How the Savarna construction of reservation vs merit binary has stalled progress of Dalits across sectors
Creating economic resources and social unification for the oppressed sections of society will help in flattening the brahmanical hegemonic theory of caste and merit.
The AR Rahman interview | 'There are certain stories that need to be told because the world is divisive now'
AR Rahman, on being roped in as the ambassador for BAFTA Breakthrough's India chapter, talks about why Indian artists need to push the creative envelope, and how teaching music to children keeps him going.
The Undoing review: Eight alternative (and more suitable) titles for HBO's Nicole Kidman-Hugh Grant starrer
In The Undoing, the individual parts are greater than their sum.
To remember Guru Nanak is to necessarily remember Bhai Mardana, long extolled as the first Sikh
Mardana stood by his friend and mentor and played an important role in enabling Nanak's message to reach a wider audience
KK Venugopal gives consent to initiate contempt proceedings against creator of comic Sanitary Panels
The Attorney General stated that two tweets posted by the creator of Sanitary Panels imply that the Supreme Court is biased to the ruling party and undermine public confidence in the institution.
The strange history of books bound in human skin: Megan Rosenbloom's latest is a deep dive into the practice
As Rosenbloom crisscrosses the globe to confirm the purported origins of skin-bound books — a cracking detective story in itself — her journey offers unusual insight into what defines informed consent, what separates homage from exploitation, and how power disparities can breed casual inhumanity.
Books of the week: From a translation of Phoolsunghi to Robert Elgood’s The Maharaja of Jodhpur’s Guns, our picks
Our weekly roundup of books that should be on your radar.
Caste in the USA, Episode 9: Examining the trials of representing caste in the 'elite' art world
'Caste In The USA' is a podcast series examining the pervasiveness of caste discrimination among Indians in the US, hosted by Equality Labs' Thenmozhi Soundararajan. This is Episode 9.
Hansal Mehta on feeling 'empowered' after Scam 1992, and telling stories that do not pander to a mainstream audience
For Hansal Mehta, while the story of Harshad Mehta's aspirations was an extension to his upbringing in a middle class Gujarati family, Chhalaang was a project he undertook to have fun, and not overthink.
The Inheritance of Loss: Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi probes the contours of grief through a collection of essays
In Loss (HarperCollins), Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi examines how the deaths of his father, mother and his beloved Dachshund have re-shaped his life.
Bachi Karkaria's Tales from TJ Road: A case study for why the doughtiest community is one bound by food
Through this fortnightly column, Tales From TJ Road, Bachi Karkaria tells the story of Mumbai's metromorphosis
Lockdown Secrets: With transgressions big and small, people test the limitations of a post-pandemic world
Through an anonymous survey on social media, we asked people about the fears and secrets they have been living with over the past several months — things they felt uncomfortable sharing with others, perhaps apprehensive of being judged.
Friday Night Frights: A Brief History of Feeling Great
Even the most widely accepted version of events is blurry on what might have triggered the whole thing.
The Friday List: From a Toni Morrison tribute to a show about Bollywood wives, your weekly calendar of virtual events
Every Friday, we'll bring you a curated list of online experiences — performances, talks, tours, screenings — to mark on your weekly calendar.
How does Kamala Harris, an African American, Tamil brahmin, raise her voice for BLM while staying mute on caste privilege?
It would be deeply unsettling to see her flaunt her genetic and cultural connection with India, without making a sincere effort to understand its various truths and perspectives — most especially because she is someone who spoke recently of America’s ‘moral reckoning with racism’.
26/11 Mumbai terror attacks: Films, books and documentaries that encapsulate the horrors of a city under siege
Over time numerous narratives, eyewitness accounts and works of investigative reportage have emerged in various formats in popular culture and the media that make for stirring recollections of this event and its impact on the survivors as well as the citizens of the country.
Caste in the USA, Episode 8: Decoding biases, inherent dominant supremacy in the field of public healthcare
'Caste In The USA' is a podcast series examining the pervasiveness of caste discrimination among Indians in the US, hosted by Equality Labs' Thenmozhi Soundararajan. This is Episode 8.
Allegedly Problematic: The feminist analysis of Ramarajan's Paattukku Naan Adimai no one asked for
One of my favourite kinds of Tamil cinema is the heavy-handed, predictable and alarmingly dramatic kind with aggressive songs, precise, staccato dishum-dishum sounds and wounds that look like smears of ketchup. Paattukku Naan Adimai was one of those movies.
AfsanaBadosh ep 1: Listen to Rajinder Singh Bedi's 'Quarantine' | Presented by Firstpost and Jashn-E-Qalam
AfsanaBadosh, presented by Firstpost and Jashn-E-Qalam, celebrates the spirit of storytelling through narrations of the greatest Hindi and Urdu stories. This is Episode 1 — Rajinder Singh Bedi's 'Quarantine', as performed by KC Shankar.
Revisiting Ramarajan's 1990 film Paattukku Naan Adimai: Of village heroes and small-town favourites
Paattukku Naan Adimai was released in 1990 and stars Khushboo, Rekha and Disco Shanthi, which means there will be an item number. Which is awesome. Which is also probably problematic to say.