punjab Archives

Loan-Waiver Schemes Got 99 Problems. And Implementation is One

As Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath announced loan waivers for his state's farmers, the demand across the country has only gotten louder. With the general elections a few months away, the governments might just cave in. But while farm loan waivers might make good political sense, do they make good moral and economic sense?

Hardik Rajgor July 6, 2016

POV

The SAD Truth about Punjab

The state’s multiple crises – a consumptive drug problem, farmer distress – can hardly be brushed under the carpet by hacking a film that purports to show its reality.

Bhanuj Kappal June 30, 2016

People

The Many Ballis of My Punjab

In the state looking for its next fix, Udta Punjab cuts too close to the bone.

Jasdeep Singh June 12, 2016

Columns

Longing for the Other Punjab: A Search for My “Jhelum Kinare” Pind on Google Maps

I am from a post-Partition migrant family, but I have no idea where my roots lie. My grandfather, my last “sarhad paar” connection, passed away and I grew obsessed with the idea. I pined away for a name, but all I had to go on was a “Jhelum kinare” village. How do you feel a longing for a place you’ve never been to?

Karanjeet Kaur June 4, 2016

People

What Will It Take for India to Stop Honour Killings?

Inter-caste marriages in India are fraught with danger, as the high-profile honour killing of Premulla Pranay by his father-in-law in Telangana proves. Monika and Vikramjeet knew their inter-caste marriage would anger people, but they had no idea that they would have to be on the run for 12 years, escaping their murderous family.

Sat Singh May 11, 2016

POV

What Will It Take For Us to Avoid Train Tragedies Like the Bihar Derailment?

For a country that aspires to build Smart Cities everywhere, turn its financial capital into Shanghai, and wishes to be at the forefront of global innovation and technology, incidents like the Seemanchal Express derailment are inconvenient reminders of just how far we have to go.

Dushyant Shekhawat April 26, 2016

Pop Culture

Diljit Dosanjh: The Unsuitable Boy of Bollywood

Diljit Dosanjh is an unlikely hero for Bollywood. I can’t remember the last time someone with such son-of-the-soil appeal made it as a leading man in a mainstream film.

Karanjeet Kaur March 25, 2016

Bollywood

Namaste England Review: 2007 Called, Even They Don’t Want this Film Back

In Namaste England, Parineeti Chopra plays a UK-sexual. She abandons her husband, an expressionless Arjun Kapoor, to leave for London with a random man who can provide her citizenship. Nobody has said “Fuck it, I’m off to London” in such a rush since Vijay Mallya.

Jackie Thakkar March 17, 2016

POV

The Last Puran Poli: The Kobra Secret You Didn’t Know About

Marwaris are often called out for their miserly behaviour, but the kanjoosi of Kokanastha Brahmins has remained a secret. In a time of lavish weddings and four live counters, Kobra weddings will offer you four sabzis and a dal, food lesser than an average Punjabi lunch.

Ramjaane March 9, 2016

People

Sidhu Moose Wala’s Conflicting but Significant Musical Legacy

Moose Wala’s shocking death is probably the outcome of certain avoidable cultural tropes that have been allowed to simmer in Punjab but while the singer wasn’t always politically correct, his music travelled further than most.

Deepansh Duggal March 7, 2016