Tag: writing
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Podcast Episode: Art Form: Kathputli (Rajasthani String Puppets)
The episode explores Rajasthan’s Kathputli puppet art and its rich storytelling tradition, focusing on the Bhat community as custodians of this art form. Through a casual conversation between friends, it highlights how Kathputli performances convey cultural history, moral lessons, and the importance of engaging with Indian heritage.
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Podcast Episode: Tea Tales: Sipping Stories
In this episode of “Tea Tales,” friends Megh and Vani transform a casual shopping trip into an exploration of tea’s rich history and cultural significance. From ancient China to global rituals, they discuss various tea traditions, highlighting the connections between hospitality and tea. The narrative culminates in the kindness of a stall owner, underscoring tea’s…
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Podcast Episode: From Tibet to Taste Buds: The Momos’ Journey in India
The narrative follows the journey of momos, Tibetan dumplings, as they migrate across the Himalayas into Indian street food culture. Through conversations between friends, the story highlights the cultural significance, affordability, and adaptations of momos in various Indian cities, illustrating how food can represent tradition and connection across borders.
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Podcast Episode: When Craftsmen Governed Themselves: The Forgotten Guilds of Ancient India
The Kathakar post explores ancient Indian guilds, known as Śreṇīs, highlighting a brass lamp’s engraved mark that symbolises communal trust and accountability. It illustrates how these guilds maintained quality standards, supported members, and transmitted knowledge across generations. Trust, rather than the product itself, emerges as the core element essential for societal development.
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Podcast Episode: The Banker Who Could Finance an Empire
The post explores Jagat Seth, an influential banking house in eighteenth-century Bengal, highlighting how the family from Rajasthan became pivotal to commerce without commanding armies. It emphasises the importance of trust in banking over mere wealth, establishing Jagat Seth as a key player in managing finances across vast distances through innovative methods.
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Podcast Episode: When Trust Travelled on Paper: The Story of the Hundi – India’s Invisible Banking
This post explores the hundi, India’s historical credit instrument, highlighting how it facilitated trade through trust rather than physical currency. Merchants relied on the reputation of banking houses for transactions across vast distances, revealing an intricate, trust-based commercial network that predated modern banking and digital payments.
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The Banker Who Could Finance an Empire
Long before banks and digital payments, India’s merchants relied on trust that travelled farther than gold. This is the story of Jagat Seth, the legendary banking house that quietly shaped commerce, connected kingdoms through credit, and proved that a reputation honestly earned could become more valuable than immense wealth itself.
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When Ancient Bengal Looked Out to the World: Tamralipta, the Forgotten Port
Long before Kolkata emerged as a bustling colonial port, ancient Bengal had another gateway to the world. Through Tamralipta, merchants, monks, sailors and ideas travelled across the Bay of Bengal, connecting India with distant civilizations. Join Megh and Vani as they uncover the remarkable story of one of India’s greatest forgotten ports and the legacy…
Kathakar 