dialogue
How Reading Indian Authors Rekindled My Love For Books
When the authors we read are predominantly white, we risk being othered, alienated, and bored even by the book in our hands.
We Don't Need To Take Porn Away From Women To Help Them; We Just Need To Make Better Porn
"It’s not surprising that what we want to see in our porn, in the thing we turn to for pleasure, is sex that is consensual; sex in which pleasure runs both ways. And there are many people trying to create just this."
A Stranger Watched Me Shower In A Hotel Room And It Could Happen To You Too
Hundreds of Indian women report being watched and recorded without consent every year. Hundreds more tolerate being stared at without saying a word. Where does India's obsession with voyeurism come from? And, more scarily, where does it lead?
A Guide To Fighting Daily Casteism Around You
Here's a list of some of the stereotypical (and nonsensical) arguments upper castes put forth, and how you can counter them.
Me Too: How It Feels To Be Raped When You’re Eight Years Old
As Kathua has dominated news cycles, I've been in a psychological blackhole, getting reacquainted with memories I've repressed since I was a little girl with no words for what was being done to her.
By Glorifying Churchill, Britain Is Committing New Crimes Against India
In a post-Brexit cultural crisis, Britain is using cinema to glorify its past, even when that means glorifying a racist, evil man who let millions of Indians die.
Caste Broke Our Hearts And Love Cannot Put Them Back Together
I had been trained to know what good looks are (Brahmin) and what good queerness is (English-speaking).
What It Is Like To Live With Mental Illness In India
There is so much about mental illness that is not just unseen, but hopelessly misunderstood by the law, people, and Indian society.
How Selena Gomez’s Public Battle With Illness Helped Me Fight Mine
I was diagnosed with a life-altering autoimmune disease at 18. Every single day has been a struggle since. But whenever Selena drops a catchy new single, looking like the million bucks that she does, I find hope.
4 Reasons Mandatory Attendance In Colleges Makes No Sense
JNU students are protesting against mandatory attendance. Here’s why you should too.
What My Broken Vagina Taught Me About Pain And Sex In India
Indian women are told a lot of things about sex – when to have it, how much of it to have, who to have it with. We're just never told that it's supposed to feel good.
"Padmaavat" Is Every Upper Caste Hindu Male's Wet Dream
Everyone should be protesting the film – except the Karni Sena.
Say Hello to India’s Newest and Fastest-Growing Caste
They speak English as a first language, they're highly-educated, affluent, and urban. The Indo-Anglians are both India’s most visible and yet invisible caste.
WhatsApp Family Groups Are Keeping Indian Families Together — And Driving Some Apart
Family WhatsApp groups are now inseparable from the notion of the modern Indian family itself. But some Indians say they're also an insufferable obligation.
You Are Not Alone In These Academic Agraharas
Some will probably label me a “non-meritorious” Dalit from the “reserved category”. But I am not ashamed of my identity and you shouldn't be either.
One Too Many Mishras: India's Supreme Court Is A Brahmin Bastion
The power tussle between the Chief Justice and his fellow judges has exposed the casteist core of India's judiciary.
The Making Of A Hindutva Warrior
Kumar despised Muslims before he could count to ten. Now, having graduated from college with no job prospects, he divides his time between the offices of ABVP, BJP, and VHP. "Two hours here, three hours there. It’s how my days go."
How To Pitch To Dialogue
Interested in writing personal essays or cultural criticism for BuzzFeed India? Here's everything you need to know.
Why It Is Dangerous To Be A "Chill Girl" In A World Dominated By Rape Culture
It’s been three months since I started a firestorm of sexual harassment allegations against High Spirits. Here’s what I’ve learned about how toxic spaces keep young women quiet – and coming back.
My English Isn't Broken; Your English Is Brahmin
As a poet, an academic, and a Dalit, this is the story of finding myself in English and forgetting my way home.
Why Film Stars Make Bad Leaders: As Rajinikanth Enters Politics, Remember MGR’s Misrule
Through his films, M.G. Ramachandran built a popular persona as a friend of the poor – just like Rajinikanth. He enjoyed political support on the strength of his personal popularity, and as chief minister, he remained above scrutiny despite creating a brutally repressive anti-poor state.
What Shashi Kapoor’s Death Says about India’s Drinking Problem
It would be unfair to place the entire blame for alcoholism in India at Bollywood’s door. But there appears to be an undeniable complicity.
I'm Queer And I Couldn't Care Less About Section 377
There are much more pressing issues facing the queer community besides an archaic law that criminalises anal sex, and this is particularly true for women and trans people.
