Explained by The Indian Express

11/05/2026

Somnath temple: What was Lord Ellenborough’s proclamation about the ‘gates of Somnauth’? How did the controversy resurface in 1951? We explain.

What was Lord Ellenborough’s proclamation about the ‘gates of Somnauth’? How did the controversy resurface in 1951? We explain.

11/05/2026

As dollars flow out, the Indian rupee weakens, making gold even more expensive. This creates a vicious cycle where the Indian consumer pays more rupees for gold simply because previous gold purchases weakened the rupee.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/india-forex-reserves-gold-oil-imports-10683535/

10/05/2026

After a state’s elections are over, how soon does a new government have to be formed, and what happens if that timeline is breached? We explain.

After a state’s elections are over, how soon does a new government have to be formed, and what happens if that timeline is breached? We explain.

10/05/2026

Indian political science moved away from the concept of factionalism, associating it with weak institutions and disorderly politics. West Bengal reveals that these are enduring mechanisms through which power is organised, distributed, and contested.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-politics/tmc-defeat-analysis-bengal-factionalism-sir-10682703/

10/05/2026

Every week, we recap highlights of the news from China. This edition covers China’s role in the India-Pakistan conflict, the limited expectations from the Trump-Xi summit and the latest in China’s anti-corruption purge.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/china-this-week-sindoor-pakistan-trump-visit-purge-10682606/

10/05/2026

Anna Jarvis was an American activist who founded Mother’s Day to honour her and “all mothers” in 1908. But, she grew bitterly disappointed with the way it eventually came to be celebrated.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-culture/mothers-day-origin-creator-history-10682151/

10/05/2026

Even as India’s electricity demand touched a record high in April amid an early summer heatwave, on average 23 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of solar power were curtailed every day — enough to serve one-fourth of Delhi for a day.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/india-solar-power-curtailment-april-grid-stress-10681080/?ref=explained_pg

10/05/2026

Tamil Nadu has witnessed high political drama over the last few days.

A similar crisis unfolded nearly 75 years ago, in the 1952 Assembly election in the erstwhile Madras State that threw up India’s very first fractured verdict.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-history/before-vijay-there-was-rajaji-recalling-independent-indias-first-hung-assembly-in-madras-state-10680912/

10/05/2026

Tagore and Gandhi disagreed on a number of issues, but none symbolised their differences more than the spinning wheel. On Tagore’s 165th birth anniversary, we revisit the Gandhi-Tagore debates on the charkha.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-history/gandhi-tagore-charkha-debate-explained-10679419/

10/05/2026

Solar power generation drops to zero after sunset and wind output fluctuates with changing weather. This is where deploying systems that 'store' energy becomes critical — and where India has fallen short so far.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/india-energy-storage-renewable-power-grid-explained-10681344/