Any history textbook will tell you that Shahjahan was a great Mughal emperor. But did you know that he was neither the rightful legal heir nor a favourite son? Yet, he managed to ascend the most coveted Mughal throne.

Close your eyes and imagine a Hindu goddess. Any goddess. Parvathi, Lakshmi, Saraswathi... Did you see a beautiful, fair-skinned woman with a generous figure, dressed in a perfectly draped sari, and adorned with gorgeous jewellery? Who gave her this image? The credit for that goes to a painter from Kerala named Raja Ravi Varma, who lived in India between 1848 and 1906.

Subramania Bharati was more than just a poet. He was a journalist, a linguist and passionate freedom fighter. Above all, he lived his life on his own terms.