The vibrant colours and the splendor of its cultural wealth have defined India and its people since time immemorial. This is an outcome not just of a long human saga, but also of other, myriad contributing factors – the intimate relation with diverse flora and fauna; a constant inflow of people and ideas from far and wide; as well as their assimilation; religious and secular influencing the other or divergent in their own separate paths; ethnic and regional effervescence adding to the melting pot. However, being blindly obedient to culture is just as harmful as forgetting it altogether in the face of foreign influence and a fast life. Culture is a constantly evolving phenomenon and in a time when these questions are increasingly relevant, we shall strive towards generating a passion for conservation coupled with a spirit for critical reasoning.
Women have faced several obstacles in the field of art, be it training, trading, or even gaining recognition. Despite the odds, they have kept on going – to the extent that they have made historical movements out of it. The struggle still continues but clearly, there is no stopping them.
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All of us have either heard or seen different versions of the Ramayana or are familiar with it’s message of triumph of the good over the evil and thus, to most of us, the acute representation of an evil is Ravana. Through this article we aim at understanding the life of the ‘Evil Brahamana’ from a viewpoint that goes beyond our pre-existing perception of him.
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The protagonist of the epic Ramayana, Lord Ram is viewed differently not just by different people, but also is described differently in different versions of the epic. One of them, the Adhyatama Ramayana sees him as a pure divine being. Read more about it here.
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The Ramnagar Ramlila has piqued the interest of numerous historians, writers, journalists and travellers for its relentless religious observance and simplicity in execution. With UNESCO inscribing Ramlila the status of Intangible World Cultural Heritage in 2008, the acclaim and prestige for the one in Ramnagar has only escalated seeing as it is one of the world’s oldest Ramlilas.
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Music lover or not, Sufi is one form we can’t shy away from. Find out more about this age-old form of music and how it is reviving a spiritual tradition in the modern world.
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The immense diversity in India often renders us oblivious to the variegated staple cuisine from different regions of India itself, Tawang being one of them. Yes, you read it right; Tawang is an Indian town with a versatile cuisine which not only offers delicious flavours but is cooked with regards to the lifestyle of the region. Yet, changing times calls for changing landscapes.
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India’s rich cultural heritage consists of a variety of theatre forms, one of them being Kootiyattam. This unique article talks about this Sanskrit theatre, the challenges it faced and how they were overcome.
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Of all the seasons we weather in our lives, childhood is one we hold on to. We carry it with us wherever we go. Virginia Woolf had said, “Why must they grow up and lose it all?”. The question is, does childhood actually have a proper definition or do we mould it as per our needs to see what we want?
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Cookbooks tell unusual cultural tales, says Arjun Appadurai, a sociocultural anthropologist. They became the way India was assimilated into the empire. Recipes were formulated which had no significance in an Indian kitchen and thus, the authenticity of the cuisine was compromised.
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All devotees are equal but some devotees are more equal than others? The peculiar practice of ‘VIP Darshan Pass’ that allows you to bypass long queues is one example of the extensive commercialisation that has permeated places of worship today.
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