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Noor Anand Chawla

Noor Anand Chawla

Noor Anand Chawla is an independent journalist based in New Delhi, India, who contributes to various publications such as the Christian Science Monitor, ARTNews, Reader’s Digest, and others. She writes on travel, fashion, art and culture. A lawyer by training, she pursued her passion for writing through her blog nooranandchawla.com and this paved the way for journalism. She was recently awarded the title of being one of India’s Top 40 English Language Journalists Under 40 by the exchange4media group. She creates lifestyle content on Instagram as @nooranandchawla.

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The cover of A Passage to India on top of a 1920s map of India
Arts & Culture

The Sociopolitical Impact of A Passage to India

E. M. Forster’s novel captured not only the tensions between colonizers and colonized but also the fraught internal politics that shaped India’s fight for independence.
Frame from the movie La Coquille et le Clergyman (1928)
Art & Art History

Surrealism in Cinema, 100 Years On

A century after the publication of the first Surrealist manifesto, the role played by film in the movement is still unfolding.
Woman lighting the candles for Diwali in India
Education & Society

A History of Diwali

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is observed across the length and breadth of India as well as among the large Indian diaspora around the world.
A diverse polyamorous family cuddling in bed, genders and relationships, pansexual lifestyle
Education & Society

Is Consensual Nonmonogamy a (Good) Thing?

Social biases can restrict research into consensual nonmonogamy, especially when it's harder to understand the processes involved in these relationships.
Source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.24887166
Politics & History

Women in the Vijayanagar Empire

According to legend, a woman played a central role in the founding of the Vijayanagar empire. But what was it really like to be a woman in India’s medieval era?
Revellers participate in the annual LGBTQIA+ Pride Parade on November 27, 2022 in Bengaluru, India.
Politics & Government

The Legal Struggles of the LGBTQIA+ Community in India

A recent judgement by the Supreme Court of India put off the question of allowing same-sex marriage, but it still may be seen as a victory for the community.
A tricolor India flag flies on top of a vehicle on the backdrop of the Jama Masjid mosque on August 15, 2022 in New Delhi, India.
Politics & History

The Unique History of the Meo Tribes of Mewat

The Meos are singled out as cow slaughterers by vigilantes, but their heritage combines Hindu cultural practices—including raising cattle—with the Islamic faith.
Delhi Durbar of 1903
Politics & History

The Delhi Durbars

Elaborate demonstrations of British royal ceremony fused with Indian tradition, these assemblies were meant to assert political dominance over Indian subjects.
Didarganj Yakshi
Art & Art History

The Didarganj Figurine: A Yakshi or a Ganika?

Could we be wrong about the identity of this celebrated stone sculpture from ancient India?
Akkai Padmashali, a prominent transgender activist holds a placard during a protest against violence in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, on July 21, 2023 in Bengaluru, India.
Politics & Government

Identity and Violence in Manipur, India

A history of political and economic mismanagement, paired with armed militancy based in ethnic identity, helps explain the protracted violence in the region.
Giovanni da Udine, detail of border surrounding Raphael’s Cupid and Psyche, Villa Farnesina, Rome.
Art & Art History

Fruit and Veg: The Sexual Metaphors of the Renaissance

Using peach and eggplant emojis as shorthand for sex may seem like a new thing, but Renaissance painters were experts at using produce to imply intercourse.
English actress Jane Birkin and French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, at home in Paris.
Arts & Culture

Jane Birkin’s Famous Love (Sex) Song

How the songs of the 1960s and ’70s captured the sexual liberation of women.
Sikh women worshippers c. 1950
Politics & History

Women, Partition, and Violence

The 1947 partition of India and creation of Pakistan came with a hefty price—especially for the subcontinent’s women.
A 19th century Kalighat painting from Calcutta, India
Art & Art History

How Bengal’s Nineteenth-Century Art Defined Women

Women’s roles as icons ranged from being seductive and erotic to mythical and religious as they imparted social, political, and ethical values.
A collage of posters for popular Bollywood films
Arts & Culture

How the Indian Middle Class Came to Define Bollywood

The Hindi film industry has undergone tremendous change since the late 1940s, reflecting India's shift from a socialistic republic to a privatized democracy.
Kandalama Hotel, Sri Lanka
Art & Art History

The Enduring Appeal of Architect Geoffrey Bawa

Bawa's global travels helped him to create buildings and landscapes that are inextricably linked to Sri Lankan sensibilities and craftsmanship.
Self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh, 1889
Art & Art History

Why We Connect with Vincent van Gogh’s Paintings

Van Gogh was a troubled soul and master painter who relied on his emotions and color to create art that continues to attract millions of viewers.
The Performance Hall Foyer at West Core, Yale-NUS College. Yale-NUS is a liberal arts college founded by the Yale University and the National University of Singapore.
Education

Why Asian Universities Are Embracing US Liberal Arts Programs

As schools in the US shift focus to technical or pre-professional programs, Asian institutions are recognizing the benefits of liberal arts education.

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