Hello,

This is a new initiative from my side - Akhyan Diaries. Its a series of podcasts with scholars and authors. Anirudha Kanisetti is the second in the series.

I, as a teacher, got little bored with regular classroom teaching. And thus I wanted to do something new, fresh and engaging. So, we started this podcast for expanding the horizons of History for upsc aspirants.

The topics here are going to be useful for upsc aspriants, but not in the regular run-of-the-mill format. We will engage with interesting people and enrich our understanding beyond typical notes and textbooks.

It adds to knoweldge, and it is fun. For you, I am deeply interested in knowing what do you think. Any and all genuine feedback is most welcome in the comment section.

Also, apart from the feedback, if you have any guest scholar/author in mind, do let us know. We will try to get him/her on board.

Nikhil

Today's session will be the next in our series of Gamification of History Optional answer writing. The previous workshop had been very interesting and helpful... the feedback encouraged us to come with one more... and with more questions.

Both Vishal sir and Me will conduct a workshop today at 2 PM. Bring your pen-paper, come to the class for action-packed drama...

Please note that it will be OFFLINE only. The earlier poster mistakenly said offline as well as online. but it is really impossible to conduct it for both groups at the same time. We will definitely try to bring its Online version soon.

Nikhil

Today, UPSC Chairman wrote this on the completion of 100 years of UPSC.

Are you all tuned in? Are you all going to attend his Youtube Live event today? It is going to be on DD's youtube channel.

The UPSC chairman is going to personally and directly answer your queries and doubts. Do attend.

Join the Live TownHall (Q&A) with Dr. Ajay Kumar, Chairman UPSC.

Ask your questions live on Twitter / Facebook
#AskChairmanUPSC

Date: Today, 1st October 2025, Wednesday 
Time: 12PM-1PM

https://youtube.com/live/kloc_70pIZk

"We select individuals capable of becoming Formula One drivers. Then we give them rickety Maruti 800s on potholed roads and expect championship lap times."

https://theprint.in/opinion/after-37-yrs-in-ias-i-can-say-upsc-exam-isnt-the-villain-postings-incentives-are/2754708/

Another extremely sad news.

The stalwarts of the 20th century, the people who created the post World War world with their sheer hardwork and intelligence, are passing away. The era is closing.

Ram and Ravana,
A Pahari Painting from Mandi, 18th century.

दसरा सण मोठा, नाही आनंदा तोटा
Happy Vijaya Dashami.

Read the above new item that appeared in Indian Express today.

Private players are now entering the field of heritage conservation. Since the liberalisation of 1991–92, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have gradually become the norm across sectors, with private actors sharing the state’s burden in almost every domain. It was, therefore, only a matter of time before this model extended to the sphere of history and heritage as well.

This trend is also linked to the decline of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The institution has long been in a sorry state, with repeated CAG reports pointing out glaring lapses—sometimes even monuments “going missing.”

Personally, I am not against profit-making. In fact, without a profit motive, many initiatives may not function effectively. But this must never come at the cost of restricting people’s access to their own heritage. Hopefully, that will not be the case.

My only concern is that PPPs in heritage conservation should not create more problems than they solve. If a PPP model goes wrong in, say, passport seva kendras, passports will still be delivered eventually, even if delayed. But if something goes wrong with the conservation of a monument, the damage is often permanent and irreversible.

The ASI may not be doing a stellar job either, but the accountability dynamic is different. When a sovereign body fails, the responsibility is collective; when a private player is at fault, the loss of heritage feels even harder to accept.

Is there really a Swadeshi trend ongoing? I have not noticed it around me at all...

If you have seen at least one shopkeeper or a customer insisting on Swadeshi, please give thumbs up. If you have not come across anyone, give thumbs down.

In Marathi, my generation grew reading books on various scientists in 1990s. Our childhood heroes were Jayant Naralikar (astro), George Washington Carver (crops), Jane Goodall (animals), Ramanujan (maths), Booker T Washington (edu), Vishweswariya (engg)...

I was especially hugely influenced by Carver and his jabardast inventions... and for girls around, career of Jane Goodall was the symbol of what they can achieve in life....

Later, when we started reading English language books, it was but natural to follow it up with Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov and Stephen Hawking.... The first ever English language book that I read in life was Brief History of Time by Hawking... in 2003 or 2004... In college, we would often debate various scenarios of the laws of robotics by Asimov.

Looking back, it seems improbable now. The genre of popular science and science fiction is not talked about these days much.

The passing away of Jane Goodall has brought back all the memories.

Can you imagine this?

This is a story of the Queen Mother of Bijapur in the mid-17th century. She was called Badi Begum and her son was a powerful sultan of Deccan... and when she went to Macca for hajj, she had to undergo this...!!!

When I read this, I couldn't stop laughing....

(Source: a contemporary book named Storia do Mogor by Manucci, Volume 2, page 300-301)

Stray dogs don't discriminate on the basis of nationality or ethnicity. Constitution of stray dogs demands equality of treatment. Bhale hi wo stadium ke baahar ho ya andar.