The demise of Buddhist philosophy in Southasia and its journey to the east

10 hours ago

Buddhism’s transformation on its way from India to China, Japan and Korea may offer clues to what was lost when it disappeared from its homeland

Pakistan appears to believe that its military might, which is far greater than Afghanistan’s, will force the Taliban to bend. But rather than weakening the regime in Kabul, Pakistan’s aggression is fueling Afghan nationalist sentiment and allowing the Taliban to cast themselves as defenders of the nation, effectively granting them a level of popular legitimacy they have long struggled to secure.

Politics

Pakistan’s “open war” on Afghanistan only strengthens the Taliban

Hamayon Rastgar

19 Mar 2026

Recent Hindi films increasingly echo Hindutva politics, recasting history, glorifying militarism and normalising Islamophobia in the service of a majoritarian national project.

Culture

Hindi cinema’s appalling descent into Islamophobia and Hindu nationalism

Raza Rumi

17 Mar 2026

Global demand for Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft increased following the jet’s involvement in the India–Pakistan conflict of May 2025. Pakistan’s military and government are trying to present a slew of JF-17 export deals as an economic success that can help turn the country’s stumbling economy around.

Politics

Are Pakistan’s booming defence exports a strategic boon but domestic bane?

Salman Rafi Sheikh

13 Mar 2026

A miniature painting depicting young Brahmins studying Hindu scripture, circa 1820. Tradition, in Ravikant Kisana’s telling in ‘Meet the Savarnas’, becomes training in hierarchy, where excellence from the margins is permitted only insofar as it does not unsettle the dominant-caste hold on knowledge.

Politics

Unpacking the Savarna state of mind in a caste-ridden India

Shainal Verma

11 Mar 2026

Nepal Elections 2026

Nepal 2026 election: The old guard battles new leaders

The Editors

03 Mar 2026

2 min read

Balendra Shah (right) and Rabi Lamicchane (second from left) of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party campaign for Nepal’s 2026 election. The RSP is poised to dominate Nepal’s new parliament, with voters roundly rejecting the country’s establishment parties.

A new political guard arrives to confront Nepal’s old problems

Pranaya Rana

06 Mar 2026

11 min read

K P Oli, deposed as prime minister by the 2025 Gen Z protests, has presided over the CPN-UML’s most successful decade in Nepali politics. Yet Nepal’s progressive gains over this period have come despite the CPN-UML rather than because of it.

How the Left veered right in Nepal

Amish Raj Mulmi

03 Mar 2026

11 min read

How online abuse and patriarchy hold back women in the Nepal election

Niruta Khatri

02 Mar 2026

7 min read

Culture

The demise of Buddhist philosophy in Southasia and its journey to the east

Shashank Kela

10 hours ago

32 min read

Politics

Unpacking the Savarna state of mind in a caste-ridden India

Shainal Verma

11 Mar 2026

27 min read

Women pose with a cut-out of India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, during a 2023 welfare outreach campaign in Guwahati. In the state of Assam, a life insurance programme meant for low-income households is at the centre of a web of fake deaths and forged documents, revealing the fragility of India’s welfare architecture.

Politics

The business of fake deaths in Assam

Snigdha Poonam

25 Feb 2026

15 min read

Himal Southasian

The demise of Buddhist philosophy in Southasia and its journey to the east

Pakistan’s “open war” on Afghanistan only strengthens the Taliban

Hindi cinema’s appalling descent into Islamophobia and Hindu nationalism

Are Pakistan’s booming defence exports a strategic boon but domestic bane?

Unpacking the Savarna state of mind in a caste-ridden India

Nepal Elections 2026

Nepal 2026 election: The old guard battles new leaders

A new political guard arrives to confront Nepal’s old problems

How the Left veered right in Nepal

How online abuse and patriarchy hold back women in the Nepal election

Books

The demise of Buddhist philosophy in Southasia and its journey to the east

Unpacking the Savarna state of mind in a caste-ridden India

The business of fake deaths in Assam