Culture

The Hindu spiritual teachers of the subcontinent play an important role in everyday life, acting as exemplary guides. Yet they are not without their controversies. Maciej Wesołowski

The 19th-century collection of fantastical tales “Nobleman Zavalnya” helped popularize Belarusian literature and folk culture—150 years after it was published. Mikołaj Gliński

The Polish pedagogue and children’s author developed an interest in the religions and culture of India and beyond, which informed his worldview amid the brutality of war. Agnieszka Witkowska-Krych

The great Bengali polymath was an intellectual giant; a poet, thinker, social reformer, and much more, who reshaped the culture of his homeland. Paulina Wilk

On this day in 1952, just over a decade after the wartime Blitz, death from above hit the streets of London again. Smog was everywhere, blinding pedestrians and even creeping into cinema screens. Adam Węgłowski

Our eternally pessimistic correspondent gives his historical highlights for the month of December. Adam Węgłowski

Although predominantly Hindu, the Indian subcontinent is the birthplace of four major world religions—and is tolerant of many more. Maciej Wesołowski

Conflict is usually attributed to disputes over land and resources, inherent aggressive tendencies, or gender. Yet perhaps none of the above provide an adequate explanation. Tomasz Wiśniewski

The multicolored arches that appear in the sky are optical rather than physical phenomena—and as such are unique to the eyes of each viewer. Szymon Drobniak

Fossilized tree resin has been valued for thousands of years, not only because of its yellowy-orange hue, but also for its supposed ritual and medical properties. Tomasz Wichrowski

Shapeshifting trickster foxes are part of Chinese and Japanese folklore. Often portrayed as women, their mythological presence reveals social attitudes and anxieties. Maciej Świetlik

It is one of the world’s oldest languages and belongs to the Indo-European family, meaning that Sanskrit is still alive and well today—at home and abroad. Agnieszka Rostkowska

Sleep is the last bastion of rest. Yet a glance at the world’s major urban centers suggests that in the future, humans may increasingly be forced into constant wakefulness. Paulina Wilk

The American mythologist spent his life examining the cultural role of stories and synthesizing their common motifs into a universal tale of the human experience. Tomasz Wiśniewski

Behind the seemingly simple cup of tea—one of the world’s most popular infusions—lies a plethora of complex biochemical processes. Szymon Drobniak

Positioned between red and yellow, this fiery hue is often hidden in plain sight—be it in the paint decorating the Golden Gate Bridge or on the leaves of most plants. Szymon Drobniak

Our quarterly communication of news from Earth and outer space, including a wimpy particle, attempts to contact aliens, and the truth about Jupiter’s shocking past. Łukasz Kaniewski