Poem by Anju Devadas R D: ‘They say the river hums here, / but no one sings along. / In this village, silence grows / like moss on every wall.’

In The Amateur (2024), Saikat Majumdar explores education, humanity, and inclusivity from different perspectives to highlight the major flaws of colonial education. The book asks for intensive correction in institutions and in the people’s psyche. By Kabir Deb

The crimes are bigger and bloodier in Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders, and the motives even messier; but at its core, the film is a hollow reproduction of its genre predecessors, a familiar formula traced into an inferior product. By Karan Madhok

Through films like Viduthalai, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Virata Parvam, and more, Marnina (Avirup) explores how portrayals of the Naxalite Movement in Indian cinema confront the many under-represented fractures of our democracy.

Personal Essay by Kinjal Sethia: ‘Some lanterns burned outside this huddle of bhajans and stories. As kids, we kept close to the elders. It would be hauntingly dark outside this circle, and we pretended to conjure witches waiting in the inner rooms or imagined that the screech of the fruit bats was the call of the spirits.’

Through sensitive character studies and relationships, Homebound and Sabar Bonda pose urgent questions about migration and the life-altering distances between the metro and the village. By Sarthak Parashar

A multi-city exhibition of the work of Flemish marine artist François Baltazard Solvyns showcased comprehensive visual records of the people of Bengal, displaying the deep roots of caste and patriarchy in everyday life. By Sravasti Datta

Poems by Saurabh Suman: ‘in the music that declares the arrival of autumn— / the evening breeze caressing / almost dried-up leaves, / trembling as they cling to the stem’

Without clear regulatory mechanism against AI data mining, Indian publishers have begun adapting voluntary frameworks. Madhuri Kankipati argues for the urgent need for the AI governance guidelines to set legislation and protect creative workers in a multilingual, digitally expanding nation.

In his series In Between Dreams, the paintings of Bhutanese artist Pema ‘Tintin’ Tshering ask the question of what lies beyond what we can see, in the space between understanding and mystery. By Amritesh Mukherjee

In the art of filmmaker Deepa Mehta and writer Ismat Chughtai, Farah Ahamed explores themes of patriarchy, infidelity, and a testament to the desires of women.

Fiction by Labiba Alam: ‘Nandita’s arrival in our lives was similar to a new season dawning upon the hills. It was a slow, effortless glide, almost organic. It looks as if it had always been there, only we had begun to feel its newness by degrees.’