https://www.scmp.com/rss/141947/feed Charukesi Ramadurai is an Indian freelance journalist writing on culture and current affairs. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Charukesi Ramadurai Charukesi Ramadurai It’s been more than an hour since we drove away from Sumba’s tiny Tambolaka airport and so far, it’s been mostly empty stretches of narrow road, with only the occasional group of cheeky schoolchildren waving and hooting to break the monotony. All of a sudden, a procession of bare-chested, barefoot men approaches on the other side of the road, their red turbans gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. Our driver pulls over, pats his pockets and takes out … a packet of cigarettes, which he proffers to... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3342466/not-bali-indonesian-island-learning-welcome-strangers-while-sharing-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3342466/not-bali-indonesian-island-learning-welcome-strangers-while-sharing-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:10 +0000 When New Delhi, India-based Hameeda Syed goes clothes shopping, she tends to gravitate towards the men’s section. A plus-sized woman of above-average height, she finds shirts and jeans designed for men most comfortable. For Aarti Krishnakumar from Pune, growing up in a small south Indian town meant covering up in roomy shalwar kameez and full-sleeved dresses that fell well below the knee. “It was not so much about modesty as about my size. ‘You are fat, so you need to cover up’,” she remembers... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3219017/why-should-we-feel-bad-about-ourselves-affordable-size-inclusive-indian-fashion-entrepreneur-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3219017/why-should-we-feel-bad-about-ourselves-affordable-size-inclusive-indian-fashion-entrepreneur-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 May 2023 08:15:08 +0000 The right-wing Indian government has been attempting to rewrite the country’s Islamic past, replacing hard facts with murky fiction, to promote its Hindutva agenda. Their favourite whipping boys are the Mughals, and there is a steady plan to erase their existence from Indian history. In their place, Hindu rulers, freedom fighters and generally anyone who could be a potential public hero, are being glorified. This is all part of the grand plan to stoke nationalistic fervour and communal tensions,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3103739/how-indias-mughal-history-being-rewritten-modi-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3103739/how-indias-mughal-history-being-rewritten-modi-government?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Oct 2020 20:00:11 +0000 In January 2013, Paul Salopek set out on what was supposed to be a seven-year, 21,000-mile (33,800km) walk across the globe. He is not yet even halfway through. The journey, which he calls the Out of Eden Walk, was to follow in the footsteps of mankind, the first humans having moved out of Africa to begin exploring the world several millennia ago. Salopek’s route would take him from Ethiopia to Argentina, via war-torn West Asia, the Silk Road, the Indian subcontinent (which he left just over a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3098249/following-footsteps-early-humans-man-walking-21000-miles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3098249/following-footsteps-early-humans-man-walking-21000-miles?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Aug 2020 06:45:11 +0000 When my journalist friend Anita Rao Kashi described her orange rind gojju – a thick spicy-sour-sweet stew – I was intrigued. Not only had I never heard of this stew before, but the idea of using citrus rind as a main ingredient in a dish was also novel to me. A casual query on Facebook got many other friends responding with their own recipes, including one from food writer Ranjini Rao, who says: “[I’ve been] keeping in mind the need to eat healthy and stretching ingredients as much as possible... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3090389/frugal-indian-cooks-rediscover-vegetable-peel-and-fruit-rinds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3090389/frugal-indian-cooks-rediscover-vegetable-peel-and-fruit-rinds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jun 2020 11:15:13 +0000 The colour of Hampi is sepia. It’s not the soft sepia of old photographs, but a deep brown that seeps into all your senses and dulls them after a while. It is the colour of the dry earth, the imposing hills and the precarious rocks of the region. It is also the colour of the temples, monuments and ruins that this ancient village in South India is famous for. The stones in Hampi bear witness to centuries of history; both the glorious triumphs of succeeding rulers as well as the destruction... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3007595/hampi-how-explore-temples-and-ruins-ancient-indian-village?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3007595/hampi-how-explore-temples-and-ruins-ancient-indian-village?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Apr 2019 12:00:05 +0000 In the past few years, more travellers – both domestic and overseas – have opted to stay in boutique properties rather than large chain hotels. “While big chains resonate with most travellers, offering a certain standard of service and luxury, they often lack the character that niche boutique properties bring,” says Vish Gopalakrishnan, chief executive officer at Footprint Holidays, a company specialising in customised luxury travel. Small outfits are promoting homestays and boutique properties... