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Friday, November 1, 2024
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Book Excerpts

Mauryan ringstones have been found from Punjab to Bihar. But what were they for?

So far, the only ringstone excavated from outside the Indian subcontinent was found in 2014 in peninsular Thailand and is unlikely to have been made with state patronage.

Why Shivaji’s son came back from Aurangzeb’s Mughal army in less than a year

In ‘Shivaji’, Vaibhav Purandare writes about the rebellion that sent shock waves through the Maratha kingdom.

Kautilya was no Machiavelli, he’s the most pre-eminent economist in history

In ‘Kautilyanomics’, Sriram Balasubramanian writes that even though the name Kautilya is often used in politics today, no one knows much about the man.

Feel, don’t just act like a man—how US, UK set off trans liberty with onstage cross-dressing

In 'Before We Were Trans', Kit Heyam traces a history of impersonation in theatre across Britian and America, which made gender nonconformity possible.

GST’s ‘give-and-take’ attitude has dried up. India needs a system overhaul

In 'The Working of the Indian Constitution', T.M. Thomas Isaac examines the functioning of GST to assess if its high expectations have been realised.

How an accident of geography and history created a people with a bad case of sweet tooth

In ‘Sugar: The Silent Killer,’ Damyanti Datta attempts to understand the hold of sugar in India and demystify the way we eat.

How Vishwanathan Anand joined Sachin Tendulkar, Leander Paes as a ‘superstar’ in the 1980s

In '75 years of Indian Sports', Chandresh Narayanan talks about the spectacular rise of chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand.

Tagore wrote a letter of introduction for Bose before he left India. Half-hearted at best

In 'Bose', Chandrachur Ghose talks about how Subhas Chandra Bose was rebuffed by Gandhi and received little support from Tagore.

Temple chariots to thangkas – Appliqué, sewing technique that existed since 12th century in India

There are several applique traditions in India, most traditionally used as a means to recycle leftover fabric.

The Sri Aurobindo book I have never been able to finish or progress beyond a canto

‘Reading Sri Aurobindo’, edited by Gautam Chikarmane and Devdip Ganguli, goes into the writings of the Indian philosopher, yoga guru, poet and nationalist.

On Camera

16th BRICS Summit was about building dollar-free world order. India can use it to expand trade

For New Delhi, a USD-free system is not an immediate priority nor an existential necessity to unconditionally support the China-Russia agenda.

Watch CutTheClutter: Flattening INR-USD rate, and debate on pros and cons of a ‘strong’ rupee

In Episode 1544 of CutTheClutter, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta looks at some top economists pointing to the pitfalls of ‘currency nationalism’ with data from 1991 to 2004.

All about Major Bob Khathing, whose daring expedition & diplomatic parleys secured Tawang for India

The decorated Naga officer from Manipur also served as envoy to Myanmar & Nagaland chief secy. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a museum dedicated to the Tawang hero Thursday.

From 2004 to 2024, bad news has come wrapped as good news for Congress

Congress is silently acknowledging it over-read verdict of last general election. You can see it in easy concession to SP. It will likely be more reasonable in Maharashtra & Jharkhand.