How India Got Its Name
For a country that has renamed cities and states, the latest “Bharat” debate is about much more than nomenclature.
Mehr Singh
The Pakistan-India Space Race That Wasn’t
Despite getting to space 13 years before India and having a Nobel laureate at the helm, Pakistan would get in the way of its own greatness.
Allana Akhtar
Why South Asians Prefer the Mother’s Side
Scores of South Asians swear the dad’s side of the family sucks. Is it just evolution or something else?
Rumors Spread That India Is Changing Its Name To “Bharat”
Memes abound after a leaked photo shows India used the term 'Bharat' on G20 Summit invitations.
Celebrating Labor Day 2023
Ten of our best stories on South Asian workers and their history around the world.
The Juggernaut
Why Seema in ‘And Just Like That’ Subverts Expectations
Sarita Choudhury’s Seema isn’t Samantha. Instead, she’s the best of the other characters, and a new model of a sexy, successful South Asian woman.
Sadaf Ahsan
South Asia is World’s Most Polluted Region, New Study Finds
South Asians would live 5.1 years longer if air quality met WHO guidelines. The region makes up more than half of the total years lost from pollution globally.
Shafilea Ahmed Didn’t Have to Die
Twenty years ago, parents murdered their British Pakistani daughter for daring to be herself. She would get justice only years later.
NYC Mosques No Longer Need a Permit to Broadcast the Call to Prayer
Masjids can broadcast azan on Friday afternoons and throughout the month of Ramadan.
Brown Don’t Frown: The Science of South Asian Aging
Studies suggests that South Asians look younger for longer. That hasn’t stopped them from seeking new treatments to help turn back the clock.
The Undoing of Vijay Mallya, the “King of Good Times”
Two decades after founding Kingfisher Airlines, the former billionaire beer baron still owes India $1.4 billion.
The Bollywood Bahu Effect
Does marrying into a dynastic Hindi film family mean less autonomy? Fans are convinced Alia Bhatt is the phenomenon’s latest victim.
Why South Asians Love Feet
The subcontinent’s reverence for the lowest appendage isn’t new. Is it a collective fetish or is something else afoot?
India Lands on the Moon, First to Reach Lunar South Pole
The achievement represents a new global pecking order.
U.K. Study: Common Heart Medicine Doesn’t Work For Most South Asians
Plavix, or clopidogrel, lowers the chance of heart attacks or strokes. But genetic factors prevent British Pakistanis and Bangladeshis from activating the drug.
Glutathione: The Injectable, Modern-Day Fair & Lovely
Skin-lightening cream’s newer, more expensive cousin is taking over pop culture. But the latest “solution” to an age-old fixation presents new dangers.
How India Invented the Nose Job
Initially devised to help the mutilated, rhinoplasty has become a routine procedure that’s still taboo among South Asians.
Marigolds: How a Mexican Flower Bloomed in South Asia
The blossom ubiquitous in the subcontinent and pop culture — from ‘Monsoon Wedding’ to “Genda Phool” — isn’t native. But its mystique unites people oceans apart.
Nehru and Jinnah’s Star-Crossed Bromance
History leads us to believe that Partition alone drove apart two friends who sought Indian independence. That’s not the whole story.
The British Museum Reports Employee Stole Artifacts, Faces Backlash For Its Own Loot
A former curator has allegedly taken jewelry, gems, and other items dating back to the 15th century B.C.
Naya Jorgensen