Art & Culture

Review of Reviewers

Pratibha Singh

They’re so busy panning films and filmmakers that they never consider what the objects of their easy scorn make of their opinion. No easy star ratings for them either

The Ha Ha Queen of Singapore

Wei Fen Lee

In a country known for strict censorship laws, the most famous comedian is Kumar, a drag queen of Indian descent who pulls no punches

Dancing Poles

Avantika Bhuyan

Stealing the show is becoming something of a habit with this young Polish troupe. Rajasthan loved them too

The Modern Radha

Avanitka Bhuyan

An arts festival examines how the story of Krishna’s consort fits into today’s urban context

The Death of an Indian-born Language

Hugo Cardoso

William Rozario, last speaker of Indo-Portuguese Creole of Cochin, died recently. When I had met him for my research on Creole languages, he was glad to speak his language again, even though I could only pick it up in parts

Love in the Time of the Digital Camera

Madhavankutty Pillai

Why photo labs have not gone out of business

Songs on Their Last Breath

Avantika Bhuyan

Rajasthan’s folk music might be endangered, but its causes are ever relevant: caste and women’s empowerment

The Private Life of Vinod Sehgal

Rahul Pandita

The battle of a ghazal singer to rediscover himself and his art away from the spotlight

The Logic of John Abraham

Madhavankutty Pillai

Almost every male supermodel who tried his luck in Bollywood ended up as a character artiste. John Abraham proved an exception because he did things others just wouldn’t