Kashmir – Someone’s got to buy it!
I read the word Kashmir for the first time in my life when I was a teen and it made me laugh. In the small town of Punjab where I grew up there was a small grocery store in my...
Career vs Social Pleasures – I made a choice and I am trying to live with it
Jet lag and home-sickness are an inevitable part of the return journey from India. Even...
The Train’veling’ Stories – Revealing cultures
Photo by: Tadeau-Jnr The public transport system obviously reveals a lot about the city. Los...
Musings on Racism and Indians in America
Somewhere between 2016 and 2017, there were these incidents reported in the news, and they...
Diversity can be attained even through the Palate!
A little over a year ago, I came to the US along with my teenage...
Are we doomed to loneliness or are we choosing it?
A few years ago, one of my students who recently moved to India with her...
I don’t want to shave my fucking beard!
As a conspicuously brown salesman in America, I am sometimes exposed to differential treatment. This...
Rules of engagement – How to cultivate healthy relationships?
Everyone’s been talking about the 75-year study conducted by Harvard on happiness. Its results say...
Indian education better for women choosing STEM careers?
Growing up I went to a co-educational school. My parents’ choice of putting me into...
Sheep Riding Cycles
Many years ago in a country far far away, I had gone to get a...
I am the married guy who will never cook – and you can’t convince me otherwise.
Let me begin by saying I do not have deep respect for women. I have...
Pura Vida – The Pure Life
According to the Happy Planet Index, Costa Rica is the happiest place on Earth. A...
This musician transcends racial norms with his music
Sundar Viswanathan, born in a South Indian family, is an accomplished Saxophone player, who explores...
Of Big Noisy Crows, Hungry Stray Dogs & Mosquitoes on a Mission
During my last visit to India, I studied yoga in Chennai for more than 2...
Can’t say NO? – That’s so desi!
Unlearning is more important than learning. This reminds me of a famous quote by the...
Sanskrit is the need of the hour and everyone must learn it!
It is quite cliched, but very true that when you move away from your homeland,...
What do we Indian families, have against artists? The Actress 108
“Neeta would be home only late at night”, her sister said. It was still 6...
Newfoundland and its lessons in grounding
What is it about the natural landscape of our earth that opens us up, grounds...
How does Okay cupid become not okay in matchmaking?
Going through TIME magazine’s list of ‘100 most influential people in the world’ is one...
The difficulty with meditation and mindfulness practice
Pic Courtesy: Kalamkari artists featured in exoticindia.com Lately, I have been reflecting a great deal...
What gendered classrooms taught a teacher
It was one of those sweltering afternoons in Bangalore and I was at my wits...
How my Vipassana experience made me more angry and egotistical – Vipassana Diaries
My first encounter with vipassana was in 2004, when my friend said she lost 4...
It matters who you know when you job hunt – applicable only in the first world!
In the Nineties when I was growing up, my father always said, “You need influence”...
Having a connection – is really over rated!
The reason I am writing this post is because I feel I must write it...
The hardships of being a millennial parent
I grew up on a farm in a place called Talegaon, a village in its...
How does one become a Karma Yogi? Find out here
My friends are karma yogis. This past weekend, they helped me to move from one...
Where should I be as a dog?
Coming from India where street dogs usually chase you; it is not uncommon to be...
Nine reasons to learn Indian classical dance !
Here are NINE compelling reasons for learning Indian classical dance immediately: 1. You wish you...
What is the best gift we can give ourselves? Find out here!
I have not always known that I was the silent type. When I was growing...
Are women really feminists?
Recently I read a blog here about South Asian men having a problem in calling...
What makes people give you the advice they give?
I have been thinking about this specific topic I am writing about for a few...
Hyderabad: We are more than just Biryani!
As someone who feels more at home in Hyderabad than anywhere else in the world,...
You are strong if you seek help for anxiety, depression, anger! See why
I am writing this based on a recent incident that happened to me. An old...
Why do South Asian men have a problem calling themselves feminists?
It’s our ritual to meet up once a month over a drink-cum-discussion kind of scenario....
How sexist is Urdu?
The exploration started with an innocent question (…really?). Is there any equivalent word for prostitute...
Confessions of a small-time quiet-time investor
A click bait title for this post could have been “20 minutes that can bring...
Indian and Chinese ancient wisdom come together in “Yin Yoga”!
The other day I heard that there was something called “Rage Yoga” up and coming...
six reasons to not date me!
I recently read a brilliant article on Buzzfeed, which talks about 24 signs why dating isn’t...
Find the key in your heart!
Several years ago I gradually started to pay attention; pay attention to the sounds and...
I am privileged because I am Brown
With #BlackLivesMatter gaining such momentum, I find it a good time to reflect on the privileges...
See how my baby makes me want to stay in India
My daughter was two month old when I returned to India after delivery in Japan,...
In search of Betel love!
I am a die-hard fan of Amitabh Bacchan. And I grew up in a family...
What happens when I don’t use ear muffs
Pic courtesy: Amazon.com Early spring, I bought new ear muffs. It was a difficult find,...
