Surrender to the Joy of Music with Grammy winner Falu Shah

It is her inborn language from birth and it comes from the heart. She learned the language of Hindustani music in childhood and has introduced it to major international stages from the Grand Ole Opry to the White House to Carnegie Hall.

Meet Falguni Shah, known to the world as Falu, who comes from an unbroken lineage of 11 generations of Indian classical musicians. She has won Grammys and has performed with major names like Yo-Yo Ma and Philip Glass. In her newest concert Surrender which premiered at the iconic Carnegie Hall in April, she has something for everyone – the diehard classical music fans, the newbies who are just learning about Indian music and its many avatars from classical ragas to thumris to ghazals to the modern music of pan-Indian cinema.

Surrender was sponsored by the Indian Consulate which is the home away from home for so many Indians and the chief guests were CG Binay Pradhan and his wife Mona Lisa. The audience included many New Yorkers from the cultural world and beyond.

Her versatile band comprises of  Gaurav Shah, Avirodh Sharma, Patrick Thompson, Soumya Chatterjee and Nishaad Shah. The newest edition is her own son Nishaad who becomes the 12^th generation to carry on the family musical tradition.

Surrender is a delightful soundscape with many instruments from the sarangi to violin, harmonium and accordion, bansuri and tanpura. As Falu shared with the audience, “I also wanted to share that this instrument that I took out today after 27 years is 150 years old. It is a tanpura that has passed on to me from my teacher’s teacher.”

What was truly wonderful was that before each session Falu or her partner and husband, Gaurav Shah, explained in lucid language the story behind the ghazal or the raga, thus making it even more enjoyable to non-Hindi speakers. As Falu explained to the audience, “Ragas are melodic soundscapes that are shaped by subtle movements of notes and microtones. And each raga, each melodic scale, carries with it its own mood, its own time of day, its own feeling. There are ragas for midnight. There are ragas for waking up early. There are ragas for evening romance. There’s a raga for everything. There’s supposed to be 33,000 ragas but most musicians know about a thousand.”

 If one wondered where Bollywood and filmi music fit into the kaleidoscope of Indian music, Falu had an explanation, “Merged the last century theater soon after, Indian cinema, this became the heart of popular culture after India’s independence, for a nation that was rebuilding its spirit, this cinema offered joy, imagination, emotional connections. Families were gathered in dark theaters, surrendering to melons that carried both hope and heartbreak of a young nation. Through film, India began to sing together across regions, across generations and across beliefs. Cinema brought music to millions. Many of the melodies in it were inspired by something much older, music of the land itself. This was folk and regional music, shaped not by formal rules, but by rhythms of the daily life.”

As Surrender travels to different cities in the US, there is a chance to catch it and enjoy an evening of calm and happiness. The world may be stressful right now, but in the haven of the concert hall one can get a respite. There is peace and harmony.

Face to Face with Falu Shah

1. Singers aspire to perform at the iconic Carnegie Hall. How has your journey been and what is your special connection with the famous space?

Performing at Carnegie Hall is a dream that many singers hold close to their hearts, and I’m no exception. My journey has been one of deep passion, persistence, and a constant desire to grow both musically and spiritually. Carnegie Hall holds a very special place for me; it represents not just artistic excellence, but also a space where stories, cultures, and emotions come alive through music. Each time I step on that stage, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and connection.

2. Tell me about Surrender – what do you hope audiences will take away from it?

Surrender is a deeply personal and spiritual offering. At its core, it is about letting go, trusting the journey, and opening oneself to something greater than the self. Through this work, I hope audiences feel a sense of peace, connection, and introspection. If even a few people walk away feeling more centered or uplifted, I feel I have fulfilled its purpose.

At the same time, Surrender is also a musical journey through the evolution of Indian music itself, from its origins in three notes, to seven, then twelve, and ultimately to the rich 22-note melodic system that includes microtones developed over millennia. In this way, the work invites listeners to connect not only spiritually, but also historically and culturally, tracing the depth and beauty of Indian music across centuries.

3. How are you carrying on ancient traditions while living in a very contemporary city like New York?

 My special guest for this performance is my son, Nishaad, who is 15 years old and currently a sophomore in high school. Having him debut at Carnegie Hall alongside me was an incredibly emotional and fulfilling moment. He represents the 12th generation of our musical lineage, carrying forward a deeply rooted oral tradition passed down through our family for generations.

