New York Specialty Food Show Sense-Maxes Flavors, Heat and Spice For the American Consumer

 The 2026 Summer Fancy Food Show from the Specialty Food Association (SFA)  brought thousands of specialty food innovators, buyers and distributors for three days in June. This massive event at New York’s Jacob Javits Center was almost a graph of the changing tastes of the American food consumer, celebrating the current hot trends of ethnic tastes, spices and global flavors along with a demand for healthy and organic foods.

According to Fancy Forecast Specialty Consumer Outlook 2026 from SFA, the 2026 trend is sense-maxxin: “Sense-Maxxing represents the consumer desire for full-volume flavor, texture, and visual drama that prompts a reaction, validates reality, and affirms the very human capacity to feel.

This trend is emotional: “Consumers are turning to food not just for comfort, but for a jolt of electricity that cuts through the dullness. We crave the sour, the heat, and the crunch because these sensations demand our full attention. In a world that often feels synthetic and distant, intense flavor and texture are visceral reminders that we are here, right now, and we are awake.”

The Promiscuous Palate

Another trend the report notes is Promiscuous Palate: “As consumers encounter and embrace ingredients like gochujang, piri-piri, or miso, globally sourced products are becoming beloved building blocks of new, cross-cuisine dishes. We have entered a permissive era, beyond “fusion,” and this trend is all about exploration and creativity, particularly among consumers in increasingly multi-ethnic households and spaces.”

It was amazing to see how Indian, South Asian and Asian flavors, as well as other ethnic tastes have seduced the American consumer. As the American palette has changed and more Americans are traveling, they have brought home their adventures of spice and are much more knowledgeable about ethnic spices and flavors. For those who keep Desi statistics on their radar, they will be happy to know that Indians and other South Asians have really infiltrated the American food industry.

Indeed, an Indian from Mumbai or a Pakistani from Lahore at the SFS would have felt right at home with the way South Asian flavors had slipped into every meal from breakfast to dinner, not to mention snacks, desserts and drinks. If yoga has taken over American lifestyles, chai is one of the bedrocks of their drinking world. A decade ago, to be a vegan or a vegetarian was a very lonely calling – now, with the American emphasis on well-being, the Specialty Food Show was also bursting with innovative vegetarian and vegan choices from every nation.

What was particularly interesting to me was the fact that almost all products were including ethnic spices in them, be they chocolates, soups, or foods from different countries. Everyone seems to have understood that the American palette has changed, and spice and ethnic flavors are very much a part of it.  Also, as the population has changed with so many immigrants living in America, everybody hankers for the taste of their homeland, be it a remembered spice from their mom’s masala box, or a golden sliver of Alphonso mango.

The Specialty Foods Show highlighted the integration of spices and ethnic flavors into various foods, producing chocolates bars with chilies, and varied mushrooms. It was a celebration of the merger of global cuisines, offering a diverse culinary experience without the need to leave your neighborhood. A company called Lentiful, which bills itself as the ‘healthiest Fast Food Company in America’ actually had a ready to eat Tikka Masala made out of lentils, along with lentil Thai Coconut Curry and even Mexican Green chili. The scores of chili sauces alone could have spiced up America as they sailed from many countries and will find a place in thousands of local home kitchens.

The changing tastes of Americans are due to many reasons, including increased global travel which has made their palate more adventurous. They want to incorporate spices and heat from every culture into their plates, and the hundreds of Indian and Asian restaurants have just added to the easy familiarity.  The millions of immigrants from many lands have brought their food habits from their homelands and created fast food chains and small eateries to bring their much-loved home food to their neighbors.

The Rise of the Second Generation Foodies

One remarkable change I noticed was that the children of immigrants, long embarrassed by the pungency and ‘smell’ of their own home cuisine, especially when they were in Junior school, are now not only proud of it, but are avid evangelists who want to broadcast the virtues of Indian food.

I was surprised to find that this change had been noted by SFA’s report on trends for 1026. It noted: “We are witnessing the rise of “Third Culture” creatives. A new generation of founders and chefs, often children of immigrants, is claiming the freedom to evolve their own heritage, to mutate tradition and tell new stories. Simultaneously, cuisine is decoupling from geography—in a connected world, flavor knowledge has been decentralized. The Promiscuous Palate mindset reflects a culture where respect for ingredients is expressed through innovation, not just preservation.”

At the Fancy Food Show, I saw so many second-generation Indian-Americans manning stalls and cajoling buyers to try their wares. Many remembered flavors were transformed into delights for the mainstream, such a Chikka Chikka, a modern take on the traditional Indian fennel seed digestives which was a must in India after a robust meal. The New York Times Wirecutter called them better than gum and the best self-care gifts.

For those who understand Hindi, what can be more nostalgic than ‘Maa Ka Khana’ – mom’s cooking. Maa Ka Khana is the tagline Aishwarya Shankar created for the company Namkeen Queens which she co-founded with her mother-in-law Sushila: “It’s basically my mother-in-law’s recipes. I’m actually from Chennai, and she is from Kolhapur in Maharashtra.” The sweets and savories are made in Mumbai and packed and marketed in New York. The two women are the Namkeen Queens who bring their authentic Maharashtrian treats to the American public.

Simrancooks has perfected the take on Spain’s Canary Island’s mjo picon  – it is the super sauce for adding flavor to everything from pizza to avocado toast to eggs. It also conjures up a great paella in no time so it’s a useful item to have in your pantry.

Anita Lulla and her daughter Rama Ginde have started ‘Satya’ inspired by their grandmother Sati’s cooking and recipes. Their innovative spice blends  can transform any cuisine and have found many fans and are now available in Sprouts and Walmart. The delight is in being able to use these India-inspired spice blends in the cooking of any culture.

The Jazba Collective for Second-Gen Founders.

In fact, I met with the enterprising Jazba Collective, an organization of second gen founders who have banded together. The two California based co-founders are Asha Chandra and Ruchira Pungaliya. As  Chandra explained, “ The Jazba Collective is showing the specialty food industry what our cuisines and cultures have to offer. Our growing database of South Asian consumer brand founders are driving innovation and change. Our members get fellowship programs and can leverage our extensive network for introductions to investors, distributors, and buyers.”

