SARITA SARVATE, Sep 04, 2008 Every four years, I look forward to the Olympics. I love to watch individuals struggling to achieve excellence; I like to see a javelin throw, an equestrian jump. I love to hear the rubber of … Continue reading
Published by New America Media Editor’s Note: After going from California to India to take care of her ailing mother, commentator Sarita Sarvate is confronted by the stark reality of the energy divide between the world’s haves and have-nots. It … Continue reading
SARITA SARVATE, Aug 02, 2008 Cover Story for India Currents From a large, open-air pagoda emanates the deep-throated voice of a Swamiji offering a spiritual discourse. 50 Caucasian disciples draped in lungis are poised atop yoga mats, REI water bottles … Continue reading
In the last 30 years, whenever I went back to India, one of two moods invariably overcame me: a feeling of total relaxation or that of total despair. For the first decade and a half after I arrived on these … Continue reading
Editor’s Note: An Indian American remembers how the mystical mountain valleys of Kashmir were, through Bollywood films, forever embedded in her imagination. Recent moves toward peace in the disputed region give the writer hope that Hindus and Muslims can embrace … Continue reading
When I first came to America, people would ask me why my native country couldn’t get along with its neighbor. After all, memories of India’s three wars with Pakistan were still fresh in American minds then. I would try to … Continue reading
Ayodhya is big enough for both a mosque and a temple The latest bomb blasts in Mumbai have prompted Indian politicians to hurl a new set of accusations at Pakistani leaders. But to many observers, this recent spate of violence … Continue reading
For my children, the Iraqi war has blurred the boundaries between fantasy and reality. My kids are hypnotized by newspaper pictures of Pentagon war simulators, just as they are fascinated by video games like Mortal Kombat on their computers. They … Continue reading
President George Bush claims to be on a mission to eliminate terrorism and promote democracy around the world. If this were really the case, Indians at home and abroad would be overjoyed, on both counts. For, India happens to be … Continue reading
When I was growing up in India, the word “satta” was synonymous with the word “jugar.” The former referred to stocks, while the latter meant gambling. Owning stocks and gambling money were considered vices that only the lowliest creatures indulged … Continue reading