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I imagine Boston will be smart, but smug. Earnest, and a little dull — a history lesson with literature thrown in. Cue the Boston Tea Party, MIT and Harvard, and Longfellow on that heroic midnight ride of Paul Revere.I do not expect to get teary-eyed at a reenactment on board a gently bobbing boat. Or gasp with delight in front of a Jackson Pollock at the Harvard Art Museums. Or find myself singing Zombie by The Cranberries with a group of very cheerful drunks at an Irish bar.How much of Boston can you see in 48 hours? I pull on…

“Bunty loves Pinky. Pierced heart.” “Vikram + Poonam = heart.” Or just plain “ILU (I love you).” Anyone who has visited a heritage site in India would have seen these messages scribbled on the walls. These random graffiti are the most ubiquitous modern imprint on our history and the most wince-inducing as well. But these modern-day vandals are not a species indigenous to India alone. Nor are they a peculiarly 21st-century phenomenon.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADIn fact, the astonishing discovery of 2000-year-old graffiti left behind by ancient Indian travellers and merchants on the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has hit headlines…

It is rare for a Ranji Trophy final to take shape with nearly two full days of cricket left in the semifinals. But that’s what happened on Wednesday at the Ekana Cricket Stadium here and in distant Kalyani, after just 90 minutes of play.Karnataka wore Uttarakhand down further and earned a massive 503-run first-innings lead even as Jammu & Kashmir reached the 126-run target to oust Bengal.Uttarakhand, from an overnight 149 for five, was bundled out for 233 on the penultimate morning. With no requirement to force an outright result, Karnataka batted again and got to 299 for six by stumps,…

It is bright daylight after three days of relentless downpour in the quiet, far-flung town of Nagato, in the Yamaguchi Prefecture of western Japan. The sun came just right in time to shed light on one of Japan’s most delicate and dangerous cuisines. At Choshu Nagato Fishery, the water drums shimmer with dozens of balloon-like, seemingly harmless fish with spotted skin. But, could you believe a fish so tiny could carry a toxin powerful enough to kill a human?“Do you want to see the fangs of the fugu fish?” a worker at the farm asks, instantly piquing my curiosity. Later,…

After about a year and a half of uncertainty and chaos post the violent ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, Bangladesh witnessed the democratic transition of power on February 12, with over 60 per cent of Bangladeshis casting their vote for 300 Jatiyo Sansad seats. No doubt the doubts persisted until the last minute about whether the elections would be held since several interested sections might have preferred otherwise. Fortunately, good sense prevailed. Also, the fairness and inclusivity of elections will remain a point of debate, especially as the largest political party, the Awami League of Sheikh Hasina, was…

Karnataka’s skipper Devdutt Padikkal. | Photo Credit: File photo: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR With Karnataka all but guaranteed to meet Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy final, there is now heightened suspense over the venue for the marquee clash.The eight-time champion will get to host the final, for it finished with 27 points to J&K’s 24. It is understood that the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium in Hubballi is the front-runner with the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) on the outskirts of Bengaluru an option.A final at the CoE will, however, make it a closed-doors affair, something that doesn’t augur…

Chandeliers, caviar and carpeting used to spell luxury, now it is time. If your resolution this year was on living better, and learning to slow down, these holidays are for you. Responding to a growing thirst for the simple life and fresh air, farmstays across India are offering guests a space to harvest their own meals, hike, bake bread, forage, or enjoy the novel joy of doing nothing. From Rajasthan to Tamil Nadu, we have found you farms that will teach you how to breathe easy again. Harvest produce @ Sangam Farms, Bhilwara, Rajasthan The seed for Sangam Farms was sown…

Bareilly was once the focal point of the kingdom of Uttara Panchala, one of the most significant places in the Mahabharat story. It was said to be ruled by Draupad, father of Draupadi, who was also called PanchaliReligious tourism is at an all-time high in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Beyond Ayodhya, Prayagraj and Varanasi, even Bareilly seems to be drawing in visitors. In 2025, over 1 crore visitors from within India and even some from abroad visited the city as tourists.Interestingly, the destination for a large slice of these travellers was not the headquarters of the Sunni Revivalist Barelvis,…

File image of the Netherlands’ captain Scott Andrew Edwards. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Ahead of his side’s T20 World Cup clash against India at Ahmedabad, Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards said that the team is looking forward to the “massive opportunity” of playing against the defending champions in one of the world’s largest stadiums, in Ahmedabad.The Netherlands will be aiming to bow out of the tournament with their heads held high, hoping to create some upset against India or at least give them a massive scare ahead of the all-important Super Eight stage during their clash on Wednesday (February 18,…

Runners on Sheikh Zayed Road at the Dubai Fitness Challenge’s flagship event. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Sitting down to write about finishing my first 5K feels as exciting as lacing up my running shoes for the Dubai Run 2025. The journalist in me wondered how so many of us had descended upon Sheikh Zayed Road for the world’s largest free community run. There were 3,07,000 of us (yes, you read that right!).Families, fitness enthusiasts, and runners of all ages and abilities turned the Dubai Fitness Challenge’s flagship event into a spectacle on a chilly Sunday morning in November last year.…