The distinctive architecture of Rashtrapati Bhavan combines many elements of Mughal and Sultanate architecture. But it is the Sanchi Stupa, an icon of ancient India, that leaves the most visible stamp on Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The distinctive architecture of Rashtrapati Bhavan combines many elements of Mughal and Sultanate architecture. But it is the Sanchi Stupa, an icon of ancient India, that leaves the most visible stamp on Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Great men often had selfless partners resolutely supporting them in pursuit of their dreams. This is the story of one such woman, Janaki Ammal, wife of the celebrated mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan.

Back in the 1970s, Chennai was called Madras. And in the Hindi-belt, everyone from southern India was classified as Madrassi. Never mind what the ‘Madrassis’ spoke at home - Malayalam, Kannada, Coorgi, Tulu, Telugu or even Badaga; most North Indians (including the educated ones) believed that anyone from ‘down-below’ spoke an exotic language called ‘Madrasi’ (that is Madrassi with one ‘s’ removed)! It did not matter where they actually came from: Kanyakumari, Kakinada or Kozhikode. Bollywood took the stereotype to a whole new level and the idea of a Madrassi was here to stay.