Zara heads the weekend features and special projects teams in Mumbai. She has been a journalist for 15 years, but a grammar Nazi for much longer.
Articles by Zara Murao
Zara Murao picks her favourite reads of 2023
Of human migrations and a fictional family saga that starts out in a small fishing village in Korea and unfolds across generations
Updated on Dec 29, 2023 05:41 PM IST
Zara Murao
Baffling: Crickets craft tiny megaphones to up their chances of finding a mate
The tiny megaphone is called a baffle, and what’s interesting is that not all members of a species use one. It is usually the quieter and smaller ones that do.
Updated on Sep 16, 2023 08:22 PM IST
Zara Murao
Cute aggression: Why you want to bite the baby
There’s a term for the rush of affection that crosses over into a strange wish to squish, squeeze or bite. The reasons why you feel it are even more intriguing.
Updated on Jul 24, 2023 03:05 PM IST
Zara Murao
Van Gogh 360: Should you Gogh?
It’s not often you see sunflowers in Mumbai
Updated on Jul 20, 2023 02:39 PM IST
Zara Murao picks her favourite read of 2022
Looking into the future to see where we and our machines are headed and offering a small and beautiful solution to mankind’s impossible problems
Published on Dec 30, 2022 04:37 PM IST
Zara Murao
‘It’s a proud Hindi moment’, says Indian author on International Booker shortlist
“I am a bit stupefied and very delighted,” says Geetanjali Shree, speaking hours after her novel Ret Samadhi, translated into English as ‘Tomb of Sand’, went from the longlist to the shortlist of the International Booker Prize
Published on Apr 08, 2022 12:11 AM IST
Zara Murao
Zara Murao, Editor, Wknd, picks her favourite read of 2021
British-Canadian comedian Mae Martin’s book addresses questions, concerns and fears of people new to the idea of sexuality as a spectrum in a way that is informative and funny, and moves the conversation forward rather than around in circles
Updated on Dec 25, 2021 03:50 AM IST
Zara Murao
Lovlina Borgohain: The early years
The 23-year-old boxer who won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics discusses childhood, parents and her take on how winners are made.
Updated on Aug 20, 2021 05:46 PM IST
Zara Murao
I used to live in a bit of fear:Talking boxing, life,loss with Lovlina Borgohain
When the 23-year-old won bronze in Tokyo, it felt like failure, she says. She tells Wknd how she balances hope and loss, what goes through her mind during a bout, how she overcame fear, and what it’s like to score a win that feels like it comes with a rider.
Updated on Aug 20, 2021 05:45 PM IST
Zara Murao
Permanent markers: How India got its national symbols
What were the first icons we turned to, as we defined our new nation? Take a look at how India’s emblem, flag, national animal and more came about, and what they’ve come to mean.
Updated on Aug 13, 2021 05:27 PM IST
Zara Murao & Dhamini Ratnam
Eye for an I: Existential riddles with author Meghan O’Gieblyn
What does it mean to be an “I” in a time of intelligent traffic signals? To what extent are we being mirrored and altered by the newest machines of our making? Excerpts from an interview with Meghan O’Gieblyn, essayist and author of God, Human, Animal, Machine.
Updated on Jul 31, 2021 01:18 PM IST
Zara Murao
Just for the record: An overview of some of the biggest and oddest ones set in India
Scores of records are set and broken in India every year, by individuals, communities and the country as a whole. They tend to be a mix of accidental, intentional and outright bizarre. Take a tour of the most remarkable ones from recent years.
Updated on Jan 16, 2021 06:25 PM IST
Natasha Rego and Zara Murao
Newsmaker: A new and improved Sacha Baron Cohen takes on the ‘Silicon Six’
The actor-director is best known for his rather crass film, Borat. But a recent speech that’s gone viral was an elegant takedown of the billionaires behind our social media platforms, for the damage they’re doing to democracies.
Published on Dec 06, 2019 09:10 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Zara Murao
Newsmaker: As India fetes David Attenborough, a look at an incredible career
The face (and voice) of wildlife documentaries recently won the Indira Gandhi peace prize. A look at a legacy unmatched, and things he might have done differently.
Updated on Nov 29, 2019 06:40 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Zara Murao
#Newsmaker: As BoJack airs its last season, a look at all we’ll miss
Hollywoo won’t be the same without the horse-man has-been.
Published on Nov 08, 2019 05:38 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Zara Murao
Hot Tip: Why you should be reading Lie With Me
Set in a small French village, it’s a tale of love and loss and how life moves on, told through 17-year-old boys who fall in love, are separated and almost reunited decades later.
Published on Nov 01, 2019 04:00 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Zara Murao
Newsmaker: Robert Pattinson has been quietly remaking himself since Twilight
The future Batman was a reluctant star, then a recluse, then an arthouse wonder. A look at his unusual journey.
Updated on Nov 01, 2019 03:46 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Zara Murao
Who is Billie Eilish and why is everyone talking about her?
The 17-year-old singer took over the #1 spot on the Billboard charts for the first time last month, with songs unusual for a pop star — on depression, loneliness, suicide.
Updated on Sep 07, 2019 01:34 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Zara Murao
#Newsmaker: Greta Thunberg has sailed across the Atlantic. What now?
The 16-year-old climate activist is strident, angry. And justifiably so. But as today’s rockstar of green energy and sustainable living, it’s time for her message to evolve.
Published on Aug 30, 2019 05:44 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Zara Murao
The changing romcom: Romantic hero types through the years
From the rather stern husband-in-a-good-mood of the ’30s and ’40s to Jack and Ennis in Brokeback Mountain, our heroes have come a long way. Take a look...
Published on Aug 23, 2019 02:20 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Zara Murao
#Newsmaker: Taylor Swift has a new song out, a new album and a new persona
The pop superstar has rebranded herself, this time as an LGBTQ ally. With hundreds of millions listening, should timing and nuance matter?
Published on Jun 22, 2019 05:17 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Zara Murao
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