New fiction by Rachel Cusk in the magazine! I read this story maybe 20 times during the editing process and I can honestly say I liked it more each time. She is truly the master!! If you missed it at the weekend, here's a free link on.ft.com/3Ka2zfs

The letters exchanged between Wajid Ali Shah & his many wives are very interesting examples of Urdu prose. These begums were trained in prose & poetry. Sharar praises the quality of their Mahalati & Taksali idiom.

Some examples of their letters, related to events of 1857 Ghadr.

The blue bird of Happiness

#OpenAccess
Encounters with Islam
On Religion, Politics and Modernity
Malise Ruthven
I.B. Tauris 2012
on author's Academia
⬇️
academia.edu/5384862/Encoun…

Causal understanding of water displacement by a Raven

THE HANDS OF FATIMA, Laila Shawa, 2013

Kurdish boy, Iraq, 1951.

U🩷

The mango man 🥭D. Afonso de Albuquerque, governor of the Portuguese Indies(1509-1515).
Afanso over years became Alfanso/Alphanso - India's one of the most favourite mangoes or aam 🥭is named after a coloniser #food #history #art William Dalrymple ranjona banerji 🇮🇳 Abhishek G. Bhaya अभिषेक অভিষেক ابھیشک 加冕礼 Zeb Bilal

It was tropical fruit that Portuguese traders would make into a profitable business.From India their 1st stop in Europe would be Azores n or Genoa. By 17thC Europe had glass conservatories to add to their shelf lives. If this interests you
gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds… #food #history

Barley at Sunrise, by Kogyo Terazaki, ca. 1890-1895

#krakow #streetphotography #photography
❤️🌿☮️🌷🌿
youtube.com/watch?v=HGo9Z7…

'মনে পরে সেই সব দিন '
Salil Chowdhury's tune,KK's rendition and 1980s 'Calcutta' specially the Maidan surrounded by landmarks like Victoria Memorial, Fort William,Dalhousie square.

I am super-thrilled about co-chairing the 2025 South Asian Literary Association conference with my two amazing colleagues Amrita Ghosh and Rajorshi Das. Please checkout the cfp & consider applying. This will be a fully virtual conference! Happy to answer questions! shorturl.at/XcTfO

love this shot in Vojtěch Jasný’s 1958 film ‘Touha’ (Desire)

Heres a gorgeous evocative image of a woman not reading but writing. The cover of Shama, a massively successful Urdu periodical with circulation figures far surpassing any others. Also one of those archival regrets - a magazine I wish I could have worked on!

THREAD

20 July 1972 saw the untimely demise of singer-extraordinaire #GeetaDutt at the young age of 41. But her tragically short life hasn't made the slightest dent in her lasting legacy as one of our greatest & most versatile artistes. Let us revisit 12 of her best songs!

1/n

never forget to keep reminding yourself

It was tropical fruit that Portuguese traders would make into a profitable business.From India their 1st stop in Europe would be Azores n or Genoa. By 17thC Europe had glass conservatories to add to their shelf lives. If this interests you
gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds… #food #history