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Monday, February 2, 2026
TopicPopular culture

Topic: Popular culture

Viva – India’s first girl group that sang feminist anthems in the early 2000s

At the dawn of a new century, India had an all-girl band whose members were outspoken, didn't shy away from risque fashion and were unapologetic about their behaviour.

40 Years of MTV — the channel that shaped popular culture as we know it

MTV might not have ‘killed’ the radio star, and its brand salience somewhat diluted in the age of YouTube, TikTok and social media.

Amitabh Bachchan was once ‘casteless’ Hindu. Tandav, Ludo now flaunt loud, proud Brahmins

Pankaj Tripathi in Hotstar’s Criminal Justice to Saif Ali Khan in Tandav, Dabangg to Jolly LLB, Bollywood now showcases only Brahmin stories.

Indians have a new K in their lives. Not Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor but Korean culture factory

K-pop, K-dramas, K-beauty — 2020 became the year India embraced the soft power of Korea.

Wear Che Guevara, Johnny Walker and Gandhi on your T-shirts, but it says nothing about you

In ‘Consumerist Encounters’, Sreedeep Bhattacharya explores how our relationships & representations of commodities like T-shirts have evolved in urban India.

After Tintin and Tom and Jerry, now it’s Indian Army’s turn to find a Yeti link

Indian Army tweets picture to claim ‘mysterious footprints’ of Yeti, invites social media mockery. But the legend has popular roots.

On Camera

From populism to productivity—why the Budget 2026 makes a structural turn

The Budget proposals seek to balance sustained high economic growth with fiscal discipline and structural transformation.

Sitharaman proposes a new National Institute of Design in eastern India. ‘A good push’

The Indian fashion design industry had a market value of approximately ₹15.1 lakh crore in 2023 and is expected to reach around Rs 45.3 lakh crore by 2032.

10X Budget beef-up for Intelligence Bureau capex, after Pahalgam & Red Fort terror attacks

After lapses exposed by terror attacks at Pahalgam and Delhi's Red Fort, Centre has hiked Intelligence Bureau's expenditure for investments in long-term assets from Rs 257 cr to Rs 2,549 cr. 

Swiss report should now close Op Sindoor debate. Knowing when to stop the fight is key too

The key to fighting a war successfully, or even launching it, is a clear objective. That’s an entirely political call. It isn’t emotional or purely military.