Thomas Merton, the great Roman Catholic poet, contemplative, and social critic, creates one frame for viewing Kolkata. This evocative paragraph about Kolkata comes from his 1967 Asian Journal. “Calcutta, smiling, fecal,… Read more

I walk through the alleyways of Kumartuli in northern Kolkata a few minutes from the Hooghly River. I watch the potters responsible for making many of Kolkata’s Kali, Durga, Shiva… Read more

  I see a statue of Vivekananda everywhere. Below my room at the Ramakrishna Institute of Culture’s International Scholars House, I see a tall, proud Vivekananda with arms folded. Outside… Read more

The people of India are incredibly diverse. These photos from Rajasthan and Punjab show some of that diversity. Here is a future Michael Jackson and a future Dennis Hopper for… Read more

Status is important to most Indians. Although the Indian Constitution made caste-based employment illegal except for certain “schedule classes and tribal groups,” most Indians can pick up a person’s caste after a… Read more

As a one-time ten-year old paperboy, I still love getting my hands stained with the ink of newspapers. More than that, I enjoy reading papers to get a sense of… Read more

I am staying at a Jaipur BnB. Kul, an executive for Reliance, and Shweta, a teacher, designed and built this lovely home. After children left the home, Shweta has turned… Read more

I watch the lowering of the Indian flag at the Wagah Border crossing which is only 12 kilometers from Amritsar. The tourist brochure likens it to the changing of the… Read more

Mr. Desert 2017 sounds better than the title Mr. Mustache 2017. It still sounds a bit cheesy, but the reality is more interesting. I’m talking about Jaisalmer’s three-day Desert Festival.… Read more

With a big smile, he greets us on the front porch of the Bishop’s House at Delhi’s Butler Memorial Girl’s School. Sudipta, his wife, Indian pastor Rev. Kumar, two administrative… Read more