Three new books demonstrate how India’s position on Israel–Palestine is determined by a careful calibration of geopolitical ties and its own image and interests
Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav’s biography of Lajpat Rai helps trace the Indian freedom fighter’s ideas on nationalism and caste – which, when compared to Gandhi’s, point to the often counterintuitive caste politics of India’s Hindu and “secular” nationalisms
The Indian tennis star who has succeeded despite a dysfunctional sports administration and woeful funding – and Indian tennis is refusing to learn its lessons
Biren Singh’s BJP-led Manipur state government has used arrests, intimidation and narrative manipulation as tools to dominate the public and exacerbate decades-old tensions between Meiteis and Kuki-Zomi-Hmars.
Putting the year in perspective, editor Roman Gautam and the hosts of Himal’s podcasts take a look back at the highlights, stories and episodes that shaped an extraordinary and challenging year
In ‘Sahaj Path’ – Rabindranath Tagore’s much-loved work for young readers of Bengali – his views on class, caste and gender are inextricably intertwined with his aesthetics and pedagogy
The decades-long conflict between India and Pakistan has forced children into conditions of chronic stress, anxiety and malnutrition, with high levels of PTSD reported in Indian-administered Kashmir
The Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia matters far beyond cricket alone and can update Australian views of Southasia and the Southasian diaspora – if the country cares to pay attention
Ganju Lama, an ethnic Bhutia, wangled his way into the Gurkha regiments and won a Victoria Cross in the Second World War – and proved that a true Gurkha need not come from a “martial” race, or be defined only by battles and bravery
The Indian-Francophone writer Ari Gautier on Black and Dalit struggles, indentured labour, and the little-known histories of French colonialism in South India
An investigation into cardamom cultivation in Kerala exposes how India is failing abjectly to regulate pesticide overuse and contamination in its spice production and trade
Maharashtra’s politics has been pushed so far to the right that progressive voices are endorsing the Maha Vikas Aghadi – which includes Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of the Shiv Sena, with its history of Hindutva vigilantism
