Culture

The limited genius of Geoffrey Bawa
‘Geoffrey Bawa: Drawing from the Archives’ allows an exploration of the rift between the celebrated architect’s vision for nation-building in Sri Lanka and the country’s present reality
Dhanuka Bandara | Nov 24, 2023

Bhutan took a step towards queer rights, but its LGBTIQ+ people want a giant leap
Bhutan celebrated the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 2021 but LGBTIQ+ activists are pushing for the legal recognition of all gender identities and marriage equality
Yangchen C Rinzin | Nov 21, 2023

Buddhism’s long fight against brahminism and caste
‘Dust on the Throne’ focusses on grossly overlooked aspects of Buddhism in Southasia and beyond, highlighting casteless and anti-caste legacies connecting ancient and modern Buddhists
Gajendran Ayyathurai | Oct 25, 2023

Pashto poetry’s journey from love to war and resistance
With Pashtuns suffering massive violence from the Taliban, Islamist militants and the Pakistan state, Pashto poetry today reflects the community’s new blood-soaked reality
Hurmat Ali Shah | Oct 16, 2023

How Tibetans in Karnataka’s Dhondenling put down roots in refuge
The lush home gardens in India’s southernmost Tibetan refugee settlement tell stories tracing 50 years of exile
Hanna Geschewski | Oct 10, 2023

‘Jawan’ treads with caution in an India on edge
Shah Rukh Khan and the director Atlee’s tedious blockbuster has a veneer of being political even as it bends to prevailing winds – and its gender bias does not help
Anna M M Vetticad | Sep 12, 2023

Notes on Southasian photography beyond borders
Rahaab Allana’s 'Unframed' explores how lens-based practices confront the divided realities of Southasia, yet also point to the region’s overlaps and entanglements.
Jatin Gulati | Sep 01, 2023

SCREEN SOUTHASIA: Two Punjabs, One Southasia
Director of the documentary 'Taangh (Longing)' Bani Singh, and political scientist Ishtiaq Ahmed in conversation with Kanak Mani Dixit on the topic of 'Two Punjabs, One Southasia'
The Editors | Aug 19, 2023

Queer Christians in India cautiously rebuild relationships with their churches
Driven away by anti-homosexual stigma, some queer Indian Christians are slowly returning to the fold – helped by some churches’ efforts to make safe spaces for them
Joshua Muyiwa | Jul 21, 2023

‘Joyland’ crosses the barbed wire between India and Pakistan
Indian audiences are connecting with director Saim Sadiq’s acclaimed, queer-affirming Pakistani film, briefly banned in its home country
Chintan Girish Modi | Jul 14, 2023
