Under constant siege

Washed away in a flash

Floods and flash floods are inevitable facts of climatic fluctuations but new research on the probabilities of weather events shows that neither death nor destruction is foreordained.

Left behind by the wayside

India is a country tailor made for communists but they have failed to arouse public enthusiasm due to a complete misreading of the common man's temperament.

A fine balancing act

The people of Ram

A community in Chhattisgarh claims the deity for its spiritual and social uplift.

'I don't know how producers make money'

Girish Kasarvalli has made 14 films and is the undoubted doyen of Kannada independent cinema. But his job has got harder with the years, as funding dries up.

The mind behind the master

Behind the herculean endeavours of Colin Mackenzie in cataloguing south Indian heritage looms the scarcely known figure of Kavelli Venkata Boria, linguist, translator and Man Friday extraordinary

The unknown Indian

No one knew of Sanjay Pradhan’s death. He was just one of the millions who traverse the country, working where they can, building a nation and dying alone.

When fake news nearly started a riot

Telangana’s Kalwakurthy was on the boil last year over a viral WhatsApp forward, as the town experienced the might of online hate sparked by a photo.

In the fight of its life

Brexit and rise of the far right across Europe, along with an assault on democracy threatens the continent’s identity as a liberal, inclusive place.

Making sense of the universe

Rohini Godbole talks about her experiences as a particle physicist, the discovery of the Higgs Boson, and the story of Indian women in science.

Malaysia's magical moment

A historic election and a new government promises to usher in an era of greater freedoms and create a more inclusive national identity.

A plan for the bustard

The Great Indian Bustard is staring at extinction. Though scientists have suggested plans to save it government commitment is slow in coming.

Fear and hope in the age of AI

To some, it is ‘deadlier than North Korea’ and to others it is the Second Coming. But once past the hype it is clear artificial intelligence is here to stay and will have a huge influence on us.

Finding the bhadralok

Patrons of the arts, proud file pushers who disdain manual labour, they are the upper caste elite of Bengal now struggling to face up to their waning dominance.

The Mahua story

Modern times and an iconic brew.

The one who got away

How Harjit Masih survived the ISIS in Iraq and why his story rings true.