Desi parents, children - and expectations. Photo: Carolyn_Sewell

Desi Fathers & Sons

As my father gets older and reaches an age where he needs more help and emotional support than ever before, I am confronted with a challenge that almost all young desis face today: how to juggle our responsibility towards our parents, which is an integral part of our culture, with the many demands of our hyperactive cosmopolitan lives and our focus on the realization of our own potential and dreams.  Ultimately, we all find different solutions but the underlying emotional conflict is the same for everyone.

Unlike Western culture which idolizes the individual and self-realization, desis come from a background that stresses the importance of ancestral continuity and indebtedness to our parents.  As a friend of mine once said, “Once they have you they think they own you.”  There is no right or wrong here but the two ideologies clearly clash and can create very practical problems for a modern desi in the United States.

To understand the problem better, it is important to identify the reason for the disconnect.

Moving on: Fathers and sons on the road of life. Photo: T31Erick

In Western culture, old age is regarded as a liability.  While there is a lot of effort made to provide older people with physical comfort, it is generally accepted that the previous generation cannot be allowed to hamper the progress of the present one.  In other words, parents should be taken care of but only to the extent that it does not require true sacrifice.  Anything else would be a betrayal of ourselves.  The notion of parents living with their children is almost anathema (not that it never happens).

Desi culture, on the other hand, reveres old age and automatically assumes that parents will stay with their children and be looked after, regardless of the circumstances.  There is a strong sense of “duty” behind all this that sidelines practical concerns in deference to the welfare of the elderly.  All this creates a juggernaut of social and emotional pressure for young desis.  Conscience, after all, is a powerful force and nowhere does it have greater potency than when it comes to the caring of our aging parents.

So the question is which of these philosophies do we follow and is there a happy balance that can satisfy our desi conscience while enabling us to live the modern life we want?

I have grappled with this issue for more than a decade and only recently made peace with it.  My father is the nicest man I know and the degree to which he has sacrificed his own happiness for the sake of mine is beyond measure.  Yet for the longest time I hated him for it since it created an obligation that I did not want.  But then something changed.  I realized one day that not only was I grateful to him for going above and beyond the call of duty as a parent, but that I genuinely wanted to repay him for his kindness.  In essence, I want to take care of him not out of a sense of guilt or obligation but from the desire to do it.

And therein lies a possible answer.

As a good desi son or daughter, we are bound by our culture to perform a role that we may not want to, and because we feel forced to do something, we resent it.  But what if there is no pressure, at least in our own minds; what if we put aside our fear of social reprisal and do what we want; and then what if we decide to take care of our parents not because we are being forced to but because we want to.  The difference in those two attitudes is night and day and can lower the weight of the burden that we have to carry.  If we believe that something is a burden, it will feel like a burden no matter how vast our resources or how easily we can tackle a situation in the real world.  The other side of that coin is that if we can shift our own perspective on the problem and stop seeing the care-taking of old parents as a burden, we may be able to deal with it more effectively and with less anxiety.

Defeat of Individualism or Sign of Evolution?

Right about now I can imagine some of you objecting strongly to the notion of changing your attitude about anything, but speaking for myself, I do not consider adjusting one’s attitude as a defeat of individualism but as a sign of evolution.  We don’t become weaker by re-considering our perspective in life but stronger.  People who can evolve to meet the demands of life survive and thrive, while people who resent those demands or avoid their responsibilities altogether remain stagnant and unfulfilled.

Of course, not all parents are exemplary and in those cases, their children’s emotions may be even more complex and conflicted, but that is not within the scope of this discussion.  My goal is merely to share my own individual solution to the dilemma of balancing my own needs with those of my father.  I realize that adopting a new perspective and creating workable arrangements are much easier said than done, but they are not impossible either.

To sum it all up, whenever I feel like complaining about my familial responsibilities or envy others who (for whatever reason) do not have them, I just remind myself of the fact that I am actually grateful for all the sacrifices my father has made for me and that I have consciously taken advantage of his generous nature time and again.  To pretend now that “I never asked for it” is not only disingenuous but truly ungracious.  My father never forced anything on me and I have always had the choice to reject his support and go my own way – but the fact is I happily enjoyed his largesse and built my own life on that foundation, and so if I now have to adjust my life a little to accommodate him, it is hardly unfair.

