Boulevard of Time
Poem by Ali Ashhar: ‘while he runs into the garden / and hears mellifluous melodies of life / singing to him’
An Interview with ‘The Guysexual’—Aniruddha Mahale Gets Out
Aniruddha Mahale—author of Get Out: The Gay Man’s Guide to Coming Out and Going Out—discusses his crush on Rahul Khanna, lying to his dates, sending nudes, and the socio-economic aspects of gay dating in India. By Chintan Girish Modi
The Undying Muse: Nivedita Dey’s LARKSPUR LANE
Whimsical and wise, reflective and poignant, Nivedita Dey poems are a contrast to the gloomy poetry of our age, even while delving into the darkest recesses. She passionately declares space for poetry’s possibilities and promises. By Dustin Pickering
Now Serene, Now Solitary: Three poems by Anam Tariq
Poetry by Anam Tariq: ‘I run up to place this piece / where the descending snow / spirals into patterns / of stars and visual poetry’
Time, Immortality, and the Art of Letterpress Printing
Personal Essay by Shalini Singh: ‘Is time a love story? Maybe time is letterpress printing. A capsule where every printed letter is a love letter to the future. And it’s a letter that doesn’t end with the ink drying or the writer moving away.’
Paa De Lohri: A reconsideration of the spring festival’s most popular folk songs
From the happy chorus of ‘Desi trick or treat’ singers to the problematic lyrics in folk classics, Deepansh Duggal takes a deep dive to explore the cultural significance of Punjabi Lohri music in contemporary times.
At Manchester, a permanent celebration of the South Asian Diaspora
Nusrat Ahmed—curator of the South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum—spoke about the complicated history of colonial artefacts in British museums, the importance of preserving history through art, and the impact she hopes the gallery will have for future generations. By Karan Madhok
P is for Patna: An Alphabet of Hope for my hometown
In a tribute to her hometown, Yashnashree presents an alphabet of hope for Patna, an A-Z from the amaltas to ‘hum’ and from Nalanda to ‘yaari’.
Broken Dawns and Unfinished Nights – Two poems by Mitra Samal
A poem by Mitra Samal: ‘Your poem seemed like a dream / hiding under the warmth of / your breath, in the chillness of winter.’
The Secret Lives of Goan Boys
Short story by Michelle D’costa: ‘A man had overdosed that day. Jude remembers the tattoo on the OD guy’s bicep: A dragon spitting fire which held three symbols, Om, a cross, and a star cradled in a crescent moon.’
A Century of Artistic Synthesis and Reinterpretations
At Bengaluru’s gallery g, an exhibition of India’s artistic century journey from 1850 to 1950 presents a complex synthesis, resulting from the cross-pollination of old and new, Indian and European, traditional and innovative. By Bindu Gopal Rao