Witnessing him embrace this heritage with such sincerity, dedication, and depth gives me a profound sense of peace and gratitude. Knowing this music will continue through him, just as it has for the past 11 generations, is truly moving. Sharing the stage with him—sitting side by side as he performed for the first time at Carnegie Hall, was not just a proud moment as a parent, but a deeply spiritual one as an artist. It was, without a doubt, one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.

 4. How do you bring the spirit of Surrender into your daily life?

 The spirit of surrender is something I try to practice daily, though it is always a work in progress. In both life and art, there are so many moments that call for trust, patience, and acceptance. Surrender, for me, is about embracing uncertainty with grace and allowing creativity and life to flow naturally rather than forcing outcomes.

5.What’s next for you and your band?

Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue creating work that bridges tradition and contemporary expression, and that brings people together through meaningful storytelling. I look forward to touring globally with Surrender and spreading the joy that music gives to audiences worldwide.

www.falumusic.com

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New York Diary

Meet Zohran Mamdani in Union Square in Manhattan

If you’re a Zohran Mamdani fan/believer or merely hankering for a connect with the new mayor, take a subway to Union Square. You won’t actually see him there, but you’ll get all the Zohran merch your heart desires – from sweatshirts to caps to stickers to Hot Girls for Zohran tees!

 Yes, amongst the art vendors, fruit sellers, street musicians and chess players, now there is a Zohran store catering to the walkers, dawdlers and lovers of the historic Union Square Park and the surrounding area. Hard to believe that this national historic site was once a burial ground.  It is now a celebration of being alive.

This historic park has been an important meeting ground for citizens. It has sombre statues of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson and Mahatma Gandhi. Now we can also get Mayor Zohran Mamdani tee shirts here which people can take home and wear every day. True democracy!

On a recent visit in search of the hugely popular farmer’s market, I got immersed in the vitality of the area and found the Zohran merch stall was the new kid on the block. The vendor who jokingly introduced himself as Tupac, said he had started the venture just before the new mayor came into office and he has been doing a bustling business since then, every day. Did he vote for the mayor, I asked. He said, “I did but if you didn’t vote for him because you couldn’t vote, you voted for him in your heart.”

So, the next time you want to multitask three things in one go – get your steps in with a walk in the park, listen to street musicians play a concert and  browse some Mamdani Mayor merch – get yourself to Union Square! 

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/union-square-park/history

Related  Articles:

Zohran Mamdani’s Inauguration: Humanity & Hope in New York

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Gender Equality – an Aspiration for India and the Diaspora

Women were centerstage this month and women from India and Indian women from the Diaspora had come together at the Consulate of India to celebrate International Women’s Day together. The special guest was the Honorable Minister of State (WCD) Smt. Savitri Thakur, and her delegation from India, who gave a report card on the progress Indian women had made over the years and celebrated their empowerment.

The literacy rate, which was 8 percent in 1951 is now 75 percent and women’s life expectancy has increased from 41 to 74 years.  There are over 9 million self-help groups which benefit over 100 million families, especially in rural areas.

As the host, Consul General of India, Binaya Pradhan, noted, Indian women had made great strides in corporations, academia and science, as well as in self-help groups: “India has created the world’s largest pipeline for women in public office. Today, if you look at the numbers, out of total elected members in Panchayati Raj and municipal system, 14 lakhs are women. 1.4 million women are elected into the municipal system in India today, which is roughly 49% of the total elected officials. Recently, the parliament brought an amendment which takes 33% reservation, both at federal parliament and state assemblies for women. So that’s bringing Indian women right to the top in decision making at every level.”

Nika Shukla, of Bhartiya Stree Shakti, who serves  as the coordinator of the National Short Film Festival, shared the spirit behind their theme, rewriting the stereotypes. “ For nearly four decades, Bhartiya Stree Shakti has worked to advance gender equality across India. Through this journey, we believe that true equality is difficult to achieve by uplifting women alone, but can be achieved by active participation of men.”

As she added, “It is an invitation to redefine the muscularity of our times. It encourages men to embrace empathy, to express emotions without fear, and to share responsibilities with pride. This theme is not about criticizing men; it’s about freeing them from the stereotypes that limit their duality. For generations, society has handed men an unwritten script, one that asked them to be strong but silent, successful but emotionally restrained, responsible but never vulnerable. This script has shaped families, workplaces and communities in ways we rarely question. But today, as the world evolves, the script must also evolve.”