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2153367/five-best-boutique-hotels-india-ultimate-glamping-rustic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2153367/five-best-boutique-hotels-india-ultimate-glamping-rustic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jul 2018 03:30:15 +0000 You have risen at the crack of dawn and dragged yourself through the sleepy streets of Agra to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. You have followed in the footsteps of Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey and countless tourists, to get that iconic shot on the stone bench facing the edifice. And you have listened to your guide prattle on about the romantic legends surrounding 17th century Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s monument to his deceased wife, Mumtaz Mahal. So, what next? The good, the bad and the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2111987/five-things-do-agra-once-youve-visited-taj-mahal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2111987/five-things-do-agra-once-youve-visited-taj-mahal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Sep 2017 05:00:30 +0000 The Vanishing Stepwells of India by Victoria Lautman Merrell Publishers 4/5 stars The cover of Victoria Lautman’s book The Vanishing Stepwells of India carries a striking shot of the Mahila Bagh ka Jhalra, a stepwell hidden in plain sight in Jodhpur, one of India’s most popular tourist destinations. Locals and tourists alike walk past this every day, mostly without a clue that an engineering marvel lies in their midst. Stepwells – as the name suggests – are subterranean structures with several... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2083048/book-review-vanishing-stepwells-india-ancient-feats-engineering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2083048/book-review-vanishing-stepwells-india-ancient-feats-engineering?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Mar 2017 03:00:34 +0000 Come the cooler season, tourists begin to flock to India from all over the world. And Indians themselves shake off the stupor of the sweltering summer and muggy monsoon months, and begin their exploration of the country. Whatever your interest, there is something in India to suit every kind of traveller: here is our list of must-visit destinations for this winter. Best for history: Orchha, Madhya Pradesh In the sprawling state of Madhya Pradesh, right in the heart of India, is the historic town... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2059234/best-best-india-travel-guide-six-places-holiday-winter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2059234/best-best-india-travel-guide-six-places-holiday-winter?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jan 2017 05:33:23 +0000 One of the best ways to enjoy a new city or country is through its local food. And nowhere is this truer than in India. It is a land with a mind-boggling variety of regional cuisine, going way beyond the chicken tikka masala that has come to represent Indian food globally. However, eating in a new place also brings with it concerns about health and hygiene, and again, nowhere is this truer than in India, especially when getting adventurous with street food. But you can forget Delhi Belly and get... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1948525/how-get-know-india-through-its-food-insiders-guide-some?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1948525/how-get-know-india-through-its-food-insiders-guide-some?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 May 2016 23:00:47 +0000 Tiger spotters in India have cause for jubilation this year. After years of depressing reports about poaching, shrinking habitats and overall alarming reduction in the number of tigers in India, there is finally good news. The latest tiger census, completed towards the end of 2014, shows a 30 per cent increase in numbers from the last census in 2011; up to 2,226 from a low of 1,706. The wildlife season has just begun in India and goes on until June. Most national parks have just reopened after... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1875230/five-best-forests-tiger-spotting-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/1875230/five-best-forests-tiger-spotting-india?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Nov 2015 06:15:45 +0000 It's the world's longest poem, with more than 100,000 couplets and running to 1.8 million words. The Mahabharata , held to be one of India's two great epics, has been told and retold in oral and visual form for centuries across the country. In July 2009, Chindu Sreedharan, senior lecturer in journalism and communication at Britain's Bournemouth University, began to narrate his version on Twitter (@chindu). Over 1,065 days and 2,628 tweets, he unfolded the story of two warring sets of cousins,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/books/article/1711758/interview-author-who-narrated-indian-epic-mahabharata-2628-tweets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/books/article/1711758/interview-author-who-narrated-indian-epic-mahabharata-2628-tweets?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2015 14:48:53 +0000 An increasing number of Indian writers seem to be in the grip of a "China craze", fascinated by the country and its metamorphosis from dynasty-ruled kingdom to global powerhouse. Mishi Saran, the Indian-born author who spent the first 10 years of her life in New Delhi before moving abroad, is a case in point. Her first book, Chasing The Monk's Shadow (2005), charts the epic journey of seventh-century Chinese monk Xuanzang from China to India via central Asia. To research her subject, she spent a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1644477/city-scope-china-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1644477/city-scope-china-story?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2014 13:59:12 +0000 "If I'm a beef, I'm wagyu." That is the first line of Ultra Rich Asian Girls of Vancouver, a new reality-television show following four Putonghua-speaking socialities who spend their lives sipping vintage red wine through straws (to avoid staining their teeth), discussing boob jobs and, of course, shopping. The debut episode, titled Put Your Money Where Your Beef Is, attracted 90,000 viewers on YouTube, making it a viral hit - but for all the wrong reasons. "This is horrifying, embarrassing,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1633301/city-scope-poor-little-rich-girls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1633301/city-scope-poor-little-rich-girls?