Let’s celebrate this Mahashivratri by acknowledging the neo-Shiv Bhakt, or Urban baba. He doesn’t go on any pilgrimages but he sure has a lot of special “prasad”.

Hindi and Gujarati are not as sexy as Spanish and French and it doesn’t help that regressive fringe outfits routinely turn language into a battleground. It almost makes you want to renounce this “cultural pride” bullshit. But if we look past the politics though, we might realise we stand to lose something critical.

Bholenath is reportedly perturbed by the recent announcement to reserve a train berth for him in the recently inaugurated Kashi Mahakaal Express. In an exclusive interview, he says, “Wherever I want to go, I close my eyes and I’m there. Not sure I needed a special seat.”

As someone who was rebuked back home in Kolkata for speaking too much English and not enough Bangla, I never imagined what I’d miss the most after moving to a new city is my mother tongue.

Years of brainwashing has made menstruating women across the world feel unclean and unwanted for generations. The college in Bhuj stripping students to check their underwear for signs of menstruation is just the tip of the iceberg.

If you are of a certain vintage, you’d be forgiven for asking “why make a ringtone when you can just download a song instead?” But the world was different in 2004 — back then phone ringtones were a well of creative expression.

Despite its glaring flaws, Dostana played a role in drawing the attention of a nation oblivious to the queer community and its struggles. The film went on to define the mantra of the LGBT community: sexy, fabulous, and deeply individual.

It’s not clear why Govinda has decided to become a cringe-pop Hallmark greeting card on YouTube in 2020, but it does beg the question: Who are the 21k people who are listening to these songs and why haven’t they discovered Baba Sehgal yet?

Dogs and I have never gotten along, whether it was a goofy labrador or a ferocious German shepherd. Even so, I had to vow to take my husband – and his 10-year-old Beagle – in sickness and in health, until death do us part.