‘Or perhaps, Pandit Dinanath Awasthi was exhausted. Tired of a large, brabbling family in a small, rented house, he was convinced that it was time to create memories in a home of his own.’ An excerpt from Shubha Sarma’s novel, The Awasthis of Aamnagri (2020).

Life during the Lockdown wasn’t easy for many Kathakali artistes, leaving the practitioners of India’s internationally-renowned ‘story play’ struggling to make their ends meet. - By Akhila Damodaran

A poem by Karan Madhok: “you survived: / a stranger among ancestors, / born on the wrong side of a new / imaginary line”

The diversity of Hindi-language web series over the calendar year was truly remarkable, featuring shows that thrilled, entertained, and pushed forward Indian storytelling more than ever before. From Paatal Lok to Aarya, and Scam 1992 to Panchaayat and beyond, Jamie Alter picks ten of the very best.

‘The avalanche went to ground; in its path all snow had slipped off the mountain, leaving only rocks and ice. For a moment the world was suspended in fear and dread. Chaos followed.’ Zachary Conrad recalls a fateful snowboarding adventure in Gulmarg and the lessons learned at the mercy of snowy, Kashmiri peaks.

‘All things on earth must return to earth—humans, too.’ From schoolboy cardigans to his muted Christmas merriment, Ronald Tuhin D’Rozario’s personal essay explores frozen memories of the past and lamentations of the present.

With characters that explore complexities of LGBTQ and Disability issues, Netflix’s new coming-of-age web-series takes baby steps into bringing a diversity of representation into the mainstream. - By Atulya Pathak

Good journeys tend to become a bridge… The bridge is always an internal choice. In a poetic photo-essay of brief, unforgettable encounters, Barnali Ray Shukla finds bridges that bring together divergent souls.

What’s The Chakkar? Episode 2: We’re listening to Divine; watching Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story; reading Samit Basu and DBC Pierre. Featuring Ady Manral, Shaista Vaishnav, and Jamie Alter. Hosted by Karan Madhok

From Paatal Lok and Leila to A Suitable Boy and Deepika Padukone’s films, Indian movies and web series face targeted attacks from the outraged right-wing, hell-bent to shape the national narrative to their own terms. Is there a way forward for true creative voices to survive in the mainstream? By Karan Madhok

The latest panel of Golchakkar Series with Abha Iyengar, Gaurav Monga, and Jose Varghese: Experiments in Indian Flash Fiction.

The true rags-to-riches tale of a stockbroker, Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story is a gripping chronicle of the corrupting power of ambition, as well as an astute commentary on an archaic financial system that both boosted and crippled India’s economy - by Jamie Alter.