The buzz around us about trends and events
Who would have thought Tribeca would turn into an outpost of Southern cooking – dosa, uttapam and sambhar, that is! For those who thought they have to go to Chennai or at least to Jackson Heights or Curry Hill for their sambhar and dosa hankerings, the place to head to is – Whole Foods Market.
Early immigrants would have just about fainted if they had heard that America’s tres chic Whole Foods supermarket has now got their finger-lickin’ fiery sambhar and choice of dosas and uttapams too.
‘Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola’ – it’s a real mouthful of a movie title but what a tasty morsel! It is a reminder of why I love going to the movies. At a time when so many Bollywood films are warmed up repeats of what’s gone before, films where you can easily check out the beginning and the ending, fast forward to a few item numbers on Netflix or simply watch a few song scenes on Youtube, Matru ki Bijlee is a film which is quite delicious and warrants watching.
They gathered in the dark, in the biting winter cold in Union Square, Manhattan’s instinctive gathering place for protests and vigils, for remembrance and for times of loss.
Encircled by towering buildings and rushing, frenzied traffic, they had come together, carrying lighted votives which glittered in the dark of the disappearing day.
It was appropriate that they had gathered here for though Jyoti Singh Pandey’s story may have taken place in a street in Delhi, it has gone on to become a global catalyst, not just for women but for men of good will, for all human beings.
Looking at the somber faces, not only Indian but of every race, one realized that sexual violence is something everyone has to contend with. I could even imagine Jyoti Singh Pandey, huddled in a coat with a votive in her hand, standing in solidarity with the crowd.
She was us and we were her.
(Photo: Athanasia Kotopoulos)
” One of the Hindu temples dedicated to the Goddess Shakti, Vaishno Devi’s Mandir is located in the hills of Jammu & Kashmir, India, close to the town of Katra in the Reasi district. In Hinduism, Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani and Viashnavi, is a manifestation of the Mother Goddess, and the temple is one of the most revered places of worship in India.
There’s this saying that unless the Mata (mother) calls you, none can visit her shrine and receive her blessings. I think I’m living proof of the truth of this, as my attempts to visit this holy place have been met with delay time and time again.” Guest Blog
‘India’s Daughter’ – that is hardly an endearment, a belated title of honor for the courageous young woman, a citizen of India Shining, who was left to fend for herself in the crowded, uncaring streets.
Where was India when its daughter waited, waited late in the night for safe public transportation? Where was India as six goons brutally beat and raped her in a moving bus with tinted windows and curtains on public streets? Where was India when she and her male companion were beaten senseless, stripped and thrown from the bus like unwanted commodities?
We did not know her first name nor her last name. We would not have recognized her if we had met her face to face in the marketplace. Yet in her terrible travails, in her slow, excruciating death, she is us. Every Indian woman who exists anywhere in any country is related to her.
Biba Singh combines two worlds – medicine and music. Yes, this Punjabi pop singer is also a doctor! The daughter of a physician, Biba, who lives in New York, has been singing since the age of 7, and first started out singing shabad in the gurudwara. She has two albums of popular music and is hugely popular. Here she talks to Monica Marwah for the Single Desi blog on pop music, careers, and the single life.
Guest Blog
As we begin 2013, I invoke Ganesha, the God of New Beginnings.
Let there be peace.
Let there be love.
Let there be happiness for all.
A very lucky 2013 for everyone and a lot of joy!
One never knew there could be so many shades, so many textures and so many patterns in black and white! At the Children’s Hope India Black and White Ball, over 450 guests had come dressed in these two stark, striking colors and created a surreal, stylish world. This being an Indian event, the color red had been thrown in, and even the decor, right down to the table linens, was black and white with a touch of red.
Pier Sixty in Manhattan was transformed into a stunning black and white universe in celebration of CHI’s 20th year of service to children. Two decades ago this New York-based non-profit started as a small group of women professionals hoping to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children.
“But this week, they are preparing to bury 20 children, a wrenching task that includes helping secure tiny coffins and eulogizing lives that had just begun.” – The New York Times.
It was their time for toys and games, for fun and fairy-tales – not for coffins, eulogies and funerals. In fact, these four words – ‘children, schools, guns and death’ – should not even be in the same sentence together. Yet this is exactly what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT on that horrific day when Adam Lanza , 20, went on a violent rampage shooting 27 people, 20 of them children between the ages of six and seven. For these kids, life ended before it had even begun.
Does your family try to smuggle Tupperware containers filled with daal chaval into Disneyland?
Do your parents have drawers full of ketchup packages from McDonalds?
Do your parents yell into the phone even when they are not calling India?
Does your family own a Toyota or a Honda?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are definitely, really, Indian! These are part of a quick quiz by light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek ‘anthropologist’ Sanjit Singh whose book ‘Are You Indian?’ is a humorous look at growing up Indian in America. Singh checks out the Indian-American phenomenon right from infancy where the little bachas are being already prepped for the spelling bee by their anxious and ambitious parents to SAT and College Admission, right on to the traumas of finding a mate.
