A wide range of Indian languages employ the retroflex ṇa. In my mother tongue, Gujarati, the consonant is shared across caste names, ranging from Chāraṇ and Vaṇajārā, to Vāṇiyā, Luvāṇā, and Brāhmaṇ.

Manusmriti, dated to 300 AD, refers to eight ways in which a bride has to be secured. The forms not recommended are those where a father’s control is missing. This involves involve buying a wife (like ...

A FRIEND recently asked me what gives Indian English its unique sound. With 22 constitutionally recognised languages in India, and hundreds more spoken, how is it that many Indians’ English accents ...