From the archives

Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda (left) receives his appointment as National Security Advisor from Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa (second from right) at a ceremony in Colombo in 2009. Two other officials stand nearby in the wood-panelled office.
The sanctioned former Sri Lankan navy chief’s memoir contains potential admissions relevant to alleged crimes committed during the country’s civil war, and raises serious questions of publisher accoun ...
Ranil Wickremesinghe surrounded by police and lawyers coming out of the courtroom after being arrested for misusing state funds.
Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested for misuse of public funds, but opposition leaders have opted to grandstand rather than press for reform
A yellow taxi drives along a street in Kolkata decorated with colourful Bengali messages painted on the asphalt for International Mother Language Day 2025. The messages are written in white and red paint, surrounded by other road markings. Other vehicles are visible in the background, and the roadside is lined with trees and a blue railing adorned with colourful flags.
By
Ankush Pal
The ambitious Shabdakalpa project, launching in 2028, aims to map the history of every Bengali word in digital form, preserving cultural memory and inspiring future Southasian language initiatives
A lively crowd of people from the Oraon community in Purnea celebrates the spring festival of Sarhul. Men and women link arms and dance in traditional attire, with women in colourful sarees smiling and moving energetically, while others watch in the background. The atmosphere is festive and joyful.
What France’s vanishing dialects reveal about language politics in India, and how pride and shame shape Bihar’s tongues amid the dominance of Hindi and English
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Himal Southasian
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