snigdha

Yes! Apt reference. We also have Lakshmi Gandhi, former member/writer for Sepia Mutiny, writing a few stories — coming soon!

Definitely! Pitch us at [email protected] - we'd love to help refine pitches!

Thanks so much! :)

Great feedback - we will definitely be more neutral in linking out in the future

I think it’s hard to actually pay journalists well and run a business predictably when we just hope people will donate though I do think the membership puzzle project is doing good work and a few businesses have made this work. This is definitely a model for us to consider!

The people who pay us now do believe we’re doing good work. I have been paying for books and health since I have been little and I do think both allow me to support great writers and health practitioners to be better at what they do. That said I do believe everyone should have a right to access information and health and one day we’ll be able to accommodate that business model. Right now all our revenue goes directly to our journalists.

Hi - so that we can improve our messaging, what about our mission or our voice makes you feel like we're trying to make a quick buck? One of the reasons we started behind a paywall is to actually not be quick in any way. We want to provide nuanced, thoughtful analysis. We started with a paywall so we could pay our journalists well and not be incentivized by clickbait. Charging a subscription allows us to be a more sustainable business and not just be a 'quick buck' scheme. What other business models have you seen working?

Hi - we're not trying to be just anti-India or anti-Pakistan, nor just pro-India or pro-Pakistan. We're trying to encompass a wide range of views. One of the reasons we linked to that article is so that our readers could read multiple viewpoints and form conclusions of their own, especially since it is a sensitive topic. Our target audience is anyone who wishes to be informed and inspired by South Asian stories — and the complexity with which they come.

Agree this is happening - really unfortunate when fear is twisted to harm others. But there's another side of nationalism and pride that is less dangerous and just one of many identities.

Interesting point of view - reminds me of how Solange Knowles for a long time (not anymore) had a website that looked straight from the early 1990s. Maybe to focus on the music?

Also - if anyone does want to work with us on our design and codebase for the month of March in SF (in person), happy to chat. Email me at [email protected].

Oh yes - definitely related. And I would also say, sometimes those benefiting from it were able to leave, too

Hi — can you tell me more — what would add more focus to this site for you?

Our mission is to tell untold South Asian stories, not just positive or feel-good ones. Some of what we write actually challenge existing theories, for example: is Netflix actually changing storytelling in India? Did Bohemian Rhapsody tell Freddie Mercury's story well? What does Hari Kondabolu have to say about a post-Apu world?

We're not selling our specific views of South Asia but rather soliciting stories from our writers and audience and sharing multi-faceted views. We welcome stories from all political views and walks of life. We started with a paywall to be able to pay our journalists well.

> I have nothing against this publication, and if it helps people out, more power to it. I do wish more people would realize that creating an identity based on your race/parents' nationality is not a prerequisite for anything, and you can still be whole if you don't. The corollary is that if you feel something is missing, and you decide to pursue an identity based on race/ethnicity you may still end up less than whole. Don't assume this path is a solution to your needs.

> No matter what anyone tells you, you do get to pick your identity. Don't let anyone convince you that you are incomplete if you are not in touch with your ancestral heritage.

Hi — there's a lot of wisdom in this post and I find the term 'third culture kid' fascinating. I agree with you that 'culture' and 'identity' is far more multifaceted than just your race, ethnicity, or parents' heritage. I think we all create our own cultures. And that's the beauty of it today: folks are going deep on different parts of who they are. Some of it might be their ancestral heritage. Some of it might be the culture of how they did school. By no means are we trying to dictate 'culture.'

What we've found from the stories we've published is that people relate to them. For example, our story on Netflix in India is about writers struggling to pitch their ideas — something many entrepreneurs can relate to, not just writers.

Not every story will speak to everyone in the same way because we are all different, but by archiving the stories that we think might not be told otherwise, and paying journalists well so that we as a society don't continue to devalue great writing, we are hoping to create a space where these stories resonate, for whatever reason that might be.