Essays

A Child Without a Country

Michael Edison Hayden

Why being born inbetween cultures may not be such a bad thing

Wilful Ignorance

Omair Ahmed

Urdu originated as a mix of several languages spoken during the Sultanate era in Delhi. Those who reject the language now are rejecting their own legacy

Coming Out in Celluloid

Mohan Sikka

An account of how a dark Delhi short story written with great personal investment was reincarnated and brought to life in cinema

The former head of the counter-terrorism wing of RAW succumbed to cancer on 16 June. His tweets over the past five months, as he watched his body being laid waste by the effects of his illness and radiation therapy, document his fears, hopes and determination to emerge the victor

Yet Another Everest First

Mihir Srivastava

The first twins to climb Mount Everest, Tashi and Nungshi Malik, on negotiating the death zone in pitch darkness and why their achievement is worthy of attention

She Also Made History

Shahina KK

Chithralekha, a Dalit woman autorickshaw driver in Kerala, has become an unwitting symbol of resistance against caste hegemony in her state

Peta’s Sexiest Man Alive

Mihir Srivastava

The story of how an arthritic village boy who was laughed at became a celebrity wrestler with a cause

How I found my daughters

Anuradha Nagaraj

Adopting kids in India isn’t easy to begin with; adopting twin girls has legal complications. Anuradha Nagaraj recounts her struggle to bring her daughters home

‘Put the CBI Under the Judiciary’

Arindam Mukherjee

Trinath Mishra on his refusal to give in to political meddling, which led to his decision to bow out of the agency after just 14 months

Just Another Massacre

Chinki Sinha

Sinam Ongbi Chandrajini lost two young sons and a sister when Assam Rifles personnel arbitrarily opened fire on civilians in Malom in 2000. It was the horror of this incident that led Irom Sharmila to begin her fast against AFSPA