Buried deep inside my mind is a sepia colored scene from early childhood, its hues taken from the films we used to see on the streets during festival time. In the scene, I am sitting beside my father Dada on … Continue reading
In 1971, V.S. Naipaul published a short story collection titled In a Free State. The first story is about an Indian domestic servant who accompanies his diplomat master to Washington, D.C. The man bundles up his belongings in a piece … Continue reading
Judging by the anglophilia that America is currently in the grips of, it is hard to imagine that we are well into the twenty-first century and Britain’s finest hour has long passed. Take the recent celebration of the fiftieth anniversary … Continue reading
Published in India Currents The summers of my childhood were long, hot and boring. The main distractions were playing cards, gazing at the stars at night, and occasionally, eating Blue Bell ice cream. When relatives visited, therefore, I was overjoyed. … Continue reading
My first taste of tea was second hand. I would stand behind the door curtain hanging between the front room and the middle room, twirling the fabric between my fingers, and peeking at visitors drinking tea. I would imagine its … Continue reading
Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, believes that women have themselves to blame for not succeeding in business and profession. That is what her opponents are saying anyway. Still, taken at face value, her message seems worth listening to. In … Continue reading
A flower growing on a bush was the amazing discovery of my childhood. We lived in the old city then, where flowers were wilted things wrapped in leaves and sold outside of temples. Or they were strings of jasmine or … Continue reading
I remember the first time New America Media (NAM)—or rather its precursor the Pacific News Service (PNS)—dawned on my consciousness. It was in the early ‘90s, when one morning, out of the blue, I decided to become an op-ed commentator. When … Continue reading
I remember the first time New America Media (NAM)—or rather its precursor the Pacific News Service (PNS)—dawned on my consciousness. It was in the early ‘90s, when one morning, out of the blue, I decided to become an op-ed commentator. … Continue reading
There is a a debate raging among American feminists about whether the show Girls on HBO is good or bad for the cause. Girls depicts four white young women and their romantic and sexual partners in New York City. Even … Continue reading