A Balochi song, Dilan Teer Bija, has been a must-play at shaadis in India's Hyderabad for years. Dilan Teer Bija was a political song of Benazir Bhutto's time from Karachi's Lyari, the canvas of Dhurandhar. But how did a PPP song become a staple in marriages in India? This Sunday Special reveals the unusual journey of music across borders.
The new middle-class nightmare isn't recession but redundancy at 40. It takes one call, one email, one "restructuring", and your peak earning years are wiped out. It is true, India is creating a 20-year gap where people are neither employed nor retired, just stuck in survival mode.
With the prices of everything increasing, young Indians are finding that inflation is not only making daily life difficult but forcing many to cut back on socialising and reshaping friendships. Here is how young people in urban India are navigating friendflation, and what experts suggest could help in such situations.
Kabaddi has undergone a jarring metamorphosis in the last 15 years. Once the enchanting heartbeat of rural Punjab, criminal syndicates infiltrated tournaments, brought big money, feuds and bullet deaths. At times, the violence has a Canada angle.
Travel is meant to be an escape from the mundane of daily life — a chance to relax, unwind, and return rejuvenated. For many Indians, however, holidays often turn into checklist-driven exercises, leaving people to return home not refreshed, but anxious and exhausted.
Such was the fear and hate for Communists in the US, spouses used to spy on their partners. That same paranoia now seems to have been reserved for Indian techies. But how did Indians, who helped build Silicon Valley, become such subject of hate?
At a time when even a mildly worded tweet can spark outrage, a parallel universe exists inside comedy clubs: one where people pay to get roasted. Comedians are cashing in, turning sharp-tongued jabs into fame and full houses. But what's in it for the patrons?
Professional bartenders and mixologists are elevating India's house party scene. Bring one in and give your party an instant, caramel-popcorn-level glow-up. Across metros, and even in smaller cities like Jabalpur and Nagpur, you can dial a bar home at just a day's notice. And prices start at just Rs 2,000.
Despite marijuana being illegal under Indian law, a secret Himalayan retreat, or many, take place, and draw stoners from across the country. These closed gatherings promise anonymity, bonding, and a "functional stoner lifestyle", even as participants risk jail time and heavy fines under the NDPS Act. For the stoners, the vibe is more important than a jail term.
Ancient India was among the first to experiment with colours and dyed fabric was part of its prime exports. However, the west's fear of colours, India's colonial history and mindset, and the class bias associated with bright palettes are making India go colourless. Indians are taking to pastels, monochromes and neutral colours, for clothes, cars and buildings. Will Indians embrace their very own colours and make the dull world colourful?
Before flying to the US, many travellers make a quick stop at small businesses in Mumbai and Ahmedabad to stock up on vacuum-sealed packets of thepla, fafda, ready-to-eat pav bhaji, and other Gujarati snacks. The Gujarati women who run these businesses from their home kitchens are a lifeline for students and techies going to the US. Their pre-ordered foods are especially for those travelling abroad.
This is what happens after that first phone call reporting an explosion, just like in the Red Fort blast case in Delhi. Veterans tell us how central agencies, like the NSG and the NIA, the state police and the forensic science laboratories react and how the entire counter-terror operation is coordinated.
Drones are being used for deliveries in Gurgaon and Bengaluru. Amazon is trying out AI automation at its warehouses. But the 12 million people in India's gig economy are oblivious of that. From millions of additions to the workforce to automation, India's gig economy is set for an upheaval. Will that be the end of the road for the millions who are always on the move but never move up?
Just a Facebook like by Chef Sumit Kumar got him defrauded of Rs 38 lakh in an investment impersonation scam. Such scams have resulted in 30,000 people across major cities in India losing over Rs 1,500 crore in the last 6 months. Here's why people willingly hand over their hard-earned money to scammers, and how the cash becomes untraceable.
Ever had cab drivers in Bengaluru answer your call in fluent corporate lingo? Chances are, they might have been techies. It's not just for the money. Software engineers are driving cabs to beat loneliness at home and drudgery at the office, revealing a problem in our corporate culture.
Coconut prices have exploded across India, leaving households and hawkers equally stunned. The coconut crisis is reflected in crispy banana chips to everyday curries and chutneys. What's causing this steep surge, and how long will the naryial crunch last?
Gujaratis own over 60% of motels in the US. But the killing of seven Gujaratis linked to the motel business this year reveals the occupational hazards. Motel owners from the US share how they have managed to run the dhandho successfully despite increasing gun violence and racism.
Medical prescriptions that are nothing but scribbles and scrawls are very common. Bad handwriting of doctors is a problem faced regularly by patients and pharmacists, and recently saw a stern observation by a high court in a medico-legal case. Here's why doctors have bad handwriting and the way to fix illegible prescriptions.
Immersion of idols on Vijayadashami caps Durga Puja celebrations every year. However, in Varanasi's Madanpura, it's the same clay idol that has been being worshipped for almost 260 years now. Legend has it that in 1767, the Durga idol at Bengali Tola refused to move when people tried to take it out for immersion.
Indians find it difficult to kiss, and in India even Superman can't kiss in public. A simple Google search shows Indians trying to learn the art of the lip-lock. While India is referred to as the land of Kama Sutra on anything intimate or erotic, kissing was never part of the culture. But why has India, which has adopted and adapted both cultures and behaviours, failed to embrace the kiss?