The Boy And The Tower: An Illustrated Journey Through Ambedkar's Life And Ideas
From a penniless Dalit with no prospects to the maker of India's constitution and the saviour of his people.
Built To Help The Farmers, Gujarat’s Dams Are Now Drowning Them
Since the state began its battle to harness and control its water, increasingly and unforgivingly, the water has started to fight back.
Hope At The End Of The World's Most Heartbreaking Climate Summit
Conversations about the end of the world from the centre of the world.
How Young Women In Indian Academia Feel About The List
A month after Raya Sarkar's list of alleged sexual predators polarised Indian academia, an attempt at understanding its origin and impact.
7 Vitally Important Issues Have Taken A Backseat Because Of A Movie
A fictional queen has taken precedence over unbreathable air, a dysfunctional parliament, Aadhaar deaths and many other pressing matters.
What Is It Like Being Transgender On Tinder In India?
Fascinating, validating, hilarious, and sometimes scary.
How India's Political Parties Hijacked Twitter's Trending Column For Partisan Bickering
A BuzzFeed News analysis found that the popularity of at least 10 political hashtags that trended on Twitter in India during the last two months was influenced by organised campaigns.
The Pillars That Hold India's Democracy Up Are Falling Apart
The 70-year-old skyscraper we live in has deep-rooted structural flaws which are preventing real change.
Demonetisation: The Greatest Magic Act Ever Performed
Making sense of how Narendra Modi sold a disastrous economic policy to a spellbound nation.
The Undeniable Misery Of Being A Shah Rukh Khan Fan Today
While the world, and I, have grown up, Shah Rukh remains stuck in the regressive '90s. With more freedom than he's ever had, he continues to promote sexism, racism and toxic beauty standards with his work.
Why Upper-Caste Men Need To Stand Up For Raya Sarkar
We have benefited immensely from a system that is skewed in our favour. If we stay silent as it crushes others, we become enablers of injustice.
Why I Published A List Of Sexual Predators In Academia
An interview with Raya Sarkar whose crowdsourced 'cautionary list' has sparked a polarising ideological debate among Indian feminists.
What's The Best City In India To Watch A Movie?
Analysing data for nearly 600 movie theatres across 8 Indian cities to figure out the answer to one of the burning questions of our times.
#HimToo: A Reckoning
An open letter from a senior academic to some of the men in her life who abused, assaulted, or harassed her and the women who enabled them.
The Mysterious Braid Choppers Of Kashmir
A spate of unexplained attacks on women, police and government inaction, and vigilante justice have come together to create a perfect storm of fear and unrest in Kashmir.
My Experiments With Hash-Making: What Makes It Good Is Bum Fluff
Sometimes science reveals things you were better of not knowing.
Caging Women To Protect Them From Predators Is Only Making The Problem Worse
Protectionist measures that restrict women's freedom in order to protect them are just benevolent versions of the same misogyny they seek to counter.
How Feminist Men Have Sex
An erection is the same hydraulic event in political economists as it is in jackasses.
Modi's Unwillingness To Listen To Criticism Has Knocked The Halo Off His Head
The prime minister has gone from an infallible knight who could do no wrong to a leader under siege in a little over three years.
Newton: An Angry Young Man With A Caste Conscience
Amit Masurkar's Oscar-bound film reinvents a tired old trope by grounding it in the reality of the Dalit struggle.
The Selfless Indian Woman Is Tired, Angry And Wants You To Do Your Own Damn Work
Glorifying selflessness in women is a way to make us do all the work.
Rishi Kapoor: The Casteist, Khandaani, Besharam Boy Of Bollywood
Why I, a female Dalit meme-maker, got an abusive message from the patriarch of Bollywood's largest dynasty.
Inside The Testosterone-Soaked Culture Of India’s Guys-Only WhatsApp Groups
In a time when it’s decreasingly cool to be sexist, some men are retreating to the privacy of all-male WhatsApp groups to validate their misogyny.
Four Indian Athletes On The Triumphs And Challenges Of Making A Comeback After Childbirth.
What does it take to go from elite athlete to mother and back again?
Kangana Ranaut Is A Feminist Icon, But Her Breakup Isn't A Feminist Issue
Kangana Ranaut's unapologetically progressive choices have us ready to applaud her every move. So it's disappointing that we're mostly being made to applaud the messy end of a messy affair.
So Hey, Let’s Talk About The Violence In Kerala
Both the left and the right have blood on their hands, but somehow the RSS and the BJP continue to peddle the story of their innocence.
Reckless Journalism Created A Blue Whale Panic When We Should Be Talking About Mental Illness
Media hype has gotten parents, teachers and even the government more interested in a fake epidemic than a real one.
