Palden Thondup Namgyal, Hope Cooke, and their daughter watch birthday celebrations


King and Queen of Sikkim and their daughter watch birthday celebrations, Gangtok, Sikkim 

She married into Sikkim royalty and fought for the region’s autonomy. Then came the allegations she was a CIA honeypot.

The American Queen India Suspected Was a Spy

Urvashi Dholakia as Komolika Basu in Kasautii Zindagi Kay (2001-2008) 


Komolika 

Komolika’s huge bindis, strapless blouses, and bold makeup once signaled a “bad woman.” Now, she’s the blueprint.

Gen Z’s Ultimate Style Icon? A TV Villain from 2001.

Vikrant Massey, Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra, and Ridhima Sud in Dil Dhadakne Do (2015)


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Our parents chose them. But what happens when we’ve outgrown the gossip, grudges, and obligations?

Why We Can’t Quit Our Family Friends

Ranbir Kapoor as Ram (Ramayana: Rise of a Legend)

Ramayana

The ambitious film adaptation of Valmiki’s epic gives us plenty to feel — just less for its hero. A leading translator explains what gets lost.

‘Ramayana’ Makes Everyone Interesting Except Ram

Chirayu Rana with an excerpt of text messages in his new federal lawsuit (The Juggernaut)

chirayu rana feature august 2026

Our exclusive interview might hold some clues to why the former JPMorgan banker just filed a new federal lawsuit.

Chirayu Rana is Back — With a New Case

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a group photo with AI leaders including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (C) and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei (R) at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi on February 19, 2026 (Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images)

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The country built a global empire and created millions of jobs by doing work others didn’t want to do. What happens when AI can do it, too?

India Mastered Outsourcing. AI is a Different Test.

Snigdha Sur

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Why Did Chirayu Rana’s Lawyer Drop His Case?

Chirayu Rana in 2024 (Michaela Bublikova/@dudesinsuits), graphic by The Juggernaut

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We spoke to the ex-JPMorgan banker who claimed a female executive abused him — and found an even messier truth.

Exclusive: Chirayu Rana’s Wall Street Nightmare

Margot Robbie at the "Wuthering Heights" world premiere on January 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, California (Araya Doheny Photography/Variety via Getty Images)

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Hollywood and Western luxury houses keep exploiting Indian royal artefacts to sell jewels on the red carpet. When will it stop?

The Outrageous History Behind the Taj Mahal Necklace

Shah Rukh Khan attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 (Michael Loccisano/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

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Viral clips, cropped videos, and eerily similar talking points. Fans suspect it isn’t a coincidence.

Who’s Trying to Take Down Shah Rukh Khan?

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Tomas Bata came to “shoe” the natives. They ended up building his empire — and saving his company.

How a Racist Czech Shoemaker Built India’s Biggest Shoe Brand

Still from Ai-generated 'Mahabharat: Dharamyudh' (JioHotsar)

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Some think artificial intelligence will democratize storytelling. Others think it’ll destroy what has long made films special.

AI is Coming for Indian Cinema

People stand around the debris of an airplane after it crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June 12, 2025 (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

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Tata is pouring billions into the airline. But a deadly crash — and years of passenger complaints — continue to cloud its comeback.

Can Air India Be Saved?

Indian farmers pick flowers at a farm in Kannauj, the perfume capital of India. Traditional workers are struggling to keep their craft alive in the face of fierce competition from modern fragrance makers. (AFP PHOTO/ SAJJAD HUSSAIN/GettyImages)


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

Can India Reclaim Its Perfume Glory?

Prasanna Sankar, Sam Altman, Dhivya Sashidhar (X)

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Rippling co-founder Prasanna Sankar is in a viral fight with his ex-wife over money, custody, and reputation — and the internet is choosing sides.

A Founder, a Divorce, and the Trial by X

Tata Group chief Ratan Tata at the launch of Jaguar, Land Rover brands in Mumbai on June 28, 2009 (Bhaskar Paul/The The India Today Group via Getty Images)


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The British automaker’s most shocking moment wasn’t a viral 2024 ad. It was when one Indian man dared to buy it.

Jaguar’s in Trouble. Can Tata Save It Again?

Deepika Padukone, Karan Johar, and Alia Bhatt on Koffee with Karan (2018)

Koffee with Karan

Exclusive: As the final season airs, the team behind it reveals how its couch became Bollywood’s most feared and coveted seat.

‘Koffee with Karan’: The Guilty Pleasure We Can’t Kick

This large-scale appliqué depicts the Vajrayana goddess Kurukulla, known as a beautiful bewitcher of men (19th century, the MET) 

Kurukulla indian witch

They spoke to us about their wildest spells, stories, and secrets — and why they’re convinced magic is real.

