Farah Ahamed examines the complexities of motherhood and desire in Saadat Hasan Manto’s “Mummy,” Mahesh Manjrekar’s Astitva, and Deepa Mehta’s Water.

Amrita Pritam, Saadat Hasan Manto, and Kamala Das were all writers who, even in life, lived on the edge of taboo, scandal, and self-revelation. In death, stripped of agency, their voices have been reframed by the very people who claim to honour them. By Treya Sinha

Seventy-five years after the subcontinent was lacerated and partitioned, the anthology The Other in The Mirror attempts to bind the fractured reflections of Indians and Pakistanis, using the balm of literature. By Karan Madhok

The soundtracks of several contemporary Indian films and shows have become an unlikely source of poetry. Srikanth M.V. discovers the relief that this poetry can provide in turbulent times.