Labour migration to the tea gardens of colonial India fostered contact and convergence among diverse languages, prompting the rise of new linguas francas and the erosion of many mother tongues
In her biography of the city, the Kashmiri writer highlights the complications of Srinagar’s identity and recentres the everyday lives of its people, particularly women
The Indian tennis star who has succeeded despite a dysfunctional sports administration and woeful funding – and Indian tennis is refusing to learn its lessons
Sunela Jayewardene’s search for Ravan’s presence in Sri Lanka offers a counter to Sinhala Buddhist appropriation of the mythic king, but comes with its own pitfalls
In ‘Sahaj Path’ – Rabindranath Tagore’s much-loved work for young readers of Bengali – his views on class, caste and gender are inextricably intertwined with his aesthetics and pedagogy
The Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia matters far beyond cricket alone and can update Australian views of Southasia and the Southasian diaspora – if the country cares to pay attention
A conversation with the Indian-Francophone writer Ari Gautier about his new short story collection 'Nocturne Pondicherry' and his novel 'Lakshmi’s Secret Diary', and more
Ganju Lama, an ethnic Bhutia, wangled his way into the Gurkha regiments and won a Victoria Cross in the Second World War – and proved that a true Gurkha need not come from a “martial” race, or be defined only by battles and bravery
The Indian-Francophone writer Ari Gautier on Black and Dalit struggles, indentured labour, and the little-known histories of French colonialism in South India
The journalists Saba Imtiaz and Tooba Masood-Khan talk about their new book ‘Society Girl’, and their investigation into the mysterious death of the Pakistani poet Mustafa Zaidi, and Shahnaz Gul, the much-maligned woman at the centre of these events
Why have four world-famous architects – Rem Koolhaas, Louis I Kahn, Tadao Ando and Shigeru Ban – tried but failed to create inspiring contemporary designs or buildings in Nepal?
