A list of good reads
- If you read one thing, make it this brilliant bit of reporting from Entrackr—which accompanied a Zomato delivery executive for a day to see exactly what his job entailed, and how much money he made. This is ground reporting at its best.
- The Times of India tells the fascinating tale of how Sir Cyril Radcliffe—a deemed 'neutral umpire' who knew nothing about India or its geographical or cultural intricacies—was given the task of drawing its boundaries.
- Scroll has a wonderful first-person piece that centers on a conversation between two friends in Delhi—one an Afghan woman wrestling with guilt and fear.
- For a change of pace, GQ has an excellent piece on the Sopranos of Berlin—an infamous crime family best known for one of the most audacious and expensive art heists in history.
- You can either listen to or read this fascinating Slate conversation between Dahlia Lithwick and Michael Heller on ownership—which includes a riff on reclining airline seats.
- Harper's Magazine has a brilliant read on disinformation—its origins and nature.
- India Forum has a thought-provoking essay on how democracy in India is being replaced by a Hindu dominated 'ethnocracy'.
- Mel Magazine answers a serious question: When does perfectionism turn into a mental health disorder?
- Somak Ghoshal in Mint looks at why some Indians are partying like it’s 2019—i.e. as though there is no pandemic or virus.
- ICYMI: This older Scroll excerpt from Rana Safvi’s book on the many monuments hidden away inside the Delhi Golf Course.
- In The Telegraph, Asim Ali offers an incisive analysis of the next two big items on the BJP agenda—Uniform Civil Code and population control policies—and why they carry a big risk of political blowback.
