Sanskrit

The problem with westerners seeking oriental enlightenment

27 January 2024 9:00 am

Those chasing after blissful satori never seem interested in the people who actually live in Asia. They want to float in higher spheres

As English spread over the subcontinent, India lost forever its rich Persianate literary heritage

7 December 2019 9:00 am

In the seventh century, the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang made an epic journey through the Gobi desert and over the…

Save the innocent swastika!

12 March 2016 9:00 am

There is a nice row of swastikas at head height in Burlington Gardens, behind the Royal Academy. They are carved…

Brian Hodgson finds his vocation in Kathmandu

12 December 2015 9:00 am

It started as a ‘shoke’ — the Anglo-Indian slang word for ‘hobby’. Bored and lonely in Kathmandu, the young Assistant…