From India with Love –  Basmati, Tea, Lentils and More

The Indian exhibitors came  not only from India but from London, Canada, the US and the Caribbean, where the Indian migration started over a hundred years back. So, as you walked around you saw the many Indian traders of rice, tea and legumes who had come from India, some giving tastes of chicken and vegetable biryani, and of popular desi snacks like samosa and aloo tiki.

Superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Diljit Dosanjh beckoned consumers to indulge  at the Indian Pavilion, albeit through their life-sized posters, and for the real thing, there were Kesari and Alphonso Mangoes – the kings of Indian fruit – in the flesh. Cartons flown in from India were opened right there and the much-loved mangoes were being cut up and served to the drooling crowds.

The Coming Mung Revolution

Perhaps the most groundbreaking item for me was from an exhibitor from India, who had really capitalized on the great value of mung beans in the food habits and the health sphere, long overshadowed by peas, soya and oats as good sources of protein. Shilpa Rathi of Lakavish Nutratech is trying to bring about a Mung revolution with her new product, It’s Moong. She had actually processed beans and created ready to eat mung bean tofu, mung bean cheesecake, mung crispies, mung textured protein, sprouted mung protein and mung soup. Since mungs are low glycemic and high in protein and fiber, and a sustainable crop, they are a welcome addition for those who need to be dairy-free, gluten free and soy-free.  The mung cheesecake was quite delicious!

From Motels to High Protein Cheese, Patels Everywhere

Indians seem to be the face of food businesses, in the backend, as well as involved in the creative and financial aspect. As we know, Patels especially are in every business under the sun: they run the majority of American motels, there’s a Patel known for the Rocky Patel cigar and yet another Patel has a noted winery in California. At the SFS, I met another Patel -Sandeep Patel who is the CEO of Bettani, a US-based dairy-free, high-protein cheese company. He said, “As you know, a lot of Indians are lactose intolerant. They don’t want to admit it, because then they would have to drink less chai, drink less, eat less gulab jamun, whatever, but we have a solution! We make cheeses that are high protein and dairy free, so no lactose, no dairy allergies.”

 Patel mentioned that his company has the patent on the protein and he has a network of co-manufacturing partners. There are several Indians involved and the head of R and D actually did his PhD in Dairy Science in the US. Finally, I asked Patel, “How did you come up with the name Bettani?”  He said, “I took the word ‘better’ and made it sound Italian!”

Mushrooms are a super food which I saw being used in cuisine from many countries, as all consumers are trying to incorporate them into their food. So, there were wholesalers of all varieties of mushrooms, as well as companies selling frozen, dried and ready to eat mushroom fare. Even sweets and desserts are incorporating mushrooms.  I was surprised to see Fine and Raw’s 70% dark chocolate mushroom bars with lion’s mane, cordyceps and chaga, as well as ashwaganda and holy basil.

Mushrooms were included in many of the ready to eat meals, and now Brar, the frozen foods company from Canada, had also incorporated mushrooms into their popular cutlets. They also brought a new spin on to samosas with the pizza flavor, so the Specialty Food Show was all about the dialogue of different ethnicities and nationalities, all sort of trying to speak a universal language.

What was interesting to see was the number of family-owned businesses where food was a passion and a calling. Shauna Vo Pulayya is the co-founder of West Indies Peppa Sauce WIPS which is a family owned business from the Caribbean with a recipe which has been nurtured for four generations and is still made in the old fashioned way.

While the Specialty Food Show is only limited to professionals – buyers and media – I think one extra day should be added with paid tickets so the ordinary consumers can also get a chance to visit and enjoy. After all, they are the ultimate consumers who will vote with their dollars and cents whether these products make it to their homes.

 It would be soft diplomacy at its best, with people from many nations interacting over a bowl of ramen, a gulab jamun or a falafel, learning to meet everyone from Russians to Italians to Chinese as friends, and not as strangers from alien lands. Ordinary Americans could get a taste of the world while still being in New York. All they would have to do is catch a subway to Jacob Javits Center and experience and taste the world.

Related Article:

2025 Summer Fancy Food Show Brings New, Global Flavors

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 As the Trump Administration redefines what America is and whom it belongs to, I re-share my America and what it means to me. I share an essay about the Fourth of July I wrote in 2019. On this 250th birthday of the nation,  it still holds true, and America’s strength is its people.

Celebrating the Stars and the Stripes on America’s 250th Birthday

(Back in 2010, Joel Stein wrote about ‘My Own Private India’ in TIME Magazine and created a bit of a storm Time Article- Racism or Storm in a Chai Cup?   I thought maybe an Indian immigrant should write about ‘My Own Private America’ – and how different it seems to be from the space inhabited by Stein. Six years have passed and my sentiments remain the same. )

I came to the US in the 80’s, as an immigrant via India, Hong Kong and Africa, and landed in Astoria, a gritty Greek neighborhood in Queens. As night fell, the cabbie dropped us outside a line of tired, weathered three-family houses where my cousin lived in a rented apartment. Dogs barked, garbage cans clanged and a lot of working class men sat with their beer bottles on the stoop. My heart sank – was this New York, it seemed so different from the flashy, glossy metropolis I had seen in Hollywood movies!

Next morning the sun was shining, people were rushing to work, kids to school and I fell in love with the prosaic neighborhood with its heart of gold. As an old Pakistani watchman told me, ‘Yeh bahut hi pyara elaka hai’ (it’s a very lovable neighborhood). Within a few months, the Greek landlady, who hardly spoke any English,  had overfed me on dolmas, which I loved; another Greek widow had become a confidant; an Irish Catholic single mom befriended me and I had become a part of the PTA at the elementary school. The Chinese manager at a discount store in the strip of  friendly, utilitarian stores was always wising us up on everything American, and we were also gradually finding our own lost Indian community – all those who hadn’t migrated to Edison.

One Street, Every House of Worship

I loved the fact that a street in nearby Flushing had practically every house of worship from Hindu to Buddhist to Islamic to Christian, and that we could talk Hindi or our smattering of Cantonese, French and almost non-existent Spanish to complete strangers.  In the city,  the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral became a must stop for me – just to sit there and watch the candles flickering and the endless streams of  worshipers coming  in, brought a sense of peace, the presence of a higher power.