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2014 14:10:30 +0000 "Food is music to the body; music is food to the heart," Gregory David Roberts wrote in Shantaram, his 2003 novel commended by many for its vivid portrayal of life in Mumbai, where the Australian former heroin addict and bank robber lived for 10 years as a fugitive. But while Bollywood has long included music in its film equation, it has only discovered food in a big way in recent years. Some wonderful food-themed films have left audiences licking their fingers. The most popular is The Lunchbox... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1437149/postcard-mumbai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1437149/postcard-mumbai?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Mar 2014 10:41:28 +0000 One of the recurring themes in Bollywood cinema is that of long-lost siblings reuniting. Recently, India seems to have found some new siblings - in China. Among other things discussed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent visit to the mainland, New Delhi and Beijing, Bangalore and Chengdu, and Calcutta and Kunming, were, respectively, declared sister cities. The twinnings make some sense: New Delhi and Beijing are capitals with huge populations and long and rich histories; Bangalore and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1373630/city-scope-oh-brother?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1373630/city-scope-oh-brother?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Dec 2013 14:48:57 +0000 Paul Chung's voice trails off as he says, "We used to feel at home here …" The president of the Indian Chinese Association is talking about the Tiretta Bazar area, Calcutta's Chinatown. History has it that, in the 1780s, the first Chinese trader in Calcutta, Tong Atchew, settled in a place now known as Achipur. Tens of thousands of Chinese, mostly of Cantonese and Hakka origin, subsequently flocked to the city to make a living in its bustling port. Many fled in the face of persecution after... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1300325/city-scope-dancing-new-tune?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1300325/city-scope-dancing-new-tune?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 From the cricket fields to international political summits, anything involving India and Pakistan raises eyebrows, questions and excitement levels in both countries. Shatrujeet Nath's recent bestseller, The Karachi Deception , is the gripping story of machinations at the highest level of the rival nations' intelligence agencies. Nath, a former editor at The Economic Times, grew up nursing ambitions of becoming an Indian army commando. He has lived that dream through his debut book sprinkled with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/books/article/1270912/books-qa-shatrujeet-nath?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/books/article/1270912/books-qa-shatrujeet-nath?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Follow @SCMP_News It's raining remakes in Bollywood. It is no secret that mainstream Hindi cinema thrives on stories lifted straight from the highly prolific south Indian film industry, of which several have recently joined the coveted "100 crore" club of movies that have made over one billion Indian rupees (HK$140 million). The latest trend, however, involves the production of the 2.0 version of a successful old Bollywood movie. Again, this is not new to Hindi cinema - with the most successful... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1245009/postcard-mumbai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1245009/postcard-mumbai?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 It's a fact that most of India celebrates the holy Khan triumvirate (Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh) on celluloid. But there are still people devoted to action movies - especially those colloquially known as "masala movies" - and family flicks starring almost forgotten heroes from the 1980s, such as Jackie Shroff, Sunny Deol and Mithun Chakraborty. These viewers patronise the old single-screen cinema halls in Mumbai, some with English names (Alfred, Strand, Lido, Capitol) and others with Hindi ones... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1213023/postcard-mumbai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1213023/postcard-mumbai?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 In the wake of yoga and satellite television channels showing Indian soaps, the latest thing to reach the mainland from India appears to be wine. Towards the end of last year, Bangalore-based Grover Zampa became the first Indian winery to export to what is the world's fastest growing wine market. Most of the mainland's wine imports - about 2.5 million cases a year - come from France and Australia, and there are several popular local producers - after all, China has a winemaking tradition that is... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1211606/city-scope-drop-vindia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1211606/city-scope-drop-vindia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Saas-bahu (literally 'mother-in-law and daughter-in-law') soap operas are hugely popular in India, captivating millions with their complicated plots and unexpected twists. And now mainlanders are set to laugh and cry along with much of the subcontinent at these soppy Hindi dramas. Zee TV, one of India's leading private television channels, has finally acquired landing rights on the mainland for all kinds of programming - including reality shows, comedies and movies - after six years of... https://www.scmp.com/article/1001404/invasion-mothers-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1001404/invasion-mothers-law?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 I remember being surprised, about eight years ago, when the boss of the research agency I worked for suggested that my colleagues and I took Putonghua lessons. At the time, almost nobody in Mumbai thought of anything beyond French or the occasional other European language lesson. Alliance Francaise used to overflow with people of all ages wanting to parler while the Goethe-Institut had the odd student wanting German lessons to supplement those they had had at college. The early 2000s saw a... https://www.scmp.com/article/995757/getting-characters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995757/getting-characters?