History

From the mango being an emperor’s favourite fruit, to the kiwi being fed to the livestock as they were unidentified at the time, fruits in India have unique stories of their own.

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, or Begum Rokeya, fought grave opposition and criticism to build India’s first school for Muslim girls. She goes down in history as being key in launching Bengal’s feminist revolution.

Did you know that it took 55 years after the first passenger train became operational in India to install toilets on the trains? Here’s a Twitter thread that explains the intriguing exchange that led to this.

An Anglo-Indian driver of the Indian Railways, Manasser Johannes was posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra for sacrificing his own life to save 400 passengers aboard a burning train.

Looking for your next book? Try any of these 10 history books recommended by author-historian Manu S Pillai.

From the popular Wagh Bakri Chai to the iconic Nirma jingle, here’s the story behind the marketing and brand logos of five such iconic Indian brands.

Loved across India today, chole bhature has a long, winding history, dating back to the Partition of India, and a symbol of the hopes and new lives of refugees. Here’s its riveting story.

Kodi Ramamurthy Naidu was a wrestler, weightlifter and circus manager. But there is more to his story than what first meets the eye, especially his role in India's freedom struggle.

Ila Mitra, once a promising athlete in undivided Bengal, would soon don the role of Rani Ma, a leader in the Tebhaga Uprising, who led thousands of farmers for their right to keep their hard earned harvest.

Here’s a look at 10 milestone photographs from the social and cultural history of India, which define the nation as we know it today.