Latest stories

Diasporic Longing in Salman Toor’s East Village Iqbal Bano

Artist Salman Toor melds longing, desire, and a space for queer resistance in a small apartment in the East Village, as an ode to ghazal singer Iqbal Bano.

In Manhattan’s Curry Row, Innovate or Die

From bohemian to Instagrammable, South Asian vendors in Curry Row in the East Village must change to fit with the times — or fail.

India’s Strange Relationship With Hitler

For decades, Mein Kampf has remained a bestseller in India. But that doesn’t necessarily mean what you think.

Making Cricket Happen in America

Cricket could have become as popular as baseball, but it didn’t. With $1 billion in funding and a framework to go viral, cricket may soon be the next big thing in the U.S.

In the East Village, Madina Masjid Stands Still

In an ever-evolving neighborhood, the Bangladeshi-founded mosque has remained a constant.

How Snapchat Lost India

And how Bytedance — and TikTok — managed to win the market.

The Momo Queen

Her restaurant has won accolades, but owner Yamuna Shrestha has left family behind in Nepal, and may just want to go home.

How Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi Loves All

Pakistan’s top tennis player, 39, is past the average retirement age. But Qureshi plays tennis for reasons beyond trophies.

Not All Shows Are Made in Heaven

“Made in Heaven” — as one of Amazon Prime Video’s first Indian originals — had the opportunity to break many rules. Yet, it stuck to formulas Bollywood has explored for years.

How We Get the Job Done: Fatima Farheen Mirza

The novelist explains how she decided to honor an Indian-American family for her debut novel.

Sanctity Can’t Save India’s Cows

In an environment where India must chase growth, cows are still mistreated in two of the country's largest industries — leather and dairy.

Afternoon Tea at Janam’s

One woman is trying to make afternoon Indian tea happen. Can she avoid the colonial comparisons?

Making Room for Oneness

A group of Indo-Caribbeans is leading the charge to help those left out of mainstream Hinduism fit into the religion’s tenets.

A Night Market in the Valley of Ashes

John Wang, a Taiwanese-American from Texas, has started a phenomenon: a weekly international night market in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens that runs through the summer.

In Queens, the Bombay Theatre Persists

New York City’s last remaining Bollywood theater faces multiple threats: streaming, multiplexes, and changing demographics.

Does Religion Really Affect Your Cholesterol?

According to a new MASALA study, there might be a link between religion and high levels of “bad” cholesterol — but the study misses out on diverse diets within religions.

How Zareen’s Feeds Silicon Valley

The Pakistani American entrepreneur has built a beloved brand in the heart of Silicon Valley by testing and scaling different South Asian food concepts.

If They Come For Us, We Stand Together

How Emmy-nominated poet Fatimah Asghar confronts loneliness and the violence of colonialism.

When NRI Husbands Leave

Bureaucracy, cultural norms, and apathy have allowed the social malaise to thrive. Some hope to change it.

The Whitefying of Queerness

What it means to rarely see yourself depicted, and to be told that who you are is a product of the West.