Anjum’s “Flyover Story”

Anjum’s “Flyover Story,” which she tells to Zainab as a bedtime story, exemplifies the ways in which stories can and must be edited in accordance with their audience. The real events of that night, a part of Anjum’s past as a hijra during the time of India’s Emergency, must be hidden from her daughter.

The Dargah of Hazrat Sharmad

The Dargah of Hazrat Sharmad functions as a symbol of religious moderation and tolerance. Both Hindus and Muslims attend this shrine to a man who refused to offer his allegiance to orthodox Islam until he knew what he, personally and individually, knew to be spiritually true.

The Sound and Light Show

The Sound and Light Show at Delhi’s Red Fort symbolizes the standard narrative of India’s glorious past as empire and nation. The fact that it is heavily attended...