“We all remember what it was like to be in our teenage years and 20’s, right? The thrill and excitement of trying everything for the first time; the hormones, the rage, the experience; we all remember our first crushes and our first loves, right?
How difficult was it to hold everything together as a young person, school, work, friends, boyfriend, family obligations, and culture. The overreaction when something didn’t go our way; the amount of push into something that was not working out; the lack of understanding when things weren’t working. You remember, right?”
Trends sometimes turn into traditions. For the immigrants who came from India, Christmas was often a lonely time of the year. Fast forward a few decades and many of them will tell you it’s now a favorite time of the year, with non-stop shopping, social get-togethers and yes, even a tree and lights, thanks to their American-born children. Now these same American Born desis are starting a new Christmas tradition – their very own desi Christmas Carol!
‘Bumbug the Musical’, produced by LAUGHistan, is a hilarious rock musical playing in Manhattan, and it could become the next holiday tradition with a desi twist to it. Created by New York actors and writers Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri, it’s a joyous celebration of immigrant life where everyone seems to bring their own traditions to be mixed up in the giant blender of America.
‘Talaash’ has spawned a zillion reviews – in fact, reviewing the film seems to have become a mini cottage industry, and reading some of these reviews I feel I must have gone to a different movie than many of the reviewers. “Mesmerizing’ – ‘Amazing’ it was not, nor did I sit on the edge of my seat from start to finish as some have claimed they did. Nor does it deserve some of the negative comments spawned by movie-goers, after reading the reviews.
No, it’s not the greatest thing since ready-made rotis but it is definitely good cinema.
It is that time of year again: Christmas and New Year are around the corner. Everyone is busy with decorations, trees, hot chocolate, wreaths, presents, New Year’s Eve parties, Toys for Tots, and other holiday must-dos. The holiday season brings so much warmth and laughter. Gifts are so much fun to give and get. Here are The Desi Single’s top five gift ideas for making it a huggable, memorable holiday season. Guest Blog – The Single Desi. Photo by Carbonated.
“Those of you who know me know that I cherish my freedom and value my independence. While writing this blog, I hope to give people encouragement and gratitude that they are single and letting life unravel and find out what is yet to come.
The holidays can be dreaded by some women, but it can also be a time where you can cherish yourself and here is why.” Guest Blog – The Single Desi
Fifteen years ago an art exhibition in New York was presented by a nascent organization called South Asian Women’s Collective (SAWCC). The exhibition was appropriately enough called (un)Suitable Girls. Fast forward fifteen years and I’m once again at an art exhibition, this time called ‘Her Stories’ commemorating 15 years of SAWCC. It presents the creative works of more than 100 diasporic South Asian women artists, filmmakers, musicians, dancers, and writers, with an installation of archival photographs, publications, and ephemera.
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There was a time many years ago when Indian-Americans had to travel to India to get their holiday outfits, music and jewelry – or at least drive down to the nearest Little India, which may have been miles away, depending on which part of the US you lived in. Now times have changed and your India fix is a click away, thanks to eBay.
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“I grew up in a small and close-knit family in the hills of Darjeeling. Our two bedroom wooden house sheltered me, my elder sister, our parents and my paternal grandfather whenever he would visit. It was a life of happiness, giving and comfort. Our needs were almost nil; our days fulfilling to say the least – except we had no brother, and there was a void, especially at the time of Bhai Dhooj.
What North India calls Bhai Dooj, Nepalis call “Bhai Tika”, we Bengalis call “Bhai Phota”. It’s one of my most favorite Hindu festivals, where a sister follows a set of customs to extract a promise of her brother’s protection throughout her life and under all circumstances. The brother in turn makes that promise through various customs and a token of cash or a gift. After the exchange of money and gifts, an out of the ordinary feast follows.”
Guest Blog – Chatty Divas
“New York is such a vibrant cultural city,” says Dr. L. Subramaniam, the master violinist. ” What I like most is that it’s receptive to all different kinds of music.” Indeed, that is the wonder of New York – the way it receives music from all over the world with open arms.
In fact, this is L. Subramaniam’s third concert here in a period of six months: the first was a global fusion concert at Lincoln Center, the second a collaboration with Stevie Wonder and now a classical concert at the Skirball Performing Arts Center on December 9. He will be sharing the stage with his wife, the noted playback singer Kavita Krishnamurti who will be presenting a new repertoire with some classics.
There was a time in America when Indian food, like Rodney Dangerfield, got no respect. Westerners (and some embarrassed Indians) tried to eat rotis with knife and fork, complained of the greasiness and the smell of the cuisine, and thought Indian food began and ended with ‘curry’.
That was then – this is now!
In our new global world, Indian cuisine is hot – and cool! Everyone seems to understand the language of Indian food, Indian chefs are stars and Indian cuisine has many fans, is anointed by Michelin and Zagat, and is the subject of great reviews. So it was inevitable that a glamorous award ceremony celebrating these successes would be next – the Varli Global Culinary Awards for the best and brightest in Indian cuisine…