It feels especially weird, as an Indian, to go to Yoga classes here in America. When my American yoga teachers take one look at my brown skin, they immediately assume that I know what I am doing. As the class begins, they’ll recite Sanskrit names of various yoga poses, and then glance over at me [...]
A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon the movie Bend it like Beckham on T.V. Although I’ve watched this movie several times before, it never fails to draw me in and keep me glued to my couch until I reach the very teary-eyed, joyful, satisfying end. There is a reason movies like Bend it [...]
Yesterday morning, I got a call from my friend Anurag. After making a few jokes about a ridiculously long text he had sent me the day before and confirming dinner plans for later this month, he then asked me, “Have you heard about Amit Gupta?”. Now as far as Indian names go, Amit Gupta is [...]
I recently spoke at the University of Missouri-Kansas City about the effects of cultural on perspective and identity. On the surface, this topic is fairly obtuse- of course culture shapes our perspctive. However, it is surprising how deeply it affects the way we function in the world, and also how we process information. Moreover, diversity [...]
Every year during this time you’ll find Indian homes preparing for the holiday by making large quantities of sweets, purchasing gifts and flowers, and arranging pictures or statues of deities.
As a kid, I loved it when my father would tell me the story of the Ramayana, so much so, that I tried to read the Ramayana on my own. Needless to say, it was a very dry read, especially for a child. Now, as a mother who wants to share this story with my [...]
