Anand Vardhan

Anand Vardhan

Muscular in the middleMuscular in the middle

Muscular in the middle

Michiel Baas’s book that looks at the social settings and aspirational trajectories of India’s new middle class is an important…

September 28, 2020
Flickering lamp to chandelierFlickering lamp to chandelier

Flickering lamp to chandelier

It was a measure of Pranab Mukherjee’s longevity and influence in Delhi’s power corridors that the account of his career…

September 4, 2020
Toxic culture is universalToxic culture is universal

Toxic culture is universal

The tendency to identify ‘toxic families’ and locate them in a region is rooted in the hostility with which group-identity-obsessed…

August 26, 2020
Folk songs fuel anti-Rhea stormFolk songs fuel anti-Rhea storm

Folk songs fuel anti-Rhea storm

The depiction of Bengali women as evil temptresses goes back to colonial times, when migrant workers from what is now…

August 17, 2020
Dealmaker passes onDealmaker passes on

Dealmaker passes on

Amar Singh was a resourceful backroom operator, but it was no substitute for his lack of public base In the…

August 8, 2020
Working 9 to 5 is also goodWorking 9 to 5 is also good

Working 9 to 5 is also good

Films will have you believe that the ‘free spirits’ are the true heroes. But not everyone has the luxury of…

July 10, 2020
Victims of Nature’s furyVictims of Nature’s fury

Victims of Nature’s fury

Why lightning strikes are a bigger fear than Covid in Bihar Under the glow of a mobile phone, a relative…

October 8, 2020
Bihari turned KashmiriBihari turned Kashmiri

Bihari turned Kashmiri

Meet Navin Choudhary, the bureaucrat from Bihar who has become J&K’s first non-local domicile After being interviewed by several news…

July 3, 2020
The clock stopsThe clock stops

The clock stops

It’s the end of TikTok life in Bihar. What’s next? In December 2006, Time magazine declared “You” as the person of the year. This…

July 3, 2020