John Lang, Rani Laxmibai’s Aussie attorney against the British (review)
John Lang, In the Court of the Ranee of Jhansi and Other Travels in India, Speaking Tiger, 2015; Rupa Publications 2016. Har-Anand publications 2015;...
Melbourne musician Ashwarya is making her own rules
“I love you like biryani,” croons Melbourne-based musician Ashwarya in the opening line of one of her most popular hits. A few seconds later,...
Foraging and fermenting bamboo shoot: Dolly Kikon’s documentary
Melbourne-based academic and Naga woman Dr Dolly Kikon turned filmmaker in her newly released documentary ‘Seasons of life: Foraging and fermenting bamboo-shoot during ceasefire’....
Rehana Badat: Making it…on TV
“I still have to pinch myself sometimes to remind myself it’s real,” Rehana Badat gushed. “I can’t believe I get to be on television!”
The...
Vidya Makan: Breaking the coloured glass ceiling
“Diversity is part of my identity, so being a minority and talking about marginalised voices is part of my story. In anything I write,...
From an Indian Palace to the Outback: The Last Prince of Bengal (Review)
The Last Prince of Bengal is the intriguing true story of one of India’s most powerful royal families. It’s a fascinating tale about Nawab...
Jhm: Santorini in her sights
For her parents’ 25th anniversary last year, Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Jhm wanted to gift them something special, but her hands were tied with the state’s...
Book Review: Waiting for Turtles by Pankaj Sekhsaria
Children's publishing house Karadi Tales has brought out an illustrated book to raise awareness about the oldest group of reptiles, turtles through a story...
A Covid-19 community dream journal
Since COVID-19 swept the globe last year, researchers across disciplines and borders came to a curious conclusion. That this nightmare of a pandemic has...
The Visnu Purana by McComas Taylor
The Vishnu Purana was the earliest Purana to be translated from the Sanskrit and published in English, in 1840, by H H Wilson.
An important Pancharatra text...
Dr McComas Taylor: Translating the Vishnu Purana into English
McComas Taylor first felt drawn to Sanskrit when he saw Peter Brook’s television production The Mahabharata in the late 1980s.
Today, as an academic at...
Untold stories from the Raj era
So many stories about India’s independence movement and partition still remain hidden, unsung and untold. So, it is with delight that I came upon...
‘Tagore’s books were way ahead of their time’
Although it was Kabuliwalah that drew her closer to Tagore, it was his words about the emancipation of women in the 19th century that really resonated with Radha.
Vishnu idol made of black stone found in Bangladesh
An idol of Vishnu weighing about 12 kg has been recovered from the Daudkandi upazila of Cumilla in Bangladesh.
The black stone idol is about...
Book Review: The Snow Line by Tessa McWatt
At its core, Tessa McWatt’s The Snow Line is a book about belonging. It conveys a message that many migrants to Australia will understand...
3 ‘killer’ books to read this weekend
We present to you, three books that have something to do with ‘killing’ - one way or another!
Amnesty by Aravind Adiga
Aravind Adiga’s new novel,...
A tribute to the food of Kolkata by Mohona Kanjilal
Mohona Kanjilal’s latest book, A Taste of Time: A Food History of Calcutta (Speaking Tiger), is a love letter to a city.
Even as she explores...
Dancing for a cause: 11-yr-old Sagarika Venkat
It was a unique experience watching the young Sagarika Venkat on stage. The 11-year-old Year 6 student presented her first full-fledged solo Bharatanatyam performance...
Fiji-Baat: A children’s series about language and identity
Before we got to Fiji, I had never really talked to Nana. Mum would sometimes give me the phone to say hello. I would...
On the spirit of music: meet Sydney band Goldfynch
If this year has been tough on your travel plans and wanderlust, how about ballooning over Paris instead? For Sydney-based musical duo Niyati and...
REVIEW: Come From Away (Sydney’s Capitol Theatre)
Stories arising from the September 11 terrorist attacks are not hard to find. Tales of personal loss, public grief, and diplomatic declarations of war...
The Big Book of Festivals: a children’s guide to global cultures
“Vedhika and Ayaan light diyas, thought to help guide the goddess Lakshmi into people’s homes, bringing fortune and luck.”
“Kareem wishes his grandfather Eid Mubarak...
Nine-year-old Viraj Tandon is in this year’s Young Archie
Nine-year-old Viraj Tandon of Sydney is one of ten finalists in this year’s Young Archie competition in the 9-12 year category.
The children’s portrait competition...
Professor Chandini Raina MacIntyre by Karen Black at the Archibald
During COVID-19 lockdown, when Sydney-based artist Karen Black was following the news intently, eminent epidemiologist Professor Chandini Raina Macintyre was a recurring figure in...
Kirthana Selvaraj in her ‘green suit‘ at the Archibald
The glaring portrait of a fashionably dressed “femme queer brown” artist awaits aesthetes at this year’s Archibald Prize exhibition. Sydney-based Kirthana Selvaraj’s self-portrait is...
Earliest surviving Hindu painting unveiled in Mumbai
In an epochal event marking the revival of ancient Indian art, the earliest surviving Hindu painting, photographed and digitally restored by Benoy K. Behl,...
Indian links in Melbourne’s Wyndham Art Prize
Three Indian-origin artists are among the finalists in this year’s Wyndham Art Prize in Melbourne.
Sydney artist Arun Kumar Sharma, and Melbourne’s Raj Panda and...
Delhi’s National Gallery of Modern Art, now on your phone
New Delhi-based National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) has launched its Audio-Visual Guide App. It will be possible for museum viewers to listen to...
Ruskin Bond: A new anthology to mark 87th birthday
India’s best-known writer of children’s stories, Ruskin Bond, turns 87 next week on 19 May. To mark the occasion, he’s releasing an anthology of...
‘Marked for prominence’
After watching Bharatanatyam dancer Ankitha Shashidhar present her arangetram (debut), one couldn’t help but ponder over the serendipity of her name. It is Sanskrit...
Podcasts
Ep 9: What do young Indians want from love?
Growing up in Indian culture, most of us know that love has never been as popular as marriage. Even in the movies, the main...
Ep 8: Indian links in Indigenous Australian poet Ali Cobby Eckermann’s...
To celebrate NAIDOC week 2020 (between 8-15 November) I spoke to Yakunytjatjara poet Ali Cobby Eckermann about her time in India where she taught...
Ep 7: In the case of Sushant Singh Rajput
The torrid and high-octane Sushant Singh Rajput case has been fodder for Indian people and press for the last few months.
The actor’s tragic death...
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Latest News
Vishal Jood rushed out of Australia
Hours after his release from custody, controversial jailed Indian national Vishal Jood was rushed out of Australia on the first available flight.
In a statement,...
Review: Dhindora (YouTube Original)
‘Dhindora’ means beating of the drums; figuratively, it also means tomtomming. This eight-episode comedy series streaming on YouTube is part social commentary, albeit crass,...
REVIEW: Rashmi Rocket (Zee5)
Rashmi Rocket is a scathing sports drama. It is not a story of an underdog but that of a gifted athlete who was subjected...
