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Kolkata: The Many Moods Of A Monsoon City

The rains turn Kolkata into a landscape of contrasts—where joy sits beside hardship, beauty beside vulnerability, and the present brushes against the past
Joseph Coates (left) owes his life to the AI model created by Dr. David Fajgenbaum (right) and his team. Photo: Hannah Yoon/ The New York Times.
Health & Wellness

How AI Cures Diseases and Saves Lives

Artificial intelligence can find new uses for existing drugs, helping to treat rare diseases, including the one that almost killed Joseph Coates

All images courtesy of Museum of Art and Photography, Bengaluru.
Culturescape

How Textile Labels Became Miniature Works Of Art in Colonial India

The Ticket Tika Chaap exhibition showcased 400 artisitically designed paper labels for textile and clothing products from March to June this year

Illustration by Lila Poppins
True Stories

A Valuable Lesson, Courtesy the Azalea

The beauty of a wild, unpruned, punk-rock shrub

Culturescape

Christina Dhanuja's 10 Favourite Books

Co-founder of the #DalitHistoryMonth project and founding member of the Global Campaign for Dalit Women, Christina Dhanuja is a researcher–strategist working at the intersections of caste, gender, faith, and justice. Her debut book is Dalit Women and the Fullness of Life (2026).

Illustration: Siddhant Jumde
Humour

When the Goddess Meets the 'Gram

When Pujo meets Instagram, phuchka gets a rebrand, pandal-hopping becomes a content strategy, and every boudi is a potential influencer. A Bangali’s-eye view of what happens when an ancient heritage meets the algorithm

Three Head Studies (Mahisasura), acrylic on canvas, 1998. Collection: Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
Culturescape

Tyeb Mehta and the Art of Seeing a Fractured World

Tyeb Mehta’s paintings were spare, restrained and often unsettling, filled with fragmented figures, diagonals and a sense of human vulnerability. From the book, Tyeb Mehta: Bearing Weight with the Lightness of Being, published alongside the exhibition, this excerpt considers the artist whose restrained palette, fragmented forms and unmistakable diagonals became a powerful language for the fractured modern world

Illustration by Lucas Burtin/ NYT
Conversations

A Note for All Pet Sitters ...

The most eccentric care instructions, indulged

Illustrations by Traci Daberko
Health & Wellness

"Aaarrrrgghh!!!": What Happens When You Get Aggravated?

Here's a look at the science behind the state of frustration

Adobe Stock
Conversations

The Invisible Hands Behind India's Recycling Revolution

India’s recycling story begins long before plastic reaches a recycling plant. Waste pickers, kabadiwalas and aggregators form an essential but often overlooked network that collects, sorts and keeps valuable material in circulation. Here's why recognising and supporting these workers is critical to building a more efficient and equitable circular economy.

Ways to Beat Natural Decline, Benefits of Coffee and More
Health & Wellness

Ways to Beat Natural Decline, Benefits of Coffee and More

The latest in medical research and health news you need to know

RD Recommends: Ohh My Dog, Last Man In Tower, and More
Culturescape

RD Recommends: Ohh My Dog, Last Man In Tower, and More

Our picks for the best in films, books, podcasts and comedy from September 2026

In Taiwan Travelogue, writer Yang Shuang-zi Lays A Feast of Memory and Empire
Culturescape

In Taiwan Travelogue, writer Yang Shuang-zi Lays A Feast of Memory and Empire

The Booker-Prize-winning novel is a moving meditation on friendship forged amid the complexities of colonial rule

Dr. Seema Alavi's Favourite Books
Culturescape

Dr. Seema Alavi's Favourite Books

Author, two-time Fulbright scholar and professor of history at Ashoka University, Dr. Seema Alavi has written books on India’s military, medical and religious past. Her most recent release was Sovereigns of the Sea: Omani Ambition in the Age of Empire.

Rescue from An Infernal Trail
True Stories

Rescue from An Infernal Trail

A retired firefighter knew that a delirious hiker was close to death in the 37-degree heat. Could he coax the much larger man down the mountain and save both their lives?