Barriers for minority-owned cannabis businesses illustrate challenges in Minnesota’s equity program
As Minnesota grants more cannabis licenses, small-scale Black and brown entrepreneurs say the state is not creating an equitable system for legal marijuana sales.
Amid ceasefire, Minnesota Palestinians express hope and skepticism as families return to Gaza City
After two years of war, many in the Twin Cities Palestinian and Jewish communities are watching to see what happens next.
Bloomington’s K-5 computer science immersion program builds future problem-solvers
At Indian Mounds Elementary, students are encouraged to incorporate computer science into every subject — boosting their tech skills and creativity along the way.
Minnesota’s language diversity offers a snapshot of a changing state
The top three non-English languages, Spanish, Somali and Hmong, are no surprise. But the state’s language communities range from Pashto to Fulani.
Five things to know about Hamoudi Sabri, who is tussling with Minneapolis over a homeless camp
The Palestinian American developer says he won’t back down from his fight with the city until local and state officials come up with a long-term solution for homelessness.
Rising frustrations lead Twin Cities renters to form unions for better housing conditions
A Minnesota law passed this year encourages tenants to form unions and penalizes landlords who retaliate by increasing the rent, evicting tenants, or reporting immigrant tenants to law enforcement.
University of Minnesota climate literacy workshop faces funding cuts amid federal changes
From the devastation of Hurricane Helene, to mining pollution on the Navajo Reservation, students are living with climate impacts and educators hoped to find tools to discuss it.
Palestinian American sisters explore body-as-homeland in Body Watani dance project
For Leila and Noelle Awadallah, dance has become a way to reclaim their Palestinian identity and to process the ongoing devastation of their ancestral homeland.
Brooklyn’s West Indian Carnival Grapples with Costs and Cultural Evolution; Columbia News Service
The West Indian American Day Carnival, held on Labor Day in Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway, is one of the biggest celebrations of Caribbean culture in New York.
What does fashion owe its Muslim karigars? ; Vogue india
Unpacking the politics behind the Indian fashion industry’s biggest—but unsung— shareholders
Unpacking the glaring absence of trans positive lingerie in India; Vogue india
Members of the trans community talk about their struggles when it comes to lingerie— a seemingly essential item of clothing.
Mandatory work-from-office rules are pushing more women to quit their jobs; The established
Recently, Tata Consultancy Services in India witnessed a mass exodus of women after the company decided to go back to work-from home office mode. Do policies at workplaces continue to handicap employed women’s mobility?
Inside the Secret Lives of India’s Gen Z Sneaker Resellers; VICE
In India’s hype-driven sneaker scene, young entrepreneurs can earn big… if they don’t fall for scams.
Women-led online platforms in India offer both sex toys and sex education; the established
More and more sex tech spaces emerging online in the form of e-commerce websites for sex toys, sexual wellbeing and awareness platforms are helmed by women.
Kashmir’s Islamic Geometrical Designs Are ‘Secular In Appeal’ — How?; KASHMIR OBSERVER
The designs on the walls of the Alhambra in Spain to the Selimiye Mosque in Konya or, closer home, the Khanqah-e-Moula are visual evidence of the infinite design opportunities that are contained in simple geometric forms, made possible with elementary tools.
Young India’s shift to thrift; Mint Lounge
Gen Z entrepreneurs of Instagram thrift stores are meeting youngsters’ need to be mindful shoppers
Why the Evil Eye Emoji Is Everywhere on Social Media; VICE
“Any time I posted about something that I really cherish, I could feel the bad juju of the digital world translate into the real world.”
With Shades of Persia, Kashmiri Handmade Fabric Persists Modernity; KASHMIR OBSERVER
Art and craft practices in Kashmir are not only markers but also the result of political, cultural, and artistic exchanges with erstwhile Persia and beyond. Over the past few centuries, these crafts have absorbed local tradition, resulting in a visual vocabulary that is Kashmir’s own.
Will the stars align for astro tourism in India? ; THE ESTABLISHED
Astro tourism combines astronomy and tourism, wherein travelers engage in activities like stargazing, watching the planets, peeking into other galaxies, watching eclipses, and more.
At Ziro music fest, fashion was comfy, chic and thrifted; MINT LOUNGE
From cottage core to traditional Northeast dresses with a modern twist, festival goers went for something comfy yet chic. We spoke to some about their fashion choices
Dating as a divorcee can be a frustrating experience; THE ESTABLISHED
Navigating a divorce is challenging enough; to search for love again can be even more daunting, especially in a country like India where divorce continues to be stigmatized.
Board game-designers in India are reimagining games from centuries ago; THE ESTABLISHED
While the Chaupad (or pachisi) is one example of a board game mentioned in the Mahabharata that has been reinvented, several others from India are now getting a new lease of life.
Jazz regains ground in Kolkata, but revival remains a distant dream; THE INDIAN EXPRESS
With a shrinking audience, tides of time, and high entertainment tax imposed by the former government, fewer places hosted live jazz music. In present-day Kolkata, only three establishments are placing their bets on jazz.
Pena artist, Mangka, sings of the past and future; MINT LOUNGE
A Manipur state icon, Mangka Mayanglambam continues to break barriers in music.
Pandemic and after: Looking at systemic flaws and road to recovery for Indian craft economy; THE INDIAN EXPRESS
For the crafts sector to continue on its journey of recovery and redemption in the pandemic, wider appreciation and incentivisation needs to take place in the fashion and textile industry.
Kshipra Singh Jadon’s eponymous label is bringing back the old-world charm of heirloom clothing; VOGUE INDIA
Label Jadon’s beginnings are rooted in nostalgia-laden heirlooms and stories of the designer’s Rajput legacy as told by her mother and grandmothers
Crafting a city through observation and memory; MINT LOUNGE
Meet the artists giving new meaning to the way memory, identity and history play into our perception of space.
I Was Goddess for a Day, as an Eight-Year-Old; VICE
In a country where gender discrimination starts in the womb itself, a chosen few pre-pubescent girls are briefly elevated to the status of goddess.
Women of the Shershabadi community sew tales of tradition to keep a lesser-known craft form alive; THE INDIAN EXPRESS
Khetas are embroidered, reversible quilts made from layering and stitching together four to five old, worn off saris and is a generational craft form that has originally been practised by the women of the Shershabadi community
With slow and ‘seasonless’ clothing in focus, how some pandemic-born labels are changing the face of Indian fashion; FIRSTPOST
Certain pandemic-born brands display a nuanced knowledge of the shift in market demands during the pandemic and an irreverence towards seasonal fashion and conventional modes of production and marketing.
How India’s trans and non-binary youth’s relation with clothing is liberating, yet fraught with limitations; FIRSTPOST
Although the Indian fashion industry has recently seen a major boom in gender-fluid collections and brands, most of these continue to remain inaccessible to many due to their usually high price points.
How the pandemic paved way for experiential storytelling in fashion; THE INDIAN EXPRESS
Fashion designers are exploring a directorial approach in their campaigns, investing in bringing cinema-like aspects to turn fashion videos into fashion films with a story, characters, music and screenplay.
Diamond Arm Candy: A Sparkling History of Arm Jewellery; NATURAL DIAMOND COUNCIL
Shape shifting its way through history, natural diamond jewellery on the arms have bejewelled the Gods, Goddesses and royals to present-day brides, forming a crucial piece of South Asia’s jewellery heritage.
Shubhanjana Das 