New York Diary

NBA’s Larry O’ Brien Trophy Unveiled at the American Museum of Natural History

After the Knicks spectacular victory, New York is definitely Knicks Country, with great excitement even among the non-sports fans who don’t know the first thing about basketball! There’s an increased sense of community and shared ownership, of pride in New York.

And so, at New York’s iconic American Museum of Natural History, there was a coronation of sorts, an unveiling of NBA’s Larry O’ Brien Trophy, first to the press and then to the general public.

The Larry O’Brien Trophy is owned by the league, distinct from the trophy presented to the Knicks. Featuring the names of every winning team since 1947, the NBA’s trophy is newly engraved with the 2025-26 season champion New York Knicks. Depicting a regulation-size basketball entering a net, it is crafted from sterling silver with gold vermeil by Tiffany & Co and weighs approximately 30 pounds.

“I think for many, the highlight of the summer in sports was the NBA championship of the New York Knicks, their first in 53 years. Something that really brought the city together, and energized the city,” said Sean M. Decatur, President, American Museum of Natural History. Earlier in the Spring, AMNH inaugurated For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence that includes many objects that celebrate athletic accomplishment and team accomplishment and individual accomplishment in sports.

 “As part of this exhibit, we’ve been in conversation with the NBA for many, many months about bringing the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the season to be on display here at the museum. And of course, when we started those conversations oh so many months ago, we had no idea that the name that would be engraved on the trophy for this year are the New York Knicks, and so we are delighted to be able to have the the Larry O’Brien Trophy from the NBA here on display with the names of all of the NBA champions engraved and see and continue to relive the excitement of that moment earlier this summer.”

As he pointed out, the museum has a long history of telling stories about human culture and human achievement, and sports has certainly been a part of human culture. And so this is a collection of objects which show the ways that people have used gems and precious metals to celebrate sports accomplishment.

 There is a large South Asian community in New York and I wondered if they were also drawn to this exhibit because their immigrant history of cricket is not yet reflected in the playing of American sports. The Knicks win has of course made every New Yorker a sports fan.

“Certainly, the way that the Knicks have excited and brought the city together, we’re anticipating that people really will be excited to come in,” said Decatur. “I do think that sports has a broad global appeal, and so one of the things we try to do in the exhibit is recognize the ways in which sports is important around the world, and that’s certainly true through the Olympics. It’s true through a lot of sports, which are s played by individuals and by teams with national pride around the world. We hope that people are interested and excited about coming in order to get a sense of the connection of sports as a global phenomenon.”

So, while the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Trophy was on display only till August 3, the exhibition For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence will be there till the beginning of January, with its treasure trove of sports awards for every sport from football to basketball and baseball. It spans more than 15 sports and 150 years of history.

Featuring an extraordinary collection of trophies, rings, and unique awards, the exhibition showcases the tradition of using precious metals and gemstones to commemorate victory. It is on view in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery, within the Museum’s new Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals.

Highlights include the National Football League’s Vince Lombardi Trophy, one of Jesse Owens’s gold medals from the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, a 2024 WNBA Championship ring from New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart, and Kevin Durant’s 2024 Team USA Olympic gold medal. The exhibition features over 70 objects across more than 15 sports—including baseball, soccer, tennis, boxing, golf, and swimming, revealing how sports prizes have transformed over time from traditional medals and cups into increasingly elaborate symbols of achievement.

For immigrant families who have taken their children and teens to the iconic AMNH to see the dinosaurs, whales and space objects over the years, it is a good idea to now take them in to experience the inspiring world of sports memorabilia and glittering awards. Enough inspiration – and we may one day get an Indian-American Knicks superstar, a desi Jalen Brunson!

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JLF Spotlight: Are Immigrant Writers the Outsiders in America?

While the Jaipur Literary Festival USA happens only once a year, a new initiative now brings the JLF to New York every month in a special reading series. This is the start of year-round literary salons that will bring together readers and new and noted authors. This reading series had its inaugural in Dumbo, Brooklyn at the cozy Fontainhas which is named for the famous Latin Quarter in Goa, India.  It is a natural gathering place for young South Asian-Americans with its desi-inspired vibes and eats like Bhel Salad, chaat board and masala chai.

At this first event, authors Radha Vatsal and Chandrani Ghosh were in conversation with Devjani Dev, for the session ‘Headlines & Heartlines’ on what it meant to be a South Asian immigrant journalist in America in the early 1900’s, as well as what it means today.

Can the books of South Asian writers fit traditional mainstream genres and is there a place for the desi perspective in romances as well as in historical narrative?

As Dev observed, “As immigrant women, we have some sort of a responsibility to broadcast, publish, or educate people about our culture. Is that just a burden that you carry as a South Asian immigrant journalist?

So, at first glance, today’s novels could not seem more different, right? One set in 1907 in New York’s Chinatown, one in Georgetown in D.C. What could they possibly have in common?

 I just happened to discover them very in close proximity to each other, and even though they are indeed rather different, as I read them side by side, I became convinced that the two protagonists, separated by more than a century, are actually in the same kind of conversation with the world around them, and actually even across the centuries with each other.”

Dev noted that both authors chose journalists to be their protagonists, and that journalists occupy an interesting place in this storytelling world. “They observe and they tell stories. They record what they see, but for both of your protagonists, they kind of become a story themselves, and they become part a headline. So, I’d like to get your sense of why you choose journalist, not writer, not author, and how you expressed a lot of the immigrant story very beautifully and organically through their lives.”

Chandrani Ghosh, who is a seasoned journalist and the debut author of Heartlines, noted about her book. “It’s a contemporary story set in Washington D.C. at a world that I know really well, which is where media, politics, and the high-tech world intersect. So, it’s a love story set in that world and my protagonist is Sharmila Basu. When the book begins, she’s a political journalist who lives with her boyfriend Lionel Stern, a nationally known television anchor, in Georgetown. They’re the ultimate DC power couple so she has this picture perfect life somewhere in the 2020s.”