South Asian Etsy Witches Would Like a Word

Isha Banerjee

Karan Johar, Rashmika Mandanna, and Vijay Deverakonda in Koffee with Karan season 9

Karan Johar Rashmika and Vijay

Rashmika and Vijay’s viral Koffee with Karan interview struck a nerve. The ick goes beyond one proposal.

Why This Celebrity Marriage Feels So Familiar

A 1,100-year-old stone sculpture of Vrishanna Yogini, a goddess with a buffalo-shaped head stolen many years ago from Lokhari, Uttar Pradesh and shipped to Paris, at a Delhi exhibition (Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times via Getty images)

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A secret cult once worshipped yoginis with wine and corpses. Then, they were looted and scattered around the world.

The Hunt for India’s Stolen Tantric Goddesses

Natasha Poonawalla attends the 2025 Met Gala in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

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Chinese silk and Parsi taste made the sari an heirloom. Its revival raises questions over the best way to preserve the tradition.

The Parsi Gara Was Almost Lost. What Will Save It?

Uma returns to her parental home (New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Household Gods: Hindu Devotional Prints, 1860–1930) 

Maa Durga Agamani

In scripture, she defeats demons. In Bengali homes, she’s also family. This is how one deity came to embody more than one story.

Maa Durga, the Goddess Who Does It All

Cassone Seven Liberal Arts (The Morgan Library & Museum) 

Tarot card 

Everyone wants the cards to reveal their future. But their past holds a mystery stretching from India to Italy.

The Secret Romani History of Tarot

People enjoying Garba dance in traditional Gujarati dresses during Navratri on October 20, 2015, in Baroda, India. (Photo by Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint via Getty Images)

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They once chose the songs, set the rhythm, and led the Navratri dance devoted to the divine feminine. What happened?

How Garba Forgot Its Women

Shonali Nagrani and Pooja Misra in Bigg Boss (2011)

Pooja what is this behavior 

Exclusive: Fifteen years after their infamous TV spat, Pooja Misra and Shonali Nagrani revisit the moment that started it all.

Why We’re Still Dying for ‘Pooja What is This Behavior?’

An illustration depicting the game of Snakes and Ladders, North-west or Western India, early 19th century (Sotheby's) 

Snakes and Ladders

Before it became a “British” children’s game, it was a spiritual lesson from India.

How Snakes and Ladders Lost its Soul

Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal, Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, and Priyanka Chopra at Temptations 2004 in Houston, TX (Bill Olive/Getty Images)

GettyImages-57349289 Temptations Tour (2004) 

For decades, diaspora fans packed arenas to see their favorite stars live. Then, the stars stopped coming.

Where Did All the Bollywood Tours Go?

A woman is drawing various Bengali alphabets on the street in Kolkata, India, ahead of the International Mother Language Day celebration. (Photo by Debarchan Chatterjee/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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A new generation of South Asians is ready to learn the languages they once left behind.

Can You Learn Your Mother Tongue as an Adult?

This photo taken on July 5, 2017 shows Sukhwant Kaur, 78, showing a photograph of her late father Sulkhan Singh, with her son Jaswinder Singh (L) in Amritsar. (NARINDER NANU / AFP via Getty Images)



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Fifteen stories on the events that forever changed the subcontinent.

Remembering Partition and Independence, 79 Years On

Bangladeshi people participate in a rally to celebrate the first day of the Bengali New Year or Pohela Boishakh in Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 14, 2015 (Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)


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

The Juggernaut’s Essential Longreads for Pride 2026

-MaharajaofPatiala Part 9 of 11In my previous posts, I spoke about the opulent lifestyle and achievements of HH Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, and today l would like to continue the series by highlighting the achievements of his son, the 9th a

A curated guide to the subcontinental histories, icons, and cultural moments that shaped America — and the world.

15 South Asian Stories to Read This AAPI Heritage Month

Shakuntala Pines for King Dushyanta, With Priyamvada and Anusuya (Raja Ravi Varma)

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This March, dive into our stories about South Asian women in all their multitudes. Astronaut. Spy. Goddess. Saint.

Celebrating Women’s History Month: 2026

Yinka Animashaun and her husband Nitin at their 2019 wedding (Nana Annan Photography)

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Fifteen of our favorite stories on the often-overlooked, intertwined histories of Black and South Asian communities.

