Rachel Lopez is a a writer and editor with the Hindustan Times. She has worked with the Times Group, Time Out and Vogue and has a special interest in city history, culture, etymology and internet and society.
Articles by Rachel Lopez
Genies in a bottle: How India’s beauty industry is getting a makeover
Hold the moisturiser. India is in the middle of a beauty boom. Big money is backing small brands. New recipes are emerging from the kitchen, the lab and the forest. First-time buyers from small towns are altering business models. Reels and tutorials are wooing new audiences and sparking trends. See how the revolution is unfolding.
Updated on Jul 16, 2022 07:06 PM IST
All the heavy lifting: 170 years of the elevator
India is now home to the world’s largest passenger elevator. See how over a century of up-and-down rides have helped buildings rise, transforming our cities and our lives.
Updated on Jul 02, 2022 05:55 PM IST
Indian traditions gave me new ideas, architect BV Doshi tells Wknd
The 94-year-old just received Britain’s RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture. With sunlight and greenery, soaring arches, buildings inspired by ancient stepwells, his unique style created a template for independent India, with locally relevant structures moulded to suit our culture and society.
Updated on Jun 24, 2022 02:05 PM IST
Lessons for India: How Benin got its bronzes back
Formal requests began in the 1960s and were ignored. Nigeria persisted, lobbied the international community, kept the pressure up. Now, countries one by one are returning the treasures.
Updated on Jun 18, 2022 07:55 PM IST
Many happy returns: Around the world, countries are demanding artefacts back
Nations are lobbying hard for the repatriation of items taken illegally, without consent or through force, particularly through the centuries of colonial rule. Take a look at some success stories.
Updated on Jun 17, 2022 06:17 PM IST
Happy homecoming? A look at what happens to artefacts returned to India
As more ancient heritage is repatriated, the country must improve its track record of conservation and display. Currently, researchers say, even they have a hard time accessing the trove.
![A leaf from the Padshahnama [Book of Emperors], a rare illustrated chronicle commissioned by 17th-century Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It is part of the British Royal Collection Trust but has been loaned to India in the past. Objects that can’t be claimed ought to at least be borrowed and displayed in India, scholars say.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/img/2022/06/17/150x84/db7d1d78-ee2f-11ec-9304-3037d47fdefe_1655465662241.jpg "A leaf from the Padshahnama [Book of Emperors], a rare illustrated chronicle commissioned by 17th-century Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It is part of the British Royal Collection Trust but has been loaned to India in the past. Objects that can’t be claimed ought to at least be borrowed and displayed in India, scholars say.")
Updated on Jun 17, 2022 05:04 PM IST
The long road home: Take a tour of Indian artefacts scattered around the world
Globally, the call is getting louder as countries demand the return of ancient artefacts from Western powers. India has managed to wrest 212 treasures back since 1976, most in the last few years. See how the toughest battles have been won, and what it will take for India to up its game.
Updated on Jun 17, 2022 05:03 PM IST
One more time, with feeling: Some sequels are worth the wait
Can a sequel, released after a long gap, top its predecessor? For some, it’s an expensive gamble; some offer more than nostalgia. A look at what follow-ups of the past tell us
Updated on May 27, 2022 10:01 PM IST
Ṭallī, kuṛī, baniyān: The intriguing story of where our words come from
There are Arabic words in your pocket, Portuguese hidden in your bathroom, even the kurī isn’t from Punjab. As we continue to discover more about what we’ve borrowed, what we lent, take a look at linguistics professor Abhishek Avtans’s list of 25 Indian words with interesting stories to tell.
Updated on May 14, 2022 02:52 PM IST
Abhishek Avtans & Rachel Lopez
Step into Dubai’s Museum of the Future, with Rachel Lopez
Holograms, 3D maps of an imagined world, an elevator that ‘lifts off’ and ‘returns to Earth’ — the museum, which opened in February, is more about the future of public-friendly exhibits than the future itself, Lopez says.
Updated on May 06, 2022 06:55 PM IST
The Great Re-Set: How the tussle over the return to work is playing out
Willingly or reluctantly, we’re returning to the offices. But our relationship with work has changed. As employees demand more of a say in how and when they contribute, a clash is unfolding. See how it’s sparking new approaches, as some companies respond, revise or falter, and others seek ways to push back.
Updated on Apr 16, 2022 01:42 PM IST
My job is the theatre of flavour: A Wknd interview with chef Massimo Bottura
His restaurant, Osteria Francescana, has three Michelin stars. Diners wait months to eat there. But great food needs more than ingredients and skill, says the master chef. You must find its essence, re-imagine its future.
Updated on Apr 16, 2022 08:34 PM IST
Beyond the mouse: How the click became the soundtrack of our lives
A tiny sound unites buttons and seatbelts, switches and pens. It’s so reassuring that some use it as a dose of mindfulness. It’s everywhere too. Listen carefully and chances are you’ll hear one right now.
