In the run-up to the 2024 elections, the films that hit the big screens, the books showcased on the windowfronts, and the music crawling into our ears, has mostly sung the songs of propaganda. It’s art without dissent; art that rages for the machine. By Karan Madhok

A poem by Karan Madhok: ‘there are a million other things / you could do besides breathing / the outside air, / asbestos and apathy / make a heady cocktail’

Six steps to fighting Coronavirus: An Indian government handbook - by Maitri Dore

Just as the British piggy-backed on Mughal greatness for their legitimacy, Modi is now trying to fashion imperial greatness of his own, seeking to leave his mark all over the New Delhi. Maitri Dore writes about the undemocratic and neo-colonial inspirations behind the Central Vista’s proposed redesign.