Education is the only effective medicine for these trying times. We urge our readers to take a pause & read the excerpts from The Proudest Blue, a children's picture book and NYT bestseller,written by Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali,illustrated by Hatem Aly. (1/10)
This powerful and vividly illustrated story revolves around two sisters, Asiya and Faizah, and their first day of school and one of them having the first day wearing a hijab, a blue one. (2/10)
It is Asiya's younger sister Faizah who is the narrator of our little story. During the school day, Faizah's classmates ask about her sister's hijab in a whispering tone, and she honestly explains why. (3/10)
“Asiya’s hijab isn’t a whisper. Asiya’s hijab is like the sky on a sunny day.” (4/10)
When Faizah notices other bullies at school laughing at Asiya’s hijab, she thinks about the strength their mother instilled in them. (5/10)
“Some people won’t understand your hijab, Mama had said. But if you understand who you are, one day they will too.” (6/10)
The words that are yelled at Asiya are similar to the ones that Ibtihaj heard when she was growing up and was bullied for her religious beliefs shown by wearing a garment of faith. (7/10)
“Asiya’s hijab is not a tablecloth. Asiya’s hijab is blue. Only blue.” (8/10)
Bullies are nothing but a faceless shadow filled with hatred. Faizah learnt how to face the hate. We do, too. (9/10)
‘The Proudest Blue’ delivers an emphatic message of being proud of who you are through a medium of universal storytelling. Don’t forget to buy this amazing book because education is key to making us a little more human every time. (10/10)
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@leomessisite is in India on a three-day tour, visiting Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi. It’s the perfect moment to revisit how a Pakistani man born in Bhopal helped Argentina win their first World Cup. If you happen to meet Messi, you tell him this story. Thread. 1/18
To unearth the personal accounts for this immensely interesting story, we spoke to Ijaz Chaudhry, an eminent sports journalist with roots in both Pakistan and the UK who has written, reported and spoken in several prestigious sports newspapers and on TV/Radio channels. (2/18)
1978. Argentina was politically turbulent. Democracy was in tatters, the country was in the grip of a dictatorship. That year, Argentina hosted both the hockey and football World Cups. The hockey event was held in March, and the football extravaganza followed in June. (3/18)
The newly-reignited debate over Vande Mataram fanned by opportunistic political actors has again dragged a century-old cultural conversation into a culture war. But long before today’s noise, Rabindranath Tagore had already thought deeply about the song.
Thread. 1/20
Vande Mataram began as a poem in Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s novel Anandamath (1882). Its early life was literary and regional, an invocation to a mother-figure rooted in Bengal, but it quickly became a political war-cry in the anti-colonial movement. 2/20
There should be no debate about the historic impact of Vande Mataram. It played an undeniably gigantic role in the freedom movement. It was an inspiration heard in protest marches, and used as a rallying cry by revolutionaries, students, and volunteers across the country. 3/20
If only it was this angry when millions of migrants were walking home on foot.
Thread. 1/18
For a country that prides itself on moving fast, India was strangely unprepared for the week in 2025 when IndiGo—the airline that had become shorthand for middle-class mobility—simply stopped working. 2/18
Aviation in India has always been a performance—a stage where the country acts out its idea of arrival. If the railways carry everyone, aviation is meant to carry those who imagine they have moved beyond the crowds of railway platforms.
Simone Tata, the visionary who transformed Lakmé into India's leading cosmetic brand, passed away yesterday in Mumbai. She was 95. We recount the remarkable story of how Goddess Lakshmi inspired the most well-known cosmetic brand of India. 1/16
Photo by Bikramjit Bose.
The story begins in India in the 1950s, a nascent democracy that was unavoidably going through growth pains. Reportedly, the Nehru administration had realised that Indian women were spending a lot of money on imported cosmetics. 2/16
According to M.O. Mathai’s acclaimed book “My days with Nehru,” Indian urban women were furious when the Union Finance Minister halted all imports of foreign cosmetics due to a lack of foreign currency. Telegrams and letters poured into the PM’s office. 3/16
This is one of the most significant pieces of furniture in India’s modern history. If furniture could speak, this one would tell the story of a hero’s last stand.
A short thread. 1/11
This sofa set was recovered from the ill-fated Palm Lounge at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, during the 26/11 terrorist attack, bearing a total of 13 bullet marks.
2/11
It witnessed the valiant fight between Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and four terrorists during the operation. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan was an officer of the Indian Army’s elite National Security Guard (NSG), renowned for his exceptional bravery.
Legendary actor Dharmendra passed away yesterday after a brave battle. He had been receiving treatment at Mumbai’s Breach Candy hospital.
Did you know that the tune of this song from 'Anupama' (1966) was actually composed 4 years earlier for another film? #DharmendraDeol 1/9
Hrishikesh Mukherjee drew from his cousin's real-life story for the titular character in 'Anupama'. In an interview with The Indian Express, he shared, "My aunt died during childbirth, my uncle turned to alcohol, and he couldn't bear his daughter. " 2/9
"For Anupama’s relationship with the poet who rescues her, I used my imagination." he remarked.
Dharmendra played Ashok, an author sensitive to the world's sorrows, who sees the same melancholy in Anupama and helps her discover herself. 3/9