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 In Salzburg, there are three kinds of people; those who love the movie, those who abhor it and those who make a living from it. This is surprising considering Austrians were unaware of The Sound of Music before America and Hollywood thrust it down their throats. The women on The Sound of Music Tour bus are excited, the men slightly embarrassed. A couple of American children keep fidgeting, clueless as to what the fuss is all about. Then the stories begin. The first tale concerns a lady from... https://www.scmp.com/article/995042/hills-are-alive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995042/hills-are-alive?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Long after the rest of the world has finished welcoming the new year, in many parts of India the celebrations have continued. Mid-January witnessed Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival that marks the sun's auspicious journey into the northern hemisphere. Pockets in Mumbai (and other large Indian cities, such as Calcutta) will stay in party mode until next week celebrating the Lunar New Year. This is a time for the city's Chinese residents to reconnect with the traditions of their... https://www.scmp.com/article/990739/party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/990739/party?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The fastest-growing aviation route out of India is to China, according to a recent article in the Indian business newspaper The Economic Times. During the first six months of the year, the number of Indians travelling 'next door' to China increased almost 18 per cent, against overall growth in outbound international travel of 10 per cent. What is more, for the first time, a large number are leisure travellers, many from Mumbai. Indians stepped into the world of international holidays... https://www.scmp.com/article/986693/indians-turning-holidays-next-door?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/986693/indians-turning-holidays-next-door?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Stories have been used to pass cultural and religious values down through generations since at least the times of Aristotle's Poetics (circa 350BC). The great Indian works Ramayana and Mahabharata are epic tales made up of thousands of sub-stories, each of which has a moral. The storytelling tradition has a long history in China, too, where it can be traced back to the Han dynasty (206BC-AD220). A New York Times article from 2007 reported that researchers had found the human brain has an... https://www.scmp.com/article/982600/fine-art-storytelling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/982600/fine-art-storytelling?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Mazgaon is one of the seven islands that were linked together, over the course of about 500 years, to form the modern city of Mumbai. Today, it is a noisy, crowded neighbourhood, mainly known as the location of the naval dockyard. But hidden in a small street behind the Dockyard Road train station - and unknown to most Mumbai residents - is Kwan Tai Shek, the city's only Chinese temple. With its auspicious bright red exterior, the temple stands out on an otherwise nondescript street.... https://www.scmp.com/article/978643/keeper-faith?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/978643/keeper-faith?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The petite Indian city of Bundi has played muse to artists - most famously, writer Rudyard Kipling, photographer Virginia Fass and poet Rabindranath Tagore - but it has managed to deflect the prying eyes of the tour groups and backpackers. They have come, seen and conquered the rest of Rajasthan - pink Jaipur, blue Jodhpur and golden Jaisalmer - but overlook sandy, brown Bundi, despite its palaces and great fortress. Perhaps for that reason the town's rough charm remains undiminished. Tucked ... https://www.scmp.com/article/976691/living-dreams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/976691/living-dreams?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Japan has always been on Bollywood's radar. As far back as 1966 there was the popular film Love in Tokyo and its sing-along theme, Sayonara Sayonara. More recently there has been the popularity in Japan of actor Rajnikanth - during a visit in 2006, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledged the success of the Indian star's 1995 film Muthu as an example of the positive ties between the two nations. But China, not so much. Indian cinema has had an up-and-down relationship with the Asian... https://www.scmp.com/article/974971/bollywood-calling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/974971/bollywood-calling?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000 After it was first brought to India by immigrants to Calcutta, Chinese food in the country slowly turned into 'Chindian', with the addition of local spices and flavours. However, it is in Mumbai where Chindian food has come into its own. At about 5pm every day, a specific kind of hunger seizes the city. Lunch is a distant memory and it's too early to entertain thoughts of dinner. All roads then lead to the friendly neighbourhood chaatwala - vendors who ply the streets, selling fried, spicy... https://www.scmp.com/article/970949/chindian-anyone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/970949/chindian-anyone?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Here is an idea to spice up a dull summer morning: find two Indians, put them together in a room and ask for their opinion on the best mango in India. Leave them a while, then bring in two more. Sit back and watch the fun. Indians may agree on other things, on rare occasions, even on politics. But when it comes to the mango, there is no consensus. Regional loyalties, specific preferences for taste and texture, seasonal specialties; the argumentative Indian is at his fiercest while discussing... https://www.scmp.com/article/965202/mango-mania-india-romances-stone-fruit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/965202/mango-mania-india-romances-stone-fruit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:00:00 +0000