sin of touching book with feet

A seemingly minor taboo reveals profound truths about knowledge, divinity, and the sacred.

The Sin of Touching Books with Your Feet

Devika Rani in 'Karma' (General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)


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Hindi cinema’s matriarch founded a film studio, launched stars, and left a legacy far beyond one moment.

Devika Rani, More than the Longest Kiss

Afghan refugees wait in a queue to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham on October 27, 2023 (ABDUL MAJEED/AFP via Getty Images)


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Afghan refugees shaped the country’s culture and economy for generations. Now, they’re being forced out — and the loss is incalculable.

Pakistan’s Expulsion of Afghans Threatens Centuries of History

Meher Manda

Shahana Goswami in and as 'Santosh' (2024) (Taha Ahmad)

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In Sandhya Suri’s Oscar-shortlisted film, a widow finds freedom and power in a police uniform — but at what cost?

‘Santosh’: When Justice is a Performance

Tata Group chief Ratan Tata at the launch of Jaguar, Land Rover brands in Mumbai on June 28, 2009 (Bhaskar Paul/The The India Today Group via Getty Images)


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The British automaker’s most shocking moment wasn’t a viral 2024 ad. It was when one Indian man dared to buy it.

Jaguar’s in Trouble. Can Tata Save It Again?

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Police dismissed the OpenAI whistleblower’s death as a suicide. His parents say there’s more going on.

What Really Happened to Suchir Balaji?

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Snigdha Sur

Dr. Parik Patel (courtesy Dr. Parik Patel)

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What does the investor, lawyer, and chartered accountant want the world to know? “Tell them I’m defying gravity.”

Dr. Parik Patel, the Internet’s Meme Doctor

Rihanna arrives at the Rihanna x Fenty Hair Los Angeles Launch Party at Nya Studios on June 10, 2024 in Los Angeles (Kayla Oaddams/WireImage)


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Where do you go when you’ve already dressed the biggest stars in your country?

The Indian Couturiers Courting the West

AP Dhillon performs at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, California (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Coachella)

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A language that isn’t as widely spoken as Hindi or Urdu is now the default export of the Indian subcontinent.

How Punjabi Music Went Global

Employees working at Greenlab Diamonds, a firm manufacturing lab-grown gems on the outskirts of Surat (SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images)

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India was once the world’s biggest diamond supplier. It now hopes to reclaim that past — with a twist.

Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Forever?

USA players celebrate after defeating Pakistan in a super over during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium on June 6, 2024 in Dallas, Texas (Matt Roberts-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

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A group of dreamers and part-timers beat some of the world’s best. We asked them how they did it.

The U.S. Cricket Team is Here to Stay

Anand Parimal, Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani, Radhika Merchant, Anant Ambani, Isha Ambani, Shloka Mehta, and Akash Ambani (from left to right) during Anant’s engagement in Mumbai on January 19, 2023 (Sujit JAISWAL / AFP / Getty Images)

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India is already the fastest-growing major economy. Its richest family is its next biggest export.

The Ambanis: The Making of a Global Brand

Boroline (Snigdha Sur for The Juggernaut)

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The Indian antiseptic ointment has outlasted the British, Partition, and copycats. Its formula for winning isn’t what you think.

Boroline, the Bengali Miracle Cream

Sri Lankan workers at the Link Natural factory sort through sachets of Samahan in Dompe on December 29, 2010 (AFP PHOTO/Ishara S. KODIKARA via Getty Images)

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Fans of the Sri Lankan herbal drink, from Naomi Campbell to Amitabh Bachchan, swear it cures everything from a cold to a cough. Does it?

How Samahan Became a Global Sensation

Eshani Patel, Sachin Kumar, Nehal Tenany, Deepa Sharma (The Juggernaut)

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Money. Fame. Power. Content creators seem to have it all. But for those in the diaspora, pursuing it as a full-time career isn’t as easy.

The Business of South Asian Influencing

 Customers shop at a Costcoon December 15, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Costco Wholesale beat expectations for the company's Q1 earnings with a 17 % increase (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Meet the “Costco-politans” who swear by the wholesale giant. For fans, it’s about more than snagging a deal.

