Knowledge is power. Time is money. Justice is blind. Western civilisation is a powerful brand, and full of accepted wisdoms like these that we rarely question. Taking cues from Greek philosophy and honed in the Enlightenment, certain notions about humanity and society grew into the tenets many of us still live by today. But if we take a closer look at these ideas, it seems they are not all they […]

Smartphones, skyscrapers, spacecraft. Modern technology seems mind-bogglingly complex. But beneath the surface, it can be beautifully simple. In Nuts and Bolts, award-winning Shard engineer and broadcaster Roma Agrawal deconstructs our most complex feats of engineering into seven fundamental inventions: the nail, spring, wheel, lens, magnet, string and pump. Each of these objects is itself a wonder of design, the result of many iterations and refinements. Together, they have enabled humanity […]

Reena hates rainy days. She hates the way the dark clouds make everything look so dull.Rekha loves rainy days. She loves the way the rain makes the earth smell. When Rekha spots a rainbow, she rushes indoors to tell her sister about it. Reena will want to paint it, for sure! But when the sisters go outside to find it, the rainbow disappears. Where could it have gone? A vibrantly […]