plaid madras

How a Chennai-born pattern became both a staple of African resistance and American prep — and what it reveals about colonialism and empire.

The Global Checkered Past of Madras Plaid

Bill O'Leary Senior lounge at Thomas Jefferson High School (l-r: Eunbee Kim, Dilpreet Sidhu, and Ryan Carey) (Bill O'Leary/The The Washington Post via Getty Images)


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In Palo Alto and beyond, South Asian students are seeing honors tracks vanish — along with the vision of excellence they were raised to believe in.

Is This the End of Gifted America?

A woman walks past an art work of a Durga Puja pandal with a theme on menstruation, in Kolkata on October 8, 2023 (DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP) (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images)

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South Asians Are Hitting Menopause Before Everyone Else

Sharmila Tagore in 'Aranyer Din Ratri' (1970)

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‘Aranyer Din Ratri’ (1970) — about four city men and the forest that unmasks them — arrives at Cannes in 4K, its influence sharper than ever.

The Satyajit Ray Film Wes Anderson Couldn’t Forget

Indian farmers pick flowers at a farm in Kannauj, the perfume capital of India. Traditional workers are struggling to keep their craft alive in the face of fierce competition from modern fragrance makers. (AFP PHOTO/ SAJJAD HUSSAIN/GettyImages)


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 The $62 billion global fragrance industry runs on synthetics. But one country’s ancient, natural traditions are gaining ground.

Can India Reclaim Its Perfume Glory?

Prasanna Sankar, Sam Altman, Dhivya Sashidhar (X)

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Rippling co-founder Prasanna Sankar is in a viral fight with his ex-wife over money, custody, and reputation — and the internet is choosing sides.

A Founder, a Divorce, and the Trial by X

Tata Group chief Ratan Tata at the launch of Jaguar, Land Rover brands in Mumbai on June 28, 2009 (Bhaskar Paul/The The India Today Group via Getty Images)


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The British automaker’s most shocking moment wasn’t a viral 2024 ad. It was when one Indian man dared to buy it.

Jaguar’s in Trouble. Can Tata Save It Again?

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Police dismissed the OpenAI whistleblower’s death as a suicide. His parents say there’s more going on.

What Really Happened to Suchir Balaji?

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Snigdha Sur

Dr. Parik Patel (courtesy Dr. Parik Patel)

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What does the investor, lawyer, and chartered accountant want the world to know? “Tell them I’m defying gravity.”

Dr. Parik Patel, the Internet’s Meme Doctor

Rihanna arrives at the Rihanna x Fenty Hair Los Angeles Launch Party at Nya Studios on June 10, 2024 in Los Angeles (Kayla Oaddams/WireImage)


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Where do you go when you’ve already dressed the biggest stars in your country?

The Indian Couturiers Courting the West

AP Dhillon performs at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, California (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Coachella)

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A language that isn’t as widely spoken as Hindi or Urdu is now the default export of the Indian subcontinent.

How Punjabi Music Went Global

Employees working at Greenlab Diamonds, a firm manufacturing lab-grown gems on the outskirts of Surat (SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images)

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India was once the world’s biggest diamond supplier. It now hopes to reclaim that past — with a twist.

Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Forever?

USA players celebrate after defeating Pakistan in a super over during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium on June 6, 2024 in Dallas, Texas (Matt Roberts-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

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A group of dreamers and part-timers beat some of the world’s best. We asked them how they did it.

The U.S. Cricket Team is Here to Stay

Anand Parimal, Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani, Radhika Merchant, Anant Ambani, Isha Ambani, Shloka Mehta, and Akash Ambani (from left to right) during Anant’s engagement in Mumbai on January 19, 2023 (Sujit JAISWAL / AFP / Getty Images)

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India is already the fastest-growing major economy. Its richest family is its next biggest export.

The Ambanis: The Making of a Global Brand

Boroline (Snigdha Sur for The Juggernaut)

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The Indian antiseptic ointment has outlasted the British, Partition, and copycats. Its formula for winning isn’t what you think.

Boroline, the Bengali Miracle Cream

Sri Lankan workers at the Link Natural factory sort through sachets of Samahan in Dompe on December 29, 2010 (AFP PHOTO/Ishara S. KODIKARA via Getty Images)

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Fans of the Sri Lankan herbal drink, from Naomi Campbell to Amitabh Bachchan, swear it cures everything from a cold to a cough. Does it?

