Poor man's saffron

Loaded with immunity-boosting properties,parijaat flower is used in various delicacies during the onset of winter

Unravelling science for the lay person

NCSTC-Network, a voluntary organisation, links and helps smaller organisations working to demystify science for the masses and dispelling blind …

Checking population growth through the ages

The concept of family planning control dates back to the ancient Greeks. Though many scientific advances have been made in the field since then, …

Technology gives traditional water-mills a lift

The gharat, a water wheel used for centuries by the Himalayan people, has now been modified so that it can empower several machines simultaneously.…

Losing jobs in the jungle

Irula tribals are rich in the knowledge of traditional medicine. They used to catch snakes and practise herbal medicine for a living. Today they …

Folk cures

In Ethiopia, traditional healers can be a good alternative to an inefficient public health system

Book review: Waterlines by Amita Baviskar

Rivers are wellsprings of life. They give birth to civilisations, sustain livelihoods and sometimes even trigger wars. Rivers inspire awe and …

Keeping up the tradition

Cool medicine

The age-old thandai keeps energy levels high and fever and acidity at bay

Kani vs Kani

Kanis are dragged into bureaucratic wrangling, pitting them against each other

Innovative registration

Patent solution

Digital library to store data collected from ancient texts on medicinal properties of plants

Fruit grain

Not par for the coarse

An heirloom in muslin

A bacterial strain that shaped BHARAT LAL SETH’s idea of hospitality

Rice delight

A wild food trail

Aparna Pallavi shares a monsoon recipe of Chhattisgarh

A spoonful of salt, butter

The Ladakhi way to beat the cold

A fig for the pain

Bark of the banyan tree cures joint pain and inflammation  

Uninspired view of culture and development

Culture and Development: Cultural Patterns in Areas of Uneven Development K C Alexander and K P Kumaran Publisher: Sage Publications, New Delhi, …

Ayurveda offers remedy for failing memory

After yielding successful formulations like Liv. 52 and Guglip, Ayurveda now holds out promise of a new range of drugs to treat mental disorders.

Stretching arguments to point of absurdity

SCIENCE, DEVELOPMENT AND VIOLENCE -- THE TWILIGHT OF MODERNITY Claude Alvares Publisher: Oxford University Press, New Delhi Price: Rs 195

Mughal system stilll supplies water at zero cost

Mughal builders are known the world over for the Taj Mahal. But their water engineers built a supply system in 1615 that still provides water to …

Building up a dangerous trend

Last October's earthquake destroyed 20 per cent of Uttarkashi's houses. When the rubble had settled, it was found that the older, traditional …

"India has lost much to the West"

Lynn Crisanta R Panganiban is a physician in the department of pharmacology at the University of Philippines, Manila. A toxicologist and an …