Articles

Champi… Tel Malish for the Complete Indian Mard

Indian men do not usually indulge in pedicures and facials. Who and what then gives us succour from the relentless onslaught of life? The answer, my friends, is in the strong, virile, and skilful hands of the neighbourhood barber and his vigorous champi.

Karan Mujoo March 20, 2016

First Person

My Mother: Beautiful, Loving, Missing for 21 Years

On April 28, 2001, my mother stepped out of our house with a small wallet to buy brown paper for our books. We were in the middle of our annual ritual of covering our brand new textbooks. This memory would have held no significance had my mother returned. She did not.

Mariya Salim March 20, 2016

Bollywood

Ms Hawa Hawai: Shehzaadi of the Meek, the Freak, the Queer

Sridevi’s cavalier reappropriation of filmy womanhood ensured the rise of the “other”, the outliers and the freaks that languish in prisons of self-expression. No wonder she was India’s queer icon.

The Faunlet March 20, 2016

Gender

The Silent Suffering of Male Sex Abuse Survivors

I was surprised by the pervasiveness of the #MeToo confessionals and the women who spoke about sexual assault. And then I began to hear the experiences of my male friends who had been similarly violated.

Mad Marx March 20, 2016

Gender

Where Are Our Female Sherlock Holmes & Dr House? Why It’s So Difficult to Write Disagreeable Women Characters

Male characters in books and pop culture can be disgusting assholes and own that personality, but women characters – barring a few outliers – are mostly pretty, passive, and perfect. Where are the women that behave like jerks simply because they can? Where are our female Sherlock Holmes and Mr Darcy?

Sonali Kokra March 20, 2016

Pop Culture

Spider-Man Survived Thanos, But Got Caught in Hollywood’s Web

The panic to #SaveSpiderMan was sparked by a fallout between two Hollywood megastudios: Sony and Marvel. It was a reminder that we, the fans, don’t call the shots; that’s left to stuffed suits in polished boardrooms. They wield the power of life and death over our favourite characters and properties.

Dushyant Shekhawat March 20, 2016

Sports

How Aging Legends Like Dhoni, Chris Gayle, Imran Tahir Make All the Difference in a World Cup

Does largest stage in world cricket have place for an aging legend, or is the gentleman’s game the domain of young men at this elite level? The older players at the tournament keep fighting, for pride, for their dreams, and to prove the critics wrong.

Rupha Ramani March 20, 2016

Gender

I Am a Tawaif’s Son: Growing up in Mumbai’s Brothels

I grew up amid the sounds of thumris, ghazals, the heady scents of mogra and whiskey in the kothas near Mumbai’s Kennedy Bridge. My earliest memory is of my mother fighting a drunken man, who was calling her a “randi”.

Manish Gaekwad March 20, 2016

Sports

The Silver Lining to Mo Salah’s World Cup Exit

With Egypt unlikely to advance further than the group stage, Mo Salah’s World Cup campaign will come to an end on Monday, leaving millions of fans heartbroken. As a pick-me-up, here are three silver linings we can find in this result.

Dushyant Shekhawat March 20, 2016

Pop Culture

Are the Emmys the Most Boring of All Award Functions?

Award ceremonies have long been criticised for being self-indulgent affairs, designed by the rich, white, and famous – for the rich, white, and famous. If the Emmys this year, defined by its snubs, were any evidence, there’s still a long way to go before that changes.

Kahini Iyer March 19, 2016