How Samahan Became a Global Sensation

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The first Indian woman to get a Western medical degree was a child bride, teen mom, and physician-in-charge — all before 21.

The Tragic, Trailblazing Life of Dr. Anandibai Joshi

A model walks the runway during the Germanier Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2025 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 30, 2025 in Paris, France (Francois Durand/Getty Images)

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Western fashion houses are claiming they’re bringing beading back. The “Ibiza aesthetic” was never theirs to begin with.

That “European” Beadwork? Made in India.

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Cartier let Emma Chamberlain wear its choker, but denied Diljit Dosanjh. For many, it’s a shocking reminder of who still controls Indian history.

Who Gets to Wear the Patiala Necklace?

Shah Rukh Khan attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 (Michael Loccisano/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

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Shah Rukh Khan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Kiara Advani made their long-awaited debuts, while jewelry and accessories took center stage.

Met Gala 2025: Black Dandyism Meets South Asian Glamour

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Muslin. Cashmere. Paisley. Europe didn’t just loot from the subcontinent — it built empires off its artistry.

How the West Stole Indian Fashion

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Mahendra Patel (Courtesy of the Patel family)

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A rushed indictment. Over six weeks in jail. A canceled hearing. The Georgia engineer’s loved ones are pushing back against a broken justice system.

Mahendra Patel’s Family and Friends Speak Out

Krishna's Dance of Delight (Rasa Lila), India, Rajasthan, Bundi, circa 1675-1700, watercolors (LACMA)

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Westerners called their large numbers “absurd.” But these scholars laid the groundwork for modern-day math and physics.

How Ancient Hindus Predicted the Universe’s Vastness

Prince Charles wearing a safari suit with an Indian man wearing a safari suit on December 1, 1980 in India (Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)


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The British military garb shaped a newly independent country’s fashion — and redefined class, identity, and power.

The Safari Suit: How India Reclaimed a Colonial Relic

Hanumankind performs at the Mojave Tent at Coachella on April 12, 2025 in Indio, California (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Coachella)


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The Indian rapper’s powerful set turned a centuries-old temple drum from Kerala into one of the music festival’s most immortal sounds.

When Hanumankind Brought Chenda to Coachella

A boy sells falooda - cold dessert made with vermicelli, jelly and rose syrup on a busy street on the eve of Eid al-Fitr on March 30, 2025 in Bengaluru, India (Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images)

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How a Persian slushy crossed empires, melted social barriers, and became South Asia’s most layered dessert.

Falooda: The Original Maximalist Dessert

Team Harry Winston in action during the 19th WEPA Championships at Tiger Tops, Nepal supported by Chivas Regal on December 16, 2000 (Shaun Botterill /Allsport / Getty Images)

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The sport’s surreal journey reveals what happens when colonial fantasy, animal conservation, and morality collide.

The Last Elephant Polo Match

Shakuntala Pines for King Dushyanta, With Priyamvada and Anusuya (Raja Ravi Varma)

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This March, dive into our stories about women in all their multitudes. Goddess. Mother. Sister. Saint. Icon.

Celebrating Women’s History Month: 2025

A Mughal lady (possibly Farzana Begum), c.1650 (Royal Collection Trust)

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From the love story that changed mental healthcare to the impact of ‘One Day,’ dive into our top stories on love in all its forms.

South Asian Love Stories: 2025

Members of the Movement for Colonial Freedom and the Black Sash Movement march to South Africa House, 1956 (Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

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Tracing the historic ties between Black and South Asian communities — beyond borders and timelines.

Celebrating Black History Month: 2025

Lunar New Year being celebrated in Kolkata, India (Photo by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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From Indo-Chinese food to ‘Harold & Kumar,’ explore 15 stories that highlight the unexpected connections between South and East Asian cultures.

