Storyteller, Quizzer, Marcom Pro.
Storyteller, Quizzer, Marcom Pro.
During the British colonial era in India, and long before the hum of air conditioning, coping with the subcontinent’s intense heat required ingenuity and labor. The term Punkah-Wallah emerged to describe those employed to manually operate large, ceiling-suspended cloth fans.…
Ugadi, derived from the Sanskrit Yuga (era or age) and Adi (beginning),” marks the beginning of a new era. The festival marks the commencement of the Hindu lunar new year and falls on Chaitra Shuddha Padyami, the first day of…
Chidambara Rahasyam, literally meaning “the secret of Chidambaram,” refers to a profound theological idea in Shaivism that the ultimate truth is subtle, formless, and present within every individual. The concept is deeply associated with the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple in Tamil…
Shivala Ghat is one of the historically significant riverfront steps along the Ganga in Varanasi. Located south of the more crowded central ghats, this ghat is known for its calm stretch of river, old temples, and palatial structures built by…
Kos Minars are medieval milestones that once dotted the highways of northern India. The name combines “kos,” a traditional unit of distance (2 miles or roughly 3.22 kilometers), with “minar,” meaning tower or pillar. These solid brick-and-lime structures were first…
Carnatic, the classical musical tradition of South India, derives its name not directly from the state of Karnataka, but from the word “Karnāṭaka Sangītam”. In Sanskrit, Karnāṭaka means “traditional” or “well-structured.” The term was used in medieval musicological texts to…
Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam is a purification ceremony undertaken at the Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala. The term literally means “cleaning of the holy shrine” in Tamil, with Koil signifying holy shrine, Alwar meaning devotee/sanctified ones, and Thirumanjanam referring to an…
Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi, popularly known as M. S. Subbulakshmi, was born on September 16, 1916, in Madurai. Her mother, Shanmukhavadivu, was a veena player, and their home often hosted musicians who shaped young Subbulakshmi’s musical instincts. She gave her first…
Did you know Agartala, the capital of Tripura, derives its name from the aromatic agarwood trees (Aquilaria malaccensis) that once grew abundantly across the region? The name comes from two Sanskrit words: agar—the valuable tree known for its fragrant heartwood—and…