Randhir Singh’s photograph Sector 5 Saket captures a ubiquitous scene in South Asia: the neighborhood cricket match. A stack of bricks stand in for wickets, field boundaries are demarcated by random objects, and the players’ attire is a mismatched cacophony of color. However, the protagonist of Singh’s photograph is one of the match’s onlookers: the … Read More
The idea of “nude” is a vulnerable thing. The color is contentious – nude-colored for one is not necessarily nude for another and the default in fashion remains a pink, beige-like color. When I was a child taking movement classes, my ballet shoes were light pink to match skin I didn’t have. Then there’s the … Read More
I received a Whatsapp message from my mom in May – about two months after our part of the world had gone into a lockdown. “Doesn’t look like there will be any mangoes this year,” she wrote. I could hear her disappointment on the other end, an energetic knowledge of loss extending beyond the screen … Read More
Harshvardhan Shah simply goes by Harshy. An artist and photographer from India, he presents himself with style and grace. Kajal sat down with Harshy at a coffee shop in SoHo, New York City, where he is now based. He walked in dressed in all black but his aura immediately softened the space. Most of Harshy’s … Read More
The steady drizzle and wet clothes did not stop the march of saffron and black-clad men on State Highway 12 in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh. Many wore flimsy chappals while others walked barefoot. In an effort to stay dry, they covered themselves with tarps made from upcycled Cliff Bars and Spearmint wrappers. This is the Kanwar … Read More
New York-based photographer Sabreen Jafry didn’t intend to do a series on Pakistan. She went into her trip with the idea of capturing as much as she could. She, like most Pakistanis, hates the American image of the country. She figured she could challenge it. Represent it as she saw it and, in the process, … Read More
Sayali Goyal is the editor of the travel zine Cocoa and Jasmine. In their recent Himalayan Issue, the team collected their observations after traveling through the Himalayas for a month. Below is a sample from the issue. Saffron, or “Kesariya” in Hindi, the golden orange color holds a special place in Hinduism and can be seen … Read More
Before entering Edmund Clark’s exhibition, The Day the Music Died, you hear Don McLean’s “American Pie” playing from the bottom of the stairs. Descend into the basement and turn left. There’s a plainly printed list of twenty-four tracks ranging from “Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street” to “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. … Read More
Burrow in the art and spirit of teleological research. Bengali Arts Tableaux is a set of stories, photographs, artwork, and ethnography constellating the rich, expansive, and under-represented Bengali art-world and history therein, as in South Asian culture there is no difference between these concepts. Mahdi Chowdhury produced and authored the 62-page collection to provide a … Read More
Delhi, like biryani, has been cooked with the varied spices of cultures and religions over time to become the city it is today. Previously known as Shahjahanabad, this was the last city built by the famed Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Today, it is known as India’s capital city. Shahjahanabad consisted of the Red Fort, which … Read More
