The Idyllic Indian Village, Interrupted
Contemporary OTT narratives like Panchayat and Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi are revisiting the rural through the lens of an urban outsider, in an evocation of Sri Lal Shukla’s acclaimed 1968 novel Raag Darbari. By Ananya
Excerpt: THE AWASTHIS OF AAMNAGRI by Shubha Sarma
‘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).
What’s in a name? India has a long history of rebranding cities, streets, and buildings to reflect the political influence of the time. Instead of this empty tokenism, Vipin Labroo argues for the country to shift priorities towards its more pressing concerns.