An open letter to the so-called ‘feminist’ of today
Dear free spirited, independent, self-made, free thinking, open-minded women of the marriage market, Your list...
I loved Mumbai rains until this happened
Pic Courtesy: skymetweather.com Raindrops keep falling on my head… “Raindrops keep falling on my head...
First world problems
Pic Courtesy: Imgur.com Sometimes I catch a virus called First World Problems or FWP for...
Top 10 questions asked to a girl who has lost her NRI status
Pic courtesy: Pinterest.com I decided to move back to India in 2014 after five long...
How I was taken for a ride as an immigrant!
The world was hazy when I landed in Toronto. It was my first flight out...
Matrimony Morons
I was around 26, when I went to pursue my Masters in Computer Science. It is...
How to do dishes like a Yogi
Wellness isn’t something that happens on its own. Wellness is something that takes practice. It...
The Lost and Found Research Paper of a Daughter-in-Law
Pic courtesy: Pinterest.com Before, I get into the details on my parents – in- laws’...
How marriage dehumanizes women
There is a lot said about marriage, all over and most single people “want” to...
Why every desi should at least once, study in the United States
Image courtesy: nickandzuzu.com The first taste of USA can be quite daunting for any desi...
Do you want to do Fraaandship with me?
In 2006, my husband and I had decided not to move to the US. We...
How marriage changes the nature of friendships
Making friends was never really seen as a problem, in fact it never crossed my...
INDIAN MISS REPRESENTATION
Bengaluru Nagarathnamma. Pic Courtesy: The Hindu It was when I was watching an American...
As I live in Ghana
Familiarity and fear while being an example of alliteration are often antithetical in real life....
Why Indians hardly help other Indians when abroad?
When you are away from India, of course you miss the food and people, so...
God comes in all colors
This is one notion pleasantly came to life, after I started living out of India....
Why should you inculcate the sense of self-worth from childhood?
I have realized that self-worth is an important trait to have right from childhood. It...
Top ten reasons why I am still single (according to well-meaning Indians)
I am an Indian girl, who is still single at the ripe old age of...
I am a bad negotiator and a home-maker. Guess who I am?
A woman! There are now several studies and articles about how women in various service...
Why I couldn’t relate to Hollywood Rom Coms for a long time?
It took me really long to relate to Hollywood films, especially coming from the South...
Stuck in a pickle – A Malayalee in his favorite ‘Gelf’.
Being a Malayalee has its own advantages; we are blessed with long names. It starts...
21 years and two and half hours later…
Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org In a completely new city and a new country, we almost recreated...
You want to live to see grand kids? Then be ready to take care of them!
There is a lot of information going around related to grand-kids. A couple of years...
Why are we South Asians still into arranged marriages?
Arranged marriages and South Asian culture are quite synonymous with each other. Here a couple...
I stay loyal to the best coffee in the world – filter kaapi!
Image Courtesy: Triv.Rao Wikimedia The smell just hypnotizes me as I walk on the streets...
Why do second gen desis have a problem interacting with first gen desis?
Recently I read a not-so-positive article about dating a brown girl in a white country...
All South Asian countries together can solve their economic problems!
Image courtesy: World Bank I have come across several South Asians while traveling and also...
I know who I am, now I want the world to know – Dating a brown girl in a white country!
Recently, I joined an online dating website and it has been a very interesting experience....
Fun People are Everywhere
The first time I ever took a flight was when I left India to come...
Are you manly enough?
“Being a man” is quite a universal notion that emphasizes on certain ‘masculine’ traits. Here...
Why it took me a long time to make good friends in the US?
Something about geography influences the nature of friendships and one always tends to compare with...
Virtual arranged marriages are a reality for NRIs
Having grown up in the age and environment of the ‘Amerikan Dream’, I always aspired...
Home is where my story is
The voices of my son’s friends running around in the compound, calling out my name...
Return flights, that call and life thereafter
Saying goodbye is always unpleasant. The mind and body entangle themselves in an incredulous manner....
My Happily Ever After
Every little girl who grew up watching Bollywood movies almost expects that one day, when...
Why being a mom is like going back to school!
We moved to US when my older one was three. I had some schooling experience...
Holi Haigh!
As I stare out of the balcony on a snowy, wet morning in Toronto and...
Dance Little Liar
And the day has finally arrived. The one where I pen down and share how...
Tri-colored Indians in America
It has been two years since I moved to San Jose, the place I had...
A jealous girlfriend
My french course in Paris consisted of a group of foreigners from different parts of...
A Kind of Detailed Guide to The Fauna of Durham University (Collingwood Edition): Part 2
As promised, this week I give you the second and as of now, final installation...
My identity, a spectrum
I have struggled with who I am, for as long as I have known. In...
My Japanese mind gets hammered inside my head when I deal with Indian maids and drivers!
“Oh, you have a “maid” and a driver? What a luxurious life you have! What...
The Diary of a Grumpy Grandad
Day 1: Skyped with Grand Kids 1 & 2. The brats are growing up real...
Some realizations of the heart in Amsterdam!
“What are you two going to do there? Neither of you smoke nor drink, let...
How I understood the meaning of family
Family – we are born into it. It gives us a sense of belonging and...