6 Captivating Indian Reads You Need To Catch Up On This Week

    From the inspiring story of India's first gold medal-winning Olympian this year, to a creepy investigation that might make you delete your Facebook account forever.

    Sahil Rizwan
    by Sahil Rizwan

    BuzzFeed Staff, India

    1. Gold medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu's unbelievable journey to the Olympics to pay off his medical loans.

    Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP / Getty Images

    Sportskeeda's fantastic profile of this 21-year athlete tracks the epic and inspiring story of how he simply needed to do well in Rio to pay off his operation bills from 15 years ago, when an accident left him disabled.

    2. Aashish K. Mishra's intriguing and scary investigative report about how a Facebook hacker destroyed an urban Indian couple's life.

    Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

    "The Unbelievable Story Of A Facebook Impostor" on The Ken is India's most viral and fascinating story of the week, and might actually make you leave social media for good.

    3. Shivam Vij's tongue-in-cheek essay on a possible reason behind the recent trend of biryanis being seized to be tested for beef.

    Sam Panthaky / AFP / Getty Images

    "Is Jealousy The Reason For Hindutva's Biryaniphobia?" on The Huffington Post makes a compelling argument to justify its title, and ends with a bold proclamation on the best type of Biryani.

    4. Jai Arjun Singh on why even professional film critics should be allowed to make impulsive judgments from the heart.

    Excel Entertainment

    Singh writes about how not all critiques need to be based in rational fact (like how he proclaimed Ranveer Singh as the "best actor since Bachchan in his prime" after Dil Dhadakne Do) in "Why A Critic’s Emotions Matter" on Livemint.

    5. Anhad Hundal on the mysterious story behind this iconic photo from Life Magazine taken during the 1947 partition.

    David Douglas Duncan / Time Life Pictures

    "Getting The Picture" on The Caravan is a fascinating read about how this historic and powerful image, published three days after India's independence, might have been staged.

    6. The New Yorker's profile of Sania Mirza.

    Scott Barbour / Getty Images

    If you weren't a fan already, "Sania Mirza's Unlikely Stardom" will likely turn you into one.