Vijee Venkatraman

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Martyr’s Corner by RKN

An RKN story which was part of the English syllabus in my BSc days. Just being in a textbook took away all the sheen from this brilliant story. So here it is in full glory -- after decades. A fine example of a master's work....

Just Keep Swimming

When a senior male scientist claimed the data from sawfish she’d tagged, Jasmin Graham –an early career shark researcher in Florida– felt powerless. It was not one individual’s behavior but the failure of the larger scientific community to take appropriate action was frustrating. Dejected, Graham...

First Desi Woman Graduate Student in the US

In 1883, before a packed house in Bengal’s Serampore College, with an audience that included the American Consul General, Anandibai Joshi, 18, declared her intention: “I go to America because I wish to study medicine," she said, speaking in English before the College Hall. “Ladies both...

The Biology of Kindness

We tend to think about kindness as a quality that helps others, not ourselves. But a new book, The Biology of Kindness: Six daily choices for health, well-being, and longevity, unpicks the impact of being kind on our bodies and lifespan, as well as the...

MS Blues

On the last day of school, no matter which city we lived in, we would be on the evening train to Madurai. The overnight train journey was always fun--but our annual destination--we were a little less excited about that. Madurai was my father’s hometown, and...

The Thousand Pillared Hall

Translator's note: In The Moor’s Last Sigh, Salman Rushdie describes the blue-and-white Chinese tiles in the Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi in vivid detail. He imagines these square tiles as portals—scenes of battles, marketplaces, horsemen, and swooning ladies—that shimmer with meaning across time. It’s a...