In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, human rights activist Malcolm X voiced his deep-seated distrust of what he referred to as a faction of the “white liberal”: “The liberal elements of whites are those who have perfected themselves to the Negro as a friend of the Negro. Getting sympathy of the Negro, getting the allegiance … Read More
I called my therapist on the third day of the coronavirus lockdown, starting with “Hey. I’m not panicked and I don’t know what to do about that.” There was a voice inside of me saying I ought to jump into the whistling fear-kettle for my virtues to be valid. But there was also a wisdom … Read More
On March 5th, a week before Holi, students across more than 15 American college campuses held protest rallies under the name #AHoliAgainstHindutva. These efforts were led by new organization Students Against Hindutva. Instead of wearing white and playing with colors, participants wore all black in protest against the political ideology of Hindutva, discriminatory policies introduced … Read More
South Asian food is more than consumable. It is an emblem of the cultural migrancy brought to London from around the world. The rich and homegrown flavors grown in gardens from Pakistan to Sri Lanka, and parts of Africa and the Caribbean, are carried overseas by the diaspora with as much strength as there is … Read More
This month, our national media houses have taken to predicting election results on CGI helicopters above a CGI map of India. But wait – first, let’s talk about Omelas. Written in 1973, The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas is is a short work of fiction by Ursula Le Guin. In the city of Omelas, everything is beautiful. … Read More
Back in February, I went to the doctor for a general checkup. “You should work on losing weight,” my doctor said, looking coolly over her notes. “Asian women are usually slim. You’re overweight for an Asian woman.” For most of my life, my body and I were friends. I didn’t have unreasonable expectations of it, … Read More
Kalaashakti rerouted the exploitative objectives of institutions like colonialism, EuroAmerican control over land, resources, knowledge, and cultural identity, and heteropatriarchy the dominance of men and heterosexual norms, through meditative pauses and re-embodiment. These practices loosen the grip of colonial and heteropatriarchal messages and framings inscribed into our breath and bodies that tell us, as Muslim … Read More
Creating Kalaashakti, a series of workshops centered on spiritual activism and healing, was a personal labor of love. The spiritual activism of these workshops was an experiment in a different kind of anti-violence, one that increased our inner fortitude to be with suffering and know it intimately, and open ourselves to healing in community — … Read More
Eight men were murdered in Toronto, their bodies dismembered and placed into more than dozen fiberglass garden planters on a residential property on Mallory Crescent. This was the same Leaside neighborhood where self-employed landscaper and occasional mall Santa Bruce McArthur worked. Fragments of bodies were found in a wooded area adjacent to the property as … Read More
Challia, Awaara, Shree 420 – the singer Mukesh’s soulful voice is found across the soundtracks of films in an early post-colonial India, narrating the vastly different post-partition life on the sub-continent. With Raj Kapoor, an accomplished actor and producer, Mukesh would go on to play an essential role in forming a young India’s national identity … Read More