Other things touched me about America – the sense of caring for others. Coming from India and Africa, I had never seen the disabled treated so well – the idea that you should give up your seat for someone weaker than you sounds so common-sense yet is so little practiced in many other parts of the world. The parking for the handicapped, the many services for those who didn’t have a level playing field – the whole sense of fairness appealed to me.

America at its Core

Over the years, in spite of  the occasional slip-ups and the setbacks, this is the America which has stayed with me, the one I’ve grown to love. This is the America I know is at the core – and that is all that matters. It’s an inclusive America and at heart it does have gold. People are evolving toward it – you see it in the increased openness, intermarriages, friendships and the solidarity of the young, in the sense of justice, of the rule of law. Sure racism still exists but there are so many more voices raised whenever it raises its ugly head.

I went back to my old neighborhood of Astoria recently and it is just as hardy as ever. Change has come to it in different faces, different races but the old-timers are still there, and still as accepting. Manhattan-style condominiums are springing up but the sturdy old no-nonsense, no-frills houses are still there, with their neatly tended little front lawns, some with an overhead trellis of grape leaves. Italian bakeries, halal shops, Chinese takeouts, Greek cafes, Indian grocery stores and Thai restaurants all ensure some heavenly eating, and windows into different lives – and they are all thriving side by side.  As always, it’s open house in Astoria, no matter who you are.

The part which never fails to amaze me is that when I take the N subway from Manhattan to Astoria – glancing at my fellow passengers I see a virtual United Nations – Latinos, Chinese, South Asians, Blacks, whites all wedged together, sitting side by side on the Great American Journey. If Lady Liberty was to see them, she would definitely shed a tear – because this is exactly what America is all about. And on the Fourth of July, with the firecrackers still ringing in our ears – we can say amen to that.

America’s greatest treasure, her hidden strength is We, the People.

Related Article:
Time Article- Racism or Storm in a Chai Cup?

We each have our own private America, memories of what the country is really about.  What’s yours?

The post My Own Private America first appeared on Lassi With Lavina.

The Michelin-starred Musaafer bursts onto the New York Fine Dining Firmament

 Meet Musaafer’s Fabulist Food Narrators Mithu and Shammi Malik

By Lavina Melwani

Musaafer, the Michelin starred restaurant, is a noted marker of Indian culture and cuisine right in the midst of bustling New York City. It’s like traveling in a time machine to an ornate palace where an authentic feast from many regions of India awaits you – if only you could get a reservation!

 Since its opening, diners have been lining up for the unique ambiance and tastes. As one who has been there, I can vouch that it will add greatly to your experience of Indian cuisine. After all, eating out is so much more than just food – it is memories, travel, fragrances, textures and tastes all wrapped together, woven into a tapestry, a many-layered story.

 Let me introduce you to Musaafer’s fabulist food narrators Mithu and Shammi Malik, and their magical wizard, Chef Mayank Istwal.

At one time, Musaafer did not exist, it was invisible – just an idea in the minds of immigrant entrepreneurs Shammi and Mithu Malik. Much like trader-travelers of Medieval days, they set forth from Chandigarh to Nigeria to Dubai to America, selling Indian products to the world. Starting out as purveyors of Indian products, they graduated to cuisine, having seen the rising need for Indian food in far-off regions of the world.

Today they have a mini business empire which embraces several high-end restaurants, an ice cream import and distribution division and a commodity export business.

Mithu, who studied biology, had a career as a pharmacist but food was always the love of her life. Although she was born in Simla, she lived in many regions of India as her father was in the military. She recalls, “He was posted everywhere – we were in the east, we were down south, we were north, we were in Rajasthan. So, we saw a lot of the country, which I think may have kind of piqued my interest in food as well.

Food was very, very central growing up, and then also discovering regional cuisine, because the different places that we lived in, the food was so diverse, and my mom, who was a very good cook, was really quick to pick up new dishes. My father’s side of the family is also extremely food obsessed, so I became really passionate about food and think that any meal that is not delicious is a wasted meal.”

Food has been a passion for the couple, and Mithu recalls that even many years ago, when they went out on a date and saw Humprey Bogart in ‘Casablanca’, Shammi said wistfully, “I hope I can own a restaurant one day!”

In 2004, they brought Debonair Pizza, a South African franchise, to West Africa, where it earned the title of “The Highest Grossing Debonair Pizza in Africa” for several years. They later expanded their franchise portfolio to include Steers burgers, Fishaways, and Mugg & Bean coffee shops.

From small general service restaurants and pizza joints in Lagos, Nigeria, they decided to create a luxurious Indian restaurant in Africa, Spice Route, and that still exists in Nigeria.

The success of Spice Route inspired them to bring the brand to a global audience. In 2019, they relocated to Houston, Texas, to introduce Musaafer. It became the only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in that state. An Indian palace in the desert of Texas, it has been received warmly there and anointed with the first Michelin star ever given to the to any woman-owned restaurant in Texas.

Next stop: New York, the Center of the World’s Dining Cosmos.

 Musaafer, which means traveler, rises almost like a mirage amongst the glass and stone canyons of Tribeca in Manhattan. One of the strengths of Musaafer is the grand ambience – it really is like a time machine which takes you to the royal past.

It is located in the historic Hope building and thus becomes a part of the history of New York, of the changing city which has an insatiable appetite to make every part of the world its own. It is almost 11,000 square feet, and at every day, the intricate trappings of an Indian palace come alive

“The overarching philosophy behind Musaafer is one of authenticity. Within one dining experience, guests are provided a glimpse into India itself – from the design they see on the walls and floors, to the design they see on their plates,” says Shammi Malik. “Musaafer is a respite designed for all, a place to savor and celebrate Indian heritage.”

Mithu says Musaafer was inspired by the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, and many intricate features from both have been incorporated, in marble, stone and brass. Design is a passion with Mithu and almost like a docent at a museum, she gave me a tour of the special features – from the gorgeous jhumars, chandeliers which sway or jhum, to the intricate tiles which flower on the floors, almost giving the illusion of an embroidered Persian carpet with borders. Throughout the restaurant, intricate design details can be found in every corner, from hand-painted wall panels to mother-of-pearl inlays and lotus flower chandeliers. Musaafer’s showstopper is an all-mirror, semi-private dining area named Sheesh Mahal, The Palace of Mirrors. These traditional rooms are known for their intricate mirror work, and at Musaafer New York, thousands of tiny, reflective hand-cut pieces of mirrors are arranged all around to convey that feeling of the past royalty.

