India's cultural heritage was looted first by colonisers and then by organised smuggling networks. Thousands of ancient and medieval-era statues are either in public museums or private collections abroad. Getting the antiquities repatriated is an uphill task, but India is slowly doing that.
Driving holidays, which began as a compulsion during the pandemic, have become a trend in India. Better highways, improved cars, and insufferable train journeys and sky-high airfares are propelling more and more Indians to go on road trips with their families. Here's why Indians are driving crazy.
Foreign food influencers are now sharing Instagram reels and YouTube shorts on regional Indian cuisine, and helping Indians discover their own dishes. The fresh perspectives of influencers like Jake Dryan, Andrea and Sarah Todd in 90-second clips are gaining them a massive Indian following.
There is a Praise India Movement in Pakistan if one goes by the pro-India videos being churned out by Pakistani YouTubers. If some are praising India's space programme, others are talking about its economic and political successes. Why are Pakistanis creating such YouTube videos, and that too, in such huge numbers?
Referred to as 'Jodidaran', polyandry is common in the Hatti community of Himachal Pradesh. People link it to Draupadi of Mahabharata who had the five Pandavas as her husband. Poverty and the bid to prevent land fragmentation is behind the Draupadi Pratha. Here is the story of a thousand Draupadis of Sirmaur, who are wedded to one but end up as wives of several brothers.
Political leanings are one of the biggest filters in dating and relationships these days. People using dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge reveal how and why political stances of their matches determine if they will be dating them at all.
Clothes have been used by politicians to build a brand that projects a single image. For the last 18 months, Rahul Gandhi has mostly been seen in a white T-shirt and cargo pants. The Congress leader hasn't ditched them even upon requests from alliance partners. What exactly is Rahul trying to project with his choice of clothes?
Tawaifs were masters of performing arts, and their kothas were centres of learning for young princes and nobles. The prudish Britishers destroyed the tawaifs by branding them prostitutes and herding them into their garrisons. Bereft of their culture, tawaifs soon became mere sex workers.
The US is co-hosting the T20 Cricket World Cup this year. There is a growing craze for cricket in the US, the home to baseball, especially due to the huge South Asian community. But cricket, still barely understood by most Americans, is making its way into their homes, holding the hands of baseball, its distant bat-and-ball cousin.
A recent IIIT Delhi survey has confirmed what we have been suspecting. UPI is making us overspend. However, it is also helping a segment of Indians save money. Why do we spend more while using digital payment systems, and how is UPI helping some people save?
Gukesh D created history by becoming the youngest player to win The Candidates chess tournament. But it wasn't just Gukesh. There were five players from India in the premium tournament. A decade ago, Vishwanathan Anand was the only Indian. So, what has made Indians storm the global chess stage? And can your child be a Grandmaster too? Hear what chess legend Vishwanathan Anand has to say.
House rents, which have been stagnant since the pandemic, started zooming since mid-2023. While rents usually go up 10 per cent annually, landlords in several cities have increased rents by up to 50 per cent a year. Why is India seeing a housing rent crisis that is playing havoc with the lives of people?
People are investing a lot of effort and money in designing their puja rooms. The prayer rooms have changed to such an extent that a visitor might not be able to see the deity in the first place. Then there are products like havan cups and dawn-to-dusk wicks that have changed the way we perform puja rituals.
Oman offered to sell Gwadar, then a small fishing village, to India in the 1950s. The government led by Jawaharlal Nehru declined the offer, and Pakistan in 1958 bought it for three million pounds. This is the story of how Gwadar, now a strategic port, could have been India's and why Nehru might have turned down the offer.
Numerous Indian monuments have been lost forever. So much so that not even a photo is available of them in the public domain. We are talking about monuments that are thousands of years old. In one case, parts of an 8th Century temple have been looted to be used in homes.
Holi is all about colours, sweets, thandai and some bhang. Bhang isn't just legal in India, it's socially accepted too. Bhang has now gone beyond 'thandai' and 'gola' to cookies, cakes and butter. A whole business ecosystem has sprouted online, and bhang is just a click away.
Just a decade ago, credit cards were a rarity, with stringent eligibility criteria. From two crore in 2011 to 10 crore in 2024, the number of credit cards issued in India has seen a phenomenal jump. With it has risen the spend on credit cards and the defaults. Now, India is facing a credit card pandemic.
India has always seen a veg vs non-veg debate. While 81% of Indians have some kind of restrictions on a meat-based diet, recent data shows more household spending on animal-based food. Is there a shift in the diet choice of Indians?
Slain singer Sidhu Moose Wala's mother, now 58, is expecting, according to reports. What is it about the loss of a grown-up child that pushes older couples to go for pregnancy? How safe is it really, and what do IVF laws say?
India's decision to scrap the Free Movement Regime and fence the 1,643-km-long Myanmar border has got people in Longwa, the village of tattooed headhunters in Nagaland, worried. The fear isn't just limited to Longwa. Border fencing is a necessity, so is free movement. Will the issue see a convergence?
