Culture

Explore the rich culture of Southasia with in-depth articles, stories, and analysis on art, heritage, and traditions at Himal Southasian

We are all Facebook poets

What happens when publishing your thoughts is a simple mouse-click away?

By Sumana Roy

/ 8 Aug 2013

Exiled to Cyberia

A retrospective on a 1998 view of the internet’s potential, and a look forward to journalism’s next challenge.

By Kunda Dixit

/ 5 Aug 2013

Marriage 2.0

A rogue exploration of caste, class and gender on Shaadi.com

By Abhishek Choudhary

/ 15 Jul 2013

The woman who pretended to be who she was (online)

As the internet changes, it challenges us to ask who we really are both online and offline

By Lawrence Liang

/ 15 Jul 2013

The woman who pretended to be who she was (online)

Who is Taslima Nasrin?: An attempt to unravel the mythology and persona of the controversial author

Hanifa Deen, a Melbourne-based author of Southasian descent writing narrative non-fiction (as she calls her genre), has built a career exploring issues related to Islam and women, and

By Elen Turner

/ 15 Jul 2013

Who is Taslima Nasrin?: An attempt to unravel the mythology and persona of the controversial author

Comfortable in the virtual closet

The internet has allowed for an important kinship to spring up within the Bangladeshi gay community.

By Tanveer Reza Rouf

/ 11 Jul 2013

Digital native

Online networks have only marginally promoted civil society activism in Southasia

By Madhavi Bhasin

/ 11 Jul 2013

Anatomy of an obscenity trial

An unearthed file gives new insight into Saadat Hasan Manto and his short story ‘Bu’.

By Sarah Waheed

/ 1 Jul 2013

My Japanese parents: Remembering what Japan meant to those who dreamt of transforming India after Independence

In 1952, my parents, Pran and Soni Prashad, left Calcutta, India for Japan. They had been married for four years, and two children had already been born to them; two

By Vijay Prashad

/ 31 May 2013

My Japanese parents: Remembering what Japan meant to those who dreamt of transforming India after Independence

Prescience or coincidence?: William Dalrymple’s detailed look at the first Anglo-Afghan war hypothesises parallels between then and now, but how many of these pass muster?

William Dalrymple's most recent book Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan 1839-1842, is the third of the author's major historical works that looks

By Elen Turner

/ 15 May 2013