Musaafer’s speakeasy Saaqi, in the basement, is informal and incorporates old existing fixures with walls covered with whimsical contemporary art. It has a personality all its own, and is the place to grab a drink with friends, reservations not needed.

The Maliks got designers, sculptors and artists involved, so there is a story behind each design feature of Musaafer. Even the walls of the restroom have been populated by a nature artist from ceiling to floor with a mosaic of a jungle landscape with peacocks, monkeys and cows.

 At Musaafer, India has literally been transported to America in 16 containers by cargo ship!

A very important dynamic at Musaafer are the food creations of Chef Mayank Istwal, who like a world-class conductor, orchestrates the kitchens of both Musaafers in two states.  He knows regional food by taste and heart, having journeyed to India to multiple cities and states to meet with the locals and to bring back regional spice and food stories, stories which are very personal and not experienced before.  So whichever region is close to your heart, you will find a taste of that, interpreted by the chef.

As a vegetarian, I loved the jackfruit biryani, the Musaafer daal and the amazing Gulab dessert. It was also a new, fun taste to eat the Birria Tacos, a nod to Musaafer’s Texan roots. The Paneer Rizala was a new taste and for the chicken fans amongst us, the Butter Chicken Experience was a novelty, served two ways both in a tomato and tomatillo gravy. The Maliks have impeccably educated their staff, ensuring every wait staff knows the food stories, the tastes and interpretations of what’s on the table.

Chef Mayank Istwal, who journeyed through India for a hundred days and distilled the secrets of authentic regional cuisine, says: “We strive to reinvent what Indian cuisine can be. India is vast and multicultural, and our menu reflects and honors that diversity. Every dish tells its own story, and throughout my journey, I have met everyone from generational home cooks to professional chefs and artisans, and I bring their stories to you. Musaafer is indebted to that history, and we are dedicated to spotlighting the playfulness of Indian cuisine through our blend of tradition and modernity.”

Any plans for expansion of the Musaafer franchise?  After a lifetime of entrepreneurial adventures, Mithu Malik laughs, “Yes, knowing my husband, I’d never say never! We are in talks, but there’s nothing concrete as yet.”

Recently their son Zoravar, known as Zo, joined the family business. Shammi and Mithu have three children but only this youngest one has followed them into the Musaafer adventure. When he first showed interest in the restaurant, he worked in Houston at Musaafer, starting from dishwashing to the cutting and chopping and prepping, and then actual cooking. So, he did the entire shifts in the kitchen, and then he came to the front of house, and he rose through the ranks and finally became a server and was a server for almost three years.

In college, he majored in Economics but went on to get his master’s in hospitality from Switzerland. Zo has now joined Musaafer full-time in New York, proving that dedication and persistence are essential to succeed in the hospitality industry.

As he confided disarmingly on social media, “We’re the Malik family and if we’re being honest, shared meals are what held our family together. Some of our most cherished memories were shaped around the table. We can still remember exactly what we ate during our happiest moments, long before we realized we’d one day recreate that feeling for others.
Now, we invite you into our world.”

A virtual visit to Musaafer

https://www.musaaferrestaurants.com/musaafer-nyc

The post Musaafer bursts onto the New York Fine Dining Firmament first appeared on Lassi With Lavina.

Yoga and Yogis Take over Times Square

Have you ever laid yourself down in the middle of bustling Times Square with traffic flowing furiously all around you?

Well, I have!

 Lying flat on the ground, looking up at the swirling clouds, the towering skyscrapers, and giant billboards above me, it was truly surreal. Normally this kind of behavior could get you arrested!  But on Sunday it was all legit – even the cops were smiling! This was because Times Square was in the midst of its annual yoga fever, and thousands of people had come to indulge, to participate, and to watch as yoga mats were laid out and experts gave free yoga classes to everyone.

 It was International Day of Yoga as well as a celebration of Summer Solstice, and as every year the Times Square Alliance hosted a grand free-for-all along with the Consulate of India and other sponsors. Founded in 1992, the Times Square Alliance is a nonprofit business improvement district that improves and promotes Times Square

On June 21, 2003, three people did yoga at sunrise in Times Square – two became the co-founders of Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga.  Over the past 20+ years this event has grown to welcome thousands of locals and tourists taking multiple classes throughout the day and finding calm in the middle of turbulence.

According to Douglass Stewart, Cofounder, Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga: “Yoga unites us with the Universal flow and connects us with our own personal rhythms. The discipline of yoga enhances our ability to respond to subtle cues that promote wellness. Peace becomes the natural environment of our relationships and our world.”

 This celebration of the 12th International Day of Yoga brought together yoga enthusiasts from diverse nationalities. Padma Shri Dr. H.R. Nagendra highlighted yoga’s timeless relevance for healthy and harmonious living. This year’s theme, “Yoga for Healthy Ageing,” reflects yoga’s enduring value in promoting wellness, longevity and holistic well-being.

On the longest day of the year, a sunrise practice presented by the Consulate General of India and led by the Art of Living Foundation, blended gentle asanas, guided breathwork, and meditation – a complete reset for body and mind, instructed by Ruchika Lal

Ruchika Lal is a senior faculty member of the Art of Living Foundation and has spent over 15 years teaching yoga and meditation to thousands of practitioners worldwide. She has led transformational programs for the United Nations, Fortune 50 companies, and universities including Wharton and Columbia. She currently serves as Chairperson of the Art of Living Foundation USA and is the co-founder of IntuitionAI.

This year, what was particularly heartwarming was that yoga has become so democratic, it’s no longer the preserve of either yogis, swamis, hippies or trendy influencers. It’s truly for everybody. This year it also welcomed the disabled and people who were having issues with actually lying down on the floor. They had reserved access and could even do chair yoga.

This is really a welcome move, because as the population of America ages there are so many people who could benefit from yoga, but hesitate to do it, and this makes it possible for them to participate and be part of the stream.  My friend, who was having painful knees, was given a chair to do her yoga, and right next to me on the mat was someone who was perfect at all the moves  – a yoga practitioner and teacher herself, Valerie Loei .

