Why Many South Asians Never Learn to Swim
South Asians account for a significant number of drowning deaths. So why aren’t more of us learning to swim?
Sadaf Ahsan
Revisiting ‘Born Confused,’ 20 Years Later
A surprise pitch meeting with Scholastic landed Tanuja Desai Hidier her first book deal. Her 2002 young adult novel became a sensation.
Sanjena Sathian
How Tandoori Chicken Took Over South Asian Thanksgiving Tables
For the diaspora, the no-frills dish has become a curious fixture of the iconic holiday meal.
Mehr Singh
How Hilsa Became One of the World’s Priciest Fish
With insatiable demand and export bans, ilish maach has become expensive and hard to find — but that isn’t stopping the diaspora.
Mallika Basu
‘Welcome to Chippendales’: Where the American Dream Becomes a Nightmare
The true-crime series cleverly leans into the typical immigrant tropes before taking a dark turn.
How FTX’s Ramnik Arora and Nishad Singh Joined SBF’s Inner Circle
And how they disappeared after the crypto stock exchange’s collapse.
‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ Season 2 Isn’t Revolutionary, But It Is A Riot
The Mindy Kaling sitcom won’t shock you — the delightful foursome are still making questionable decisions — but still makes for a laugh-out-loud watch.
How Anti-Asian Bias Came to U.S. Colleges
Asian Americans overwhelmingly support affirmative action. Yet, the anti-Asian college admissions playbook is reminiscent of 1920s anti-Semitic policies.
Sanchita Kedia
Deepika Padukone is Building an Empire
The launch of 82°E, her self-described “self-care” brand, is only the start for the Bollywood superstar.
Snigdha Sur
The Magical Weight Loss Drug No One is Talking About
In June 2021, the FDA approved semaglutide, one of the first drugs specifically designed for weight loss. For some, it’s been a godsend. But is it also promoting fatphobia?
The Messy Legacy of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’
The West praised the 2008 film and showered it with Oscars, while many in India and the diaspora viewed it as poverty porn. Fourteen years later, its impact remains murky.
Ishani Nath
The NBA’s Big Play for India? Ranveer Singh
The basketball league has targeted the country for years. Now, it’s investing in everything from Hindi broadcasts to a Bollywood star — but will it work?
Tavleen Tarrant
‘Bombay Dreams’ Was Supposed to Open Doors for South Asian Musicals
But it will be nearly 20 years before audiences will see others, such as ‘Life of Pi’ and ‘Come Fall in Love,’ grace Broadway — the biggest theater industry in the English-speaking world.
The Tragic Love of Princess Diana and Hasnat Khan
How the people’s princess and a British Pakistani doctor met, fell in love, and fell apart just weeks before her final days.
How Sabyasachi Found Himself
As a young designer at New York Fashion Week, Sabyasachi Mukherjee was told to go back to India. He returned to one of his favorite cities on his own terms.
How the West Deemed Eating With Your Hands “Uncivilized”
And why the practice persisted in South Asia anyway.
Serena Alagappan
The Devastating Colonial Legacy of Dams in Pakistan
Though at least ten dams have burst since this year’s deadly flooding, the country has long promoted them as the magical solution to its woes.
Zuha Siddiqui
Rishi Sunak is U.K. Prime Minister. Now What?
Can the former chancellor of the exchequer get the U.K. through an unprecedented economic crisis? Experts say the answer is not so clear-cut.
Justice for M. Night Shyamalan
The Oscar-nominated horror director is one of the most consistently bankable filmmakers. So how did he become a punchline?
The “Colonial Hangover” Contributing to Vitamin D Deficiency
A potent combination of shadeism, skin tone, climate change, and pollution put South Asians at greater risk for vitamin D deficiency — which can have life-altering consequences.
Olivia Bowden