Art and Culture

It’s easy to keep to obvious debates like meat or no meat, but the truth is the impact of each of our lifestyle choices is greater than we acknowledge.

In a hut in Madagascar is a camp of chameleons. Some are red, some green, some orange, in a particular ratio. As they face off, can you tell if they will ever all be the same colour?

What is it about words that indicates their meaning? Are there common threads that run across cultures and languages? Linguists are looking for answers, in the 800 made-up words that constitute the names of the set of animation characters called Pokemon.

Secrets evolved as part of an early social toolkit that allowed the more intelligent to predict and influence the behaviour of others. Our need to tell our secrets harks back to another vital need: acceptance.

In a new column for HT Wknd, food writer and researcher Swetha Sivakumar demystifies one ingredient every month. This week: how a fish sauce from Vietnam found new ingredients in Europe, and eventually came to be defined by the tomato. Also: Are you picking the right ketchup? How to tell.

What do the prayers mean? Who gets to perform the rituals? Women priests are translating, demystifying, easing away barriers, at weddings, house-warmings and other ceremonies.

An exhibition in the Delhi NCR showcases images of Gauri dancers of Mewar, Rajasthan, taken in the last decade, that are a window into the life and unique performing art tradition of the community.

They’d be in Rome one day, Fiji the next, an extremely rare lifestyle for the time. They brushed shoulders with the rich and famous, lived in the best hotels. The job wasn’t easy, the training was exacting. But it was a life like no other, say women who did the job in the airline’s heyday.

There’s art by Husain, Raza and Ara, ancient sculpture, collectibles, an ashtray designed by Salvador Dali. Sadly, no museum yet. But that could change.

See how the iconic mascot captured the public imagination in the 1950s, and ushered in an era of non-advertising. “He didn’t say ‘Buy’, he said ‘Howdy’,” says Ivan Arthur, former national creative director at JWT, the agency that created the icon.

Theatres are set to reopen in Maharashtra. The deck is already stacked. It’s now up to filmmakers to make these months count.

What would you want loved ones to know, after you were gone? Many hire Edgar to pass on messages of love. But most want him to share secrets involving sex, primarily affairs, orientation and secret loves.

Also known as 'Alpona', 'Jhoti' is folk art and traditional practice of making murals or Rangoli at the doorstep of the house premises during social gatherings and religious festivals.

The actress doesn’t see black, white or grey. She seeks colour in every character she plays, she says, whether it’s Shalu from Masaan that shot her to fame or Golu in Mirzapur.

The filmmaker behind Lipstick Under My Burkha and the subtle, layered Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare talks about how having more women behind the camera is changing how women are represented on screen in Bollywood.

They were right there... drinking, dancing, scheming, and always coming to a tragic end. Amid a societal and economic upheaval, the vamp gave way to the villainess, as A-list stars of the ’90s played killers and stalkers. Today’s lead doesn’t have to pick between good, bad or evil. She can just be, well, a woman.

It started out simple, with set-ups designed for drama. Then came the vitriol and online fan clubs lashing out at each other. Today, sadly, even this isn’t the worst of what hits our screens.

Proposals to turn remote mountain towns into astro-villages sound bright on paper. But perhaps that very brightness could obscure the view of the heavens.