This week in Himal
We’re just 13 new Patrons short of reaching our target of 38 Patrons for 38 years to mark the 38th anniversary of Himal Southasian this
In cracking down on Kashmiris, the Indian government is missing the opportunity to reconcile with Kashmir residents alienated after the abrogation of Article 370
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
Galkande Dhammananda wants to heal Sri Lanka’s ethno-religious divisions, but can he change a long tradition of hardline Sinhala-Buddhist monks stoking hatred against Tamils and Muslims?
Rollo Romig’s book uncovers the making of Gauri Lankesh, her fight against Hindu nationalism, and how the journalist’s murder exposes the cost of dissent in an increasingly intolerant India
A conversation with the Mumbai-based journalist on the roots of Hindutva, the proliferation of Aadhaar and the surprising origins of India’s identification project
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
Sunela Jayewardene’s search for Ravan’s presence in Sri Lanka offers a counter to Sinhala Buddhist appropriation of the mythic king, but comes with its own pitfalls
The Pashtun Qaumi Jirga marks a new phase of Pashtun nationalism, with a swathe of demands challenging the Pakistan state’s treatment of Pashtuns and growing support from mainstream political parties
Tamil nationalism faces a new challenge as the climate emergency spreads in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province and other Tamil-dominated areas, where the ravages of war and systemic discrimination have left the population especially vulnerable
A conversation with Siddhartha Deb on recording the histories of India’s present and the dystopian futures of climate crisis and authoritarianism in his fiction and nonfiction
