Gujarat Archives

How to Fake It, If You Can’t Fly It: A Cheat Sheet to Makar Sankranti

My relationship with Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti, is like that of a sibling. There’s a lot of cribbing, but at the end of the day, I’ve come to love it as my own. Windy afternoons and multiple attempts to fly a kite defined my childhood. Years later, I still can’t fly one, but I have chosen to accept my fate.

Abha Mehra July 21, 2016

Gender

The Life and Times of a Surrogate Mother

Leaving stigma behind in the dust of the fields they toil in, Gujarat's surrogate mothers are scripting a narrative of change.

Aparna joshi July 10, 2016

Gender

The Secret Lives of Marwari Housewives

In Gujarat, Marwari women lead dual lives. They fast with their mothers-in-law and sip mojitos with their friends.

Runa Mukherjee June 13, 2016

Pop Culture

2017: The Year That Destroyed ’90s Bollywood

This was the year our rose-tinted memories of the glorious ’90s died. “Oonchi Hai Building” is permanently sullied by Varun Dhawan and we’ll never look at Govinda, Sridevi, and Sanjay Dutt the same way again.

Poulomi Das May 31, 2016

POV

Two Steps “Backward”: Is Reservation the Only Way Forward for Marathas?

In India, reservation was originally meant to last for only 10 years. But it persists to this day, because here, even for traditionally dominant groups, being labelled “backward” is considered your best chance to get forward.

Dushyant Shekhawat April 12, 2016

POV

Why Millennials Should Read the Bhagavad Gita

That the Gita is given a religious connotation which limits its reach, is a pity. Much before Twitter threads told you that your biggest enemy is within, the Bhagavad Gita had already got it covered.

Ananya N April 9, 2016

Gender

“Time Maa Chhe?” How Indian Women Are Constantly Made to Feel Guilty About Menstruating

Years of brainwashing has made menstruating women across the world feel unclean and unwanted for generations. And India has done little to change that.

Runa Mukherjee March 20, 2016