We all took a class by Divya Balakrishnan who is a teacher with years of practice and teaching. As a Tamil-American woman, she teaches through a lens of decolonization and deep inquiry, honoring yoga’s South Asian roots while making the practice accessible and transformative. Her classes, available via YouTube and in-person workshops, draw from āsana, philosophy, meditation, and pranayama. In her podcast Yoga Off The Mat, she challenges her students to integrate yoga into their day to day lives.  In this class Divya lead through energizing breath work, a flow including sun salutations, standing postures and balances, and closed with a centering meditation.

It was a summer day, but not too hot, and later we visited the Yoga Village, where new healthy products were introduced. For me, a mushroom addict, the  highlight was to taste mushroom infused matchas. coffees, and teas by Ryze. These were a blend of Ayurvedic spices and six superfood mushrooms including Shitake, Lion’s Mane and King Trumpet which are supposed to enhance immune support and focus.

What was really great to see was the universal nature of the crowd with men and women, mothers with babies, friends, older people and the young. Yoga is really here to stay, and that’s good news. Maybe the thousands more who watched would also one day be inspired to try it, because there’s no two ways about it: as one gets older, you have to keep moving, and yoga is one of the easiest ways to keep your joints limber and young.

Related Articles:

Yoga: The Art of Transformation – Yogis in America

Yoga Celebrated in New York’s Times Square

The post Yoga in Times Square Shares Secrets of Health & Happiness first appeared on Lassi With Lavina.

Op Ed:

India Asks: Will You Return Home Via PMRC?

 By Adil Zainulbhai

“What PMRC is asking is whether the people who trained in India, built careers abroad, and carried that question about contribution somewhere in the back of their minds are ready to do something about it. Not someday. Now, while the window is open and the positions are real.”

The Prime Minister Research Chair (PMRC) Scheme, launched this month by the Ministry of Education, is asking questions about age-old dilemmas and answering with possible solutions.

India has spent decades watching its best scientific minds build careers abroad. It now has a serious answer to the question of why they should come back.

Think about the last time you explained your research to someone at a dinner party. The polite nods. The moment when they asked what it was for, really, in the end. And the pause before you gave the answer you have given a hundred times, about the long game, about how science works, about patience.

Now think about what it would mean to work on a problem where the answer to that question was obvious. Where the scale was so large, and the need so visible, that you never had to explain the relevance. Where your work on clean energy fed directly into the world’s largest renewable deployment. Where your research on AI ran on a digital public infrastructure used by hundreds of millions of people. Where your drug or your diagnostic reached a healthcare system that had no alternative.

That is what India offers right now. Not as aspiration. As fact.

The question Indian-origin researchers have always asked is not whether they want to contribute. It is whether the conditions exist to do it properly.

For a long time, the honest answer was: not quite. The funding was uneven. The bureaucracy was real. The gap between what was possible in a well-resourced Western university and what was available in India was wide enough that even researchers who deeply wanted to return did the math and stayed put. The pull of India was emotional. The friction was practical. Practical usually wins.

Returning to India: Changing the Arithmetic Via PMRC

The Prime Minister Research Chair (PMRC) Scheme, launched this month by the Ministry of Education, is a serious attempt to change that arithmetic.

It is not another fellowship with a stipend that makes you feel appreciated but not compensated. The financial package is structured as a top-up to whatever researchers are currently receiving, with a competitive annual fee, a one-time research grant for project initiation that runs to several crores depending on seniority, residential and medical allowance, and full relocation support. Fellows can return to their parent institution twice a year. The three-year engagement is designed to be a genuine commitment, not a sabbatical experiment.

There are 120 positions. Three tracks cover the full range of career stages. Young Research Fellows are early-career researchers within five years of their PhD, people at the moment when the habits and networks that define a scientific career are still being formed. Senior Fellows are mid-career scientists with five to ten years of post-PhD experience, researchers who have proven themselves and want their work to operate at a different scale. Research Chairs are the senior figures, ten-plus years out, with the standing to shape what an institution does rather than simply contribute to it.

The 13 priority sectors are the ones worth paying attention to. Semiconductors, quantum computing, AI, clean energy, biotechnology, healthcare and medical technology, space and defense, critical minerals. These are not invented priorities padded out to look comprehensive. They are the areas where India has national missions already running, with funding committed and institutions already in place. A researcher working in any of these fields will find not just a lab but a direct line into policy.

Return to India: A Funded Research Position by PMRC

Host institutions are the IITs, IISc, and national laboratories under DST, DBT, CSIR, and ICMR. Not every institution in the country, curated ones that have the infrastructure to absorb and support incoming researchers without the fellow having to spend the first year sorting out basics.

For early-career researchers, particularly those on postdoctoral contracts in the US or UK, the timing matters more than it might appear. The research funding environment in the US has contracted. Visa uncertainty for Indian nationals is real and has not gone away. Academic hiring in many fields is tight. The window between PhD completion and a permanent position is longer than it used to be, and the outcome is less certain. Against that backdrop, a funded research position in India, with a serious grant, world-class students, and the scale of problems that only India can offer, deserves a genuine look rather than a reflexive no.

For senior researchers, the calculation is different but equally worth making. At a certain point in a career, the question is not what the next paper will be but what the body of work adds up to. A Research Chair in PMRC is not being asked to deliver papers. They are being asked to shape an institution, to build something, to use what they know to create capacity that will outlast them. That is a different kind of opportunity from anything a tenured position in the West typically provides.

The scheme is also honest about what it asks. This is a three-year commitment, residential by design, with enough structure to ensure that fellows are actually embedded rather than just nominally affiliated. India has tried softer versions of diaspora engagement before, visiting positions, advisory roles, one-semester teaching stints. They have produced goodwill and occasionally good research. They have not produced the kind of sustained institutional change that a real presence over real time can create. PMRC is trying to do the harder thing.

For researchers with families, the practical questions are real and the scheme addresses them directly. IIT campuses and the cities around India’s premier research institutions have good schools. Spouse employment support and OCI card facilitation are part of the package. Relocation support is not a vague promise. These are answers, not deflections.