 By bringing this conversation at an international level platform, they hope to build a narrative that supports healthier men, women, relationships, stronger families and this shift strengthens the social fabric.

Grammy winner Falu Shah, who was part of the panel discussion, noted the importance of art and culture to perpetuate or end unhealthy stereotypes: ‘What we portray in cinema, music, in art, affects not only this generation, but also the next generation. So if we are going to portray partnership, respect and love towards other other people – it could be men or women – that’s what the cinema will portray. That is what the younger generation, the next generation, will inherit. So, the responsibility for an artist is actually greater because what we say becomes the story, what we show in films becomes the reality for so many people. So that’s a very big lesson that we as artistes have to remind ourselves every day, every minute, when we create a song, when we make a movie. Make sure you remember that what you’re creating has a ripple, not just for now, for the present – but for the future.”

All the panelists discussed the bright possibilities for women both in India and the globe but agreed there is a lot of room for growth. Falu stressed the importance of women’s solidarity and of women helping women through their self-help organizations: “I think when a woman helps a woman, we grow much more so instead of being threatened by each other, let’s today make a vow. Let’s say I’m a sister. I’m behind you. Go fly, and if you fall, we’re going to be right behind you – so don’t be afraid to fall.”

This feel good celebratory session was followed by a high tea with – what else – Masala chai, pani puri, samosas, mango lassi, paneer pakoras and all the delights of Indian food. The hall was a blast of multicolored sarees and women from all walks of life – artists, politicians, doctors, consultants, lawyers, Columbia students, writers – all happy to network and celebrate Indian womanhood.

Related Article: This essay is from 2014 

Click and watch the video

International Women’s Day – Some Thoughts

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International Women’s Day – Women Standing Up for Women….

I was on my walk on the New York waterfront, when a young woman handed me a tulip. It was a lovely feeling to be recognized and seen by another woman – not as a Valentine, not as a mother but as just another woman on a journey to create happiness, face struggles and understand the world. The young woman was Urmi from Uzbekistan and she had two other friends carrying bags of tulips, giving them to random women for being women, and so special. Well, of course we became friends in this age of social media. I took the tulip home and lovingly placed it in water. I look forward to seeing it bloom tomorrow! I pass the joy of being united to all women out there!

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People

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit – The Missing Woman – Do We Know Her at All?

We’ve all seen that famous photograph of Mahatma Gandhi and India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru – but did you know that there was a third person in that picture who was edited right out of the picture? 

 In the original photo, you will see the person who was left out, and who remained just a footnote in history. This being March, Women’s History Month, I should tell you that this canceled person was, of course, a woman – Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Nehru’s sister, radiant in an all-white homespun sari and a sleeveless blouse.

As Manu Bhagavan, author of The Remarkable Madame Pandit, a new biography of this missing woman, says, “There were three who were part of that moment, but she was sliced right out of it, erased from the public memory of that moment, and thus from the history of the photograph. She was not much more than a footnote in most accounts, just as reflected in the edited version of this photograph.”

Yet this was an amazing woman with many accomplishments – if only she had been a man, she would have made the front pages of history!

 What did she do? Says Bhagavan, “Answering this question is where things really get interesting and in a sense, overwhelming. For she seemed to be involved with everything, everywhere, all at once.”

For instance, she had audiences with British royalty right from a young age and grew quite close to members of the British aristocracy, even as she challenged the might of the British Empire alongside Mahatma Gandhi and went to prison several times for her efforts. She was detained for the attempted assassination of Mussolini in the 20s; she bashed appeasement and warned of the dangers of fascism in Britain the day before Winston Churchill made his famous remarks to Parliament; she worked with the powerful women of history including Margaret Sanger, Golda Meir and Madame Chang Kai-shek.

Madame Pandit, as she was known, was the first woman cabinet minister in the British Empire to hold substantial portfolios; president of the All India Women’s Conference; India’s first ambassador to the United Nations; India’s first ambassador to the Soviet Union; a member of India’s Constituent Assembly; the first woman ambassador to the United States; the first woman president of the UN General Assembly; and the first woman ambassador as high commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was witty and personally a delight to be with and had fans in disparate parts of the world. She engaged with everyone from Mao Tse Tung and Charles de Gaulle to Konrad Adenauer and Kwame Nkrumah. She had discourses with Gandhiji, the Father of the Nation, had a smoke with Mao Tse Tung and traded barbs and quips with Winston Churchill.

