Deepa Bhasthi

Deepa Bhasthi is a writer based in Madikeri, Kodagu. Her essays, journalism and other writings have been published widely in ArtReview, Literary Hub, The Guardian, Hyperallergic, MOLD, Atlas Obscura and elsewhere. The archive of her works are available at https://deepabhasthi.wordpress.com/

Jun 21, 2023

Shock and awe

The many lives of Malayalam magical realism.

Jun 28, 2021

The caste of Karnatic music

An untold history of mrdangam makers.

Jul 07, 2020

The waiting game in Kodagu

On the August 2018 floods that devastated the coffee country in Karnataka.

Oct 19, 2018

Bridesourcing

One man's mission to save the Havyaka Brahmins from extinction.

Dec 24, 2012

May 21, 2012

Dedicated art 

As the Devadasi system dies out, so too does a rich musical repertoire.

Sep 10, 2010

Latest Articles

Pakistan embraces military rule without martial law

New laws have created jurisdiction for the military to operate at both federal and provincial levels of government, with serious implications for Pakistan’s already precarious federation.

Strains between Malé and the atolls in the Maldives

Forced migration, “development” pressures, political neglect and the climate crisis have assailed the Maldives’ less-populous atolls, eroding the country’s identity and driving thousands to the capital

Manipur’s conflict has harsh lessons for all of India’s Northeast

Rampant ethnic chauvinism of the kind that has shattered Manipur’s civil society is ingrained in communities across the Northeast

How Southasia and Oman intertwined

In ‘Sovereigns of the Sea’, the histories of Omani sultans in the age of empire speak to the interconnectedness of Southasia, West Asia and East Africa