Oijo Delhi

16/08/2023

“I do not journey
Nor do I arrive
Believer nor an Infidel
As myself I thrive
I am that, I was before,
This day and for evermore”

— Madho Lal Hussain

These words set the tone for a mesmerising tale.

Here are 5 reasons we love ‘The Sufi’s Nightingale’ by :

1. It shines a spotlight on the life of ‘Madho Lal Hussain’, a fascinating figure in the cultural and religious history of the Indian subcontinent. His life, teachings and poetry serve as a window not just into love and faith, but also pluralistic traditions our civilization was built on.

2. ‘The Sufi’s Nightingale’ is a marvellous work of historical fiction. Oijo also runs the ‘Indian History Collective’, which should tell you how much we love history. But historical fiction transcends boundaries of historical knowledge, pushing on into the land of ‘what if’— where historians fear to tread. Employing the voices of Hussain and Maqbool, ‘The Sufi’s Nightingale’ manages this beautifully.

3. Sufism is a universe. But, instead of a lazy reliance on the generic, ‘The Sufi’s Nightingale’ dives deep into the specific experience of the Malamati Sufis. It explores their multi-hued lives in Lahore’s ‘Bazaar e Husn’, following the trail of love, heartbreak, scandal and spiritual triumph which leads Lal Hussain to become ‘Shah Hussain’— the king of faqirs.

4. Who doesn’t love poetry? We do too, and ‘The Sufi’s Nightingale’ brings us a treasure trove, doubly precious because it is translated from 16th century Punjabi.

5. ‘The Sufi’s Nightingale’ makes one think of boundaries between gender, caste and faith, and how one may rise above, without wearing this on its sleeve. It doesn’t preach but, instead, shows you worlds woven out of paradox, through characters like Madho, Shah Hussain’s Hindu disciple, Maqbool, a youth from the oppressed Marassi community and Amba, Lahore’s famous courtesan. ‘The Sufi’s Nightingale’—much like the mausoleum where Hussain and Madho lie buried together, the annual Mela Chiraghan, where thousands gather to worship, sing and dance, or, indeed, the name ‘Madho Lal Hussain’, both Hindu and Muslim as well as beyond such classifications—simply is. It invites you to be.

14/08/2023

Our take on Diana Vreeland’s iconic Why Don’t You columns of yore. Why don’t you tell us what you think?

14/07/2023

Choosing the right art for the walls of our conference room was no mean feat. We wanted mood, energy, mystique, beauty and more. The search ended with these images from Himanshi Shah's Tokyo series. They perfectly offset the elegant decorum of the room and serve as a mood board that signals discovery, possibility and adventure.

03/07/2023

A year ago, we started working on the Freedom project with - a collaborative project between India and Germany commemorating 75 years of Indian independence. Artists, authors and thinkers from India and Germany explored the question: How is freedom perceived today? What makes people free? Where does freedom find its limits, and what are its conditions? Where is freedom currently threatened, and how can it be protected? What potential for freedom do arts offer? How do individual freedom and society relate to each other?

The project yielded writing and art across mediums making it a journey we are delighted and grateful to have taken.

14/06/2023

Favourite Corner - Ranjana

My favourite office corner has to be the couch with the neon sign above it proclaiming effervescently ‘This must be the place’. It is the first thing to greet you in the morning and something about the vivid nocturnal neons gives me a strange sense of belonging. I had to really fight against my circumstances to get where l am and do what l love. Sometimes it feels so surreal and l almost get lost in a sense of melancholic joy as it hits me that l really did manifest my dream to work as a ‘Graphic Designer’. This sign feels like a gentle whisper from the universe reassuring me that l’m in the right place.

07/06/2023

We asked our collaborator Rachna Kalra () for 5 do’s and don’ts when it comes to PR in publishing houses and now takes on publicity and strategy work for select titles. She is brilliant at what she does and we look forward to many more projects with her.

29/05/2023

Throwback to this fun Oijo evening in collaboration with . We love all that Terrain is doing to bring digital art, NFTs and young artists to the forefront and are ardent followers of their work. This sip and see party Oijo threw at an early exhibition by Terrain at featured custom cocktails designed by us and mixed by Greater Than (), DJ Skip () and a really exciting guest list.

To more such perfect Oijo summer evenings!

29/05/2023

18/05/2023

We are delighted to be partnering with the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival at SOAS, London this weekend (20th and 21st May, 2023). The festival will feature an exciting mix of authors and speakers from diverse backgrounds who’ll be conversing on the theme of ‘Connecting Futures’.

An entirely volunteer-led festival, KSLF began in the mountains of Kasauli a dozen years ago, where the iconoclast writer Khushwant Singh had a home and did most of his writing. It has always been a festival with a purpose where ideals and values take centre stage.

Follow all the action at

13/05/2023

The iconic Jaipur Literature Festival is going to in the magical islands of Maldives. If you are lucky enough to attend, catch our co-founder who is speaking on four panels between the 16th and 21st of May 2023. And if like us you are stuck at work follow all the action on !

25/04/2023

Some more love for indie publishing - this time a digital publication co-founded by Oijo alumnus Mansi that counts our own co-founder Pragya as a Patron Shepherd.

In their own words,

“The Blahcksheep is a democratic, feminist and multilingual publishing platform. At a time when media houses are getting increasingly commercialized and biased, we strive to be a platform for unfiltered, unique, and contrarian voices from across the world.

For us, The Blahcksheep is not just a platform, but a community of misfits and rebels. We’re committed to offering a space to new and first-time writers and mixed media artists, and present perspectives from outside of the largest cities. This is why we also have a dedicated column that publishes articles that have been previously rejected by other publishing platforms.”

17/04/2023

This stunning photograph by hangs in our office and is our forever Monday Mood - Languidly emerging from the weekend and raring to go.

Raihan R Vadra is a photographer whose work explores themes of control, freedom, memory and perception. He started out as a wildlife photographer and has done some of his best work in that genre.