How Privilege Actually Works (No, It's Not About Scoring Points On A Quiz)
Privilege is less about the individual and more about the social structures that they are a part of.
As I Wage War Against Child Sexual Abuse, My Greatest Strength Is You
Every 8 minutes, a child is stolen and sold, sometimes at a price less than that of animals. I am knocking on the doors of governments, faith leaders, corporates and NGOs, asking for a better world. But it is in you that I have the utmost faith.
India And Nepal Team Up To Rescue Flooded Rhinos
Officials from both countries have worked together to find and rescue one-horned rhinos swept across the Indo-Nepal border by this year's monsoon floods.
Who Wins When Journalists Die?
When the assassins shot at Gauri Lankesh, they delivered a deadly blow to free speech.
The Powerful Arguments Made By A Men's Group Fighting Against Marital Rape
"We believe that there are men, there are men, and there are better men."
How A Rapist Used Cinema To Convince Lakhs Of People That He's A Victim
Gurmeet Singh’s films blur the lines between reel and real by combining the lived experiences of the audience with clever propaganda.
The Science Is Clear: Hitting Kids Makes It Harder For Them To Learn, Not Easier
Kids who are taught with violence are more likely to become adults with mental issues and lower IQs.
The Tiranga Has Four Colours: Alternative Histories Of The Indian National Flag
The evolution of India's flag has forgotten its minorities and moved away from the Gandhian ideal it once stood for.
Too Many Of India's Young Boys Suffer Sexual Abuse And Our Silence Is Criminal
We don't do enough to teach young Indian boys that they are vulnerable. Pehredaar Piya Ki is making matters worse by normalising predatory relationships.
Imposing Hindi Won't Bring India Together; It Might Just Tear Us Apart
Policy-makers need to care less about languages and more about the people who speak them.
Actors, It's Time To Take Responsibility For The Horrific World You've Created
Indian women are well acquainted with stalking, harassment, and assault because Indian men are bombarded by pop culture heroes who tell them that behaviour is ok.
DU's Zero Cutoff For SC/ST Students Shows Exactly Why Reservations Are Essential
Contrary to popular belief, high cutoffs in general quota does not mean forward castes are being discriminated against.
How Indian Kids Raised Without Personal Space Became Adults Who Don't Care About Privacy
As the courts decide whether Indians have a "right to privacy," the real battle rages on in living rooms and principal's offices.
An Illustrated History Of Women's Cricket In India
India is just waking up to its women's cricket team, but their success has been many decades in the making.
The Reason Nepotism, Sadly, Isn't Going Anywhere: Economics
We can tweet and rant all we want about Bollywood's lack of justice. Or we can remember that, at the end of the day, it's a for-profit business run by moneymakers, not saints.
The Old Order Of Bollywood Is Under Threat And They Can't Handle It
Tone-deaf jokes, half-hearted apologies, and fumbling explanations are a sign of how fragile Bollywood's dynasty-born stars are right now. And for good reason: Outsiders are fighting them with winning weapons – hard work, hustle, and talent.
The Former Buddhist Monk Who Is Now A Tibetan Queer Icon
Tenzin Mariko is an aspiring makeup artist and dancer and perhaps the biggest star in a community that, until her arrival, had been bereft of LGBT idols.
Losing Chester Bennington Is Like Losing A Friend
Listening to Linkin Park in the privacy of our rooms, we found, in Chester Bennington, a friend who made the pain of the difficult process of growing up just a little easier.
Be Good To Artists
Chris, you were not the rolling wheels, you were the highway. Chester, we’re shouting ourselves hoarse a day late, frantic to reach you somewhere and say, in the end, it mattered.
Bharat Mata And Her Unruly Daughters
The saffron flag-wielding RSS version of Mother India excludes several identities that are just as Indian as her savarna sons.
Qandeel Baloch: The Making And Unmaking Of A Working Class Heroine
There was so much more to Qandeel than met the eye.
Is Artificial Intelligence Going To Take Your Job?
Fear not, humans. We’re in no danger of becoming irrelevant. For now.
The Women Who Live Alongside Rhinos
In parks where locals are allowed access to the forest, women cherish their encounters with rhinos. Where they are shut out, resentment brews.
Unraveling The Mysteries Of GST With Samosas And Time Machines
It's not as complicated as it sounds. Honestly.
Dear Pahlaj Nihalani, Let's Talk About Sex
One man's squeamishness is holding an entire nation back.
Moderate Muslims Of Pakistan, We Have Nowhere Left To Hide
Taimoor Raza's death sentence, and the non-existent debate around it, are symptomatic of the shrinking space for dissent in the Islamic Republic.