India ranks third in global scientific publications and is the second fastest-growing research producer in the world. Patents granted have grown tenfold in a decade. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation is operational. The infrastructure is there.

What PMRC is asking is whether the people who trained in India, built careers abroad, and carried that question about contribution somewhere in the back of their minds are ready to do something about it. Not someday. Now, while the window is open and the positions are real.

Applications are open for 45 days from June 1, 2026. The portal, the eligibility criteria, and the application process are all at pmrc.education.gov.in. The contact for queries is contact.pmrc@gov.in.

The country that shaped you is asking a direct question. It would be worth taking seriously.

(Courtesy: PMRCOp-Ed | Prime Minister Research Chair (PMRC) Scheme | pmrc.education.gov.in)

Adil Zainulbhai

Adil Zainulbhai is the ex-Chairman of Capacity Building Commission of India, which was set up by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi in 2021, to help improve the Capacity of Indian Civil Service. Prior to that, he was Chairman of Quality Council of India.

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THE NEW YORK KNICKS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS!

New Yorkers are feeling united and unbeatable due to the new NBA Champions – the New York Knicks!

“THE NEW YORK KNICKS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS!
Yes, you read that right. The Knicks just won their first NBA championship since 1973!
1973.
That’s 34 years before the iPhone was invented!
Richard Nixon was president the last time the Knicks won a championship! (I barely even know who that is!)
Anyway, you get it. It’s been a long time. Knicks fans have suffered long enough, and the wait is finally over!
Shoutout to Jalen Brunson for saving the franchise.”
– Ethan Melwani in NBA4Dummies
https://bit.ly/4gktjer

Learn all about the winning game on NBA4Dummies, Ethan Melwani’s must-read, fun blog for NBA lovers and dummies.
Check out the great photos and posts. NBA fans -you, your kids or grandkids – can subcribe free at

https://nbafordummies.com/

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New York Diary

Meet the Amazing Queen Behind ‘The Lion King’ – A True Fan Moment!

Sometimes you meet a genuine celebrity when you least expect it – among the nameless crowd in the push and tumble of a packed theater foyer.
Julie Taymor is the Queen behind the magnificent Lion King which continues to draw audiences to Broadway. She is the Academy Award nominated and Emmy and Tony Award winning director whose productions range from musicals and Shakespeare plays to classical operas and films.

We have all seen The Lion King and her creativity and magic has fired up the imagination of a whole generation.

Talk of a language that everyone understands: Taymor’s The Lion King continues to play in New York, and its worldwide gross exceeds that of any entertainment title in box office history, seen in over 100 cities in 20 countries. It is said that over 110 million people have seen this beloved show and it made her the first woman to receive the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical, and another Tony for best original costume design.

In addition to her two Tony Awards, Taymor has also received a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, two OBIE Awards, the first Annual Dorothy B. Chandler Award in Theater, the Brandeis Creative Arts Award, the 2015 Shakespeare Theatre Company’s William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre, a 2017 Disney Legends Award, and induction into the Theater Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievement in the American Theater.

In that crowded theater, her humanity and unpretentiousness shone through, and we, at a loss for words, were turned into selfie-seeking fans with this lightning quick brief encounter with a real legend.

Related Articles

Broadway’s Magic Box

The Kite Runner Comes to Broadway

The post Julie Taymor: Meet the Amazing Queen Behind ‘The Lion King’ first appeared on Lassi With Lavina.

New York Diary

Jack Kennedy Schlossberg Meets and Greets Desis

Believe in Something Again

Yes, there’s another idealistic young changemaker from Camelot and his name is Jack too. Like his iconic grandfather, JFK, he too wants to bring about change in troubled times. Jack Schlossberg, son of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and Edwin Schlossberg, is running for Congress in the Democratic Primary.

Recently, long time New Yorkers Aroon and Indur Shivdasani had a Meet and Greet for him in their Upper East Side townhouse for about 60 of their friends.

Meet and Greet for Jack Schlossberg
Meet and Greet for Jack Schlossberg

While almost every guest had fond memories to share about the past and the Kennedy family’s India connections, the evening was very much about the future, of how change could be affected in this most blue of cities. Jack is only 33 years old and brings many new and bold ideas to the Democratic equation. His mottos are No Superpac or Dark Money and Real Plans You Can Count On.  After meeting with the voters, he clearly outlined his plans for New York and America.

Will this be the year generation gaps are obliterated? Jack, at 33, is the youngest to stand for Congressman, and his team is even younger than he is. And yet Congressional District 12 where he lives, was born and raised, and where his family has lived for five generations, has the  oldest demographics – 65 and up. His following, built up on social media is amongst the youngest, so perhaps he can bridge the gap between old and young. He can be the one both grandparents and grandchildren find a rapport with and can vote for.  His priorities and policies can be seen at  https://jackfornewyork.com/

In many ways he is so like another idealistic New Yorker – Zohran Mamdani, who became mayor of New Yorik this year at the age of 30. Both wear their hearts and convictions on their sleeves, both want the best for New Yorkers and their children, and both want free buses! Indeed, this Meet and Greet was taking place a stone’s throw away from Gracie Mansion, the Mayor’s residence.

The old ways don’t seem to work and it’s time for some excitement and new leadership. 

 So please don’t sit out the Democratic Primary – it’s your chance to make a difference. Remember – Election Day is June 23^rd!

For those who want to get involved with Jack’s campaign, here are some links from his site.

1. Support Jack’s campaign with a donation! Here’s a link to contribute online: 

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/jack-friendraisers

2. Volunteer with us! You can knock on doors, call voters, and help spread the word! Here’s a link to sign up: https://www.mobilize.us/jackfornewyork/. 

3. Wear Jack for New York merch around NYC! You can buy t-shirts, hoodies, totes, and more on our website: https://store.jackfornewyork.com/. 

4. Become an apartment captain! Let us know if Jack can come knock on doors in your apartment building here: https://mobilize.us/s/pIVrV8. 

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New York Diary

The Sa Dancers RISE Again In A Strong Performance.