She was one of the funniest, wittiest, warmest people around, says Bhagavan. “Everybody loves her wherever she goes, and that’s how she’s able to win friends, including with people you wouldn’t think she could win friends with. Marlon Brando named her the woman he admired most in the world. Robert Oppenheimer asked her for assistance in preventing nuclear disaster, and then she told President Kennedy not to go to Dallas.”

Manu Bhagavan’s book, The Remarkable Madame Pandit  was published in India (Penguin) and in the US by Columbia University Press. This is just the latest in an impressive collection of books that he has written, including The Peacemakers: India and the Quest for One World (2012) and India and the Cold War (2019).Bhagavan is Professor of History, Human Rights, and Public Policy at Hunter College and the Graduate Center, the City University of New York, where he is also Senior Fellow at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies. 

The New York community got to interact with Bhagavan at a lively salon organized by Sree Sreenivasan at his home near the UN. It was a gathering of writers, filmmakers, academics and public policy advocates and all were engrossed by this story of a woman whom they barely knew by name, a strong woman before her time,  and who had somehow toppled off the map of the world. This biography is Bhagavan’s effort to install her in her rightful place in history.

For those intrigued by Madame Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and her disappeared status in history, Bhagavan’s comprehensive and deeply researched book sets the record right and tells us all that we need to know about her.

Many of the reviews of this book acknowledge the power of Madame Pandit. As Daisy Rockwell, International Booker Prize-winning translator of Tomb of Sand, writes: Sidelined by the “great men” school of history writing, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit is brought to life in this vividly written and painstakingly researched biography. You’ll find yourself eagerly turning the pages to learn what happens next in a story you thought you already knew.”

We’ll give Booker prize-winning author Kiran Desai the last word here: “With this illuminating biography, Manu Bhagavan restores Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit to the pantheon of extraordinary individuals who created a modern India according to their noble vision of international human rights. Written in lucid prose with a scholar’s unflinching eye, this is yet a deeply affectionate portrait of a complex woman, and a masterful recreation of a thrilling period in history.”

Books

The Remarkable Madame Pandit can also be purchased directly from Columbia with a 20% discount using the code CUP20:

https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-remarkable-madame-pandit/9780231564243/

The post Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit – The Remarkable Woman the World Forgot first appeared on Lassi With Lavina.

New York Diary

Can CHAT-GPT tell you about your personality and the chaat you want to eat?

Trust the brains behind AI to come up with a fun game to tell you about your personality and the street food or chaat you’re most likely to enjoy. At a fun event on Sunday at the Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) ChatGpt and ChaatGPT came together in a delicious free community event where you got to eat chaat and learn about AI. Sitting at a computer you first filled in a survey and AI spit out the street food most suited to you – samosa chaat, pani puri, vada bun or dahi puri!

Playful yet serious, the program included a workshop about open source AI, presented by Prashast Thapan, examining how open and closed AI models differ, with attention to transparency and data literacy. Rather than promoting any platform, the event invited participants to better understand how these systems work and the choices available when deciding whether and how to engage with them.

The lines were long to find out one’s personality quirks but everyone was rewarded with the street food of their choice and then welcomed to go in for seconds and thirds of all the other chaats. CHATGPT is smart  – it knows Indians may prefer one or the other street food but ultimately they will devour any and all!

Delicious chaat was provided by Maa Ka Dhaba – mom’s restaurant – which is based in Brooklyn – and it actually had a real mom and pop who actually own the restaurant, creating the chaat. Their son Angad served the food and explained the nuances to all the first-timers who were experiencing the chaat for the first time.  

This was followed by the fascinating talk by  Prashat Thapan, the founder of Pariah Interactive, a creative studio shaping contemporary digital culture.  Gabo Arora gave the welcome news that more such evenings are planned as this is part of MoMI LAB, the Museum of the Moving Image’s new  initiative dedicated to AI and emerging technologies, and Open Worlds 2026. Lassi with Lavina will keep you in the loop!

