The Summer of Heat Islands
Indian urban centres are getting hotter every year due to the heat island effect. With millions of lives at stake, urgent city-planning measures are needed across the country to mitigate the incoming crisis. By Vipin Labroo
The Interplay of Fear and Courage in WHILE WE WATCHED
Directed by Vinay Shukla, While We Watched focuses on how journalist Ravish Kumar holds onto the basic tenets of ethical journalism in a country facing informational crisis and democratic backsliding. By Archit Nanda
Ink(ed) on Flat Surfaces: A Show on Studio Practice
Featuring artwork by some of India’s greatest artists, “Ink” at New Delhi’s Gallery Espace plays the role of a catalyst in thinking beyond the normative practices of art-making, art showcasing, and curatorial interventions. By Satarupa Bhattacharya
With Great Ease: A Celebration of T.S. Satyan’s Photographic Gaze
An exhibition of work by T.S. Satyan—dubbed ‘the father of photojournalism in India—presents him as an image maker who found lightness and joy in chaos. By Bindu Gopal Rao
“Renewals” and other poems by Sunil Sharma
Poetry by Sunil Sharma: ‘The moment // compresses the competing / time-zones and geographies; // unites the widely-apart views / into / a single landscape of converged / colours.’
Mightier than the Bullet: The Writings of Julio Riberio
In Hope for Sanity, a collection of columns filled with nuggets of wisdom, empathy, and advice, decorated former policeman Julio Riberio emerges as a “conscience keeper” for our nation. By Karan Madhok
The Security Guard
Fiction by Divy Tripathi: ‘Suddenly, a new hunger arose inside. A desire for instant retribution enveloped him, a sudden need to right this particular slight. “I am not your servant,” he said. “Talk with respect.”’
A Profound Slow Burn
Netflix’s Trial by Fire (2023) explores the true story of the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire and its long aftermath, presenting a heartbreaking narrative which shines brightest in its exploration of human intimacies. By Karan Madhok
Comings and Goings: On the beauty of Amitabha Bagchi’s HALF THE NIGHT IS GONE
Sakshi Nadkarni on Amitabha Bagchi’s Half the Night is Gone (2018), a tale of stories withing stories, both dense and sparse, a glimpse across many Delhis, a meditation on sorrow, fatherhood, self-reflection, and literature itself.
Thoroughfare
Personal essay by Sreelekha Chatterjee: ‘I had a habit of waking up at the slightest disturbance in the surroundings. In the wavering streetlight coming from the open doors at both ends of the room, there were silhouettes of ghastly figures shortening and lengthening.’
Good Cop / Good Cop
Delhi Crime is a breath of fresh air in its realistic portrayal of police investigation and the heroism of intelligent, emphatic cops. But the crime drama leaves a stunning blind spot about the brutalities, corruption, and systematic failures of the Delhi Police itself. By Karan Madhok
Sightseeing
Short story by Asha Jyothi: ‘I don’t know what in the world I was thinking, but I look directly at him, and he holds my gaze, and looks at my naked teeth. “Pyar kiya, koi chori nahi ki.” I have loved, not committed a theft.’