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"Our Moral Compass Is at Stake": Journalist Jyoti Yadav on Why India Can't Afford to Forget COVID

In Faith and Fury: Covid Dispatches from India’s Hinterland, journalist Jyoti Yadav reflects on collective amnesia and why remembering our failures may be as important as celebrating our triumphs
Ray calls “cut” while shooting Shakha Proshaka, 1990. Photo : Nemai Ghosh, Courtesy of DAG.
Culturescape

Satyajit Ray: Through the Lens of The Man Behind The Maestro

Beyond the towering reputation of the filmmaker lies a more intimate story—of a husband, artist, collaborator and dreamer, seen through the eyes of a trusted companion

Photo: Priyadarshini Ravichandran
Culturescape

Sowmiya Ashok on her Ten Favourite Books

Sowmiya Ashok is a journalist and author of the critically acclaimed book The Dig: Keeladi and The Politics of India's Past (2025). She has been a correspondent for leading Indian dailies such as The Hindu and The Indian Express, reporting on politics, environment and culture. She has reported from the U.S., China, Taiwan and Sri Lanka.  

Illustration by Siddhant Jumde
Features

The Art Of Letting Yourself Go

How to relax—in a few uneasy lessons. A witty and timeless RD Classic from 1960

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Features

A Pretty Good Teacher, For A Cat

Proud and independent, Tiger made contributions to this maturing family that will never be forgotten

Conversations

Inside Varanasi's Burning Ghats During the Darkest Days of COVID

Doctors and nurses became the faces of India's COVID response. But on the banks of the Ganga, another group laboured unseen amid an endless procession of death. In this powerful excerpt from Faith and Fury, journalist Jyoti Yadav documents the Doms of Varanasi, whose gruelling work at the cremation grounds became one of the pandemic's lesser-told stories.

Features

The Unforgettable Sam Manekshaw: The First Soldier Of India

Meet this famous warrior and jovial man of peace. An RD Classic from 1973

True Stories

Good News: How Predators Turned Protectors, Kindness at an Altitude, A Library for Kids by Kids, and More

Heartwarming, world-shaking, awe-inspiring and straight-up happy-making reasons to smile.

Features

Mário de Miranda: The Genius Who Drew a World

To mark the 100th birth anniversary of this uncommon genius, a family friend and fellow Goan remembers Mário, whose sharp humour and affectionate gaze captured the heart of a nation

Illustration by Laura Martín
Features

Holiday Magic: Secret Santa Saves the Day

A stranger keeps the Christmas spirit alive for a little girl

We Built a Family. The Law Still Doesn't Recognize It.
Conversations

We Built a Family. The Law Still Doesn't Recognize It.

A petitioner revisits the optimism and setbacks that defined India’s landmark case seeking marriage rights for queer couples—and the questions that linger after its defeat

Interview: Mridula Ramesh on Using Fiction to Spread Environmental Awareness
Culturescape

Interview: Mridula Ramesh on Using Fiction to Spread Environmental Awareness

In her latest book The Pralaya Prophecy, author and climate-tech investor Mridula Ramesh uses the power of fiction to deepen environmental awareness and spark action

Remembering My Dad Through His Lists
True Stories

Remembering My Dad Through His Lists

A son turns a page after unearthing his father’s notebooks

Vidya Krishnan's Top 10 Favourite Books
Culturescape

Vidya Krishnan's Top 10 Favourite Books

Award-winning investigative journalist and author, Vidya Krishnan is best known for her acclaimed book Phantom Plague: How Tuberculosis Shaped History (2022). Her latest book, White Lilies: An Essay on Grief (Westland, 2025), is a moving meditation on loss, memory, and resilience that blends personal narrative with cultural reflection.

Parenting Is A Joke! 12 Anecdotes on Raising Children
Conversations

Parenting Is A Joke! 12 Anecdotes on Raising Children

So let’s all take some time to laugh at our kids.