Vipul Singh The Wagh Nakh dagger, designed like tiger claws, embodies Maharashtra's valour. Its return from British authorities rekindles its historical significance, tied to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's 1659 encounter with Afzal Khan. This relic transcends an era of political intrigue and martial courage, with a design reflecting both symbolism and functionality. Tracing its ownership adds... Continue Reading →

Vipul SinghThis study explores how the portrayal and recollection of a major cyclone near Calcutta in 1737 transformed over the span of a century through a historical lens. By examining historical sources, particularly focusing on the shifting descriptions of the cyclone's impact, we gain insights into how perspectives and interpretations can transform over time due... Continue Reading →

Vipul Singh Does ecology or the physical character of a region play any role in the construction of political space? The story of the creation of Bihar province in the sixteenth century in the riverine ecology of the mid-Ganga basin helps us to understand the connection. Map: Bihar Province divided on the basis of rivers... Continue Reading →

Painting by Shiv Dayal, 1820.Image Credit: British Library, Shelfmark: Add.Or.4926. Sonpur is located on the west bank of the Gandak river in Bihar. Harihar (Lords Vishnu and Shiva) Chattar Mela is celebrated at the confluence of the Ganga and Gandak rivers for centuries. The foreground of this drawing in water colour by Shiv Kumar, done... Continue Reading →

The book “Speaking Rivers” ‘explores how fluvial landscapes have been integral amongst environmental aspects, which have shaped cultural identity and regions’.

Book Review By Anjashi Sarkar Vipul Singh, Speaking Rivers: Environmental History of a Mid-Ganga Flood Country, 1540-1885, New Delhi: Primus Books, 2018.

विपुल सिंह सार: ज़्यादातर ऐसे क्षेत्रों से श्रमिकों का प्रवास हुआ है जहां लगभग पिछले पचास वर्षों से हरित क्रांति अपना सूत्रपात वृहत रूप से नहीं कर पायी । ऐसा इसलिए है क्योंकि नहर जैसे कारक, जो हरित क्रांति की सफलता के लिए महत्वपूर्ण हैं, इन क्षेत्रों में इसकी परिस्थितिकी के कारण नहीं पनप पाए।... Continue Reading →

विपुल सिंह मैं कई वर्षों से छात्रों को पर्यावरण इतिहास पर पाठ्यक्रम पढ़ा रहा हूं। पिछली शताब्दियों के केस स्टडीज के माध्यम से मैं उन्हें  ऐतिहासिक गलतियों के बारे में बताता हूं और उन्हें पर्यावरण के समकालीन मुद्दों से जोड़ने की कोशिश करता हूं। पर्यावरणीय जाँच के विषय पर छात्रों के साथ शिक्षण और शोध... Continue Reading →

Vipul Singh About two million pilgrims from different parts of the world go on Hajj to Saudi Arabia every year. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic the country has restricted the entry of Hajj travellers.In 1865 too, when there was a major cholera epidemic outbreak in Mecca, which led to the death of 15000... Continue Reading →