Sanjay Sanghoee

Sanjay Sanghoee is a columnist for the Huffington Post and the author of a financial thriller, MERGER, published by St. Martin’s Press in hardcover, paperback and Kindle.

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Everyone of us goes through this. Sanjay Sanghoee talks of the personal dilemma of coping with an aging parent. What are your thoughts on this? Any coping solutions?

NYIFF - A scene from Gangs of Wasseypur

At NYIFF 2012, Celebrate the 100th Year of Indian Cinema

2012 marks the 100th year of Indian Cinema, so what better time to go on a filmi marathon?
Luckily, the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is just around the corner, so we can eat, drink and dream cinema for 5 days! But Indian cinema is so much more than just Bollywood and here are 10 tips to help you get the best of this multifaceted festival which brings you a rich mix of regional and Hindi cinema.
The 12th annual New York Indian Film Festival is presented by Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), which is headed by Aroon Shivdasani, and runs May 23-27. The Director of the film festival is noted film journalist and passionate movie-goer Aseem Chhabra.

Ten Top Tips For Maximizing the Movie Experience

At NYIFF, Aboshshey

1. Catch a Matinee! Remember those great hours when you snuck out of college – bunking they called it – to go with friends to catch the latest movie in a matinee show? Sitting in a darkened air-conditioned cinema hall in big city or small town was the greatest experience ever! Now get that nostalgic feel by seeing a matinee at the NYIFF with a gang of friends  - lots of choices and a chance to unwind from the daily grind.

NYIFF 2012, Zubeidaa by Shyam Benegal

2. Enjoy the Shyam Benegal Retrospective – and win free tickets. One of India’s most respected directors, Shyam Benegal will actually be in New York and at a Q and A after each of the three powerful, inter-connected movies being shown: A Tribute to Shyam Benegal: A Trilogy based on the script and personal stories of journalist, critic and filmmaker Khalid Mohammed: ‘Mamoo’, ‘Sardari Begum’, and ‘Zubeidaa’. To win free tickets to this event join a fun contest at New York Indian Film Festival’s Facebook page-  Please note the contest ends on May 18.

3. Take a Journey into the Past with Dev! Remember Dev Anand, the Evergreen Hero? Who can forget him? The beloved romantic, who died last year, is being honored with a colorized version of his hit ‘Hum Dono’ with Sadhana and Nanda as his leading ladies. Take a peek at the trailer of  ’Hum Dono Rangeen’ – and judge whether you like this or the golden oldie black and white version better!

NYIFF 2012 - Dev Anand, Nanda and Sadhana in 'Hum Dono'

4. Go South! You love dosas and idli sambar but if you haven’t seen a Tamil movie you’re missing Southern culture big time! Check out these award winners -’Azhagarsamy’s Horse’ which was the winner of 2011 National Awards for Best Popular Film providing wholesome Entertainment & for Best Supporting Actor; ‘Aadukalam’, winner of six 2010 National Awards, including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Screenplay. Also check out ‘Why This Kolaveri Di: The Biggest Viral Video Sensation of 2011′, starring Dhanush and Shruti Haasan, and directed by Aishwarya Rajinikanth Dhanush.

5. Get your Rituparno Ghosh fix! In this movie Rituparno Ghosh will face the camera again and he is playing the role of a choreographer, who plans to stage the dance drama ‘Chitrangada’ on the occasion of Rabindranath’s 150th birth anniversary.

6.Learn about the wonderful world of Indian cinema from the experts at Q and A’s , panel discussions and seminars.

7. Beat the Cannes crowds! Catch Anurag Kashyap’s  ’Gangs of Wasseypur’ which is being screened at the prestigious Festival de Cannes 2012, as a part of the Director’s Fortnight section. It is the Closing Night red carpet screening at NYIFF and will be followed by the Award Ceremony at Skirball Center for the Arts, NYC.