Later, the Holi celebration continued with a screening of the classic Bollywood film Silsila starring Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Jaya Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor. The film seems a bit melodramatic so many years later but of course the highlight is the sizzling chemistry between Amitabh and Rekha, whose last film together this was. The picturization of the Rang Bharse song in Amitabh’s rich, one-of-a-kind sonorous voice. It is now the unofficial national anthem of Holi and adds so much to any celebration!

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Related Article:

This Holi, ChatGPT, ChaatGPT– and Amitabh Bachchan too!

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Hyderabadi Zaiqa takes Manhattan, One Biryani at a Time.

By Lavina Melwani

This is a tale of how three unknown chefs with unknown names conquered New York’s food world with Hyderabadi Ziaqa.

Hyderabadi Zaiqa? What’s that? It’s the new kid on the block in New York’s ever churning, unstoppable food universe. It’s the restaurant Zohran Mamdani named as one of his favorites and visited at least seven times during his mayoral run.

Mayor Mamdani loves biryani and haleem and any restaurant which is so close to the 6 subway line is bound to be close to his heart. But it’s also won over the top food critics and been anointed with a Michelin 2025 notation. New York Times recognized it in 2424 among the 100 best NYC restaurants and critic Pete Wells wrote, “Biryani is the pride of Hyderabadi cuisine and the point of Hyderabadi Zaiqa. More than a dozen are available, from a staunchly traditional and ferociously spiced dum biryani augmented with slow-roasted goat to the Chicken 65 biryani, featuring a spicy, lava-red chicken invented several years ago at a hotel in Chennai.” Eater magazine marked it among the 38 best restaurants in New York, while Bloomberg called it the most affordable restaurant in New York.  

Indeed, in these tough financial times, affordability is key as every visit to any restaurant seems to cost an arm and a leg and a big bite of your credit card! Browse the abundant menu at Hyderabadi Zaiqa and the prices seem to be surprisingly and modestly old-fashioned, where it’s possible for a middle-class family to feast and even splurge on dessert.

So, what’s going on here and what’s all the commotion about? Why are people so excited about a humble eatery which in its earlier avatar in Hell’s Kitchen was hardly bigger than a closet? These chefs don’t have celebrity status and are hardly 30-something. They are even younger than our young mayor – so I decided to go and investigate.

How the Biryani-Wallas Conquered Manhattan

Hyderabadi Zaiqa is wedged in a line of small nondescript Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani restaurants on Lexington Avenue, affectionately known as Curry Hill and Little India.   The eatery is by no means luxe or uber stylish but is a fun, casual canteen with a spunky splash of yellow, cheerful, especially on a New York winter afternoon. Red stools and a Biryani map of India on the wall set the mood, and copper bowls and cutlery  make the meal relaxed, a whiff of upscale!

The three chefs came to the US when they were 20-somethings and hail from different parts of India. Chef Muhammad Tarique Khan is from Rourkela in Odisha and his co-partners, Chef  Jayesh Naik and Rahul Vaze are both from Mumbai.

Journeying from India to America, each struggled and searched their way through the food world until finally Hyderabadi Zaiqa became their very first independent venture, a testament to the guts and creativity of immigrant dreamers.

“When I was growing up, I’d always see my grandmothers, my mother, my sister cooking – but I would never see my father cooking!” recalls Chef Tarique, whom I interviewed recently. He had to temporarily leave school at the age of 13 due to a family financial situation and work in a butcher shop which provided meat to several hotels. This was an eye-opener, for when he went for delivery, he’d see the large mark-ups the restaurants made.  So, what initially attracted him to the hospitality industry was the profits, but when he actually entered the business he realized it was an honor: “You are serving community – you are connecting people through food. If you want to touch anyone’s heart, if your food is good, people will connect with you very fast. That’s why when I was 13, I had already decided that I would feed people.”

While working part time, Tarique eventually finished school and graduated from the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) Bhubaneswar. He worked with Park Hyatt in Hyderabad which sent him to different metros in different regions from Cochin to Kolkota to learn different techniques.

“I was always eating food over there, and always making food, creating food,” he recalls. His curiosity and love of food made him absorb everything, but it was really  Hyderabadi cuisine he wanted to promote, since it all started with his grandmother’s Dum Hyderabadi Biryani.

