Echoes of history: Before Sunetra Pawar, VN Janaki was sworn in as Tamil Nadu CM after MGR’s death Subscriber Only

Vaikom Narayani Janaki served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for 23 days in 1988 following the death of her husband, M G Ramachandran (MGR).

Book excerpt: How Sikkim went from kingdom to Indian state Subscriber Only

Akhilesh Upadhyay’s book, In the Margins of Empires: A History of the Chicken’s Neck, spotlights the borderland people of the eastern Himalayan region who find themselves caught in the crosscurrents of larger geopolitical rivalries.

From Opium Wars to 1962 Tezpur invasion, Shehnab Sahin opens a fictional window to Assam’s forgotten history Subscriber Only

Shehnab Sahin’s short story collection, ‘Colour My Grave Purple and Other Stories’, seeks to expand Assam’s narrative beyond insurgency and AFSPA.

‘Ireland was laboratory for the Empire’: Jane Ohlmeyer on India, Ireland and British rule Subscriber Only

Historian Jane Ohlmeyer reflects on the long and uneasy connections between Ireland and India under British rule, from shared imperial structures and Irish participation in empire to partition, migration, and the politics of historical memory.

From Exile to Alternative: Why the Son of Iran’s Last Shah is Suddenly Back in Focus Subscriber Only

"The Pahlavi monarchy has always been there as a strong alternative... especially in the minds of younger people." As anti-government protests challenge the Islamic Republic, the legacy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his father,

A warning from history: What League of Nations can teach UN in the Trump era Subscriber Only

At a time when US President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ threatens the UN’s future, the League of Nations and its collapse offers some sobering lessons.

Why Kabaddi still lives in the shadow of Cricket Subscriber Only

Once played across the subcontinent under many names, kabaddi was rapidly standardised in newly independent India. This process enabled its rise as a “national sport” but also eroded much of its vernacular and rural roots

How Kolkata wrote her own history, one year at a time Subscriber Only

19th-century English Directories and Bengali Directory-Panjikas recorded streets, professions and rituals with a precision modern urban history often neglects

The Vikings and the contested discoveries of Greenland and America Subscriber Only

While US President Donald Trump has reiterated his desire to take control of resource-rich Greenland, he is not the first to harbour such intentions, history shows.

The long, uneasy history of women, cigarettes, and freedom Subscriber Only

Once engineered as a symbol of women’s liberation, the cigarette has travelled a long road from corporate manipulation to cinematic cliché, and now, to acts of rebellion under Iran’s authoritarian rule.

Why the Monroe Doctrine, meant for Europe, still echoes in Venezuela — and once in India Subscriber Only

The Monroe Doctrine was meant to keep European empires out of the Americas. But it has, scholars argue, become a flexible tool for justifying US intervention instead. President Donald Trump’s invocation of the doctrine over

Why ‘national’ science has been obsessed with ancient history Subscriber Only

Today, when NCERT textbooks assert that Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya developed algebra independently and before Arab scholars, they repeat a logic that has haunted Indian scholarship for nearly two centuries. Such claims are framed as historical

The little-remembered 18 hours that Indira Gandhi spent in Venezuela Subscriber Only

Indira Gandhi’s brief visit to Venezuela reveals how India once sought common cause with Latin America’s post-colonial nations.

‘He hid nothing’: Professor Madhavan K Palat on the 75,000-page archive opening Jawaharlal Nehru’s private thoughts to the public Subscriber Only

In this interview, Madhavan K Palat, editor of The Nehru Archive, reveals a remarkably transparent leader, even in his most controversial moments.

From Santiniketan to Sweden: How a choir in Lund is keeping Tagore’s songs alive Subscriber Only

The Lund International Tagore Choir stands as a testament to how Rabindranath Tagore’s music weaves human connections, fosters friendships, and kindles warmth among those moved by his philosophy.

How Christmas became a citywide ritual in Calcutta Subscriber Only

From artillery salutes and ballroom dinners to Bow Barracks lights and Tangra feasts, a history of how Calcutta made Christmas its own.

The Goa revolt led by Catholic priests, 174 years before liberation Subscriber Only

On the anniversary of Goa’s Liberation Day, revisiting the 1787 Pinto rebellion — an early challenge to Portuguese rule, long before 1961.

Why Indian politicians refuse to talk about what they wear Subscriber Only

Fashion journalist Shefalee Vasudev on the politics of the saree, PM Narendra Modi’s “best-dressed” image, and why denial itself has become a powerful sartorial statement.

Why Delhi was chosen as India’s new capital 114 years ago Subscriber Only

Apart from its proximity to the princely states—and Simla—Delhi’s symbolic importance as the seat of India’s erstwhile empires sealed its selection as the new capital.

The omnipresence of Shakespeare in India’s Constituent Assembly and legal system Subscriber Only

From the making of the Constitution to the courts of today, Shakespeare’s words have shaped India’s legal imagination in surprising ways.

When Dalit demands and upper-caste anxieties collided in the making of India’s Constitution Subscriber Only

Rohit De and Ornit Shani’s new book, Assembling India's Constitution: A New Democratic History, traces the demands put forward by Dalit organisations, upper-caste groups, and individual petitioners — each articulating their fears, ambitions, and visions

Why a Manipur border town is home to a large Tamil community Subscriber Only

A throwaway line in Family Man 3 opens a window into a century of movement between India and Burma—and how Moreh became home to thousands of Tamil-speaking families.

The forgotten fire that reshaped Bombay: Abdul Latif Shushtari’s chronicle of 1803 Subscriber Only

An obscure Persian chronicle reveals how a single fire redrew Bombay’s streets — and its future.

Birth of IKEA: how Ingvar Kamprad built a global brand with DIY furniture, powered by 40 years of its iconic meatballs Subscriber Only

Furniture is not IKEA’s only claim to fame. It is also their meatballs. As the brand celebrates 40 years of its special dish, we turn back the pages to see the history of IKEA.

Trincas: Where Calcutta’s love for Szechuan food and jazz reside Subscriber Only

Approaching its centenary, Trincas on Park Street stands as a symbol of Calcutta’s cosmopolitan past, wartime resilience, and enduring love for food and music.