Why We Write
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I have not won the Pulitzer prize. I have not published a book. Yet from time to time readers ask me why I write or how I started to write or whether I can teach them to write. Alas, writers … Continue reading
Commentary
Copenhagen Politics Becomes Personal
When President Barack Obama announced plans to attend the U.N. Climate Change summit in Copenhagen, I was excited. This was definitely a change in the right direction from the Bush administration. Then the e-mail scandal from the University of East … Continue reading
The Pursuit of Happiness
I have the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. At least that is what the United States constitution says. Have I exercised that right? I am not sure. Growing up, I don’t remember my parents telling me to be … Continue reading
Longing for My Mother’s Home
I called my brother the other day to ask, “So when is the wedding?” My nephew is engaged to be married and I have been awaiting word about the big date to plan my trip to India. “It is complicated, … Continue reading
Why the US is to blame for India’s farmer suicides
Published by Rediff, India “Seven more farmers committed suicide yesterday,” my brother said during our weekly phone check-in. A civil engineer who travels around the rural Vidarbha region, the bread basket of my native state of Maharashtra, he daily witnesses … Continue reading
Healthcare as a Civil Right
Like millions of Americans, I have been waiting with bated breath for the healthcare reform that candidate Obama promised during his fall campaign. It is not myself I am worried about, but my sons who have mild learning disabilities. I … Continue reading
Sotomayor vs. Old White Male
The confirmation process for Judge Sonia Sotomayor has demonstrated once again that we have a long way to go in achieving racial and gender neutrality in America. Why else would a high achiever like Sotomayor be forced to reassure people … Continue reading
Slumdog’s Millionaire-makers?
Ever since the movie Slumdog Millionaire was first released, many people have asked me the question, “What did you think of it?” And I have sincerely answered, “I liked it.” Alas, an Indian guy at work got outraged at my … Continue reading
Ageless
While critics are still talking about Slumdog, I have been watching two old masters at work.Federico Fellini began making films only a few years before Satyajit Ray started working on his debut film, Pather Panchali (1955). Yet, as I watch … Continue reading
The United Republic of America?
Driving home from work the other day, I heard an interview on NPR with a woman who had lost her job, run out of unemployment benefits, and was on the verge of losing her home. “I don’t know what I … Continue reading