It's Time To Acknowledge The Privilege That Makes Your Art Possible
The freedom to chase your dreams has been built on several generations' worth of curtailed ambitions. Wield it well.
Dreams Of A Hindu Rashtra
A journey into the heart of the Hindutva project.
I'm Tired Of Mayanti Langer Being Uncomfortable On Air
She deserves to show up and do her job without the added burdens of sucking in her tummy and balancing on stilettos. And, for that matter, we all do.
The Women Who Took Us To Mars
How the glass ceiling between Earth and space was shattered, so India could reach for the stars.
I Voted For You, So Give Me A Unicorn Right Now
The millennial's guide to going beyond the Nayak model of governance and engaging with Indian democracy.
Admit It: Memes Are Our Truest Patriotic Legacy
As India builds a cultural identity online, each one of us is a tiny historian. Go forth and shitpost. It's the best way to love your country.
In Defence Of "Back-Answering"
Children who are taught it's disrespectful to question their elders grow into adults who are unequipped to critically consider the world.
Attention, Woke Desi Boy: I've Got A Mission For You
Call your bros out. Point out the fucked-up "normal" aspects of dude behaviour. Stand up for women even when there are none around. Your wokeness means nothing if you're not using it to wake other people up.
7 Essays On Sex Every Desi Woman Needs To Read
Consent, body-image, shame, sanskaar – casual sex is confusing for many, many reasons. But at least you're not alone in that confusion.
Opinionated, Indian, Female: The Tragedy Of Having A Voice In A Country That Can't Hear It
India has a frightening culture of silencing young women's opinions, be it in classrooms, homes, workplaces, or online.
Censors, Why Are You So Afraid Of India Seeing What Indian Women Are Really Like?
Lipstick Under My Burkha has been denied certification because its "lady-oriented" story portrays Indian women's inner lives, their fantasies, their desires. And that’s clearly blasphemous.
Systematic Attacks On Students Who Dissent Is Putting India In A State Of Crisis
Ramjas falls into a now-too-familiar pattern. Our freedom to question is being attacked in the very corridors it's supposed to grow up in. It's time to fight back.
Overweight Men Need Your Empathy, Not Your Jokes
Obesity is a medical condition, not an opportunity for comic relief. But when I express this emotion, the response is “chup be rondhu, yeh le samosa kha”.
Ladies, The Fear Of “Ending Up Alone” Is A Silly Reason To Marry In Your Twenties
Despite what samaaj insists, you won't suddenly become unlovable, unfuckable, and infertile as soon as you turn 30. Do whatever you want and whoever you want, whenever you want.
North Indian Media – Going South In More Ways Than One
Here are 6 handy rules to help #AmitMedia do a better job next time it "covers" national news from the south of the Vindhyas.
Hey, Indian Women: We're Policed Enough By Others, Let's Stop Doing It To Ourselves
While we rage against a college principal for telling us to #DressLikeAnIndianWoman, there are ways we do the same thing to each other all day every day. It's time to call ourselves out, too, and to call out our best friends.
What Standing Outside Shah Rukh Khan's Home Taught Me About Celebrity Worship In India
For so many of us, this is as close as we will get to the Gods on our screens.
Desi Comedy's Biggest Problem Is That Funny Girls Don't Believe They're Funny
The only way to fix South Asia's dude-dominated stand-up scene is for you to drag your funniest lady friends to an open mic.
India's Definition Of "Manly" Is Too Rigid And It's Hurting Both Boys And Girls
How I "manned up", "grew a pair", and came to terms with not being a "manly" man.
Dear Indian Parents, You Need To Let Your Children Go To Understand Them Better
Living away from home helped me change from my parents's "chhota baccha" to their friend.
Stop Comparing Deepika Padukone And Priyanka Chopra
There's enough room in Hollywood for two Indian women to kill it. And, while criticising them individually is fair, pitting them against one another might be internalised racism.
India Sucks At Nuanced Debate And It's Our Most Dangerous Problem
Whether it's demonetisation or Jallikattu or whatever tears us apart next, here are six things we’ve got to stop doing when a fraught topic comes along.
The Gentleman's Game Vs. The Women Who Love It
Whether you're a female cricketer, a female anchor, or even a female fan, there are reminders everywhere that cricket doesn't take you seriously.
Bollywood Stars Don't Take Stands Like Meryl Streep Because Our Freedom Of Speech Is A Farce
India's biggest stars – Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Karan Johar, and more – actually have tried taking anti-establishment stands like Streep did at the Golden Globes. But, in India's increasingly restrictive political climate, it's never proven worth the time and losses.
