The Hindu

You spotted them at Kolkatas Durga Ppuja pandals, selling paintings, kurtas and curios. But behind these colourful wares is a world of travelling storytellers, sung scrolls and a tradition now caught between reinvention and the risk of losing its story

The Chennai-based photographer captures the charm and challenges of this ancient folk art form in her debut docum-film.

The story of Avadis transformation from a pastoral retreat to a major defence hub, and the myth surrounding its name

From miniature temple replicas and handcrafted food scenes to stories of village guardian deities, themed Golu displays in Chennai reflect months of planning, devotion and imagination, even as commercial installations compete to go bigger.

As India gears up for Durga Puja 2026, the air will once again thrum with the beat of the dhak. In this special package, we bring you stories from pandals across cities, meet the artisans shaping this years idols, and tune in to the music, food, and festive fervour that define the season.

Navaratri, observed across India with a diversity that reflects the countrys cultural breadth.

From age-old traditions to the resounding dhaak, Visakhapatnams Bengali community comes together to celebrate Durga Puja with devotion, music and bhog

Forgotten amidst many names which came up much later in Indias freedom struggle, Rani Abbakka Chowta is a name we should not let fade away in the pages of our countrys history

Organised by Roots&Roads, a cultural and heritage collective, the two-day trail explores the river across its tributaries

From traditional to an AI-driven pandal itinerary, Durga pandals in Hyderabad weave stories of nostalgia, community spirit and Bengali heritage and culture

Seventy-six years since it began, Chennais Matsya Restaurant is returning to its Udupi roots, reviving heritage dishes alongside its much-loved midnight fare and filter coffee

With pottery, camping, adventure rides and seasonal farms joining its pine-lined attractions, Araku Pinery is preparing for a busy tourist season

Anna Mani, who dedicated her life to improving weather forecasting in the country, dared to venture into sreas India had never stepped into before

A travelling show in Visakhapatnam invites visitors to explore mookuthi the nose ornament through craft, memory and personal expression

The antagonism towards Urdu is rooted in the perception that it is exclusively a language for Muslims

Consecrated after a gap of 17 years, the Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple, built and expanded by successive dynasties, is one of Indias architectural marvels.

Theatre practitioner Apurva Arthur bridges contemporary performance and a classical ritual tradition with the percussion instrument

From family photographs and heirlooms to oral histories and digital memories, personal archives are helping people preserve family history and document everyday lives. We explore why people are creating personal archives, what is worth preserving, and how you can get started on your own

Best known for its classical music traditions, Madras also had a thriving rock n roll culture in the 1960s and 1970s. From The Mustangs and Selaiyur Swingsters to Anglo-Indian bands, performers recall The Beatles covers, college bands, clubs and homes where another version of the city came alive

A woman who left behind an extraordinary diplomatic legacy, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandits name shines brightly in the field of International Relations

Study of language has been close to us since the ancient Indian grammarian Panini worked out to scientifically understand Sankrit across time and tradition. Today, linguistics boomerangs between not just tradition and time, but modern concerns of technology and cognition.

Although the Indian Army fielded the largest volunteer force and fought on battlefields across the globe, there is little by way of a comprehensive archive documenting its experiences

INTACHs first Filmit India workshop in Visakhapatnam trains schoolchildren to tell stories of the citys cultural and natural heritage through short films

From Paninis logic and NASAs algorithms to films, theatre, bikers clubs and Instagram reels, Sanskrit is carving out a place in contemporary culture.

Beyond the popular Onam narrative, featuring the Mahabali, pookkalam and sadya, the festival is celebrated in uniquely diverse ways across Keralam

From closing up about 9 p.m. to queuing up for a plate of biriyani around 3 a.m., the city has come a long way; pubs emerged in the 1980s, and following an IT boom and a growing night-shift workforce in the late 90s, tea shops stayed open, eateries mushroomed, and sports facilities and gyms extended their hours, keeping the city alive at night

In 1930s, Travancore Sri Mulam Assembly faced demands to extend Onam public holidays to 10 days, contrasting with the 11-day Christmas-New Year break. But then Chief Secretary N. Kunjan Pillai rejected the proposal, citing sufficient annual holidays

Three actors, three journeys and a city full of flavours. For Madras Day, Nalini Nair, Nassar and Pasupathy dig into their food memories from beloved old eateries and childhood treats to the tastes that continue to bring Chennai home.

Before speeches filled stadiums and hashtags flooded social media, songs carried the dream of freedom from one voice to another. Discover how music and poetry united a nation and continue to inspire generations today.

Much of the history of the freedom struggle in our city is centred on areas such as George Town, the Marina, Thiruvallikeni, and Mylapore, though Mount Road has several freedom markers

A quiz on Indonesia, as the Asian country observes its Independence Day on August 17

Historian Sumit Sarkar transformed how modern Indian history was understood, bringing ordinary people and their experiences to the centre of historical scholarship

There is no other scholar, no other historian, who can match the breadth, sweep and intensity of Sarkar. He achieved all this while keeping his own presence barely noticeable in either his books or his lectures

Designer Sanjay Garg and rapper A-KAL (aka tennis player Adil Kalyanpur) on Raw Mangos rap song Handloom YAll and reimagining Indias textile heritage

On National Handloom Day, a look at how women of Odishas Bonda tribe continue to preserve the handwoven Ringa, a weave that defines their identity