Some things just get better with age. The Sa Dancers are one of them. Started in 2008 by Payal Kadakia Pujji, the Sa Dance Company came at a time when Indian immigrants and their children were still finding their bearings, long before all things Indian become cool.  Payal, a spunky Indian-American brought contemporary Indian dance to the stage, often in mainstream settings. It celebrated all movements Indian from classical to folk to Bollywood and helped give them a space in the American landscape.

I had last written about the Sa Dancers 15 years ago, so it was a delight to see how, like fine wine, they had seasoned and matured. Payal has a parallel career in entrepreneurship with her highly successful company ClassPass. Her first love remains dance, and as she sometimes says, The Sa Dance Company was her first startup!

This latest production The Rise – A Journey Through Resilience, which premiered at the Alvin Ailey Theater, is the creation gestated all these years and through all her experiences as the child of immigrants. As Payal says, “RISE is a love letter to the grandmothers, aunties, and mothers who continue to show the way. With unwavering determination and limitless generosity, they empower each new generation of women to nourish and perpetuate the remarkable bond of sisterhood that unites us all.”

 RISE is the celebration of the metamorphosis of the Indian woman from sheltered childhood to girlhood to womanhood, overcoming the expectations of society and narrow world views to finding her own courage and resources, and finding her true self, and her community.

Payal’s artistic roots lie in traditional Indian folk dance, when at the age of three she began training with her lifelong Guru, Usha Patel. Born and brought up in America, she also trained in jazz, contemporary, and ballet, bringing the dual aspects of her life together and shaping her choreographic language, pulling Indian movement out of Western technique and giving new meaning to contemporary South Asian dance.

Payal’s work has been featured at numerous events and festivals as well as in film and television productions, including The inaugural Diwali Celebration at the White House; Lincoln Center, SummerStage as well as performances for Disney, Art Basel, and New York Fashion Week.

Over the years dancers have come and gone.  In the older stories from 2013, you can read the interviews  I had done with the first dancers many years ago. All beautiful Indian-American women starting out in a new world. The company currently comprises of Roshni Badlani, Rashi Birla, Radhika Mehta Kirpalani, Nitya Srikishen Lakhi, Bhavika Kapadia Patel, Dhruti Patel, Neha Pathamanaban, Sharanya Mukhopadhyay Sekhri, and Manisha Nair Sokka.

Now comes a dance tour and a film about dance. SEEING SHAPES is a documentary film following The Sa Dance Company from rehearsals to a stunning performance at the Alvin Ailey Dance Center in NYC. Here is a clip of the upcoming film.

Seeing Shapes – an upcoming documentary about Sa Dance Company

Says Payal: “I think my eyes really opened of a new way to share who I was as an Indian American, and someone who has lived here for 40 plus years, and my parents, who’ve lived here for even longer than that, and really trying to create a dance, idiom, music, costumes that felt really authentic to who I was and my community was, and that was my goal.”

She mentions certain qualities which inspired the show and the documentary:

“I think there’s this this purity and innocence that people see in us, because that’s sort of what we were taught as little girls. But there’s this strength in us. And I always wanted to show people the power of any little girl out there. And at the same time, I wanted everyone to know how incredibly resilient women are, especially Indian women, the heritage I come from as an entrepreneur and someone who’s had a life outside of this for many years.”

Related Articles: 

Sa Dancers: Bringing Bollywood to America

Indian Dance: SA Dancers Take You Home

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How are Immigrants Doing in Zohran Mamdani’s New York?

By Lavina Melwani

A hundred days have come and gone – but is there any definitive verdict on how Mayor Zohran Mamdani is doing? Just as he won with a mixed mandate so too the verdict on how he is doing seems to be mixed. The rich have not fled the city as it was feared, nor have the illegals or the homeless taken over the city. Israel and Palestine have not become dynamite issues, and New York remains New York – bold, nonchalant and with a spirit all its own.

How is Mayor Mamdani doing?  With inexhaustable energy he seems to be everywhere. While fixing the City’s budget and scores of issues, he also found time to join the bike marathon, becoming the first sitting mayor to bike the entirety of the Annual Five Boro Bike Tour.  The fact is that though the Mayor is the kingpin of the city, the captain of the ship, the city is made up of thousands of moving parts and millions of New Yorkers, cogs in the machine, who make it all happen, who make this buzzing metropolis tick.

Mayor Mamdani is the mastermind behind the City of New York, the conductor who has to ensure that all players are synchronized. He has created a blueprint and hired talented people to make these plans materialize in real time.  New York is the original Sanctuary City, and sacrosanct to the idea of immigration as almost a right. A city which had been threatened by President Trump with being overrun by federal troops, seems to be holding its own and listening to the first birdsongs of Spring, even as the globe continues to undergo constant turmoil.

Ensuring that New York remains a City of Immigrants, Mamdani has selected a team that includes immigrants and the children of immigrants themselves to run the Mayor’s office of Immigrant Affairs. (MOIA)

Last month he introduced Faiza Ali, Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs.  At a roundtable for the ethnic media, she spoke about her own immigrant history. She said, “I’ve spent about 20 years doing work in public service and in community organizing. You know, I started out much like many of folks in this room, working in community organizations. Oftentimes I would be one of the advocates standing on the steps of City Hall, like screaming at City Hall, right? Like the city needs to be doing more. That was really the role that I played in my early career.

And then at some point, I made the pivot to public service, and wanted to really work in government, because part of what I was hoping was to challenge government to do more and to do better by our communities. There’s a really important role that our community leaders and advocates play standing on the steps of City Hall, holding government accountable, but there’s also an important role that I believe we can play inside.

Everyone in the city, no matter who you are, regardless of your status, no matter where you’ve come from, no matter how long you’ve been in the city,  you deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and our job is to ensure that that happens. If we really, truly care about community, we’re going to shape government in the image of everyone who is sitting around this table.”

A Chat with MOIA  Com. Faiza Ali about  New York for all New Yorkers

 She added, “While building a city that that can really step up to the moment, we want to make sure we don’t lose sight of some of the beauty in our communities, like we’re not just in a defensive posture. We also should be able to celebrate who we are. I think that we are in a very unique moment, having a mayor who is an immigrant himself, having a mayor who is not afraid to say we’re a sanctuary city, who’s not afraid to say that we’re going to protect New Yorkers, no matter what. It’s an incredible moment right now, and it’s a moment that we don’t take for granted.”

