The prevalent majoritarian politics necessitated the need to work towards interfaith harmony. I drew strength from the memory of the anti-CAA-NRC protest movement, when the power of the people coursed through the streets of India.
End of an Era in Playback Singing in Indian Cinema
The global music industry, where millions of songs are sung, and billions are spent and earned, is a larger story. But the duo’s role as singers remains iconic in India, and perhaps South Asia, where numerous others have come, stayed to make music, and gone.
How Korean Noodle Brands Captured the Indian Market
The Korean noodle story is not really about noodles. It is about what happens when cultural influence travels faster than commercial infrastructure and faster than regulatory awareness. India's Gen Z - and possibly that of other South Asian countries - did not wait for brands to tell them what to eat. They watched K-dramas, did spice challenges, and built market demand that brands, regulators, and consumer education campaigns have simply not kept up with.
Sufi, Spirit and Resistance: A Layered Work Grounded in South Asian Storytelling Traditions
The Sufi Storyteller speaks to a wider South Asian moment, where Sufi traditions are increasingly invoked as counterpoints to narrowing religious and cultural orthodoxies. By foregrounding storytelling as both a spiritual and political act, Mansab gestures toward the enduring power of narrative to sustain pluralism, recover marginalized voices, and imagine more expansive forms of belonging.
From Death to Immortality: The Mahabharata is Worth Reading - And Questioning
A young woman reading Draupadi's story today and feeling angry about it is not being irreverent. She is doing exactly what you are supposed to do with a text this old and this serious, which is to feel it in your own body and think hard about what it means for where you actually are. We do not honour the Mahabharata by protecting it from that. We honour it by continuing to argue with it
More on Medley
Global warming impacting Mt Everest: Is it also turning into the world's highest garbage dump?
Mount Everest’s glaciers have lost 2,000 years of ice in just the past 30 years, according to recent research. This is not only alarming for those residing in the mountainous areas but also poses a threat to everyone in the region, particularly those living downstream. Much of South Asia depends on rivers that originate in the Himalayas for agriculture and drinking water.
When artistic freedom becomes a propaganda tool: Film on Hindu rightwing icon Veer Savarkar distorts history
In response to the teaser of the film, Netaji's daughter Anita Pfaff told the Times of India, "Like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji was opposed to the divisiveness based on religious differences. Let Sarvarkar's followers join Netaji in his vision for India and not hijack him for views that certainly were not his."
Tagore's immortal words resonate at Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago
Dookeran pointed out that a journey for freedom, is what ignited the 'Yatra Jaaree Hai' (the journey had begun). In India in modern times, that freedom was given political expression in 1947; it was not only the freedom of India, and it soon spread to all places that was called the British Empire in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean"
Little known heroes of Indian Air Force's 44 Squadron: 50 years of crucial airlifts
During the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) operations in Sri Lanka, 44 Squadron played a crucial role in transporting men and material, including T-72 tanks and artillery guns, in the early hours of 30 July 1987, greatly contributing to the airlift effort.
The reality behind the window dressing: An Afghan perspective on the US 'war on terror' in Afghanistan and Iraq
One of the key learnings for me as a linguist and interpreter at the frontline of the Afghan war and occupation for years, that I cannot forget and forgive, was that the US politicians and policymakers did not support and establish secular institutions in Afghanistan. They deceived both the American and the Afghan people.
“Congratulations! It’s a girl!” How one crusader helped change attitudes toward daughters in an Indian state
Young women in Haryana are proving themselves in male-centric sports like wrestling, winning on national and international platforms. They include Geeta Phogat, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik, besides the pilot Priyanka; Miss World Manushi Chillar; gold medalist shooter Mannu Bhakar; and Khap Panchayat participant Ritu. These women, and many more, are defying social norms; and bring laurels to the state and the country.
Prayers and calls to find missing Indian climber, a passionate peace enthusiast, in Nepal
Anurag believed strongly in the common civilization shared by India and Pakistan. “It seems visible even today looking at the twin sister cities, Delhi - Lahore and Mumbai - Karachi,” he said.
As Nepal’s rhino population increases, protecting rhino habitat becomes a challenge
In February 2023, Chitwan National Park hosted the 3rd Asian Rhino Range Countries, which saw the adoption of the Chitwan Declaration for Asian Rhino Conservation, 2023 by delegations from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nepal.
Pop Art South Asia: A unique and irreverent creative collection of region's artists
It is impossible to take in the meticulously and painstakingly curated show, with more than 100 stimulating, multi-media works, spanning more than a century, in a single visit.
What’s Love Got to Do With It? A feel-good South Asian rom-com with a sturdy message
Released in the UK on February 24 and in Pakistan on March 3, the film is a refreshing masterclass on how to adhere to the classic romantic-comedy structure, delivering a delightfully fair representation of multi-heritage families in cosmopolitan London and Lahore.
When the magic of Faiz got overshadowed by the Javed Akhtar controversy
But it was Akhtar’s few brief comments about the Mumbai attacks that spread rapidly on social media, picked up by mainstream media in Pakistan and India. Back home Akhtar had to defend his visit to Pakistan but his hosts. Faiz Festival organisers, have refused to comment on the controversy.
Zia Mohyeddin: Mourning the passing away of a progressive Pakistani poet and theatre artiste
Pakistan’s progressive movement revolved largely around the great poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, whose work Zia Mohyeddin so eloquently recited in his signature style, his distinctive, gravelly voice set him apart from others.
A legendary Indian songwriter, a daughter married in Pakistan - and a family torn apart
Before moving to Pakistan, Kishwar often accompanied her father to recordings after school hours in Mumbai. After marriage, with relations between the two countries deteriorating, she found herself progressively isolated from her family and the world.
Salman Rushdie returns, vibrating with literary energy
If there ever were a perfect literary candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, it would be Salman Rushdie this year.
