History and Culture – Page 2 – NICKELED AND DIMED

Namasudra Refugees: Caste, Partition, and the Marichjhapi Tragedy

By:- Tanishka Shah Abstract While Partition is conventionally narrated as a conflict of religions, for Dalit Namasudra refugees it was equally a story of caste marginalisation. From their pre-partition mobilisation and Jogendranath Mandal’s alliance with Muslims, to their subsequent displacement, relocation to Dandakaranya, and the violence of the Marichjhapi massacre in 1979, the Namasudra…
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Urdu, Hindi & Tapering Cultures : Reimagining the nation-state post Partition

By – Poorvanshi Tyagi Abstract The Partition of 1947 finds its legacies in the geography, culture and traditions of India and Pakistan today. Partition memory plays an important role in shaping the Indian nation-state with respect to its imagined sense of belonging, homogeneity and national identity. The prominence of sanskritised Hindi and consequent erasure of…
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Lock ’Em Up, Cash ’Em In: Penal Labour in the Ledger of Empire..

By — Hansin Kapoor Abstract This article examines the intertwined development of the penal system and economy in British colonial India and argues that colonial jails and laws were not merely instruments of order, but also of profit and social control. Prisons were turned into “houses of industry” where convicts toiled in shops and fields…
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The Politics of Access: Piracy as Resistance in the Digital Age

By — Chandril Ray Chaudhuri Abstract This essay examines the link between modern digital piracy and economic exclusion, arguing that piracy should not be viewed today as theft, but as a form of resistance against the cultural monopolisation facilitated by late-stage capitalism. Drawing historical parallels with maritime piracy, which challenged the wealth-centred trade monopolies of…
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The 64 Squares of Power: Chess and the Soviet Project

By – Sahasra Sai Murtineni Abstract This article examines the profound impact of chess on Russian culture and politics, particularly during the Soviet era. It argues that the Soviet Union strategically cultivated chess excellence as a symbol of its intellectual superiority and a tool for projecting its ideological dominance on the world stage. The rise…
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Revisiting Economic History: Gendered Silences in Early-Modern India

By – Tanishka Shah Abstract This paper tries to reconstruct the economic contributions of women in early modern India, centering labour that has long remained peripheral in official accounts and mainstream historiography. It argues that women were indispensable actors in India’s agrarian, artisanal, and proto-industrial economies. From spinning cotton for a thriving textile export industry…
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Archiving Emotion in The Lunchbox

By — Apoorva Lakshmi Kaipa Abstract In The Lunchbox (2013), a mistake by the dabbawala system in Mumbai sets in motion the lunch deliveries from a young homemaker to a widowed accountant accompanied by a set of handwritten notes. The misdelivery turns into a more intimate attachment and a journey of something deeper. The lunchbox…
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Economy Of OTTS – Decline of The Golden Indian Television

By – Poorvanshi Tyagi Abstract The year 2012 brought Over The Top(OTT) platforms to the forefront of India’s Media & Entertainment industry. Though relatively unknown in its formative years, OTT platforms managed to attract millions of Indian users with the onset of the pandemic, growing into a large-scale industry. This article sheds light on the…
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Choked, Torn and Bleached: The Global Bioeconomies of the Female Body

By – Sujal Bamal Abstract A preference that is established on the obsession of molding the female body to soothe the male gaze is a system of control disguised as beauty. Rooted in gendered, economic and cultural power, aesthetic standards emerge at the start of every decade and the female anatomy serves as the canvas…
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Culture, Capital, Commodity: On Shillong’s Mawphlang Forests and the Dangers of Ecotourism

By – Poorvanshi Tyagi Abstract The 1996 ecotourism initiatives at the Mawphlang sacred forests brought recognition to the essence of the area, transforming it into a wonder destination for many. A multitude of trip-advisory articles shed light on the systematic structure set in place for the exploration of these sacred groves. It raises a moral…
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The Price of India’s White Gold

By – Apoorva Lakshmi Kaipa Abstract This article examines how the industrialisation of dairy has transformed a culturally sacred practice into a system marked by cruelty, pharmaceutical manipulation, and consumer deception. It will explore the intersection of bioeconomics, cultural tradition, and ethical consumption through the lens of India’s dairy industry and the emerging vegan movement.…
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Meerut 1987: Memory, Erasure, & the Silences of Power

This article examines the 1987 Meerut riots, focusing on the systematic erasure of the massacre through state complicity and narrative manipulation. It explores how communal tensions, political interests, and biased investigations contributed to reframing the violence as a “riot” rather than a state-enabled massacre. By analyzing institutional failures, selective violence, and the withholding of justice,…
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