Heritage & History steps into the past to illuminate the present. It explores monuments, traditions, personalities, and events that shape our shared legacy. From ancient sites and architectural marvels to cultural treasures and forgotten narratives, this space connects generations through stories that continue to inform, inspire, and endure.
Long before roads, kingdoms, or writing connected humanity, our ancestors built invisible networks through curiosity and trust. How did strangers who spoke different languages trade, share ideas, and forge relationships? Archaeology suggests that gestures, shared experiences, and the universal human instinct to connect may have sparked the first conversations—laying the foundations of civilisation thousands of years before history was written.
A casual morning conversation with one of my old school friends about India's ancient megalithic burial sites led us to a fascinating question: were these merely graves, or the earliest centres of community life and worship? From tribal monoliths in India to Göbekli Tepe in Türkiye, archaeology is reshaping our understanding of how religion, society, and civilisation first emerged.
On 30 June 1855, long before the Revolt of 1857, the Santhals launched one of the earliest organized uprisings against British colonial rule in India. Hool Diwas commemorates their extraordinary struggle for dignity, justice, and the rights to access water, forests, and land. In the present day, we reflect on this lesser-known chapter of courage, which continues to inspire conversations about freedom, cultural identity, and the rights of indigenous peoples.
The Pompeii Lakshmi, an ivory statuette crafted in India nearly 2,000 years ago, was discovered among the ruins of Pompeii, buried beneath the ashes of Mount Vesuvius. Whether depicting Lakshmi or a Yakshi, the figurine stands as compelling evidence of the vibrant trade and cultural exchanges that linked ancient India and Rome across vast maritime networks.
From the silent yogis of the Indus Valley to the fiery Vedic altars, from Buddha’s forest meditations to the soaring philosophy of the Upanishads, Sanatan Dharma evolved like a living river of consciousness. This journey through India’s spiritual evolution reveals how ritual, meditation, devotion, and Advaita Vedanta fused into a timeless civilisation—renewed again by Ramakrishna and Vivekananda for the modern world today, globally
This Valentine’s Day, let us travel back nearly 4,000 years to ancient Sumer, where a bride whispered her passion to King Shu-Sin through The Love Song for Shu-Sin. “Bridegroom, dear to my heart, Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet… My precious caress is more savory than honey.” Composed long before the biblical Song of Songs, these words reveal that love, desire, and devotion are timeless. From clay tablets to chocolates, from whispered poems to modern Valentine’s cards, humans have always sought to speak to the heart. Today, we celebrate that eternal, universal language: love. ❤️
The Chhotanagpur plateau, home to the Asur tribe, reveals a rich cultural tapestry shaped by ancient metallurgical practices. Once adept at eco-friendly iron smelting, the Asurs, classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, face declining traditions amid modern industrialisation. Despite cultural erosion and economic challenges, efforts to preserve their heritage are emerging, highlighting the importance of maintaining their unique connection to history and ecology.
In 1852, Radhanath Sikdar, a Bengali mathematician, discovered that Peak XV was the world's highest mountain, later named Mount Everest. His groundbreaking calculations were overshadowed by British imperial bias, as the peak was named after a British official. Sikdar's contributions to the Great Trigonometrical Survey were largely ignored, encapsulating the colonial erasure of non-Western intellectual achievements.
Beneath Bengal’s quiet soil once lay the mineral that shaped world empires—saltpetre. This unassuming white crystal powered Europe’s guns, fueled its navies, and altered global history, even as the people who produced it remained unaware of its immense value. In a tragic twist, Bengal’s own natural wealth became the lever that enabled its colonization.
A modest clay tablet preserves a snapshot of life in the Ur III dynasty. It records messengers’ rations—soup, fish, and mutton—alongside their missions. From carrying royal offerings to capturing fugitive workers, these couriers kept the empire connected. Four millennia later, the tablet speaks across time, showing the ingenuity, discipline, and human heartbeat behind one of history’s earliest bureaucracies.
