The Bharatiya Janata Party’s unprecedented electoral victory in West Bengal exposes the deep Bengali roots of Hindu nationalism and shatters the myth of secular bhadralok liberalism
Halfway through the Narendra Modi government’s third term, the BJP has amped up efforts to gain a two-thirds majority in the Indian parliament and open the door to drastic constitutional change
The superstar is aiming for a grand entrance into politics in Tamil Nadu’s 2026 assembly election, but history tells us stardom alone will not be enough to challenge the state’s duopoly of Dravidian parties
From manufacturing mythic pasts to promoting muscular nationalism, militarism and Islamophobia, Hindi cinema is increasingly aligning with Hindutva politics, and ripping up Indian secularism and democracy in the process
An observer of the 1999 Chemmani exhumations reflects on newly uncovered mass graves and Sri Lanka’s continued failure to deliver justice for Tamil victims of war-time crimes
The success of Chamari Athapaththu and Sri Lanka’s women’s cricket team is showing a new generation of girls where their dreams can take them, and opening doors to women in media and other adjacent fields
Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested for misuse of public funds, but opposition leaders have opted to grandstand rather than press for reform
The Tablighi Jamaat’s orthodox Islamic preaching has gained mass popularity in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwah, where many Pashtuns complain it is transforming their culture and creating the potential for radicalisation and militant recruitment
The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, constrained by its own limitations and a volatile political climate, risks continuing the abuses of the Sheikh Hasina regime in its efforts at transitional justice
Pakistan’s paranoia over India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam attacks is unfounded, lacking an understanding of geography, hydrology or its water security
Operation Sindoor, India’s strikes on Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack, set off unprecedented warmongering, with the media, the Hindu Right and even the opposition baying for an India–Pakistan war
