Art & Culture – Penguin India Blog

Art & Culture, featured, Indian Actors, Indian Films

6 Myths Around India that Bollywood Has Debunked or Upheld

Amidst its rising power to influence the world, Bollywood has both debunked and upheld few myths that surround India and Indians.

Art & Culture, Biography, featured

5 Momentous Performances of Sonal Mansingh

A list of mesmerizing performances by Sonal Mansingh.

Art & Culture, featured

Master on the Doyens of Indian Classical Music

Veteran musician and sarod maestro, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan recalls anecdotes and details about their individual musical styles, bringing them alive.

Art & Culture, Biography, facts, featured

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Sonal Mansingh

Minutiae about a cultural icon whose legacy spans across three classical dance forms.

Art & Culture, Biography, Indian History

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb employed more Hindus in his administration than any prior Mughal ruler.

Art & Culture, Authors, Politics

Dare like Gulzar: 5 Times Gulzar Challenged the Status-Quo

His brilliant creations have often been ahead of their time and have pushed the boundaries of what is possible.

Art & Culture, Authors, Classics, Extracts, featured, Indian Literature, literature, Love, Quotes

A timeless love saga – Meghadutam by Kalidasa

Kalidasa explored new boundaries of literary stylistics – and his poem, Meghadutam stands true to his legacy.

Art & Culture, Biography, Did You Knows, Indian Culture, Indian History

12 things you didn’t know about Vivekananda

When we think of Vivekananda, the image is that of a saintly monk. But was he really that? Swami Vivekananda was nothing like the monks we have known forever. He was confined neither by history nor by ritual, and was constantly questioning everything around him – including himself. He broke numerous stereotypes which he deemed […]

Art, Art & Culture, Authors, Biography, History, Indian History, inspiration, Religion, spiritual, spirituality, indian author, spirituality

Words of Wisdom by The Modern Monk

Vivekananda is one of the most important figures in the modern imagination of India. He was also an utterly modern man who consistently challenged his own views, and embraced diverse, even conflicting arguments. It is his modernity that appeals to us today and makes him the coolest monk we know. More than 100 years after […]

Art, Art & Culture, Authors, History, Indian Culture, Indian History, Indian Literature

Things To Leave Behind: Romancing the past

Set in the years 1840 – 1912, Namita Gokhale’s new novel ‘Things to Leave Behind’ brings alive the mixed legacy of the British Raj. The third in her Himalayan series, it evokes the breath-taking beauty of the Kumaon region. Set in a past we have not quite left behind, it chronicles the struggle for love […]