8. If you’re a fan of docs and shorts, there are several to pencil in on the schedule. You can catch the Oscar winner for Best Documentary short, ‘Saving Face’, directed By Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Also check out ‘Inshallah Football’, directed by Ashvin Kumar, which won the 2011 National Award for best film on social issues – and was earlier banned by the Censor Board of India.

9. Catch the stars – live! Autograph-hunters rejoice – Shyam Benegal, Anurag Kashyap, Rituparno Ghosh, Salman Rushdie, Madhur Jaffrey, Prashant Nair, Dhanush, Aishwarya Dhanush, Bedabrata Pain, Aasif Mandvi, Suketu Mehta and several other filmmakers and celebrities are expected at the festival.

10. Finally, don’t miss the party-go-round! This is New York! What’s life without some serious partying? The festival has tons of red carpet events, parties, and after-parties. The opening night red carpet screening of Bedabrata Pains’s ‘Chittagong’ at the Paris Theater is followed by the mother of all parties  – the opening night gala benefit dinner at the Jumeirah Essex House Ballroom, with  special speakers – Ambassador Nirupama Rao, Indian Ambassador to the US and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney – and of course all the star power and movers and shakers.
As mentioned, ‘The Gangs of Wasseypur’  is the Closing Night red carpet Screening at NYIFF and will be followed by the Award ceremony at Skirball Center for the Arts in Manhattan, where you can root for your favorites. What better way to end a festival, especially in the 100th year of Indian cinema?

More details at NYIFF 2012 site

To Mothers everywhere - a love poem in colors by a young artist

Mothers, Sons and Daughters…

To all the wonderful moms – Happy Mother’s Day! As this young artist has depicted from the heart, may the flowers always bloom for you, the sun shine on you and your lives always be full of love. Roses, gifts, visits to the spa, jeweled baubles, lunches and dinners, lots of pampering – you deserve them all!

Yet today we pay tribute also to the other mothers – the invisible women all over the world who struggle to give their children a roof and sustenance, a future…Watch Breakthrough’s moving video about the nameless women whose lives get subsumed in making a livable life for their families.

Breakthrough’s Right Reporters video ‘What’s in a Name?’

Breakthrough is a global human rights organization that uses the power of media, pop culture, and community mobilization to inspire people to take action for dignity, equality, and justice. It aims to uplift women, their identities and their stories and on Mother’s Day the organization shares a video from Rights Reporters, Breakthrough’s reporting team in India which serves as a platform for communities to tell their ordinary yet extraordinary stories of struggle and survival – and often triumph.

Breakthrough honors and celebrates the lives of these women, and you can learn more about the Bell Bajao campaign and other initiatives at Breakthrough.TV

Meanwhile, enjoy the red hearts oozing glue, the burnt toast made by little hands, the wonderful art and the overflow of hugs and kisses. Memories are made of this!

What are your favorite memories of your mother? The special times you’ve spent with your sons and daughters?
Your thoughts on the mothers and children who have to struggle to create a life? Please share.

Nawab of Jhajjar astride a pet tiger in his garden

Caught between the ebbing Mughal Empire and the rising British Raj, local Indian artists of that era painted a time of transition and served two masters. William Dalrymple and Yuthika Sharma examine a rarely covered period of Indian art history…

“Delhi was once a paradise,

Where love held sway and reigned;

But its charm lies ravished now

And only ruins remain.”

So wrote Bahadur Shah Zafar, poet and art patron, the last of the great Mughal emperors, as the mighty empire of his forefathers dissolved and the new rajahs arrived in town, the East India Company traders who were fast evolving into the new Colonial masters.

Those times are long gone, and Delhi, the spunky never-say-die city which re-invents itself after each invasion, is thriving once again. Yet, it’s intriguing to see what this city has gone through the ages. ‘Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi 1707-1857′, a recent exhibition at the Asia Society in New York allowed us to do just that with a showing of over 100 masterworks loaned from across the world, some of which have rarely been seen before.

The last days of the Mughal Empire were often thought to be days devoid of any artistic excellence, full of strife and political struggle as the East India Company rose to power in the last gasps of the Mughal Empire. Yet this exhibition emphasizes that it was a period of great artistic activity, a time of experimentation and innovation as the Indian artists produced works for their two patrons – Mughal nobility and the English residents.

