For decades, I have wondered about the Malcolm Gladwell phenomenon. His nonfiction books sell like hot cakes, his appearances fetch enormous fees, and people claim he is a genius. Yet, when I read his books with the eye of a … Continue reading
Are women in our society led to believe that they are in serious need of improvement? In California, everyone is spiritually enlightened. Everyone is on a path to nirvana. In the San Francisco Bay Area, there are gurus galore; … Continue reading
Published by India Currents Whenever Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal talks, I cringe. He reminds me of Peter Sellers trying to imitate an Indian guy pretending to be a Southerner. Or rather, lacking Peter Seller’s talent, he sounds like a B-actor … Continue reading
You really have to worry about the future of feminism when Jon Stewart, a white guy, has to point out the pervading gender stereotypes in our culture. I am talking of the sexy picture of Caitlyn Jenner plastered all over … Continue reading
Published in India Currents I saw the documentary, India’s Daughter. I did not want to see it; I was wary of an outsider judging India. But my curiosity got the better of me. Shall I tell you why, watching the … Continue reading
Now that the election season is here again, I cannot help thinking of Hillary Clinton and what it means to be a woman, a wife, a mother. I start thinking of the powerful women I know of. There is Arundhati … Continue reading
In an age when costume dramas filmed in exotic locations crowd the airwaves, it is hard to imagine a radio program gripping the world. But that was what happened with Serial. Until Serial, a celebrity confessing a mea culpa to … Continue reading
The first time I heard someone refer to me as a “Goddess,” I was at a new-age workshop in California. I must confess the appellation created a pleasant feeling in me. I had grown up in India, so perhaps deep … Continue reading
Once upon a time, the terrorist attacks in Paris would have evoked an impersonal response in me. But now, I view them with a telephoto lens. I know the streets, the boulevards, the buildings. After living in France for a … Continue reading
After nearly a decade, I am back in Washington, D.C. wandering the majestic monuments. And even though I have been to DC several times during the aughts, I feel inexplicably nostalgic. Is it because I first walked these streets nearly … Continue reading