Radha Vatsal, who is the author of two crime novels, going for an Indian protagonist in a mainstream American story set in the 1900s in Chinatown of all places, was a challenge. In No. 10 Doyers Street, her protagonist is Archana Morley, known as Archie, a woman journalist from India in 19^th century New York.

“I think most people don’t even think that’s possible. So that was a weird strike against it. And then having her tell the story of the Chinese community is like is the second. And I think we’re always being asked to stay in our lanes. So, I think a South Asian writer is told you should be just writing about South Asia and the South Asian experience, and particularly when it comes to history, it’s a question of who gets to write the histories.”

 ‘And at that time, I the idea of a South Asian person in New York it just seemed impossible to me. So maybe for three or four years, I tried to write it from my perspective as a South Asian, without putting a South Asian character in there, because I thought, oh, there was nobody like that. And finally, I got so frustrated that I said, okay, forget this. I’m just going to say New York, which had a population of 2 million people at that time. One of those people could have been Indian. I’m going to make her a woman, and I’m going to write this story because that’s the only way it’s been around me. Once I checked, it turns out, of course, there were South Asians in the U.S. in the late 19th century who came, and there were women who came to the U.S.”

Devjani Dev asked the authors about the question of belonging.

“You know it’s interesting because most novels written when they talk about immigrants, tend to be talking about the fact that we don’t belong, that we feel this sense of loss and dislocation, and all of that is 100% true. And when I look around this room and chat with people like us and look at my own life, I have always come at that fact that I don’t see my life in that light.

Right, I see my life, and it’s not just as a journalist, but in any room that I see it as one of abundance – abundance of culture. I came with my Diwali and my Holi. I added Hanukkah, Christmas. Thanksgiving is the most fun festival of all. the one that my kids and I spend all year planning.

So, I always had this idea that there is this other world that doesn’t get talked about often, and sometimes we’re almost apologetic about it because we feel like that doesn’t represent all of us. True, it doesn’t, but it represents a significant portion of, and not just Indians. You know, just this morning, there was somebody Turkish I was talking to about my book who felt this tells their story.

So, I find this not at all unusual, and yet it doesn’t get written about. And so that was a big part of it all that made me write the story. It was a sense of our story is not being told, our rather joyful, happy story, and there’s no need to feel apologetic about it.”

Devjani Dev also raised the question of can you be an outsider to a dominant community and still tell stories?

Radha Vatsal responded, “I think my book is particularly about how the outsider perspective can see stories that the dominant culture doesn’t. So, for me, and I’ve always actually valued this about myself and my identities; being a little bit of an outsider here, I feel helps me to see things differently with a different angle, and I think that makes all of culture much richer as a result.”

If these random thoughts about immigrant women in mainstream literature, the outsider syndrome and breaking into the writing world have piqued your interest, you can sign up for the monthly book discussions, JLF Spotlight Series, in New York. You can attend in person or virtually. Also grab the books of both authors to get a look at how an Indian journalist functioned in 1900’s and now in 2020. No.10 Dover Street by Radha Vatsal and Heartlines by Chandrani Ghosh take you to New York and Washington DC but bring an Indian perspective to both.

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New York Diary

 A Mountain of Books for Book lovers at Jaipur Lit Festival USA

If you can’t get to the iconic Jaipur Literary Festival in India, the festival is coming to you!

Like a traveling caravan, the writers, poets and dreamers of JLF are crossing continents to various parts of America, bringing exciting new fiction and nonfiction to readers.  Last month at the SreeRoopa Salon – Sanjoy K. Roy, Suraj Dhingra and their team announced the tenth JLF USA. Registrations are now open 29 – 30 September 2026 for JLF New York

Jaipur Literary Festival USA Schedule

• Beginning with JLF Colorado in 2015, the festival has expanded its presence across the United States and, in 2026, will travel to six cities with the addition of Los Angeles.

  North Carolina: September 11-13 (Fri-Sun)
  • Los Angeles: September 14-16 (Mon-Wed)
  • Seattle: September 17-20 (Thu-Sun)
  • Colorado: September 22-23 (Tue-Wed)
  • New York: September 29-30 (Tue-Wed)
  • Houston: October 2-3 (Fri-Sat)

These are just four of the authors who will be among several traveling to the US and recently spoke on a virtual chat with readers.

• Pria Anand: Neurologist and author of The Mind Electric, winner of the 2026 PEN America E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and named a Best Book of 2025 by multiple publications.
• Sam Dalrymple: Delhi-raised Scottish historian, award-winning filmmaker and bestselling author of Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia, a #1 bestseller in India.
• Alka Joshi: Internationally bestselling author of the Jaipur Trilogy, the New York Times bestseller The Henna Artist, and Six Days in Bombay (coming to Netflix and starring Freida Pinto). Her work has been translated into 30 languages and she was named to the Forbes 50 Over 50 list. 
• Karan Mahajan: Author of The Association of Small Bombs, finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award. Named one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists.

• Here is a link to the video recording: 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbmkRQW2mJc 

Other noted names who are expected https://jlflitfest.org/jlf-usa/speakers

More on the festival at its new website: https://jlflitfest.org/jlf-usa

Related Articles:

Jaipur Literature Festival: In the Kingdom of Books

JLF Opening at Sundaram Tagore Gallery

The post Jaipur Literary Festival brings authors and ideas to America first appeared on Lassi With Lavina.

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?

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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.

The post India Asks: Will You Return Home Via PMRC? first appeared on Lassi With Lavina.

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.

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