Celebrating Black History Month: 2026

Still from 'Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Ram'

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The best of film, TV, and music: the Japanese man who dared to animate the Ramayana,  ‘Dhurandhar,’ Mira Nair, Shah Rukh Khan, and more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 15 Entertainment Stories of 2025

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Prada’s $1,300 Kolhapuri chappals, AI’s breakout year, Air India’s turnaround — our best reporting on the companies and technologies that defined 2025.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Business and Tech Stories of 2025

Mahendra Patel (Courtesy of the Patel family)

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Wrongful imprisonment, hate crimes, and the search for justice — from Mahendra Patel to Xulhaz Mannan.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 True Crime Stories of 2025

British Guiana Premier Cheddi Jagan and U.S. President John F. Kennedy on October 25, 1961 in the Oval Office (Abbie Rowe, White House Photographs / John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston)

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How the CIA toppled Guyana’s first leader, the forgotten Indian roots of flamenco, the dark history behind the old mine cut diamond, and more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 History Stories of 2025

Anurag Kashyap (Kriti Jain for The Juggernaut)

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Unfiltered perspectives, defining moments, and life lessons from filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, activist Malala Yousafzai, comedian Vir Das, and more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 15 Profiles of 2025

Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as NYC's 112th mayor by NY Attorney General Letitia James, alongside his wife Rama Duwaji, in the former City Hall subway station on January 1, 2026 (Amir Hamja/Getty Images)

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From Zohran Mamdani’s historic win to the H-1B visa controversy and Nepal’s anti-corruption protests, these were the political moments that defined 2025.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Politics Stories of 2025

The viral bandana girl, Priyanga (X user: w0rdgenerator)

viral bandana girl

From the myth of the “smelly” South Asian to the iconic bandana girl and Indian baddies, our best stories on the trends, practices, and beliefs that shape us.

The Juggernaut’s Top 15 Culture Stories of 2025

Lord Archibald Percival Wavell, the British vicory and governor-general of India, talks with Mr. J. K Biswas, the chairman of the Rotary Club Relief Committee, during a visit to a kitchen for victims of famine (© Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS via Getty Images)


GettyImages-613506410 bengal famine

How British-orchestrated famines rewired South Asian genes, why we still aren’t getting enough protein, what America gets wrong about mustard oil, and more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Health Stories of 2025

Indian food at several farmers markets including the Penn Street Farmers Market including these mango lassi yogurt drinks (Harold Hoch/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)


GettyImages-1315727778 mango lassi

From curry goat’s Caribbean swagger to mango lassi’s global takeover, these were our most delectable stories of the year.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Food Stories of 2025

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The Biggest South Asian Moments of 2025

Akbar receives the Iranian Ambassador Sayyid Beg in 1562, illustration to the Akbarnama, c. 1590-5 © Victoria and Albert Museum

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Our favorite picks for your favorite loved ones.

The Juggernaut Holiday Gift Guide: 2025

Woman lighting candles for Diwali (Wikimedia Commons)

Woman lighting the candles for the Festival of Lights in India (cropped)

Ten must-read stories to enrich your festive season.

Celebrating Diwali: 2025

Shahbaz Khan shows pictures of his uncle Inayat Khan (left), who was also separated from the family at the time of Partition and died in India a few years ago, and his late father Sharif Khan (Murtaza Ali/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

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Fifteen in-depth stories about the event that forever changed the subcontinent.

Remembering Partition and Independence, 78 Years On

Members of Nepal's LGBT community take part in a gay pride parade in Kathmandu on August 27, 2018 (Gopen RAI / AFP via Getty Images)

GettyImages-1024414744 nepal pride

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

Our Top Stories for Pride 2025

Madhuri Dixit and Jackie Shroff in '100 Days' (1991)

100 Days, Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff

In a film industry that often pairs horror with comedy, the Madhuri Dixit starrer remains a spooky standout.

‘100 Days’: When Bollywood Dared to Scare

Don (2006) 

The 2006 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer inherited the best of the Amitabh Bachchan original. Its boldest move was knowing when to break away.

‘Don’: How Do You Remake a Film Ahead of its Time?

Triptii Dimri in Bulbbul (2020) (Netflix)

Bulbbul 

The 2020 film starring Triptii Dimri is the ultimate rewatch for Durga and Kali Puja season. Director-writer Anvita Dutt shares why.

 ‘Bulbbul’: When Churails Rise and Rule

Indian actress Rakhi Sawant performing at Rajiv Gandhi Awards ceremony in Mumbai on August 17, 2008 (SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Rakhi Sawant

Bollywood made her a punchline. The internet made her an icon. But neither gave her the one thing she truly wanted.

Rakhi Sawant is More Than a Spectacle

Pakeezah 

It took 16 years to make this bewildering film. A superstar’s off-screen tragedy made it a veritable hit.