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Transmasculine, Closeted and Dysphoric on Eid al Ahda
As a girl and then as a woman, Eid has always been the same. My…
Premiere: Qais Essar’s “The Culmination of a Sorrowful Life” Is a New Classic
Produced by Afghan-American filmmaker Ali Baluch, Qais Essar’s newest video brings a simple visual approach…
London’s Hungama Provides a Queer-Friendly Respite From White-centric Nightlife
Hungama is new a club night curated by Ryan Lanji that launched in June 2018. “Hungama” loosely translates to “Bedlam” or “Chaos.” I recall my mother using similar words to…
Progressive Hinduism and a New Movement Against Poverty
Fifty years ago this month, a movement for economic justice built upon racial solidarity was brought to a halt in…
Playlist: Baila Summer
Baila music is a staple of Sri Lankan culture. The genre originated as a blend of two Sri Lankan communities: the kaffir population – descendents of enslaved African brought to…
Surina & Mel. Shows Brown Lives in All Their Normalness
In a short 55 second trailer, Surina & Mel. shows us what television shows could…
Bollywood’s Commodification of the Delectable Urban Indian Feminist
“My Choice,” the infamous video released by the #VogueEmpower campaign in 2015, creates a narrative…
“Breaking The Bee” Highlights the Dynasty of South Asian Spellers
Director Sam Rega sat down with Kajal Magazine to discuss his documentary on South Asian-American…
10 Short Films Chronicling Pan-Asian Experiences
Representation helps us unlearn. This year, I grappled with my perspectives about celebrity, integrity, and…
The Simpsons Delivered a Big “F U” to the South Asian-American Community
Nothing I love more than white men telling me what’s racist. Back in November, I…
Movie Night: Wild Wild Country
Wild Wild Country is a six-part documentary series directed by brothers Chapman and Maclain Way…
Love in Three Encounters
The half-life of love is forever. -Junot Diaz 1 11 pm. Whatever they’re having, you said, sweeping your arm our way. The bartender serves you and Julian whiskey sours. Julian…
Shreya360’s “bars” Offers Poetry Across Mediums
Tamil-American California-based creative Shreya360 first came to our attention in 2016, with a series of…
Kajal Vol. 2: Love Machine
This piece was originally published in Kajal Volume 2, Mytho-Techno. Order your copy of the…
I Have My Grandfather’s Hands
I have my grandfather’s hands. They are square and hardy. They can hold a lot.…
Tommy Pico’s “Junk” is a Love Letter to Abandonment
Junk is the latest epic book length poem written by Native American poet and 2018…
Browntown: Home Is Where the Bazaar Is
Negine Jasmine: In the heart of Artesia lives little India, which is located in southeast Los Angeles. The first time I visited the streets of Artesia was when I was…
More from Kajal
There is something particular about hearing the same stories repeated again and again by family members. A loving frustration. There are the looks shot between siblings,…
Hello and welcome! My name is Marissa (Pisces Sun, Aries Moon, Gemini Rising). I’m a half Pakistani, half Mexican queer artist living and growing in London.…
At Hindu weddings, a line of married women take their turns whispering words of wisdom in the bride’s ear. I’ve watched this tradition take place countless…
“America is a sick country.” This is the refrain Porochista Khakpour recalls hearing from her Iranian immigrant relatives, spoken “in every meaning of the sentence possible.”…
*From a Good Family, the debut album of Doctors and Engineers, coincided with the 2016 election. As we find ourselves in a troubling regime, it’s a good time…
In the summer of 1992, my family moved from New Jersey to South Texas. This is our story. In the early 1980s, my parents emigrated from…
Thanushka Yakupitiyage (Thanu by day, Ushka by night) is a Sri Lankan born immigrant rights activist, cultural organizer, and DJ based in New York. She leads…
Tāl, the electro-folk experiment helmed by twin sisters and multi-instrumentalists Shalina and Shantini Sandran, grew out of an inclination toward blending styles instilled in the womb.…
Some sweet, sweet jams to start your June right. A new month, a new radio hour! Kajal is back with our second episode of BRWN HIVE.…
These month’s horoscopes are paired with exclusive art by Dhiyanah Hassan. Soak them in and find growth, shedding, and transformation for your summer. Aries Isabel Allende…
There are many near deaths in Krystal A. Sital’s memoir Secrets We Kept: Three Women of Trinidad – her grandfather’s almost immediately fatal aneurysm, her mother’s car…
Looking through the early works of Indian photographer, Sunil Gupta, I’m struck by the purity of their intimacy and the easy way in which he captured…
Saris, suits, and more, Australian clothing brand Badaam is a gift. Matisse-influences, creamy raw silk, and beautifully muted tones, Badaam came to me, as so much…
Michelle De Kretser’s The Life to Come, released last September, is the Sri Lankan-Australian Miles Franklin Award winning author’s fifth full length novel. If, like myself, you’re a…
To celebrate the release of Kohinoorgasm’s new mini EP Synthwali and the War Empire, Kajal caught up with the enigmatic experimental musician, known offstage as Josephine…
Kajal Magazine is excited to announce our newest joint project with BRWN HIVE. Together, we’re producing a monthly radio hour featuring various up and coming South…
What do our astrological elements mean? Just because you’re a water sign doesn’t mean you love the ocean or cry a lot. There are plenty of…
to live in this world as Sogi says is as long as taking shelter from rain -Basho The legendary haiku poet, Matsuo Basho, so greatly admired…
Everything from knowledge to housing to career is determined by one’s social location. And so are relationships. We are familiar with the stats from 2014 on…
South Asians at the margins – queer, Dalit, Muslim, Bangladeshi, Tibetan, Sikh, Nepali, Pakistani, Shi’a and religious minority backgrounds – have been excluded from the institutions…