The Indian Quarterly - January - March 2021

في هذه القضية

This issue’s essays on ‘Escape’ explore the idea in diverse ways. Srinath Perur examines why Indian photographers almost inevitably photograph boys jumping into water. Siddharth Chowdhury recounts the perverse sense of ‘escape’ he felt when writing about Patna boys in Delhi University, himself ensconced in a Scottish university town. Aditi Angiras explores queerness as a form of escape in an impressionistic piece. Siddharth Behl ponders whether Delhi’s street kids who ran away from rural misery found redemp- tion in the big city. Ashley Tellis concludes that escaping from oneself is a near-impossible task. And Shougat Dasgupta’s musings on the many meanings of escapism round off a rich section.
Elsewhere, Bharath Murthy’s graphic essay on cartoon taboos resonates alarmingly in our times. Kushal Kapoor’s photographs have conversations with shadows. And Sucheta Chakraborty takes a criti- cal look at the portrayal of Parsis in Indian cinema. Fortunately, all are not grim tales. Yasir A Bakili’s photographs of nature are studies in beauty and solace.
As always, comfort and diversion are to be found in our selection of new fiction, both translated and original, as well as exciting new poetry. Plenty to help all of us escape an eminently forgettable year—and hope for a brighter, more social and happier new one.

The Indian Quarterly Magazine Description:

The Indian Quarterly (IQ) is a national and international magazine. We hope that just as The New Yorker exhibits a distinctly Manhattan sensibility and always contains articles about New York City, IQ will manifest the fact that it is edited and published in Mumbai through its cosmopolitan and open-minded perspective on the world and on India.

In fact, we hope to provide a unique way of interpreting our ever changing culture, and to define our own experiences through the strength of thought, ideas and imagery, be it in the form of fact, fiction, poetry, illustration or photography. IQ is therefore a paean to the polyphonic nature of reflection and the creativity that is its outcome.