First Culture Story

London artistes find new hope, excitement as live music returns to the city post-pandemic

The return of live music in the city that produced bands from the Rolling Stones to the Spice Girls has reignited the creativity of some of London's many working artists after 14 months of silence.

In Germany’s Taunus Mountains, it's shearing season for sheep as summer approaches

The ritual is carried out for the sheep’s benefit, however, sparing them from carrying a heavy coat during the warm summer months.

As life begins to come back to normal in Gaza post ceasefire, fishermen return to sea

Gazans take pride in their seafood, and the return of fishing buoyed hopes that the ceasefire will hold.

Amid coronavirus pandemic, historical theatre shows in Greece go online ahead of bicentennial celebrations

To commemorate the bicentennial of the 1821-1832 Greek War of Independence, several historical theatre productions were lined up in Greece, including the Greek National Opera’s new production of “Despo,” one of the events marking 200 years since the war that resulted in Greece’s independence from the Ottoman Empire and rebirth as a nation.

Decade after Tohoku quake, a look at how the Japanese rebuilt the region amid govt apathy, radiation fears

Despite the setbacks and uneven progress, the Tohoku of 2021 is a testament to a collective force of will — national, local and personal.

From Oedipus to Yeh Bhi Jungle, Woh Bhi Jungle: A look at theatre productions under the Alkazis over the years

Feisal Alkazi's book Enter Stage Right contains rare archival pictures of scenes from theatre productions by the family over the years. View them here:

Festivals, religious rituals observed across the globe in February amid the coronavirus pandemic

Many rites, traditions and observances continue to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic, more than a year after the disease was first identified.

Mumbai's BMC headquarters heritage walk: Glimpses of the iconic 128-year-old building

These hour-long walks are being curated by Mumbai-based Khaki Tours in collaboration with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and are conducted over the weekends on Saturdays and Sundays.

From the Chennai Photo Biennale, images that celebrate the everyday, unsung heroes of a pandemic year

In collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry, Chennai Photo Biennale launched a nation-wide open call for photo-stories to celebrate the everyday unsung heroes of India. The entries are then put up on display on www.my2020hero.in as a virtual exhibition.

In Sumathi Ramaswamy's book, Gandhi features as a muse in the works of several Indian artists

In her book Gandhi in the Gallery, Sumathi Ramaswamy explores why and how India’s modern and contemporary artists have over the past century sought out Gandhi as their muse and invested in him across a wide range of media from painting and sculpture to video installation and digital production.