How Costco Won Over the South Asian Diaspora

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The once-in-a-generation talent delivered 19 movies in two years. Her untimely death left a void — and questions that remain unsolved.

 Divya Bharti, Bollywood’s Lost Superstar

Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, and Michelle Monaghan in 'The White Lotus' Season 3 (HBO)

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Season 3 takes place in Thailand. The guests of the eponymous luxury resort don’t reflect that reality.

Why is ‘The White Lotus’ So White?

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Dr. Vivek Murthy speaks onstage at Jazz at Lincoln Center on October 29, 2024 (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Find Your Light Foundation)

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The British used alcohol to control the community. A Surgeon General advisory finds it’s now killing us in new ways.

Do South Asians Have a Secret Drinking Problem?

Hot jalebis being prepared  at a village fair at Tehatta, West Bengal, India on 01/14/2024 (Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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From Persian courts to Diwali feasts, the crunchy orange coil has survived centuries of culinary influences. What gives it such staying power?

Jalebi: A Dessert So Good, It Traveled the World

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Two incompetent brothers. One badass aunty. A family cocaine business. What could possibly go wrong?

‘Deli Boys’ Serves Up Some Spicy, Tasty Achaar

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Mindy Kaling in 'With Love, Meghan' (2025)

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The Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix show has sparked debate over everything from her last name to her lewks. One episode, however, takes the cake.

When Meghan Met Mindy

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The Oscar-nominated short upends gender dynamics to show us a world of possibility — and the impossibility of hard choices.

‘Anuja’: Two Ambitious Sisters, One Choice

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance, and their three kids (X)

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From a DOGE staffer’s tweets to attacks on interracial marriage, is anti-Indian rhetoric no longer fringe?

When Earwax Became Political

Brajesh Singh Lal and Svetlana (USSR Pictures Facebook)

Svetlana and Brajesh

Brajesh Singh and Svetlana’s love — as well as a journey to India — would defy Cold War geopolitics and change their lives forever.

The Indian Prince and Stalin’s Daughter

Siddhartha Chatterjee and Soumitra Chatterjee in Sonar Kella (1974)

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Feluda, Byomkesh, and Priyanath cracked impossible cases, inspired generations, and became literary legends. So why didn’t they find global fame?

The Bengali Detectives the World Overlooked

A Mughal lady (possibly Farzana Begum), c.1650 (Royal Collection Trust)

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From the love story that changed mental healthcare to the impact of ‘One Day,’ dive into our top stories on love in all its forms.

South Asian Love Stories: 2025

Krishna Subduing Kaliya, the Snake Demon; folio from a Bhagavata Purana series, 1785 (The Met)

Krishna subduing Kaliya

The nagas were once the subcontinent’s most powerful gods. What happened?

When Snakes Ruled India

Shakuntala Pines for King Dushyanta, With Priyamvada and Anusuya (Raja Ravi Varma)

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This March, dive into our stories about women in all their multitudes. Goddess. Mother. Sister. Saint. Icon.

Celebrating Women’s History Month: 2025

Members of the Movement for Colonial Freedom and the Black Sash Movement march to South Africa House, 1956 (Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

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Tracing the historic ties between Black and South Asian communities — beyond borders and timelines.

Celebrating Black History Month: 2025

Lunar New Year being celebrated in Kolkata, India (Photo by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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From Indo-Chinese food to ‘Harold & Kumar,’ explore 15 stories that highlight the unexpected connections between South and East Asian cultures.

