India Archives

On Independence Day, It’s Time to Ask: When Will We Really Be Free?

Independence is a tough thing to achieve – but freedom is risky. Freedom gives me the autonomy to express views in public places even against authority. Independence means I thank authority. Independence is my right to be heard. Freedom is my right to speak.

Ramjaane June 9, 2016

POV

India, Notes From the Bright Side

Pessimism pervades the end of 2016. But as our resilience during large-scale transformation in the past indicates, the future won't be awful. All we need is some cautious optimism.

Ajay Chacko June 9, 2016

Gender

The Enduring Difficulty of Being Sania Mirza

It’s been a decade since Sania Mirza won her first Grand Slam title, and India is still waiting for another woman to emulate her. But her road to the pinnacle was far from an easy one. Her life might look like a bed of roses, but Mirza sleeps on a thousand thorns.

Rupha Ramani June 8, 2016

Animals

Man vs Avni: Why We Are All Responsible for the Tigress’s Death

Avni’s fate was sealed the moment she first came into conflict with humans. But there is no glory to be gained in hunting endangered animals, even if they’re supposedly man-eaters, and each life lost is a sign of the failure of our conservation efforts.

Dushyant Shekhawat June 8, 2016

People

The Shoe-Keeper Who Donated ₹61 Lakh to Vrindavan’s Cows

Yashoda Dasi came to Mathura to seek refuge in Lord Krishna’s abode after she lost her family. Forty years on, she has earned the moniker of the protector of cows after she donated ₹61 lakh to a gaushala.

Saurabh Sharma June 7, 2016

Bollywood

13 Years of Omkara: How a Play About Race Became a Critique of Toxic Masculinity

Thirteen years ago, Vishal Bhardwaj gave us the masterful Omkara based on Othello, the Shakespeare play about race and misogyny. The play is tailor-made for Indian sensibilities, where race turns into caste and the misogyny is dialled up several notches.

Bhaskar Chawla June 6, 2016

Love and Sex

The Veiled Secret of My Open Marriage

A year into our arranged match, my husband and I decided to get into an open relationship. It’s done wonders for our marriage.

Aishwarya K June 5, 2016

Gender

At Home in My Panties

I didn’t move out of my parent’s house to party hard. I just wanted to watch Romedy Now and eat chips in my underwear.

Tia Basu June 5, 2016

Columns

Rearview: Pulwama Attack & the Difficulty of Being an Amol Palekar in a World of Arnabs

In the backdrop of the Pulwama attack, whose freedom of expression should we be concerned about? We don’t shut down the folks propagating #TerrorismHasAReligion, or journalists who purportedly declared Aligarh Muslim University, a “university of terrorists”. But we shut down people like Amol Palekar.

Karanjeet Kaur June 5, 2016

Earth

Kerala’s Fishermen, the Unsung Superheroes of a National Disaster

Perhaps the most enduring image from the Kerala floods is of a fisherman selflessly kneeling to help victims climb aboard inflatable boats. It’s true. Some superheroes don’t wear capes.

Jackie Thakkar June 4, 2016