Updated on Apr 09, 2022 07:00 PM IST
Architect Gita Balakrishnan is walking from Kolkata to Delhi with a message
Walk for Arcause wants to shed light on how design can change lives. Over two months, Balakrishnan has documented a fast-changing rural landscape. The change must be shaped better by architects, planners and governments, she says.
Updated on Apr 09, 2022 06:45 PM IST
Dream scapes: How cities of the future are shaping up around the world
There are tech-driven utopias being built around the world that look straight out of science fiction, but most are chrome-plated and characterless. Could past tweaks inspire a better future?
Updated on Apr 02, 2022 03:32 PM IST
Mafia! There’s a Godfather parody too
The 1998 film is part homage, part spoof and a quick recap of pop-culture references from the era. It’s also a reminder that perhaps we needn’t take even great movies too seriously.
Updated on Mar 25, 2022 05:39 PM IST
Bad guys, good moments: 6 key scenes from the Godfather trilogy
Though Coppola’s three Godfather films collectively run for more than 8.5 hours, there are few dull moments. Here are some essential scenes to linger over as you watch or rewatch.
Updated on Mar 25, 2022 05:32 PM IST
A new master plan: DAG inaugurates new address in Mumbai with a massive show
The exhibition may well be a compilation of the subcontinent’s greatest hits. It features rarely viewed works spanning 200 years. An interview with DAG CEO and MD Ashish Anand.
Updated on Mar 19, 2022 08:31 PM IST
Pandemic pivots: Meet five people who have emerged with lives lived better
It’s been two years since the first lockdown. For some, the isolation and fear of those months brought unexpected hope. With their Plan As derailed, they dreamed bigger, took risks, admitted change where change was due. Read on for five inspiring stories.
Updated on Mar 19, 2022 02:07 PM IST
Beats and bots: Rachel Lopez explores music, and music snobbery, by AI
Artificial intelligence programs can now compose music, generate lyrics for a tune, even perform at virtual gigs. See how humans are training machines to go solo, or to be the bandmate you need.
Updated on Mar 12, 2022 04:35 PM IST
As his auction house sets new records, a Wknd interview with Dadiba Pundole
Pundole’s has made history again, with new records set for Indian art, at a recent sale. The way the world has taken to these works is no surprise, says Dadiba Pundole. ‘But even 40 years in, I don’t sleep well the night before a big sale.’
Updated on Mar 11, 2022 04:02 PM IST
Cheat sheet: Which scam series to binge on, and which to avoid
Stories of real-life fraudsters and clever con artists are playing out on screen, but not all of them take you for the right kind of ride. See what separates the stellar from the stodgy.
Updated on Mar 05, 2022 02:20 PM IST
Turns of phrase: The 1922 lexicon
There were great books, yes, but 1922 was also marked by new technology and a great loosening up of the social order. Take a look at some of the words added to vocabularies and dictionaries that year.
Updated on Feb 19, 2022 03:46 PM IST
Can you guess what these 100-year-old flapper terms mean?
The 1920s, for the young, were a time of wild parties, dancing, staying out late and speaking almost in code. Watch out for corn-shredders as you find a cuddle cootie on the dim box.
Updated on Feb 19, 2022 02:37 PM IST
Lenin in Antarctica: Is this the loneliest statue in the world?
A plastic bust of Vladimir Lenin, founder of the USSR, oriented so that his face looks towards Moscow, was installed in the heart of Antarctica in 1958. It stands there still, but few visitors ever make it this far inland.
Updated on Feb 12, 2022 07:00 PM IST
Paper tigers: A tour of Soviet-era propaganda posters, 100 years on
A century after the USSR was formed (and more than 31 years after it was dissolved), its boldest ideas live on in the millions of posters it issued to inspire the Soviet masses. See how art, imagery and fervent slogans fuelled the propaganda, and how the works have found new life as collectors’ items today.
Updated on Feb 12, 2022 07:36 PM IST
Toil and trouble: Rachel Lopez picks 5 favourite screen adaptations of Macbeth
As a new version, Joel Coen’s 2021 film, streams on Apple TV+, a look at other great adaptations of Shakespeare’s immortal story (including one featuring prisoners, staged in an Irish prison).
Updated on Feb 04, 2022 04:28 PM IST
How to ace your pitch: Tips from a Shark Tank shark
No fumbling. No sob stories. No cowing down. A Shark Tank India investor offers advice on cracking the best deal on the show, in business and in life.
Updated on Jan 29, 2022 01:23 PM IST
Streaming now: Shows that view death as a little less grave
From a shifty architect in a make-believe heaven to the ennui of a never-ending relationship, comedies are offering new takes on loss, grief, death and the after-life.
Updated on Jan 28, 2022 03:01 PM IST
Do you look good on paper?: Rachel Lopez on the resume of 2022
Start from scratch, beat the bots, pivot to video, and other tips on how to tweak your profile so you stand apart, and above, others with similar skills.
Updated on Jan 22, 2022 05:39 PM IST