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Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: 2024

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

‘Heeramandi’ is Beautiful But Incomplete

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s streaming debut is characteristically grandiose. But it falls short where it matters most.

Coke Studio is Pakistan’s Multicultural Reality

Many would have you believe the country is a monolith. But its most popular music says otherwise.

‘Laapataa Ladies’: A Master Class in Loss, Love, and Laughs

What happens when a man takes home the wrong bride? Hijinks galore and a searing treatise on how society treats women.

The Making of the Indian Rupee Symbol

Unlike other large economies, India took centuries to design a currency sign of its own. Was it worth the wait?

Sachin Tendulkar, a New Hero For a New India

The cricket legend’s talents are beyond question. But what if his superstardom has to do with more than skill?

How a 2001 Bollywood Song Birthed a Viral TikTok Trend

The ‘Asoka makeup’ hashtag is now everywhere. Its origins might surprise you.

What Kerala’s Syrian Christians Tell Us About Caste

The community has toed the line between its minority status and privilege for millennia. But few have examined its contested past.

Election Ink, Democracy’s Great Equalizer

The anxieties of a nascent India gave birth to the semi-permanent dye. Today, it represents how far the country has come.

How the West Bastardized Baby Massages

As U.S. practitioners “discover” the millennia-old tradition from the Indian subcontinent, what gets lost in the process?

‘Amar Singh Chamkila’: An Ode to a Punjabi Folk Hero

Diljit Dosanjh stars in the Imtiaz Ali biopic that isn’t afraid to embrace the violence and vulgarity of the real-life story behind it.

Boroline, the Bengali Miracle Cream

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

Phoolan Devi: Bandit Queen, Activist, Goddess

The Dalit leader instilled fear in men and fought for her beliefs. So why do many depict her as a victim?

The Eclipse That Ended the Great Sikh Genocide

Ahmad Shah Durrani’s soldiers massacred 30,000 unarmed Sikhs. It took a celestial event on Diwali to halt the ensuing bloodshed.

Jasmine Flowers Are More Than an Accessory

The delicate white buds have stood the test of time, cementing themselves in pop culture, weddings, mythology, and everyday life.

How Kalamkari Became Chintz

The British took the ancient textile tradition global. Its artisans have yet to benefit.

Ravi Shankar, the Maestro Who Made the Sitar Cool

His unexpected friendship with Beatles guitarist George Harrison brought Indian classical music to the world and changed global music forever.

‘Monkey Man’ Review: Visually Stunning, But Hollow

Dev Patel’s directorial debut wastes the richness of the Indian mythology it draws from. But we can’t stop watching.

How Samahan Became a Global Sensation

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?

The Double Lives of Beef-Eating South Asians

Many who grew up steering clear of the red meat are now opting in, sometimes secretly.