Latest stories

Has Bollywood Reached Peak Plastic Surgery?

As the Hindi film industry’s beauty ideals grow narrower, audiences are pushing back.

Why ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ Nails Rich People Drama

Don’t let the glamour fool you. A 2015 film about wealthy people on a cruise shouldn’t be so relatable. And yet, it is.

Bengal’s Goddess Contradiction

A history of worshipping powerful women shapes the region’s identity as a matriarchal utopia — but the data tells a more uncomfortable truth.

Our Top Stories for Pride 2025

This June, explore some of our favorite long reads on queer South Asian icons, history, and culture.

How Faizan Zaki’s Spelling Bee Win Marks a New Era

From jhumkas to on-stage prayers, Indian American spellers are reshaping the bee as a place for cultural belonging.

Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: 2025

Dive into 20 of our favorite stories that celebrate South Asian American icons, culture, and history.

Satyendra Nath Bose, the God Particle Genius

The Bengali physicist discovered the universe’s tiniest building blocks and earned Einstein’s praise — yet history overlooked him.

What Does a Pinch of Sindoor Really Mean?

How Aishwarya Rai’s Cannes look sparked a global conversation about the 7,000-year-old tradition.

Why South Asians Still Aren’t Getting Enough Protein

Fitness nerds and doctors are telling us to pile on the macro. But for the community, the answer isn’t just “more.”

What’s Really Killing Bollywood

The decline of Hindi cinema isn’t just about streaming or bad scripts — it involves something far more sinister.

Why Won’t America Let Us Have Mustard Oil?

A 1970s rat study is keeping Bengalis from their aachars and hilsa. They want answers — and their tel back.

The Global Checkered Past of Madras Plaid

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

Is This the End of Gifted America?

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.

South Asians Are Hitting Menopause Before Everyone Else

And we’re not talking about it enough.

The Satyajit Ray Film Wes Anderson Couldn’t Forget

‘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 Tragic, Trailblazing Life of Dr. Anandibai Joshi

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

Why South Asians are Pursuing Surrogacy

The community is turning to the reproductive option in growing numbers — but who carries the cost and stigma?

Can India Reclaim Its Perfume Glory?

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

That “European” Beadwork? Made in India.

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

This Conflict’s Disinformation is Out of Control

What happens when two nuclear powers fight not just across borders, but also online?