Asked how the Mamdani Administration was reaching some of the most vulnerable parts of immigrant communities, she said, “We’ve always done work engaging immigrant workers, but there is now a new intentional effort that we’re engaging and assessing, and figuring out what is the best way to reach some of the most vulnerable workers. For me, it’s local agencies who are upholding local responsibilities. Our job is not to do the federal government’s work. Our job is to serve you all in this room and the 8 million New Yorkers who live here.

 I think it was day 36 of Mayor Mamdani Administration, where he signed an executive order, Executive Order 13, that basically put teeth behind the sanctuary of cities. So, the laws have been on the books, but making sure agencies are living up to what the law is requiring them to do is something that was detailed in this executive order.”

This month, Mamdani’s officials held a second ethnic media roundtable supporting immigrant worker rights in New York City with Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine of the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), Commissioner Faiza Ali of the Office on Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), Commissioner Midori Valdivia of the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC),  and Deputy Commissioner Kitty Chan of the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) 

Faiza Ali, Commissioner for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and Deputy Mayor Julie Su emphasized the crucial role of immigrant workers in the city’s economy and culture emphasized the fundamental fact that really remind us of immigrant workers are essential to the strength and economy life of New York City.

“Immigrants power our restaurants, our construction sites, our small businesses, our transportation infrastructure,” said Su. “One of our key priorities for MOIA is ensuring that immigrant New Yorkers are fully integrated into the city’s affordability agenda, and the economic justice portfolio, because it’s created an even stronger opportunity for us to connect immigrant communities to workforce pathways to business support, to worker protections and economic opportunities.”

Reaching Immigrants through MOIA

MOIA has planned multilingual Know Your Rights outreach to immigrant workers, so they understand what their protections are. This portfolio of economic justice is how we’re going to deliver on the mayor’s agenda, and what that means is that we want full economic growth in the city, and we want everyone to get to benefit from it. For a very long time, we have had economic growth in the city. We are the wealthiest city and the wealthiest nation in the world, but that growth has not been widely shared, and so we are going to put workers first when it comes to economic growth.”

Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su noted, “Immigrant New Yorkers are a critical part of the fabric of New York City. We want immigrant New Yorkers to know that they have the same labor and human rights as all workers. They should not be afraid to submit a complaint if their rights are being violated and they should know that this administration will leverage all of our power to defend them.”

Su referenced Executive Order 13 as a foundational tool for the city to ensure that all workers, regardless of immigration status are protected from workplace discrimination and unsafe conditions. The Executive Order signed by Mayor Mamdani strengthens the city’s sanctuary laws and mandates greater Know Your Rights outreach to immigrant New Yorkers including workers.

Commissioner Sam Levine from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) discussed efforts to combat fraudulent immigration services and protect immigrant workers, including lawsuits against companies like Uber and Hungry Panda for wage theft. The city is also addressing the impact of corporate remittance taxes on immigrant families.

MOIA: Safeguards for Taxi Drivers

More than 90 percent of TLC drivers are immigrants, Taxi & Limousine Commissioner Midori Valdiva emphasized the importance of ensuring that the immigrant drivers had access to measures that strengthen their ability to drive safely across our city with dignity. She further spotlighted TLC’s new driver engagement, a first-of-its-kind driver survey, that is designed to gather direct input from licensees, guiding the policies, priorities, and initiatives of theagency to help promote working class immigrant voices and uplift economic justice under the Mamdani administration.  

SBS Deputy Commissioner Chan and SBS Chief of Staff Haris Khan, both elevated several programs that immigrant business owners, street vendors, and entrepreneurs can utilize. Programs like Workforce 1, NYC Business Express Service Team (BEST), and the upcoming NYC Small Business Month Expo on May 28th serve as key resources for the City to support immigrant businesses through partnership, collaboration, and education.  

 New York is one of the world’s best cities, with heart and heartbeat. These officials shared strategies for creating safer, fairer workplaces across New York City. What happens to much maligned yet very necessary street vendors who provides food and respite at all times and in all-weather to New Yorkers, especially at upcoming summer events, such as the FIFA World Cup and America 250.   

DCWP Commissioner Samuel A. A. Levine. “In a moment where we see ICE dragging people out of hospitals and disappeared off the street, and where multimillion dollar mergers threaten immigrants’ economic stability as seen through the proposed Western Union and Intermix merger, DCWP is committed to reaching immigrant New Yorkers directly and helping them understand their rights as workers, consumers and small business owners.

There are no wrong doors in New York City. We want to hear from immigrant communities to make sure you can’t get exploited. You come to us and we’ll take action to make sure that the era of exploiting immigrant New Yorkers is over.”

Finally there is the small business bureau and many mom and pop stores and one man businesses that don’t even know about all the great safeguards nd opportunities available to them as New Yorkers.

Chan said,  “We are really proud to be able to offer comprehensive services for small businesses, not just direct business services such as capital access and capital and government navigation, but we also assist the worker. We run 18 workforce one centers throughout the city. We also work with our business improvement districts to help stimulate the commercial corridors. We also have our MWBE program to ensure that the economy is there to help minority and women own business enterprises.

 I am inviting everyone to our May 28 Small Business Expo. This is our third annual event where we actually bring all the services to one place. If you are an entrepreneur, business owner, a worker or even a CBO that actually needs more information about working with small businesses, we’ll have direct services available to business owners as well, such as legal services and financial consultations.”

So, while Mayor Zohran Mamdani was not in the room or at the roundtable, he was very much there in spirit.

This gathering of his commissioners was speaking his language and pushing forward his plans for a new New York, a city where immigrants are the life-blood and the ones who make the city flourish.

What the future holds remains to be seen, but there are some positive steps immigrants in the community can take in tandem with the city to ensure positive changes are happening.

 Immigrant New Yorkers: Know your Rights, including Worker and Consumer Protections.

Links and Resources: 

• https://www.nyc.gov/site/immigrants/legal-resources/know-your-rights.page  
• nyc.gov/smallbizmonth 
•  nyc.gov/dcwp 
• Consumer Bill of Rights Regarding Immigration Assistance Service Providers 
•  https://www.nyc.gov/site/tlc/about/driver-survey.page  
• https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/02/executive-order-13  

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