PERSPECTIVES

Modernization of Maa Durga: A Celebration of Women’s Power, Social and Technological Changes

The five-day-long Durga Puja, celebrated by Bengalis in autumn every year, is not just a…

From River to the Sea: As Global Movement Against Israel’s Genocide Consolidates, Evil Geezers of Yore are Fishing in Troubled Waters

As Trump’s unilateral 20-point peace plan on Gaza unfolds, minus the two-state solution, the sinister…

Palestinian ‘Trail of Tears’: The World is Finally Waking Up to the Violent and Duplicitous Face of Zionism

“I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart,” wrote…

Akshay Shirke’s ‘Louis’ is a Meditation on Loss, Memory, and the Invisible Threads That Connect Us

“Louis,” a haunting short film by talented filmmaker Akshay Shirke, seeps deep into the viewer’s…

This Devil Doesn’t Wear Prada: Donald Trump Depicted as Demon Mahishasura in Durga Puja Pandals in West Bengal

The depictions of Donald Trump and Dr. Muhammad Yunus as the demon Mahishasura in Durga…

Stars and Stampedes: The Price South Pays for Its Hero Worship and India’s Endless Tragedy of Crowds

The price of fandom paid in a suffocating crush of bodies. The recent tragedy in…

Atlanta-Based Filmmaker Sanjay Arora’s ‘2 Khet’ (Two Farms) is a Devastating Tale of Land, Labor, and Loss

Inspired by true events, “2 Khet” (Two Farms) is a quiet but powerful short film…

Poetic Realism: Why Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’ Will Win the Academy Award at the 98th Oscars

In the vast landscape of cinema, some films entertain, others provoke thought, and a rare…

The ‘Global Leader’ Complex: Sycophancy and Religious Nationalism Turned India Into a Majoritarian / Authoritarian State

As I exited the Hyderabad airport in India, the city of my birth, I was…

The Closing of the American Mind: The Importance of Letting the Children Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I still remember the first time I read The Book Thief. Markus Zusak’s story of…

MAGA Indians and White Nationalism: Kash Patel, Harmeet Dhillon and Vivek Ramaswamy Must Stand Up to It

Right-wing commentator Ann Coulter has built a career on hate, targeting blacks, Mexicans, Jews, and…

Of Birbal and Brinjal: The Story of India’s Indigenous Vegetable That Traversed From Draupadi’s Kitchen to Today’s International Platters

In one of my favorite stories, Emperor Akbar sits down to a sumptuous lunch with…