Muhammad Shah celebrating Holi by Bhupal Singh

Walk through the exhibit and your eyes take in these jewel like paintings and you enter a surreal world.

There’s the Nawab of Jhajjar astride a full-size pet tiger in his garden, surrounded by attendants.

You see a Saivite woman entering a temple.

Then you have the Emperor Muhammad Shah, popularly known as Rangila (colorful),  playing Holi with the women of his court.

And there’s Sir David Ochterlony in Indian dress, smoking a huqqa and watching a nautch performance  in his residence.

These four images of Delhi encompass the different lives, the different stories that existed in the city at the same time, all painted by the Indian artists of that time. It was a period of complex artistic activity. A city in flux, facing changing fortunes, is shown through not only court art but also through sketches and architectural drawings of Delhi.

William Dalrymple, Vidya Dehejia, Melissa Chiu and Salman Rushdie

And who better to examine this churning of empire and Delhi’s ups and downs than William Dalrymple, the noted chronicler of the era, noted author of ‘The Last Mughal’ and ‘The White Mughals’? Together with art historian Yuthika Sharma, he has co-curated the Asia Society exhibition which focuses on the reigns of the last four Mughal emperors, Muhammad Shah, Shah Alam II, Akbar Shah II and Bahadur Shah II Zafar, a period from 1719 to 1857.

This exhibition came about through sheer serendipity. William Dalrymple was in New York in 2007 for a reading of his book ‘The Last Mughal’ which is about the great rebellion of 1857 and the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah  Zafar. Seeing the images of the art of that period, Vishaka Desai, the president of Asia Society, discussed the possibility of doing a show to highlight this little known art.  At the recent opening of the exhibit, William Dalrymple observed, “It was a five year process between that first phone call and tonight.”

His co-curator  in this venture is Yuthika Sharma, art historian, who was working on her PhD at Columbia University at that time.  As she says, “The ‘Last Mughal’ was the starting point of an idea but when we got together, it developed into something completely different. What’s really exciting about this exhibit is that it’s the art of a transition period – and transitional periods are always very difficult to talk about.”

As she points out it was a period of political transition and while we know about that through current research, we don’t really know what happened to the art of that time. It was assumed that with the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal atelier had ceased to exist.

Muhammad Faqirullah Khan (active 1720–70) A lady visiting a Saivite shrine

” How do artists respond to change? ” she asks. “This is really about bringing to life a body of art that hasn’t been seen at all – it’s really talking about art in terms of continuity of tradition, continuity in artistic production. Here we are able to  sketch this cultural continuity in a much more palpable way and we are able to give agency to the painters of this time. It’s about Indian artists and solely focused on Delhi as a site of artistic production, painting culture and the artistic milieu of this period.”

Asked if this art compared favorably with that of the earlier Mughal period, she said, “It’s more   useful to talk of the art from this period on its own merit, for it really evolves into is its own kind of painting. This is about painters transforming methods of painting, this is about   painters responding to various cultural stimuli and various patrons, and  then modifying their techniques to suit a particular patron.”

It was a period of transition in art as different cultural worlds collided. As Dalrymple explained in an interview for Asia Society, “Artists at this period are experimenting mixing Western and Mughal traditions of painting: depending on their patron and what is required of them, they can do flat full frontal, in the Mughal tradition, or with perspective and shadow, in the Western mode. They can use watercolors or Indian stone-based pigments, and paint on cloth, wasli or watercolor paper. It’s a period of astonishing intellectual and artistic experimentation.”

Kala in uniform of Skinner’s Horse From the Fraser Album

The exhibition looks at works by court artists Nidha Mal and Chitarman, as well as Ghulam Murtaza Khan, Ghulam Ali Khan, and Mazhar Ali Khan. You see Mughal miniatures as well as Company School paintings done for Britishers like William Fraser, James Skinner and Thomas Metcalfe.

Indeed, it is the story of changing patrons. The Mughals, battered by loss of empire, had less finances to indulge in their role of art patrons. The painters, in need of work, were increasingly turning to the British officers and traders for patronage, and the so-called Company paintings came into being.

