Latest Stories from Sahil
Opinion – Authentic queer representation is still vital
For a community that faces discrimination both online and offline, genuine portrayal of queer joy in shows such as Heartstopper and Red White & Royal Blue deserves to be praised. Given how difficult everyday living is, many of us take to cinema or television to escape. For the queer community, a group often faced with disproportionate hostility, representation on screen can mean more than just a distraction from the real...
Understanding the specifics of the discomfort index
The level of discomfort a person feels in varying levels of heat and humidity is known as the ‘discomfort index’. Increasing global temperatures are contributing to stress, job losses, and an alarming rise in gender-based violence. A meteorological term used in line with weather forecasting, the 'discomfort index', is a measure for heat-driven stress and anxiety. This index is mostly concerned with our feelings and emotional responses toward discomfort and how...
Opinion – Queerphobia’s rise is affecting the Indian internet
With the beginning of the marriage equality hearings in the Supreme Court, the Indian queer community has had to face rising queerphobia online, ranging from dehumanization to death threats. I haven’t had a single day of peace on social media since April 18th. This date began one of the most arduous hearings in the Indian Supreme Court's history of handling queer issues: whether marriage equality should be sanctified under the law...
Opinion – Why BTS leader RM’s thoughts on colonialism are so important
‘In the West, people just don't get it’, Kim Nam-Joon, leader of world's biggest music group, BTS, exclaims when asked if the cult of perfection and over-achievement are Korean cultural traits. Here’s our attempt at an explanation. ‘Korea is a country that has been invaded, razed to the ground, torn in two. Just 70 years ago, there was nothing. We were getting aid from the IMF and the UN. But now,...
Opinion – Sam Smith reaction proves androgyny is selective
‘No fat people’ is a comment I have often seen on Grindr profiles plastered in their bios as if some shining medal of glory - fatphobia inside the queer community is not uncommon. Sam Smith's new music video is a victim of the same. It was never easy to proudly attach the adjective ‘fat’ to myself. The term has long been used as a slur, a curse word, and a sign...
Opinion – The Elephant Whisperer is necessary and urgent
Netflix’s latest nature documentary follows the story of Raghu, an elephant in India. It highlights problems within our conservation efforts and the important of nurturing our natural world. Each time we visit my maternal grandparent's house in Talcher, we pass through the districts of Dhenkanal, down the road that connects the district of Cuttack to the district of Angul in Odisha. Passing through, amongst the many visits that we do...