Eight years ago, when he came to the US, he was working with Hyderabad House and opened almost 22 locations promoting Hyderabadi cuisine, starting out in Columbus, Ohio, and moving on to Kansas and Chicago, setting up the kitchens and training the workers.

At that time Priyanka Chopra’s restaurant Sona in New York had just opened and was creating a buzz. Tarique was referred to by a friend, and was selected for the kitchen after an interview, working there for one and a half years.

While in college, he had heard about the acclaimed restaurant 11 Madison Park and had always wanted to work there. “So, I went there twice and both times they rejected me, according to my experience. Later on, I tried once again and they took my trial, and they gave me an opportunity to work there as a line cook. I worked there for one and a half years and learned so much. Now I understand why people pay $300- $350 just for one course there!”

In the meantime, his would-be partner Jayesh Naik was also trudging his way to success. He had also picked up cooking from his mother and grandmother. His grandma, who is now 90 and lives in Vasai, a coastal village in Mumbai, still cooks his favorite Konkani fish curry. That love of cooking led him to work in India at ITC Maurya before he came to the US. Here he worked for several caterers promoting Indian food.

The two chefs met during Covid times, and both found themselves cooking in Parsippany for Indian students who needed affordable food. As they came to know the community and people started appreciating their food, they decided the time was right to open a restaurant in New York.  As there were many fine dining restaurants, they felt the real need was for affordable food of good quality. Tarique, while working for upscale restaurants, would then put in after-hours as a delivery person for Grubhub and DoorDash. Encountering different segments of the food universe, he tried to understand what people really want from Indian food and what was missing in New York.

At Hyderabadi Zaiqa, remembering their own journey, the chefs have kept the prices affordable and the food fresh, a real taste of home. The location ensures they have a captive audience: regular customers and some are daily visitors, picking up both lunch and dinner. Many work in the area and there are students from NYU and Columbia, and workers of tech companies in the area. At their 52^nd street location in Hell’s Kitchen, they take no reservations and takeout is offered for theater goers and tourists from the miniscule location. From just three partners who still do all the cooking, their staff now has expanded to 30 workers.

Tarique says their inspiration is the people they feed: ordinary people, immigrants from South Asia, who are longing for a genuine taste from home. Besides keeping the prices low, they also bring in the authentic dishes people are missing and don’t find everywhere such as home-made alu mattar or bindi masala, cooked with spices imported from India, many from Hyderabad. Besides the signature Hyderabadi cuisine with its halal and spicy flavors, they have made space for comfort foods like Indo-Chinese and North Indian foods. “We explore the opportunities and provide what people really want and enjoy.”

The biryanis include the Hyderabadi iconic dum goat biryani besides chicken, lamb, fish and shrimp biryanis. The  Avakai chicken biryani has mangos in it while the Gangura Chicken Biryani is flavored with the aromatic gangura leaves. Fortunately for vegetarians like me, there are vegetarian versions, including a paneer biryani.

I spent an afternoon with the chefs and their staff, starting my initiation with thick, milky Iranian tea which is found in so many Irani cafes in Mumbai but which I’ve never tasted here. While Hyderabadi Zaiqa is known for its meat dishes like biryanis, kebabs and haleem, I was happy, as a vegetarian, to find many plant-based dishes. I ate the baigara bagan and biryani, without which any wedding in Hyderabad is incomplete. Who can resist Gobi Vupudu or Paneer Tikka or four different types of vegetarian biryani? Strolling through the bustling kitchen, one could see the happy camaraderie of the Biryani Wallas.

The road to Hyderabadi Zaiqa has been tough, for starting a small business in New York is no joke.  They pooled in their savings and invested in their first restaurant – but they were first rejected by 30 landlords! Having no mentors or investors, it took almost four months to get the location they wanted but finally they found a landlord who believed in them. Mr. Chu, an immigrant like them, had himself come to the US in 1960, and struggled like them.  Today he owns 50 buildings all over the city and has been a virtual godfather to them.

This March they open their third Hyderabadi Zaiqa, right next to the one with just three tables on 52^nd Street – this time it is a massive 60 seater where they will take reservations but will keep the prices affordable. They have no intentions of hiring a head chef or offering alcohol. The three strugglers from India have kept to their values and have climbed to the top of the Biryani Mountain, a source of pride to their grandmas. Hyderabadi cuisine Jai Ho!

