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India

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Inside India’s evolving third gender Hijra youth movement

Body of Our Own — With new means to communicate and earn a living, young members of the ancient trans and third gender community are reframing what it means to be a part of it. A new documentary by Rahemur Rahman and Lily Vetch explores their shifting lives and identities.

  • Culture
  • Isabelle Blakeney
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Intimate, empowering portraits of India’s ‘third gender’ Hijra community

Call Me Heena — Photographer Shahria Sharmin’s new photobook provides the ancient trans and intersex group with space to tell their stories and express themselves, against a backdrop of marginalisation and violence in their daily lives.

  • Activism
  • Isaac Muk
Black and white image showing skateboarder on concrete steps with graffiti-covered walls. Repeated "FALL" text visible on left wall.

The Delhi basement forging India’s top skaters

Below deck — In a supermetropolis with little to no infrastructure for skaters, an underground academy is leading the city’s development of elite athletes, as well as providing a space for boarders of any level to try out and train.

  • Sport
  • Paridhi Badgotri
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As Grindr scams in India rise, its LGBTQ+ community fights back

Red flags — Through mobilising the threat of outing queer folk, scammers are using dating apps to find targets for extortion, violence and blackmail. Mansi Rathee and Amir Bin Rafi spoke to people who have been affected, and reported on the community’s work to support victims and raise awareness.

  • Activism
  • Mansi Rathee

Is the UK ready for a Kabaddi boom?

Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi — Watched by over 280 million in India, the breathless contact sport has repeatedly tried to grip British viewers. Ahead of the Kabaddi World Cup being held in Wolverhampton this month, Kyle MacNeill speaks to the gamechangers laying the groundwork for a grassroots scene.

  • Sport
  • Kyle MacNeill

India’s bodybuilding boom reflects a nation flexing its muscles

Huck’s debut feature documentary reveals how young Indian men are willing to turn their backs on tradition and compete for a better life – even if it means sacrificing their health.

  • Culture
  • Alex King

On the frontlines of India’s deadly heatwave

‘It’s unbearable’ — Extreme temperatures in India and Pakistan, which were made 30 times more likely by the climate crisis, have destroyed livelihoods and had deadly consequences

  • Activism
  • Kimi Chaddah

In India, Muslim students are resisting the hijab ban

‘My dreams are shattered‘ — Following a court ruling upholding a ban on Muslim students wearing head coverings in schools, girls who’ve been denied their fundamental rights are fighting back, reports Akshata Kapoor.

  • Activism
  • Akshata Kapoor

The daredevil exploits of Dhanbad’s DIY stuntmen

Lift off — In Jharkhand state, a group of Indian riders are keeping a dying tradition alive. Welcome to the Death Well: a gravity-defying display of fearlessness that reimagines what’s possible on a two-wheeled machine.

  • Magazine
  • Niall Flynn

Modi’s apology to the farmers is purely for his own gain

Empty words — Last week, India’s prime minister repealed the three contentious farm laws that had sparked an over year-long protest in India. But what is the real motive behind the PM’s rare display of contrition?

  • Activism
  • Ravinder Kaur

A cinematic portrait of India in the 1970s and ‘80s

Street life — Between 1978 and 1989, Mitch Epstein made eight trips to India, capturing vibrant scenes of street life and the various subcultures he glimpsed.

  • Culture
  • Miss Rosen

The Indian street barbers persevering amid Covid-19

Knights of the knives — Photographer Yuvan Kumar recounts documenting India’s curbside barbers last March, who were left fighting to survive in the face of a looming second lockdown and an impending calamity.

  • Activism
  • Yuvan Kumar

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