Writing — Yamuna Matheswaran

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My writing focuses on topics of gender, cultural history, travel, and human rights. I am a member of the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI). Please scroll down to view a selection of my published work.

REPORTAGE

IN AMMAN, LIFE MOVES IN SLOW MOTION

Mint Lounge, April 2024

On a Tuesday evening outside the al-Kalouti mosque in Amman, Jordan, a crowd of men, women and children has gathered. They carry Palestinian flags and hold placards that read: “Food, Water and Medicine are Rights Not Privileges” and “Stop Ethnic Cleansing”. Some display images of Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi alongside condemnatory messages. In a voice close to breaking, a man yells: “We’re sorry, people of Gaza.” In Jordan, which shares a border with Israel and the West Bank, a heavy atmosphere has prevailed since October.

EXPLOITATION ACROSS BORDERS: INDIAN WORKERS FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHT TO GET PAID IN SERBIA

Unbias the News, August 2021
Also published on The News Minute

Indian migrant workers have been targeted to work at mega construction projects in EU-candidate state Serbia. A group of workers is not willing to give up fighting for their salary, despite the legal loopholes that a company registered in America has used to contract them for work in Serbia. Longform investigative story published by Unbias the News, a new cross-border newsroom supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, Adessium Foundation, and Luminate.

WAGE THEFTS PLAGUES INDIA’S MIGRANT WORKERS

Asia Democracy Chronicles, July 2021
Republished on Scroll.in

In August 2020, around forty Indian construction workers staged a hunger strike in Kraljevo, Serbia. In addition to not receiving months’ worth of wages from their employer, they had been working 10-12 hours a day without proper food or access to healthcare.

TAG: LABOUR MIGRATION; POLITICS

How 19th-Century German Farmers Turned Caves Into Homes

Atlas Obscura, April 2021

Helmut Scholle pushes open the narrow wooden door flanked by small windows and ducks his head as he steps into the cave. Behind the simple rocky exterior is a home, complete with distinct rooms, a chimney, and cozy furniture. The cave, Scholle reveals, was carved into the rock by migrant farmworkers in desperate need of housing.

TAG: HISTORY; CULTURE

The Man Who Built 40 Castles Around a Little German Town

Atlas Obscura, March 2021

At times, Beinert’s creations provided a means of subsistence. He recounts the struggles of life in East Germany, and says that he began trading his castles for things they needed, such as a garage door or spare parts for the car. “The motto was—you make something, you get something.”

TAG: TRAVEL; ART; HISTORY

INDIA MEETS MYANMAR AT A BUSTLING BAZAAR IN CHENNAI

Atlas Obscura, March 2020

What began with a few people spreading towels on the ground to sell items eventually expanded into a full-scale market comprising nearly 200 shops. Here, in a seemingly random corner of Chennai, the Burmese Indian community has managed to build one of the few tangible, lasting links between past and present lives.

TAG: MIGRATION; CULTURAL HISTORY

440 SHOES ON A PUBLIC WALL HIGHLIGHT THE CHILLING MURDERS OF TURKISH WOMEN

Scroll.in, February 2020

Walking down the busy Meclis-i Mebusan Street in Istanbul’s Kabatas quarter, you will come across hundreds of black high-heeled shoes mounted on a grey wall. Nearby, a sign states that the project – Untitled – comprises 440 shoes symbolising the 440 women murdered by men in Turkey in 2018 alone.

TAG: GENDER; VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

women lead struggle to preserve Indian democracy in face of rising Hindu nationalism

Waging Nonviolence, August 2019
Read this article in Spanish on El Salto

In the three years after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance came to power in 2014, communal violence in India increased by 28 percent. Indian women are organizing campaigns to foster communal harmony and safeguard constitutional rights.

tag: gender; politics

THESE 11 ARCHITECTURAL SITES ILLUSTRATE THE FASCINATING HISTORY OF CHENNAI

Fodor’s Travel, December 2019.

Chennai is a lively hotspot of arts, culture, commerce, and cuisine. Here are 11 architectural sites in the capital of Tamil Nadu that are both visually spectacular and packed with significance.

tag: travel; HISTORY

MAY THEM PAY: HOW A FLIGHT DELAY CAN EARN YOU MONEY

Fodor’s Travel, November 2019

Ever had your plans wrecked because of an extended flight delay? It’s a frustrating situation to be in. But if you’re lucky enough to be stranded at an airport in the European Union, then you might be eligible for compensation up to €600 per person, thanks to Regulation (EC) No 261/2004.

tag: travel

NOTES FROM SKOPJE

The Hindu Sunday Magazine, August 2019

Classical façades, shiny bronze statues and marble fountains—the hodgepodge of “nationalist kitsch” has undoubtedly succeeded in attracting curious tourists, with the number of visitors in Skopje rising by 16.6% in 2017.

TAG: TRAVEL; CULTURAL HISTORY

NOTES FROM MOSTAR

The Hindu Sunday Magazine, June 2019

It’s a balmy April day and Mostar’s famed Old City is buzzing with tourists. Souvenir shops and gelaterias line the path leading to the iconic Stari Most. A man perches nonchalantly at the edge of the bridge, ready to plunge into the cool waters below.

TAG: TRAVEL; CULTURAL HISTORY

NOSTALGIA IN A GLASS OF BOZA: TURKEY’S CHERISHED WINTER-TIME DRINK

The Hindu Sunday Magazine, September 2018

The setting sun casts a golden glow over the otherwise nondescript street in the residential neighbourhood of Vefa, Istanbul. Not far from Sultanahmet, famous for its numerous historic attractions including the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, Vefa is quieter and calmer.

tag: travel; culture

ALL IN A WEEK’S TRIP: BEACHES, MOUNTAINS AND CITIES OF BANGLADESH

Tripoto, June 2017

This one-week itinerary includes everything from the hustle and bustle of Dhaka & lush lakes of Chittagong to the fresh mountain air of Bandarban & pristine beaches of Cox's Bazaar.

TAG: TRAVEL

mangoes, overripe

Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine
October 2018

My short-short story was published in the 10th anniversary issue of Flash, a renowned literary periodical journal published by the University of Chester. My story appears on page 37.

TAG: FLASH FICTION; MICRO FICTION

INDIAN SOAP OPERAS AND THE GLORIFICATION OF MISERY

The Hindu thREAD, May 2017

The South Indian television serial, which showcases storylines predominated by domestic conflict resolution, sets up and perhaps perpetuates moral binaries in a world sorely in need of nuance.

TAG: ESSAY; CULTURE; GENDER

TIPS FOR STUDYING ABROAD IN GERMANY

Verge Magazine, July 2018

Years ago, I moved to Frankfurt to attend graduate school. I soon discovered that life in Germany could serve up some pretty dramatic surprises to unwitting international students. If you’re considering studying in Germany, here’s what you need to know.