Ancient India, until the beginning of the second millennium, was a highly educated society with rich ancient and medieval systems of production and knowledge dissemination, as well as economic prosperity and social and political maturity, maintaining “the long tradition of pride and service” (Young India, 20 March, 1924). However, developments during the second millennium, particularly […]
Kathak Lok, written by Shovana Narayan and Geetika Kalha, is almost like a spiritual journey into the depths of an art form, which initially began as formless, as the concept of Brahma. From the foreword itself, the book reverberates with the sights and sounds of magical performances of the kathakars in all their purity. The […]
There are innumerable books that have been written on Satyajit Ray, India’s best known film director in the realm of realism. Even though Ray covered a wide range of subjects such as feudalism, feminism, masculinity, oppression, poverty, love – you name it – the sensitive portrayal in each and every one of his films have […]
Ramayana: A Comparative Study of Ramakathas is an award-winning opus by A.A. Manavalan. The book is a meticulous exploration of the diverse versions of Ramayana found within and outside the Indian subcontinent. Beginning with a preface written by C.T. Indra, who wrote its English translation, followed by a foreword by the critic Indira Parthasarathy, the […]
Vitasta would like to thank Professor Dinesh Srivastava, Homi Bhabha Chair at The National Institute of Advanced Studies for this wonderful review of our book – ‘Jivaka the Child who Healed‘ by Malavika Kapur! ‘My most pleasant memories include sitting around a fire on a winter night and listening to our grandmother tell stories. She […]
Mohan Ramanan’s review of ‘Ramayana: A Comparative Study of Ramakathas’ translated by C T Indra & Prema Jagannathan in The Critical Endeavour — an annual peer-reviewed research journal devoted to World Literatures in English, Bhasa Literatures, Main Stream English Literature, Indian English Literature, Literary Theories, and Translation Studies.
Prem Nath ran his business from a shop in the busy and bustling shopping center at Amira Kadal in the heart of Srinagar. He was a successful cloth merchant and his sales were brisk in spite of the terrorism that had gripped Kashmir and paralyzed business. People needed clothes to wear; women were commanded to […]
It was a Sunday afternoon in November. I was driving my Ambassador, on way to Habba Kadal, the famous second bridge on the Vitasta. The window panes were drawn up and an icy draft sneaked in to send shivers down my spine and legs even as I was bundled in an overcoat, a woolen muffler […]
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) recently released the names of politicians, businessmen, and the likes who own offshore companies, trusts, secret bank accounts, etc. to hide their ill-gotten money. This is not the first time that such revelations have rocked the world. The black money issue has got more attention in India for […]
Lack of delineation of borders are an inevitable cause for tension for both the sides, often leading to hostility and violent outburst. But when that is within national boundaries the breakout of violence takes on a different meaning and demands immediate attention. Over the past two weeks there has been palpable build up of tension […]
