a royal erasureWhy Hindu Nationalists Want to Erase Mughal History The Mughal dynasty's presence in Indian history threatens the idea of a homogenous Hindu past -- and thereby, the idea of India as Hindu. By Amlan Sarkar
Adapting In SolidarityHow ‘The Last of Us’ TV Adaptation Elevates a Canonical Queer Storyline The third episode rewrites canon and upends the 'bury your gays' trope -- allowing humanity to shine through the bleakness. By Akankshya Bahinipaty
Designing With DisabilityLollapalooza’s Inadequate Accessibility Facilities Show the Need For Disability‑First Planning Lollapalooza India's accessibility facilities shows the need for disability-first design -- not only in festivals, but in all spheres of life. By Akankshya Bahinipaty
Failing at FailingWoe Is Me! “How Do I Cope With Academic Failure While My Friends Succeed?” Woe Is Me! is a series in which The Swaddle team indulges your pity party with advice you'll probably ignore. By The Swaddle Team
De-Urbanization In ProgressWhy Bollywood Moved Away From Urban Romances in Favor of Small‑Town Ones Socio-economic shifts in the country have changed what Indian audiences relish -- and it is no longer the idealized NRI archetype. By Devrupa Rakshit
Historical BaggageVadivel Gopal and Masi Sadaiyan From the Irula Tribe Won the Padma Shri. Only Calling Them ‘Snake Catchers’ Reinforces Caste Stereotypes. Many media headlines refer to the awardees solely as "snake-catchers" -- a practice that reinforces stereotypes about caste and labor. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
A Death to Remember‘The Last of Us’ Does a Familiar Disservice to Women in Dystopias Tess's death deviates from the game version in troubling ways -- serving as a successor to the 'fridging' trope in sci-fi. By Akankshya Bahinipaty
Mainstreaming It AllSome Andaman and Nicobar Islands Are Now Named After Military Heroes. This Undermines Both Local Culture and Military Lives The bid to "unify" the country comes at the cost of erasing local, indigenous cultures -- and glorifying the narrative of sacrifice. By Devrupa Rakshit
Big Tech Big ConsequencesMassive, Impersonal Tech Layoffs Show How “Good Jobs” Need Unions Too The scale and manner of layoffs across big tech break the myth of the "good job" -- and shows the precarity of tech workers in a recession. By Akankshya Bahinipaty
Appreciate the ConcernWords Mean Things: ‘Appropriation’ The conversation about appropriation has been confined to individual white celebrities -- but this ignores the workings of power closer home. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
It's ComplicatedWoe Is Me! “My Partner’s Childhood Crush is Still His Best Friend. Why Am I So Intimidated?” Woe Is Me! is a series in which The Swaddle team indulges your pity party with advice you'll probably ignore. By The Swaddle Team
Pride Is PoliticalMumbai Pride Says No Political Posters Allowed — But Queerness Is Political The debate over the appointment of an openly gay advocate as a high court judge shows how pride -- and queerness -- is inherently political. By Amlan Sarkar
Food Separation MovementIs This Normal: ‘I Can’t Stand Different Foods Touching Each Other on My Plate’ There's a name for the driving factor behind food separatism: brumotactillophobia, or the fear of different food items touching each other. By Devrupa Rakshit
Tracking JusticeSpain to Allow Rape Survivors to Track Released Offenders The decision represents a key contention among feminists: can carceral approaches to gender-based violence help in the long term? By Akankshya Bahinipaty
Demanding AgencyWhy Are Dharavi’s Residents Protesting Adani’s Redevelopment Plan? At the heart of the protests is the assertion that it should be the residents of Dharavi who decide what redevelopment means to them. By Devrupa Rakshit
Birthing FatalitiesSeven Years After Rohith Vemula’s Death, Casteism in Universities Persists This week, IIM Ahmedabad opposed caste-based reservations for PhD programs, claiming that it would be "injustice to other eligible meritorious students." By Amlan Sarkar
Delivering DeathSwiggy Delivery Worker’s Death Prompts Action Against Pet Owners – But Lack of Labor Protections Remains Unaddressed Gig workers aren't classified as employees -- and remain in limbo when it comes to labor protections. Platform apps thus remain unaccountable. By Akankshya Bahinipaty
Sex 2.0Robots, Virtual Intimacy and Sex in Space. Is This the Future of Sex? With advanced sextech, virtual reality and artificial intelligence on the horizon, experts believe a sexual revolution is brewing. What do we stand to gain – or lose? By Ananya Singh