More information at hyderabadizaiqa.com

The post Hyderabadi Zaiqa takes Manhattan, One Biryani at a Time. first appeared on Lassi With Lavina.

New York Diary

ChatGPT, ChaatGPT, Chaat BOTs – and Amitabh Bachchan too!

In this AI-driven age, we all know what is ChatGPT – but do you know what is ChaatGPT? It is an AI-powered Holi celebration combining food, play, and ideas. Eat chaat—India’s iconic street food—and generate your very own combination of chaat condiments & add-ins with an open-source ChaatBOT, based on your personality and tastes.

All this action is happening at the Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) in Queens where on Sunday, March 8 from 2 pm to 4 pm ChatGpt and ChaatGPT will come together in a delicious free community event where you get to eat chaat and learn about AI.

Playful yet serious, the program includes a short workshop, presented by artist Prashast Thapan, examining how open and closed AI models differ, with attention to transparency and data literacy. Rather than promoting any platform, the event invites participants to better understand how these systems work and the choices available when deciding whether and how to engage with them.

You have to RSVP for the AI workshop at 3 pm.  Chaat is provided by Maa Ka Dhaa ( love the name!) and available first come, first served.

There is also music and dance for the family because this is a Holi celebration. And because the song Rang Bharse adds so much to any Holi celebration, there is a screening of the classic Bollywood film Silsila starring Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Jaya Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor. (Tickets required).

This is part of MoMI LAB, the Museum of the Moving Image’s new initiative dedicated to AI and emerging technologies, and Open Worlds 2026.

Schedule of activities:

2:00–4:00 p.m. ChaatGPT personality test plus free chaat and chai

2:00–4:00 p.m. Holi crafts and celebrations

3:00–3:30 p.m. AI workshop: “Open Source for an Open World” with Prashast Thapan. RSVP recommended, limited space available.

Special Guest: 

Prashast Thapan is the founder of Pariah Interactive a creative studio shaping contemporary digital culture. 

4:00 p.m.: Stay for a screening of the 1981 Bollywood classic Silsila.

So get started on your Holi celebrations early, while the snow still lingers in New York.

More details at https://movingimage.org/event/chaat-gpt/

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Between You and Me

Billionaire MacKenzie Scott’s Valentine to the World.

Love Comes in Many Ways…

Valentine’s Day is all about loving and giving and do I have a love story for you! Last year MacKenzie Scott gave away $7.2 billion to those who had been forgotten and left behind, bringing her gift-giving total to $26 billion.

The world is chaotic at this time and it’s an especially difficult time for refugees, the downtrodden, and the outsiders. Along comes a savior, to restore some decency, some humanity to the tumultuous events. MacKenzie Scott conquers not with a sword, but with a love ballad, a valentine of caring for the most marginalized and the abused.

After divorcing the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, she not only discarded the marital name Bezos,  but also embraced her own middle name Scott, and a whole new persona. She does not like the grand-sounding title of ‘philanthropist’, preferring the more low-key and simpler word ‘giver’.

According to Forbes, Mackenzie Scott was the nation’s top philanthropist in 2025 and ranks third behind Warren Buffett and Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates in terms of lifetime giving.

As The New York Times noted, ‘Ms. Scott has come to embody a new brand of philanthropy. She has made large gifts to nonprofits that were distinguished not just by their dollar value but by the fact that she gave without dictating how the money should be spent.

When, in 2019, she committed to giving away at least half of her wealth as part of the Giving Pledge, Ms. Scott said, “I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.”’

Scott has already given away more than half her wealth of $ 40 billion. You will not see flashy PR announcements, photo opps or glittering galas promoting her philanthropy. You will not see her interviews or profiles in the media.

The site of Yield Giving is simple enough with no images or copious text. It quietly states: Established by Mackenzie Scott to share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people, Yield is named after a belief in adding value by giving up control.”

What is heartwarming to see is where all this money is going: small grassroots organizations which are always strapped for cash and addressing issues of migration and immigration, of housing and the homeless, hope for the incarcerated, education in underserved areas, ageing, race and gender bias and all the inequities of our civilized world.

Many of these ideas have been brewing in her head since college. Scott graduated from Princeton where the iconic Toni Morrison was her teacher.  She went on to write two novels, and several essays that she had written are on the Yield Giving site.

