Essays

The Elusive Tagore

Philip Nikolayev

Searching for the poet’s genius amid the mediocrity of his English translations

The Woman Who Took on an Institution

Rina Mukherji

Rina Mukherji fought a sexual harassment case against her erstwhile employer The Statesman for ten years, facing delays and defamation suits, until she finally saw a favourable judgment last year

Pallu, Pleat, Power

Sohini Chattopadhyay

On the sari as a message of competence, maturity, professionalism and a new cosmopolitanism

Six years ago, school swimming champ Riya Gupta dived into the shallow end of the pool by mistake, fractured her neck and was paralysed neck down. She had no control over her bowels, her fingers were limp, she lost touch with her friends. During sessions of physiotherapy and relearning how to write, she was introduced to Quad Rugby played on wheelchairs. A dozen even got together to form the Indian team, on which she is the only woman. And she made new friends

Fathers, Brothers and Other Demons

Neha Dixit

Priya was raped by her father and brother for nine years—and her mother knew all along—till she saw on television the protests against the 16 December gang-rape

The Cop Who Was Also a Crusader

Mihir Srivastava

N Dilip Kumar has always fought against corruption. Now retired, he writes about it

My City for a Poet

Sumana Roy

Shrikant Verma’s Magadh is brought to new life in Rahul Soni’s translucent translation. Reading it in modern-day ‘Magadh’ is a revelation

Women Don’t Bleed Blue

Ramya Maddali

How I got over the mystery, myth and maligning of menstruation

How I Became a Fort Conservationist

Shridatta Raut

An accountant by profession, Shridatta Raut has devoted his life to finding unknown forts in Maharashtra and conserving them. He even got married in one