History & Origins
Why Is It Called the Ranji Trophy? The Story Behind the Name
The Ranji Trophy is named after Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, the Jam Sahib of Nawanagar and the first Indian to play Test cricket, though he…
Every story we’ve uncovered so far, newest first.
History & Origins
The Ranji Trophy is named after Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, the Jam Sahib of Nawanagar and the first Indian to play Test cricket, though he…
Music
The famous line "kacche ghade pe sohni beh gayi, deta gavahi Chenaab re" from Ove Janiya hides a centuries-old Punjabi tragedy. Here is the…
Music
Everyone says Ring Around the Rosie is about the Black Death. Folklorists say it is not. Here is the rhyme's real, surprisingly recent…
History & Origins
From 90s Bengaluru's Nale Ba to Uttarakhand's headless Sarkata and the Konkan's Munjya — the real Indian folklore behind Bollywood's horror…
Animals & Plants
Only female mosquitoes bite — and it is not revenge. Why they need your blood, who they prefer, and how to get off their menu.
Animals & Plants
That clean earthy smell after rain has a name — petrichor. We reveal where the scent comes from: soil, plants and rainfall chemistry.
Human Body
The morning after is your body's honest review of the night before. What hangovers are, why they happen, and what your body is telling you.
Music
The world's most-sung song has a surprisingly contested past. We trace who really wrote Happy Birthday to You and how the melody became…
Music
Moye moye swept through memes and feeds, but the phrase runs deeper than the trend. Here is how one haunting Serbian song line went viral.
Earth & Space
You always see lightning before you hear thunder, and the gap is a clue. How light and sound race, and how to count a storm's distance.
Earth & Space
If the Sun suddenly vanished, Earth would not notice for eight minutes. Then the real nightmare would begin. Here is what would happen next.
Festivals
Holi, the festival of colours, brightens the whole of India. Behind the celebrations lies the triumph of good over evil and a tale of…