The problem with Manu Joseph –Southasia Weekly #115

Last week, as this newsletter winged its way to you, key constitutional amendments on women’s representation were defeated in India’s Lok Sabha. This is being widely reported as a loss for women’s political participation, but there’s more to it than that, given the bill was bundled with proposals that sought to redraw India’s electoral map. 

Southasians know all too well the perils of unchecked power (just ask Sri Lankans who recall former president Mahinda Rajapaksa extending his own presidential term via constitutional amendment). But beyond the nitty-gritties of what this defeat portends, we wanted to focus on how it was reported in India’s mainstream media. Scroll below for more on that. We also have a review essay on Manu Joseph’s new book, the Maldives’s battle for an island archipelago, and more. We’re here to go beyond surface-level analysis on Southasia and if that’s what you value, you should sign up to our Patrons programme and support our work.

This week in Himal

In an incisive review essay, Diya Isha and Huzaifa Omair Siddiqi write about the journalist, novelist and screenwriter Manu Joseph, and why his latest book Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us falls short in diagnosing the ills of liberal India.

For the May edition of Screen Southasia, our monthly documentary screening in collaboration with Film Southasia, we’re featuring two films that explore the lifecycle of tyres. Click here to sign up to watch for free.