Lore and Life

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M.D. Muthukumaraswamy
The ocean as a source of wealth—known and unknown—is a message that is strongly ingrained in our cultural memory. We look at how the mythological ‘churning of the ocean’ is an invitation to reflect on the vastness of the ocean, its unlimited potential, its beauty and the possibility of its…
in Article
M.D. Muthukumaraswamy
In this edition of ‘Lore and Life’, we look at the history of Holi, the various myths, traditions and rituals associated with the festival, and how the festival was used in the Indian independence movement (In pic: A 19th-century painting of a prince playing Holi in his harem from the National…
in Article
M.D. Muthukumaraswamy
Cities are excellent reminders of our cultural memory, aspirational projections, our successes and failures in establishing cosmopolitan spaces of collective living. We look at the imaginaries of the cities in Indian epic literature. (Photo Source: Vaibhavsoni1/Wikimedia Commons)   William Blake…
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M.D. Muthukumaraswamy
We explore the literary, scriptural, spiritual and anthropological connection between Murugan, the primary deity of the Tamil festival of Thai Pusam, and Tamil identity—especially in India and South East Asia (Photo Source: William Cho/Wikimedia Commons)   ‘The great drums beat As Asura warriors…
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