A scientific formula for a successful relationship?

Wouldn’t it be dandy if there was a scientific formula which predicted how long a relationship would last? We wouldn’t have to rely on the advice of buddies, astrologers, and agony aunts. Most importantly we would have a leg up before investing time, money, and energy into one of the most important decisions of our … Continue reading A scientific formula for a successful relationship? →

The Afghan Frontier

Much has been said by pundits regarding the ongoing war in Afghanistan and what would constitute a feasible pull-out of troops. The British fought three major wars against the Afghans between 1839 and and 1919, to establish influence in the sphere of Central Asia during "the Great Game". A couple of passages written by Sir … Continue reading The Afghan Frontier →

Huckleberry Finn has been censored. What does it mean for desis?

Yes, it is true. Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn has been censored. According to the BBC: A new edition of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is causing controversy because of the removal of a racially offensive word. Twain scholar Alan Gribben says the use of the word "nigger" had prompted many US schools to stop … Continue reading Huckleberry Finn has been censored. What does it mean for desis? →

A Hindu’s impression of the United States in 1917.

One of the benefits of having the archives of the New York Times available for downloading from the convenience of a home is that there is a vast collection of news articles of cultural and historical significance easily available. Today, I came across a book review of Lajpat Rai's The United States of America: A … Continue reading A Hindu’s impression of the United States in 1917. →

“Evolution” and racism in a twentieth century reference book

Over the past few decades there has been a concerted effort among creationists to produce reference books which “tell their side of the story”. Most creationists also spend an appreciable amount of time discussing perceived lapses in evolutionary theory. Although I have seen misrepresentations in these accounts, I have yet to come across any reference … Continue reading “Evolution” and racism in a twentieth century reference book →

A gruesome firsthand account of the Bengal Famine of 1770-1772

Continuing my rapid reading of choice texts from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, I came across what was purported to be an excerpt of a letter from Bengal by someone present in the Doab at the time. The excerpt was published in the New-York Literary Magazine Or Literary Repository in the newly-independent United … Continue reading A gruesome firsthand account of the Bengal Famine of 1770-1772 →

A “common Hindoo legend” and a religious conversation in India in 1842

In my last piece, I introduced readers to the journal of Charles Acland, a clergyman who wrote extensively about his tenure as chaplain at “Poree, Cuttack, and Midnapore” from 1842-1845 in Manners and Customs of India. Acland provided some very colorful anecdotes pertaining to the natives of eastern India who were under the administration of … Continue reading A “common Hindoo legend” and a religious conversation in India in 1842 →

On the travels of Charles Acland in Hindoostan (1842-1845)

Out of the hundreds of books I’ve read in 2010, I would be hard pressed to find a more intriguing one than A Popular Account of the Manners and Customs of India written by the Rev. Charles Acland between 1842 and 1845. The slim volume published in the form of a journal describes the time … Continue reading On the travels of Charles Acland in Hindoostan (1842-1845) →