Lonely boy and his scribbles

What happened to Indra , the mighty King of the Gods, the slayer of enemies and breaker of forts? Where did Agni , the divine messenger and mouth of the sacrifice, go? A common telling of history suggests they were simply outcompeted, their stories fading as the new, more personal Gods of the Hindu Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) rose to prominence. This narrative frames the shift as a theological election, where the Old Gods lost their divine mandate to a new sectarian party.  But this story gets the timeline, the motive, and the culprit entirely wrong. The Vedic Gods were not voted out through a theological revolution. They were made 'redundant.' This, however, wasn't the consequence of a new divine order, but the deliberate action of a new and far more tangible political entity. The Mortal Leader.  In other words, this process, where man systematically usurps the functional domains of God, is the form of 'Political Apotheosis' that we will try to discuss her...

According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM), a museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets, and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible, and inclusive , museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally, and with the participation of communities , offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection, and knowledge sharing . Expanding on this refined definition of what a Museum is supposed to be, ICOM has discussed the three major pillars of sustainable Museum ecosystems in the rapidly changing world at the recent global conference held in Dubai. Safeguarding Intangible Heritage . The role of the Youth in forging museums of tomorrow. Opportunities for museums to tap into the potential of New Technologies to create new forms of expression, enhance audience engagement, and improve visitor experien...

For Indians of today, the history of the Andaman and Nicobar islands usually springs up as an aching and relevant memory for very particular reasons. The notorious cellular jails of Kalapani operated by the British and the atrocities and controversial political developments associated with them are not mere footnotes in Indian history. They reverberate to this day in nationalist politics and propaganda. However, what's often overlooked is the fact that the Andamanese people too, whether the natives or the descendants of the settlers from the colonial period, had stories to tell. Stories of oppression, liberation, manipulation and collective trauma. Interestingly, that story cannot be solely narrated through the usual critiques of British imperialism. This time, we shall look eastward and witness the consequences of a  blazing sun rising in the Andaman Sea.  The year was 1942, a momentous period that saw the epitome of Axis aggression in both the Pacific and Atlantic fronts. T...