India Weaponizing Spiritual Tourism

Pilgrims headed to the divided region of Kashmir get armed guards and national encouragement — if they’re Hindu. By Raksha Kumar This article was first published in Foreign Policy   SRINAGAR, INDIA: An Indian Hindu pilgrim begins his trek to one of the holiest Hindu shrines at the Amarath cave … Read more →

Tattoos and Commitments

Abishake Koul   I met her when she was young, She had a tattoo of a Chinar leaf, And the leaf had a bullet hole in it, Even the tattooed leaf had withered.   Her voice quivered when she spoke, Of guns brushing against her body, And then she showed … Read more →

Wait, where are all the men?

Padmashri Maddala   Wait: Where are all the men? Women, young and old Family, friends and relatives, All around her women bustle as, moist memories flood their blank eyes thin strands of old bonds cling on mutely. The jaded mirror on the wall stares back in turmoil, Can she wear … Read more →

Memoir and other poems

Minerva   MEMOIR Loving you I’ve outloved myself. How does a desperate person love? till the point of desperation and a little more. A yawn stretched to a sigh in the corner of my eye swims a black dot. A black fairy flies to the sky and smothers it black … Read more →