One particular quote from a book Scott had read had a special impact on her:

“I found it this morning on a shelf of my books from college, toward the end of Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life. It was underlined and starred like all of the words that have inspired me most over the years, words that felt true in context, and also true in life:

“Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book… The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better… Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.”

Of course, not all of us have billions to give, but Scott tells us to give what we can – love, compassion and kindness to whoever needs it.

As she says, “I have no doubt that tremendous value comes when people act quickly on the impulse to give. No drive has more positive ripple effects than the desire to be of service. There are lots of resources each of us can pull from our safes to share with others — time, attention, knowledge, patience, creativity, talent, effort, humor, compassion.

 And sure enough, something greater rises up every time we give: the easy breathing of a friend we sit with when we had other plans, the relief on our child’s face when we share the story of our own mistake, laughter at the well-timed joke we tell to someone who is crying, the excitement of the kids in the school we send books to, the safety of the families who sleep in the shelters we fund. These immediate results are only the beginning. Their value keeps multiplying and spreading in ways we may never know.”

Seeding by Ceding is a deep dive into how Scott helps distribute the wealth, through deep thinking, consensus and collaboration https://yieldgiving.com/essays/seeding-by-ceding

Valentine’s Day is not just for significant others or spouses. It is a love letter to children, parents, extended families, teachers, friends, neighbors, even strangers who are all part of our universal family.

And so, this Valentine’s Day, not only do the ones in need get help and care from MacKenzie Scott, but we all get a lesson in living from her too, on how to deal with the ups and downs of life with spunk and hope, and a blueprint for creating a better world.

What better parting wisdom to take away from Scott than her favorite from Rumi:

“A candle as it diminishes explains,

Gathering more and more is not the way.

Burn, become light and heat and help. Melt.”

The post Billionaire Mackenzie Scott’s Valentine to the World first appeared on Lassi With Lavina.

The President’s Cake, by debut Iraqi filmmaker, is Shortlisted for the Oscars

Birthday cakes are such a ubiquitous, expected part of life – but not when it’s the President’s Cake!  Then it can bring fear and chaos and take impossible efforts to create something as mundane as a cake. Especially if it’s a mandatory cake for an authoritarian leader.  The President’s Cake, a debut film by Iraqi filmmaker Hasan Hadi takes on this nightmare scenario for Lamia, a nine-year-old girl in Saddam Husain’s Iraq in the 1990’s, who in spite of her fervent prayers, wins the lottery to make the mandatory cake for the dictator.  A task which should be simple is difficult in a war-torn country with food shortages and corrupt leaders, where the small folk are merely puppets in the larger scheme of things. This engrossing film also shows the diehard spirit of ordinary people and the occasional kindness which makes life bearable.

The President’s Cake is set in rural Iraq

Hasan Hadi’s award-winning film The President’s Cake has been shortlisted for this year’s Oscars in the Best International Film category. At its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, it won the Directors’ Fortnight People’s Choice Audience Award as well as the Camera d’Or prize for Best First Film. The film has also just earned a nomination for Best First Feature Film by the Director’s Guild of America. You can see this movie now as Sony Classics is releasing it on February 6

Watch the teaser trailer for THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE 

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 29 critics’ reviews are positive. The website’s consensus reads: “A tenderly crafted, often devastating portrait of childhood in rural Iraq, The President’s Cake vividly brings to life its morally complex world through richly drawn characters and intimate storytelling.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-presidents-cake-review-iraqi-schoolgirl-tragicomic-gem-1236215460/

Director Hasan Hadi takes us into rural Iraq, into the world of Lamia (Baneen Ahmed Nayyef) and her friend Saeed (Sajad Mohamad Qasem), both dirt poor and powerless. Lamia has been selected to bake the mandatory birthday cake “with extra cream” for the great leader Sadam Hussain in her school and the two go about, with her cockerel Hindi, struggling to get the eggs, flour and sugar in a marketplace of ruthless, selfish and disinterested adults, some even coercive and the rare one showing humanity.  There is heartbreak and humor as Lamia and Saeed scavenge for the ingredients, using hard work, wits and bravado. They manage to keep their moral compass and their spirit intact.

You will root for this engaging pair even as you despair for the dismal state of the world.

http://www.presidentscake.com

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The post The President’s Cake Is Shortlisted for the Oscars first appeared on Lassi With Lavina.