Ajay Kamalakaran
scroll.in
Mumbai, MH, India
Contact Ajay
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Ajay:
A reminder of a time when India welcomed refugees and cared for them
During World War II, 10,000 refugees fleeing the brutal Japanese takeover of the Malay peninsula found a welcoming home in India. → Read More
No communal strife: What a globetrotter saw in Jammu and Kashmir in early 20th century
Offered a month’s vacation during WWI, British-Greek army officer Ambrose Petrocokino travelled to Kashmir and recorded his impressions in a travelogue. → Read More
When Indian labourers came to the rescue of the British Army in Mesopotamia
Indians built the first railway line linking Basra and Baghdad to help supply the British and British Indian armies in the First World War. → Read More
Why pioneering explorer Alexandra David-Néel kept coming back to India again and again
The first European woman to visit Tibet, she held a deep fascination for India’s philosophies and religions from a very young age. → Read More
When the British secretly plotted to recruit Russians living in India against Nazi Germany
A small number of Russian émigrés made India home after fleeing Bolshevism. In the early 1940s, the British decided to keep an eye on them. → Read More
When the British secretly plotted to recruit Russians living in India against Nazi Germany
A small number of Russian émigrés made India home after fleeing Bolshevism. In the early 1940s, the British decided to keep an eye on them. → Read More
Remembering the Gujarati lawyer who fought for Indian indentured labourers in Fiji and Mauritius
Manilal Doctor answered the call of Indians when they needed help to take on an exploitative regime of indentured servitude. → Read More
How a German missionary changed the way houses were roofed in western India
Georg Plebst’s brainchild, the Mangalore tile, has spread as far as Australia and Africa – and yet very little is known about him. → Read More
The story of the Indian immigrant who catalysed the New Zealand gold rush but died in near penury
Although it was Edward Peters from Satara who first discovered gold in Otago, New Zealand, the credit went to an Australian for almost a century and half. → Read More
How an Irish poet and playwright became a part of India’s cultural mosaic
James Henry Cousins, an accomplished writer, moved to India in 1915 and dedicated his life to cultural and educational activities in the country. → Read More
Why a plan to link India and Burma with one of the world’s most scenic railroads didn’t work out
In 19th century, engineers trekked through the jungles of Assam and Kachin state to decide the ideal path for a railway line. But economics and war intervened. → Read More
Remembering the ‘Indian Titanic’ that was sunk by the Japanese
In November 1942, SS Tilawa was on its way to Mombasa when it was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy’s I-29 submarine, claiming 280 lives. → Read More
Remembering the ‘Indian Titanic’ that was sunk by the Japanese
In November 1942, SS Tilawa was on its way to Mombasa when it was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy’s I-29 submarine, claiming 280 lives. → Read More
One of the most compelling accounts of Western India in the 19th century was written by this woman
Marianne Postans, who lived in Bhuj with her army officer husband, published a book about the region’s people, customs, traditions and landscapes. → Read More
A Kenyan Goan’s fight against colonialism in Africa and India
Pio Gama Pinto, a key figure in Kenya’s freedom struggle against the British, also supported the liberation movements in Goa and Mozambique. → Read More
The journey of a young Indian Jewish woman to becoming the first lady of Cyprus
Lila Irene Clerides, who was born in Ahmedabad to an illustrious Jewish family, became a beloved public figure in the Mediterranean island nation. → Read More
How Hindu cosmology influenced Romania’s national poet
Inspired by Schopenhauer and Kant, Mihai Eminescu combined Indian and Western philosophies to produce Romania’s most celebrated poetic works. → Read More
How a Lutheran missionary became the first cultural bridge between Tamil Nadu and Germany
Mastering Tamil in mere months, Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg became a pioneer of linguistic exchange between the Tamil- and German-speaking worlds. → Read More
How a bank branch in Bombay helped establish a financial relationship between Japan and India
The now-defunct Yokohama Specie Bank bankrolled the cotton trade between the two countries in the 19th century after Japan emerged from self-imposed isolation. → Read More
In the story of Sindhi migration, Canary Islands played a small but important role
In the 19th century, the archipelago off the coast of Africa was the first link between India and Spain. → Read More