Culture

In ‘Agra’, a grim portrait of the repressed Indian man
Director Kanu Behl’s Hindi feature film examines the sexual obsession and frustration of men, mental health and the transactional nature of human relationships in a patriarchal society where space is in short supply
Anna M M Vetticad | May 30, 2023

“I write with the same hands that carried shit”: Reading Pandiyakannan’s ‘Salavaan’
The Tamil writer Pandiyakannan, the first novelist from the Kuravar community, offers an intimate portrait of the lives of manual scavengers
Ashik Kahina | May 25, 2023

“Yes, our son is gay”: A Nepali father’s awakening
A path-breaking personal essay calling for social acceptance and full rights for Nepal’s LGBTIQ+ community
Bhojraj Pokharel (translated by Niranjan Kunwar) | May 10, 2023

How agrarian utopianism shapes Sri Lanka
The idealised "village" was at the core of the people’s struggle last year. As a fundamental of Sri Lankan nationalist thought, agrarian utopianism helps to explain the country’s past and imagine a different future.
Dhanuka Bandara | Apr 17, 2023

Languages of the islanders in Southasia: Part 1
Linguistic diversity and study of endangered languages in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Southasia can help our understanding of human history, cognition and the natural world
Abhishek Avtans | Apr 14, 2023

Screen Southasia: Q&A session with the filmmaker Kesang Tseten
A conversation with the filmmaker Kesang Tseten, director of 'Hami Kunako Manche' (We Corner People)
The Editors | Apr 12, 2023

Meena Kandasamy’s feminist intervention on the Tirukkural
The unparalleled Tamil classic’s third part, covering desire, was long overlooked, but Kandasamy’s new translation looks precisely at it to challenge convention
Kavitha Muralidharan | Apr 11, 2023

Canadian-Tamil comedian Sunthar V navigates queerness and Tamil identity
Sunthar V, founder of the Tamil Comedy Club in central London, attempts to push social boundaries with his comedy in Chennai
Sowmiya Ashok | Mar 27, 2023

Delhi’s longest-running play reflects the changing city
The shape-shifting ‘Ghalib in New Delhi’ captures 26 years of sociopolitical change in Delhi and beyond
Prabhanu Kumar Das | Mar 24, 2023

The secrets of ‘All That Breathes’
Shaunak Sen’s Oscar-nominated documentary looks at Muslim brothers caring for kites in Delhi, but also carries a veiled message on religious hatred in Modi’s India
Anna M M Vetticad | Mar 11, 2023
