Debut novelist Atharva Pandit discusses why he chose to render the true-crime story as fiction in Hurda, the polyphonic nature of the narrative, and his uninhibited portrayal of the investigation and the actors involved in the case. By Saurabh Sharma

How a slow but steady collective drive is finally instrumentalizing a change in the Indian publishing landscape, giving rise to queer, Dalit, disabled, Adivasi, and other marginalized voices on the bookshelves. By Saurabh Sharma

In her latest work, Aruna Chakravarti revisits the early 20th century ‘mejo kumar’ story, now allowing all its characters—particularly its females—to speak in their own voices. By Saurabh Sharma

Shooting to fame after the critical success of Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand, Daisy Rockwell speaks about the iconic Indian authors she has translated, Partition-themed narratives, and interpreting language from a visual eye. By Saurabh Sharma

Saurabh Sharma explores the rising wave of propaganda anti-Muslim music on Indian airwaves, songs filled with jingoism, religious bigotry, and xenophobia masquerading as art.

New visions of the past, fresh perspectives on the present, and big questions for the future. From Barkha Dutt and Nandita Iyer to Ramachandra Guha and Neerja Chowdhury, Saurabh Sharma previews the most-anticipated Indian non-fiction releases in 2022.

In another difficult year of the pandemic, many of us leaned deeper into the contemplation of literature. From Rijula Das and Josy Joseph, to Amitava Kumar and Shrayana Bhattacharya, Saurabh Sharma presents his twenty favourite Indian books of the year.

‘Safety is never imagined; it has to be felt’. Ten years after its first publication, Saurabh Sharma argues why Law Like Love—a text that singularly captured the relationship between law and queerness in India from varying vantage points—remains as relevant as ever.

In his 1938 book, author Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’ memorialised the life of his friend Kulli Bhaat. While positioned as a progressive text, Nirala only ends up misrepresenting Bhaat. Saurabh Sharma analyses the text from its recent English translation A Life Misspent.

Through a selected, personal exploration—from Ismat Chughtai to “Ugra”, Jerry Pinto to Megha Majumdar and more—Saurabh Sharma traces the evolution of queer narratives in Indian fiction.

Seema Pahwa’s directorial feature Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi is a realistic narrative in the face of death, peppered with grief, comedy, and epic performances by an ensemble cast. By Saurabh Sharma

“Floundering in a bottomless ocean”: A new English translation of Manada Devi’s landmark 1929 book, An Educated Woman in Prostitution: A Memoir of Lust, Exploitation, Deceit underlines the historical and cultural value of this text. By Saurabh Sharma