Expanding our Literary Devices series, Winnu Das speaks to Bhakti Shringarpure, the co-founder and creative director of Radical Books Collective, about reading together, being critical, and finding strength in community.
Comic
Whalefall
In this eco-horror comic, written by Archita Mittra and illustrated by Rae Larson, two sisters grapple with generational guilt, climate change, myths, and the devastation of love and loss.
Interview
Talking Peys, Pisaasus, and Pulp Fiction: An Interview with Blaft Publications
In the next instalment of our Literary Devices series, Anjali Alappat chats with Rashmi Devadasan and Rakesh Khanna, co-founders of Blaft Publications, about the importance of translating regional pulp fiction, weird blind spots in Indian publishing, monsters from all over the country, and their plans for the future.
Interview
Sex Scandals, Shame & Urban Myths: An Interview with Aravind Jayan
In the first part of our Literary Devices series, Aravind Jayan, author of Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors, discusses his debut novel, societal hypocrisy, complicated family dynamics, generational gaps, and shame.
Personal Essay
Building a Noteworthy Life
Convinced of the transformative power of music, Child’s Play India Foundation teaches music to underprivileged children in Goa. Chryselle D’Silva Dias on how Beethoven and Bach can offer hope and joy, especially during difficult times.
Personal Essay
Missing the Trees for the Forest
While in the field, ecologist Pooja Choksi found herself slowing down for trees. Field guide in hand, she allowed herself to pause, admire the trees, and the communities surrounding them. It strikes her then that she’s no longer looking at trees as data, and is on the path to curing herself of tree blindness.
Article
Case Verzi: A Resurgence of Sustainable Architecture in Romania
In Romania, a growing interest in eco-friendly architecture has led to the resurgence of clay houses and the introduction of cob. Oana Racheleanu writes about two very different women, united in their determination to build sustainable homes, spaces, and communities.
Blog
Breath is the Beginning Again
In this blogpost, marking two years since Dark ‘n’ Light began, Susan Mathews takes a symbolic deep breath, and talks about what accompanies that respiration: cosmologies, histories, politics, and poetics, and more. Artwork credit: Vinayak Varma
Personal Essay
Nature’s Beautiful, Forever Invitation
In the last instalment of the Inside/Outside series, Manisha ‘Molly’ Kairaly’s personal essay reflects on her nature-adjacent childhood, the cultural shocks of urban life, the glamorisation of sustainability, and the freedom that nature grants from the male gaze.
Personal Essay
Play it by Ear: Listening Collages
In the third piece of the Inside/Outside series, Renuka Rajiv explores the vulnerabilities of boundaries, broken bodies, feminism, futurism, failure, landfills, and planetary cohabitation.
Podcast
Water and Caste: Part Two Art, Collective Memory, and Anti-Caste history
In part two of the Stories from the Subverse Water and Caste series, Dr Swati Kamble speaks to four creators about how Dr. Ambedkar and the Mahad Satyagraha have influenced their artistic journeys and repertoires. Listen to her conversations with Malvika Raj, Sudharak Olwe, Rajyashri Goody, and Nandesh Umap here. Artwork: Shrujana Shridhar
Personal Essay
In Ebb and Flow
In the second installment of the Inside/Outside series, artist Devika Sundar maps the infinite connections between water and the human body. Seeking inspiration from ancient philosophies and water bodies, in this personal essay she writes about fragility, strength, and the unpredictability of a changing body.