wins at the Globes – here’s what brutalist architecture constitutesSubscriber Only

April 17, 2025 17:52 IST

The style emerged in post-war Europe where large-scale reconstruction was underway. Le Corbusier, who designed Chandigarh, was a brutalist architect in many ways.

Savitribai Phule’s 194th birth anniversary: A look at the life of India’s first woman teacherSubscriber Only

January 3, 2025 17:57 IST

A Dalit woman from the Mali community, Savitribai was born on January 3, 1831, in Maharashtra's Naigaon village. Married off at the age of 10, her husband Jyotirao Phule is said to have educated her at home

New Year’s Resolutions 2025: 3 cultural practices explaining its originsSubscriber Only

January 2, 2025 20:19 IST

New Year’s Resolutions 2025: While the futility of the humble New Year's Resolution has been called to question, the practice of connecting the start of the calendar with a resolve to start afresh is a tale as old as time.

100 years of the Charles Dickens Museum: The writer’s lasting legacySubscriber Only

December 31, 2024 19:48 IST

A museum in the 19th century London home in which the British writer wrote Oliver Twist and The Pickwick Papers, has now been open to the public for 100 years. We explore the life and legacy of this influential writer of the sentimental and picaresque

5 notable New Year traditions from around the worldSubscriber Only

January 1, 2025 04:58 IST

If the Spanish gobble 12 grapes right when the clocks strikes midnight for the New Year, in Greece onions are hung on doors of homes to attract growth and ward off evil. Here is a look at five popular New Year traditions from around the world and their origins

Originally resembling enriched breads such as tsoureki or brioche, over the centuries the vasilopita has transformed into an array of sweet and savoury forms for new year

What is Vasilopita, the traditional Greek New Year’s cake that ‘brings luck’?Subscriber Only

January 2, 2025 08:37 IST

Nestled within the dough is a hidden coin (called flouri) – a token of fortune, love, and health for the lucky person who finds it in their slice. Here is the legend behind the tradition.

Director Shyam Benegal and actress Smita Patil.

What made Shyam Benegal’s films stand out?Subscriber Only

December 30, 2024 05:27 IST

Shyam Benegal is among the foremost directors of India’s Parallel Cinema wave. His films also challenged social norms and prized authentic portrayals of marginalised groups, at a time when films like ‘Sholay’ set the template for mainstream Hindi films.

Goa’s Serendipity Arts Festival features ‘interactive art’ exhibitions: Everything you need to know about the genreSubscriber Only

December 27, 2024 15:36 IST

The roots of interactive art go back to the early 20th Century when surrealist artists such as Salvador Dali and Joan Miro challenged conventional notions of art

The curious case of December: Why the 12th month is the roman word for 10Subscriber Only

December 26, 2024 12:55 IST

It is not just December, rather all months named after numericals — September (from septem meaning seven), October (octo meaning eight), November (from novem meaning nine) — that are nomenclaturally anachronistic. Why is that?

Jesus Christ nativity Christmas pope Vatican Church

How Christmas came to be celebrated on December 25Subscriber Only

December 25, 2024 12:51 IST

Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. But early Christians did not celebrate his birth, and no one knows on which date Jesus was actually born

Why do we have Christmas trees?Subscriber Only

December 24, 2024 14:37 IST

There is no dearth of legends about the emergence of the Christmas tree. One of the most popular ones is that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, was the first person to decorate a pine tree for the holiday

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The Canadian man also noted that Indiranagar is still relatively better off than many other areas (Image source: @caleb_friesen/Instagram)

According to the driver, the men refused to pay for professional cleaning and offered him only S$10 as compensation

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Sports BCCI increases domestic match fee for women cricketers

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