mother tongue Archives

What’s Stopping Millennials from Dating Someone with the Same Cultural Upbringing?

Three months ago, I met and spent time getting to know someone who spoke the same mother tongue as me. At first, it felt like discovering a whole new part of myself. But soon, the sameness started feeling suffocating. I felt like I knew him too well, too soon, and that his red flags could never have the luxury of just being flags.

Poulomi Das July 15, 2016

Columns

Longing for the Other Punjab: A Search for My “Jhelum Kinare” Pind on Google Maps

I am from a post-Partition migrant family, but I have no idea where my roots lie. My grandfather, my last “sarhad paar” connection, passed away and I grew obsessed with the idea. I pined away for a name, but all I had to go on was a “Jhelum kinare” village. How do you feel a longing for a place you’ve never been to?

Karanjeet Kaur June 4, 2016

POV

“Bro, Hindi Mein Bol Na!” What I Miss the Most in Hindi-Speaking Delhi is My Mother Tongue

As someone who was rebuked back home in Kolkata for speaking too much English and not enough Bangla, I never imagined what I’d miss the most after moving to a new city is my mother tongue.

Sreemoyee Mukherjee May 17, 2016

People

Goodbye, Kiran Nagarkar: Genius Author, Tireless Activist, Flawed Man

Even in his 70s, Kiran Nagarkar, the Sahitya Akademi award-winning author and playwright, maintained an active interest in Mumbai and its affairs. He was able to straddle the worlds of the intellectual and the common man, while understanding the pulse of both.

Aparna joshi March 13, 2016