Posted inPeople
The Silent Cinemas of Srinagar
The abuse faced by Dangal actor Zaira Wasim is a reminder of Kashmir's struggle with freedom of expression. This struggle reflects in its silent cinemas, shuttered since 1989.
Posted inBollywood
Fast-Track Pyaar: How Hindi Movies Made India Fall In Love With Trains
No Imtiaz Ali film is complete without a train scene. In Love Aaj Kal, a separation unfolds on a train ride and in Jab We Met, a relationship blooms through the course of the journey. But the most iconic train scenes in Bollywood remain Simran running toward Raj in DDLJ and Rajesh Khanna crooning “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” as Sharmila Tagore gazes at him from a coach.
Posted inGender
The Only Resolution India Needs to Make in 2021: To Reduce Crimes Against Women
According to NCW data, 23,722 complaints of crimes against women were received in 2020, the highest in the last six years. For all the cases reported, there are hundreds that go unreported. Can we make the country safer for women this year?
Posted inSports
Test Cricket is Dying… But Why is it Taking So Long?
While keeping pace with ODIs and T20 matches feels like a breezy walk in the park, following Test matches is like slogging through quicksand. Maybe it’s time we did away with the antiquated format for good.
Posted inSports
The Slow-Motion Charm of Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara is Man of the Match of the Adelaide Test. He may have scored 71 in the second innings. But it was his lone-hero 123 on the first day of the first Test that made all the difference. He scored his 16th century, crossed 5000 runs. Pujara showed intent – to defend, struggle, understand, grind, graft, and survive
Posted inTechnology
“Honey I Cracked the Screen”: Budget Phones for the Eternally Clumsy
Some phone owners manage to break a very important feature of their brand-new device just 10 seconds after it’s handed to them by the delivery boy. For these butterfingered individuals, these phones under ₹10,000 are a god-send.
Posted inPop Culture
Mukti Bhawan and the Parent Trap
Mukti Bhawan captures what it’s like to deal with the impending death of a parent. Losing one feels like diving into life without a safety net, a signifier of irrevocable adulthood.
Posted inPop Culture
Did Bigg Boss Season 13 Take the Thrill of Voyeurism Too Far?
Not so shockingly, Bigg Boss crossed another line this year. Season 13 might be the most invasive of all, earning its notoriety for deeds done not just inside the Bigg Boss house but outside it as well, by weaving in the personal issues of participants into the show.
Posted inBollywood
How the Meenakshi Seshadri-Starrer Damini Taught Me My First Lesson in Feminism
In Damini, which released 28 years ago, Meenakshi Seshadri plays a housewife who beats impossible odds in her quest for justice for a rape survivor, the family’s domestic help. In some ways, the movie is the origin story of a conviction that has defined my life and given it purpose — that women are not second-class citizens of the world.
Posted inHealth
Defying Depression: How I Mastered the Art of Numbness
My depression takes away my power of rational thinking. But I have words to hide behind, to make the most bleak day a thing of beauty. And in the absence of words, I have music.