Culture

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

Brideprice

A new translation of Manik Bandopadhyay's ‘Namuna’ by Madhusree Mukerjee.

By Manik Bandopadhyay

/ 25 Apr 2013

Eat, drink, write

A food writer dishes on the ins and outs of her profession.

By Suman Bolar

/ 23 Apr 2013

Eating on the islands

As times have changed, so has the Maldives’ unique cuisine and culture

By Xavier Romero-Frias

/ 20 Apr 2013

The pig-nama

On how the pig can be a great pet, and also a great meal

By Vidyadhar Gadgil

/ 20 Apr 2013

Between loaf and halal

Sri Lanka tries to shake off entrenched practices that nationalists see as a threat to local food culture

By Tharuka Dissanaike

/ 15 Apr 2013

Disreputable cuisines

The politics of street food in India

By Krishnendu Ray

/ 15 Apr 2013

‘I bowled left-arm chinaman’

Shehan Karunatilaka speaks about winning awards, spin bowling, italics in fiction, and much more.

By Jahnavi Barua

/ 28 Mar 2013

Memories of a land divided

A historian reflects on the challenges of reconstructing the lesser-known history of the Sylhet Partition many decades after the event.

By Anindita Dasgupta

/ 18 Mar 2013

Pollution and purity

As millions bathe in the sacred rivers they themselves have polluted during the Kumbh Mela, where does the schism between Hindu notions of nature and actual nature conservation lie?

By Sarandha

/ 15 Mar 2013

Nationality, identity, and art

In conversation with Afghan-American artist Aman Mojadidi.

By Francesca Recchia

/ 14 Mar 2013

‘Perhaps some day I might end up as a poet after all’

The daughter of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, the Subcontinent's iconic bard, discovers letters exchanged by her mother and father.

By Salima Hashmi

/ 7 Mar 2013

Conditioned by war

In Sri Lanka, post-war trauma and a militarised peace have created a violent society, with children the worst affected.

By Tisaranee Gunasekara

/ 13 Feb 2013