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
Fifty years ago this month, a movement for economic justice built upon racial solidarity was brought to a halt in the US national capital of Washington DC. That movement was the Poor People’s Campaign, created by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in December 1967. In the wake of the civil rights victories of the mid-60s, … Read More
Today, per Hindu tradition, in anticipation of an auspicious ritual, they oiled and cleaned their bodies, the floor, the walls. But it was not enough to clean only these things so they burned agarbathi to heal all remaining wounds with an aroma. Spirals of smoke in the prayer room curled like her toes. A red … Read More
The Kansas shooting showed our true colors. When the Muslim Ban first rolled out and protesters filed into airport parking lots, shutting down terminals and chanting against the detention of travellers, I sat down with my grandmother to talk about what was happening. I told her over FaceTime that I was scared and nervous about the … Read More
He invoked the gods, crossed gender barriers, and made political points at every turn. Yesterday, a solemn sitarist in a white kurta sat at the end of designer Ashish Gupta’s runway and as he tuned his instrument, audiences knew this would be no ordinary fashion show. The sitarist wore sunglasses — not to shield him from the house … Read More
Durga, one face of the goddess and mother of preservation and annihilation, is a force of power. Pure power. Astride a tiger and brandishing a trident in one of her many arms, she unleashes retribution with grace. Photographer Abhineet Dey captured images from the Durga pooja held in Karbi Anglong, Assam, India. She casts shadows deeper … Read More