Celebrating Lunar New Year: 2025

Still from 'All We Imagine As Light' (2024)

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The best of film, TV, music, and theater: All We Imagine As Light, that Asoka trend, One Day, and more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 15 Entertainment Stories of 2024

Vikas Khanna with yogurt kabab at Bungalow (Snigdha Sur for The Juggernaut)

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Dive headfirst into the raw, unfiltered perspectives of restaurateur Vikas Khanna, actor Tabu, chef Dylan Bachelet, tech memer Dr. Parik Patel, and more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Profiles of 2024

Mumbai protesters on August 14, 2024 seeking justice for a woman trainee doctor who was raped and murdered on duty at R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata (Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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Murders, hate crimes, and the search for justice — from the Dotbusters to the Kolkata Horror.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 True Crime Stories of 2024

Moushumi Das collects a blood sample of a school student to check for hemoglobin before providing medicine for anemia near Agartala, India (Majority World/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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The South Asian aging paradox, the miracle of Boroline, why South Asian women disproportionately suffer from anemia, and more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Health Stories of 2024

Untitled, anonymous, 1890s (Kalighat Pat) (DAG)

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How Tamil spread around the world, Europe claimed Indian math, an eclipse ended a genocide, and much more.

The Juggernaut’s Top 15 History Stories of 2024

coke studio

From Toyota Camry to Coke Studio, these were the top stories on the brands and market trends that had our readers hooked.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Business Stories of 2024

Alia Bhatt at Met Gala 2024 (John Shearer/WireImage/Getty)

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From why the region is the mother of maximalism to the appropriation of the dupatta, our best stories on the trends, practices, and beliefs that shape us.

The Juggernaut’s Top 15 Culture Stories of 2024

From how Samahan became a global sensation to how a bowl of fruit became a love language, these were the food stories our readers and editorial team devoured.

The Juggernaut’s Top 10 Food Stories of 2024

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 2024’s Biggest Moments for South Asians Globally

Woman lighting candles for Diwali (Wikimedia Commons)

Woman lighting the candles for the Festival of Lights in India (cropped)

Ten must-read stories to enrich your festive season.

Celebrating Diwali: 2024

Daydream of a Nocturne by Shyama Golden (shyamagolden.com)

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Fifteen must-read stories for this spooky season.

Halloween 2024: South Asian Edition

Bansi Lal cut cane for most of his life and now drives the tractor that pulls the loaded cane trucks to the rails for transportation to the Labasa mill. (Preston Merchant)

Bansi Lal

Ten of our best stories on South Asian workers and their history around the world.

Celebrating Labor Day 2024

Illustration by Karuna Gangwani for The Juggernaut

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Fifteen in-depth stories about the event that forever changed the subcontinent.

Remembering Partition and Independence, 77 Years On

Vice President Kamala Harris looks on as President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a reception for new members of congress, Tuesday, January 24, 2023, in the East Room of the White House (Official White House Photo by Erin Scott)

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Revisit our stories on the U.S. Vice President as she reenters the spotlight for the 2024 presidential race.

Joe Biden Endorses Kamala Harris for President in Historic Move

Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi in Deepa Mehta's "Fire" (1996)

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This June, dive into 15 stories about queer South Asian icons, history, and culture.

Celebrating Pride Month: 2024

AAPI HISTORY COLLAGE

This May, a roundup of 15 stories that celebrate South Asian American life, culture, innovation, and history.

Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: 2024

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Rohan Kanawade’s feature debut offers a radical undertaking on love.

‘Sabar Bonda’: A Marathi Queer Drama Triumphs at Sundance

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The show marks filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane’s return to helming a TV series — and he’s bringing new talent along.

How ‘Black Warrant’ Became a Streaming Success

Ameesha Patel and Hrithik Roshan in 'Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai' (2000)

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How screenwriter Honey Irani flipped the script on gender dynamics and created a superhit.

The Female Gaze of ‘Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai’

R. Madhavan as Farhan and Aamir Khan as Rancho in '3 Idiots' (2009)

3 idiots

The beloved film poignantly critiqued academic pressure. But are we any closer to a world where learning thrives over fear?

How ‘3 Idiots’ Redefined Success

Jaggu (Anoushka Sharma) and PK (Aamir Khan) in PK (2014)

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Rajkumar Hirani’s 2014 blockbuster film asks us to think critically about faith — and everything else.

‘PK’: The Alien Who Took on Godmen and Won

Characters from All We Imagine As Light, Girls Will Be Girls, and Laapataa Ladies (Neha Marina for The Juggernaut)

film-jugg

Dive into the 2024 Indian films capturing global attention and our interviews with the filmmakers.