Sukhmani Malik is a journalist and sub-editor at The Indian Express, working at the National Editorial and Opinion section. Her work largely focuses on queer rights, gender identity, digital culture, technology, healthcare and literary criticism.
Professional Focus
Sukhmani often explores how personal identity intersects with larger political and digital landscapes. Her reporting beats include:
Transgender and Queer Rights: She frequently reports on legal battles, workplace discrimination, and the socio-economic status of India’s queer community.
Digital Culture, Fandom and Technology: She analyses the psychological impact of the internet, Gen Z slang, and the evolution of global fandoms. She also closely watches developments in tech and space.
Books and Pop Culture: She provides sharp reviews of contemporary fiction and analyses the political undercurrents of global media icons.
Politics and Conflict: She writes about and analyses global politics and trends in the space, with a focus on conflict zones.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024-2025)
Her recent work highlights a blend of social advocacy and sharp cultural commentary:
1. Gender & Rights Advocacy
“If I hadn’t been forced to quit, I would have earned lakhs by now” (November 12, 2025): A profile of Jane Kaushik, a trans woman school teacher who took her fight against workplace discrimination to the Supreme Court.
“Harry Potter reboot: How J.K. Rowling’s continued anti-trans activism spurred boycott call” (October 17, 2025).
“From J.K. Rowling to Congress Manifesto: Where is India’s queer voter?” (April 6, 2024).
2. Digital Trends & Internet Culture
“‘Brain rot’ is how Gen Z deals with the chaotic world it inherited” (December 3, 2024): An analysis of the Oxford Word of the Year and its reflection of a generation's surreal disengagement.
“Why Liam Payne’s death is also an occasion to mourn the end of a heady era of online fandom” (October 19, 2024).
“Why Taylor Swift is the perfect PR progressive for the Kamala Harris campaign” (September 18, 2024).
“The City and I: Sleepless in cyberspace” (October 11, 2024): A personal reflection on the paradox of feeling disconnected despite being constantly online.
“Reading Elon Musk’s tweets: A ‘cool’ billionaire can’t fix free speech” (November 4, 2022)
3. Literary Reviews & Culture
“Chetan Bhagat’s 12 Years review: Tone-deaf take on love and age-gap relationships” (October 25, 2025).
“‘Weapons’, ‘Sinners’, and the rise of absurdist horror in a broken world” (September 15, 2025)
“At World Book Fair, a clash of ideologies and a celebration of the republic” (February 7, 2025): A report on the regional language sections and the dominance of religious literature.
“Alina Gufran’s No Place to Call My Own churns the stomach, but it’s impossible to look away” (March 8, 2025).
4. Politics & Democracy
“Trump’s inauguration was a spectacle of Pure White America – brace up for more” (January 22, 2025): A critical perspective on the 2025 US inauguration and its implications for democratic values.
“Charlie Kirk assassination: How Trump’s free speech politics deepens America’s democratic crisis” (September 26, 2025).
“Reading Joe Sacco’s ‘Palestine’ in 2023: What happens to the war when you look away?” (December 26, 2023)