Celebrating Lunar New Year: 2025

Still from 'All We Imagine As Light' (2024)

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The best of film, TV, music, and theater: All We Imagine As Light, that Asoka trend, One Day, and more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 15 Entertainment Stories of 2024

Vikas Khanna with yogurt kabab at Bungalow (Snigdha Sur for The Juggernaut)

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Dive headfirst into the raw, unfiltered perspectives of restaurateur Vikas Khanna, actor Tabu, chef Dylan Bachelet, tech memer Dr. Parik Patel, and more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Profiles of 2024

Mumbai protesters on August 14, 2024 seeking justice for a woman trainee doctor who was raped and murdered on duty at R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata (Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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Murders, hate crimes, and the search for justice — from the Dotbusters to the Kolkata Horror.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 True Crime Stories of 2024

Moushumi Das collects a blood sample of a school student to check for hemoglobin before providing medicine for anemia near Agartala, India (Majority World/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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The South Asian aging paradox, the miracle of Boroline, why South Asian women disproportionately suffer from anemia, and more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Health Stories of 2024

Untitled, anonymous, 1890s (Kalighat Pat) (DAG)

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How Tamil spread around the world, Europe claimed Indian math, an eclipse ended a genocide, and much more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 15 History Stories of 2024

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From Toyota Camry to Coke Studio, these were the top stories on the brands and market trends that had our readers hooked.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Business Stories of 2024

Alia Bhatt at Met Gala 2024 (John Shearer/WireImage/Getty)

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From why the region is the mother of maximalism to the appropriation of the dupatta, our best stories on the trends, practices, and beliefs that shape us.

The Juggernaut’s Top 15 Culture Stories of 2024

From how Samahan became a global sensation to how a bowl of fruit became a love language, these were the food stories our readers and editorial team devoured.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Food Stories of 2024

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 2024’s Biggest Moments for South Asians Globally

Woman lighting candles for Diwali (Wikimedia Commons)

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Ten must-read stories to enrich your festive season.

Celebrating Diwali: 2024

Daydream of a Nocturne by Shyama Golden (shyamagolden.com)

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Fifteen must-read stories for this spooky season.

Halloween 2024: South Asian Edition

Bansi Lal cut cane for most of his life and now drives the tractor that pulls the loaded cane trucks to the rails for transportation to the Labasa mill. (Preston Merchant)

Bansi Lal

Ten of our best stories on South Asian workers and their history around the world.

Celebrating Labor Day 2024

Illustration by Karuna Gangwani for The Juggernaut

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Fifteen in-depth stories about the event that forever changed the subcontinent.

Remembering Partition and Independence, 77 Years On

Vice President Kamala Harris looks on as President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a reception for new members of congress, Tuesday, January 24, 2023, in the East Room of the White House (Official White House Photo by Erin Scott)

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Revisit our stories on the U.S. Vice President as she reenters the spotlight for the 2024 presidential race.

Joe Biden Endorses Kamala Harris for President in Historic Move

Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi in Deepa Mehta's "Fire" (1996)

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This June, dive into 15 stories about queer South Asian icons, history, and culture.

Celebrating Pride Month: 2024

AAPI HISTORY COLLAGE

This May, a roundup of 15 stories that celebrate South Asian American life, culture, innovation, and history.

Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: 2024

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Could a startup queen, a horse boy prince, and a business-meets-palace plot be exactly what we need right now?

‘The Royals’ is Ridiculous — and That’s Okay

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Farah Khan’s 2004 blockbuster wasn’t just a college comedy. It reflected a fragile moment of optimism between India and Pakistan.

Why ‘Main Hoon Na’ is More Relevant Than Ever

Still from 'Superboys of Malegaon' (2024)

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What do you do when Bollywood is out of reach? If you're from one small town, you make your own damn movie.

‘Superboys of Malegaon’ Spotlights the Joy — and Pain — of Cinema

Tim Ratcliff visiting the Buddhist monastery in 'The White Lotus' Season 3 (Max)

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Season 3 uses Buddhism to dissect greed, anger, and delusion. Does it succeed or is it more Western spiritual tourism?

‘The White Lotus’ and the Illusion of Enlightenment

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What happens when two ‘DDLJ’-loving men fall in love and want a big Indian wedding?

‘A Nice Indian Boy’ is Lovely — and a Little Too Nice

Devika Rani in 'Karma' (General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)


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Hindi cinema’s matriarch founded a film studio, launched stars, and left a legacy far beyond one moment.

Devika Rani, More than the Longest Kiss

Tillotama Shome in 'Baksho Bondi' ('Shadowbox') (2025)

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The Bengali film by Tanushree Das and Saumya Sahi spotlights the realities of female labor — in a society that often fails to value it.