Storyteller, Quizzer, Marcom Pro.
Storyteller, Quizzer, Marcom Pro.
Tea and chai are two names for the same drink, depending on where you are. The difference comes from the way tea spread from China to the rest of the world. Tea originated in China, where the Mandarin word for…
The word emoji comes from Japanese, combining e (絵, “picture”) and moji (文字, “character”). Though it sounds like “emoticon,” the two are unrelated. Emoji refers to pictorial characters, while emoticons are typographic expressions like :–) or :-P. Emoji were first…
If you’ve ever watched a paanwala at work, you may have noticed a small but significant ritual: the stem of the betel leaf is always snipped off before the leaf is smeared with chuna (lime), and filled with an assortment…
What connects a wild boar, the sun, the moon, and a dagger? These four powerful symbols formed the royal emblem of the Vijayanagara Empire, one of the most influential dynasties in South Indian history. Spanning over 300 years from the…
Varahi Ghat in Varanasi is named after Goddess Varahi, one of the Sapta Matrikas or seven mother goddesses in Hindu tradition, often depicted with the face of a boar. The ghat derives its identity from the Sri Varahi Devi Temple…
Adi Keshav Ghat is believed to be the place where Lord Vishnu first stepped into Kashi. Located on the northern edge of Varanasi, where the river Varuna meets the Ganga, the name Adi Keshava means “First Vishnu.” Keshava, literally “the…
Panchaganga Ghat in Varanasi holds a unique place among the city’s revered riverfronts. Its name derives from the belief that five holy rivers—Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Kirana, and Dhutapapa—once converged here, sanctifying it as a spiritual confluence even though only the Ganga flows physically through Varanasi…
Did you know the name of the film Pather Panchali, directed by the legendary Satyajit Ray, translates from Bengali as “Song of the Little Road“? Based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s 1929 novel of the same name, the film marked Ray’s directorial…
Dashashwamedh Ghat, one of the most prominent ghats of Varanasi, is closely tied to the city’s mythology and devotion. Its name comes from the Sanskrit words dasha (ten) and ashwamedha (horse sacrifice). According to tradition, Lord Brahma performed ten such…