Samayiki: Hindi Webzine

Samayiki is a pioneering Hindi webzine covering science, technology, socio-economic issues, cinema, and politics. Originally launched as Nirantar (nirantar.org) and rebranded as Samayiki in 2007, it is one of India’s earliest and most influential platforms for digital Hindi content and blogging.

Founded by me as part of a broader belief in community-driven and collaborative writing, Samayiki is published by a collective of Hindi bloggers whose mission is to create content that is genuinely useful, thought-provoking, and not easily found elsewhere in Hindi — particularly on science, technology, and current affairs.

Print Edition: Do you know that Samayiki actually published its first print magazine edition in January 2009?

The edition is preserved and available to purchase as a physical copy.

🛒Buy the Print Edition

Samayiki maintains a clear editorial standard: no gossip, no fiction, no astrology, no ideological puff pieces, and no reprinted or syndicated content — distinguishing it from general-purpose Hindi blogging platforms of its era and since.

Over its run, Samayiki has been a rare example of sustained, quality-first Hindi digital publishing, predating many mainstream Hindi news portals and helping establish Hindi as a serious language for online discourse on complex topics.

Notable Interviews

Salman Khan: Founder of Khan Academy (2009)

One of the earliest Hindi-language interviews with the Khan Academy founder, when the platform (launched on YouTube in 2006) was still little-known. Conducted by Dr. Sunil Deepak for Samayiki. The headline playfully notes: “People remember my name because of the other Salman Khan”.
Read the interview →

Aparna Sen: Filmmaker & Actress (2011)

The legendry Bengali Film Actress was interviewed at the River to River Film Festival in Florence. Candid quote: “I only worked in Hindi films for the money.”
Read the interview →

Notable Articles

• Will Google+ Topple Facebook? (2011) — Early analysis of Google+ as a challenger to Facebook’s dominance, one of Samayiki’s most-read internet pieces.
• RockMelt Browser: The Peak of the Facebook Web? (2011) — Review of the Facebook-integrated browser that was seen as the future of social browsing.
• Microsoft Project Natal (2010) — Early Hindi-language coverage of what later became Microsoft Kinect.
• Hatsune Miku: Japan’s Unique Rock Star (2010) — Feature on the Vocaloid virtual singer phenomenon, years before it became globally known.
• Warning: AI Models Are Being Trained on Your Data (2024) — On AI companies using personal data for training without explicit consent.

• Father of Modern Oceanography in India (2016) — Samayiki’s most-commented article, drawing responses from scientists and academics across India.
• Galileo: Father of Experimental Physics (2009) — Part of a science series bringing landmark scientific biographies to Hindi readers.
• Astronomy Can Foster Development (2009) — On the role of astronomy in economic and social progress.

• Kashmir is Too Small for Independence (2010) — A provocative political analysis that generated 14 reader comments, one of the most debated articles on the site.
• And Then They Came for Me (2009) — Translation of the posthumous final editorial by Lasantha Wickrematunge, the Sri Lankan journalist assassinated for his reporting — a powerful piece on press freedom.
• Liberhan Commission Report (2009) — Detailed analysis of the 17-year-long Babri Masjid inquiry report.

• Mumbai’s AC Local Train — Borivali to Dadar (2024, 2-part series) — Ground-level social reportage on Mumbai’s modernising local train system.
• Mongolian Nomads: Wandering as a Sacred Right (2024) — Photo feature on nomadic culture in Mongolia and their constitutional right to roam.