A Letter From India, Where the World Is Collapsing

The Official Count of Cases and Deaths Doesn’t Reflect the Full Tragedy Unfolding Here

Every morning, I wake up in my home in a middle-class locality in Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India, and heave a sigh of relief. I do not have temperature; my oximeter readings are normal.

For the last 14 days, my city and state have been under lockdown. My computer has become my window to the world. Every hour or so, I use it to write condolence messages for friends who have lost family members. My wife, a frontline worker, will step out a bit because she works with waste pickers …

Auto Draft | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Dispatch From India’s Farmers Protest

The Ongoing Protests Have Become the Longest Stand-off in the Country Since India Achieved Independence

For more than four months now, about 200,000 men, women, and the elderly have been camping on the roads leading to Delhi, barricaded from the nation’s capital by concrete walls, …

My Adolescence in an Attempted Utopia | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

My Adolescence in an Attempted Utopia

Coming of Age Amid Adults Questing for Self Actualization at South India’s Theosophical Society Headquarters

When I turned 14, I made two discoveries.

First, I learned that I would never inherit the smooth drape of my grandmother’s skin. Like my father, I would battle hillocks …

What America Can Learn From India’s Weeks-Long Elections | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

What America Can Learn From India’s Weeks-Long Elections

Keep the Faith, Even If Results Are Slow to Come In—‘Democracy Delayed Is Not Democracy Denied’

Americans have long been accustomed to knowing the results of elections by the time they go to bed on Election Day. This year is forcing them to realize that’s not …

A Letter From Mumbai, Where Everyday Questions Carry New Weight | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

A Letter From Mumbai, Where Everyday Questions Carry New Weight

For Muslims in India, Lockdowns May Unleash Something More Dangerous and Discriminatory Than a Virus

On local trains, I used to overhear phone conversations. Fights, flirtations, and often the question: Khana khaya? Did you eat?

Mentally, I’d roll my eyes. If someone asked me, my …

Did You Know California Has a Dental Czar? | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Did You Know California Has a Dental Czar?

Trained in India, Jayanth Kumar Has a Roadmap for Improving the State’s Oral Health

Over the course of my career in India and the United States, I’ve seen how thoughtful innovations in dental policy can dramatically improve the oral health of whole communities, while …