10 NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS THAT I WILL LIKELY BREAK
Much like the rest of the world, ever since I was 14, I\’ve been making New Year resolutions on January 2nd and breaking them on January 7th. This year I determined I would do away with the tradition. I decided I would not make any resolutions at all – something about the mocking, self-pitying look […]
WHAT DO THE HOLIDAYS MEAN TO YOU?
Happy Holidays! When I first came to this country, as a new bride, I was struck by the concept of the \’holidays\’. By mid-November, every commercial on the radio was rhapsodizing about the holidays as was every talk show host and, even, strangers in queue at Macy\’s. I wondered why Americans were so crazy about […]
FREEDOM OF SPEECH & IT\’S CONNOTATIONS
Tiananmen Square student protest, 1989 \”I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not wish to think, or to speak, or write, with moderation. NO! no! Tell […]
AN INDIAN WEDDING…..
\”Fill your paper with the breathing of your heart\” -William Wordsworth Today my heart breathes, lives and rejoices in attending a 4-day family wedding. I board the flight from San Francisco to L.A. for my husband\’s niece\’s wedding, my 14 year-old daughter in tow. I\’d like to whisper sweet nothings in her ear, tell […]
REMEMBERING 9/11
National Geographic picture This weekend was the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I\’m reproducing below a post I first shared two years ago, when the U.S government confirmed that Osama Bin Laden had been found and killed. And then, the twin towers exploded like a volcano of billowing smoke and human screams. . […]
THE DRAMA OF THE NORTHERN GRID FAILURE
Commuters stranded @ Delhi Metro Rail station, pic. courtesy:The Hindu Ever since I\’ve been back, the question I\’ve most frequently encountered is: \”Were you there when the Northern grid collapsed?\” Yes, indeed I was. On July 30, 2012, most New Delhi residents were awakened from a deep sleep, when their fans and air-conditioners stopped […]
THINGS I PREFER IN THE U.S. VS. INDIA As the country celebrated July 4th two weeks ago & Americans reaffirmed their commitment to freedom, life & liberty, and on the eve of my trip to India, it got me thinking: What are the things I love about living in the U.S., my adopted country, vs. the […]
VISITING INDIA IN 118 DEGREE WEATHER My family and I are visiting my parents this summer for their 50th wedding anniversary celebration. Both my brother (also an NRI or Non Resident Indian) and I are dreading the Delhi summer heat. Every time we meet, the conversation veers off to the topic of getting roasted in […]
Celebrating Holi & other Indian festivals in the United States
This last month we celebrated Holi in the East Bay. Yep, I know, Holi is celebrated at the end of the winter season and typically falls in the latter part of Feb. or March (this year it was on Mar. 8th), but in the San Francisco/Bay Area we have to wait till the weather warms […]
TOP 5 THINGS NRI\’S (NON-RESIDENT INDIANS) HATE ABOUT INDIA
My husband regularly engages in India bashing, as do a lot of my friends\’ spouses. I too, on occasion have been known to slip into the mode of \”I love visiting India b-ut….after 2 weeks, I hate \’so and so\’.\” So, in another goofy & thoroughly unscientific poll, here are the TOP 5 THINGS NRI\’S (NON-RESIDENT […]