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Meditating Love: In Search of a Middle Ground — An Essay by Fariz Gulzar Mir

In this essay, Fariz Gulzar Mir brings forth a philosophical inquiry into the nature of the “complex phenomenon” that is love by considering its metaphysical and pragmatic dimensions. Through a variety of citations and references, the author engages with Ibn Arabi’s ontological take on wahdat al-wuj

“I became the rain” — Two Poems by Peace Ogunjemilua

Peace Ogunjemilua brings forth two poems that—according to the young Nigerian poet and graphic artist—“revisit the childhood lessons” from “an African home, where the voice of a child grows” to acquire “the wisdom of an adult.” The first poem, “Biomimicry” draws from the bond of human experience wit

The Power of Musical Storytelling in Amar Singh Chamkila — by Urvashi Janiani

Urvashi Janiani explores the deep impact that musicmaking and songwriting has had on the Indian film industry, particularly in the case of Amar Singh Chamkila. The critically acclaimed Emmy-nominated film is driven almost entirely by a musical score and a repertoire of songs that are perfectly align

The Loved One — A Poem by Dr. Deeba Shireen

Dr. Deeba Shireen presents a poem about a loss that is unlike any other. Deeba’s verses explore the notion of oneness that is implicit in the bond between a mother and a child during pregnancy and after birth. Written from a place of profound and unquantifiable loss, the poem delves into a difficult

Apor Lal Chowk — A Poem by Mubashir Karim

Passing through this Kashmiri “Age of Big Construction”, Mubashir Karim’s poem takes us back to the shared experience of those who know what it is to ride on a bus or a matador. Seated in the present, these verses－and the poetic voice that shapes them－adopt the gaze of a passenger-flâneur who moves

Ghosts of Partition and the Songs that Stitch Us Back Together — A Commentary by Tehmina Pirzada

Tehmina Pirzada presents a commentary on Ghost Peppers, a musical duo formed by English professors Amrita Ghosh and Kevin Meehan whose music-making brings together scholarship, storytelling, and song in a way that transcends borders. Rooted in Tagore’s work, layered with South Asian, Afro-Latina, an

This is Fine: A Love Letter to the Apocalypse We Call Life — by Ghulam Mohammad Khan

G.M. Khan presents a reflection on our state of existence and our sense of purpose in life by integrating the philosophical ideas of multiple thinkers into what comes across as a piece concerned with human limitations, the futility of our existence and the existential dread that we face when we begi