“The first British East India Company officials who settled in the melancholy ruins of Delhi were a series of sympathetic and notably eccentric figures,” write the co-curators of the exhibit. “Politically, they saw the value of the Mughal dynasty. Personally, they were deeply attracted to its court culture. The first British Resident, the Boston-born Sir David Ochterlony (1758–1825) set the tone, adopting Indian dress, marrying Indian women, fathering  Anglo-Mughal children, and building the last of the great Mughal garden tombs for himself and his chief wife.”

One of his assistants William Fraser was also greatly enamored of the Indian art and lifestyle and became one of the important patrons, supporting the noted poet Ghalib as well commissioning pieces of art, including the Fraser Album worked on by Ghulam Ali and his family.  This is considered a masterpiece and many paintings from this are in the show.

Interestingly here it gets personal, for William Dalrymple first got involved in a study of this period as his wife, the artist Olivia Fraser, is from the same family as William Fraser, and he first encountered his letters in the family library. These become the basis of much of Dalrymple’s work, and in fact William Fraser turns up in many of his books. He laughs, “So we have a strong personal connection. He seems to be a figure I can’t seem to shake off.”

Asked about it, Olivia, for whom Jaipur and Rajasthan have become a second home as a painter of miniatures, says about the William Fraser connection: “We have all his family papers in our library. We’re from the same clan  – it’s quite Rajasthani, this idea of clans!”

Ask William Dalrymple which is his favorite painting in the exhibition, and he says, “The Fraser villages – every face tells a story. But then I’m totally prejudiced!”

And so that evening at the opening, hundreds of guests walked the gallery, examining long lost stories told through art. These paintings told tales of  ambition, war, music and dance, stories of love and loss,  monuments created and destroyed, stories of passions and pleasures.

Walking through the gallery on opening night, it was almost surreal to come across the iconic writer Salman Rushdie examining these paintings thoughtfully.  This too could have been  a moment frozen in time, a painting, a still life about stories and story-tellers, about how past and present blend together as we move into the future.

(C)  Lavina Melwani

(This article first appeared in Housecalls Magazine)

The New Patrons: The White Mughals

“The Boston-born Sir David Ochterlony was twice British Resident (or ambassador) at the Mughal court in Delhi, and liaised with the Emperors Shah Alam and Akbar II. He was born in Boston, where his family fought with the losing British loyalists, and moved to India in 1777 after thePatriot victory at Yorktown. With his fondness for huqqas, nautch girls, and Indian costumes, Ochterlony cut a lively figure, amazing Bishop Reginald Heber, the Anglican primate of Calcutta, by receiving him sitting on a divan wearing a Hindustanijama and a turban, all the while being fanned by servants holding a peacock-feather fan (pankha). To one side of Ochterlony’s own tent, wrote Heber, was the red silk harem (shamiana) where his women slept.

Ochterlony’s cortege, which the bishop later spotted on the move through the country of Rajputana, was equally remarkable: “There was a considerablenumber of horses, elephants, palanquins and covered carriages,” wrote Heber. According to Delhi gossip, Ochterlony had no fewer than thirteen Indian wives; every evening during his years in Delhi he was said to have taken all thirteen on a promenade between the walls of the Red Fort and the river bank, each wife on her own elephant. Yet Ochterlony, like many figures of his age, lived a double life. By night, he lived in Mughal style with his Mughal wives, as seen in his celebrated image on view here, dressed in turban and kurta pajamas watching his  dancing girls. Yet by day he upheld the prestige of the Company, fighting  with distinction in the Anglo-Maratha war of 1803–5, and the Nepal War of 1815, as well as playing a prominent role in the Company’s political service.”

(Source: Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi)

The Last Atelier – Caught between two Worlds

Ghulam Ali Khan (active 1817–55)

The last great atelier of Mughal painting revolved around the family of one man, Ghulam Ali Khan. The artist described himself in an inscription on one of his most celebrated pictures, as “the hereditary slave of the dynasty, Ghulam Ali Khan the portraitist, resident at Shahjahanabad.” Elsewhere he signs himself simply “His Majesty’s Painter.”

Although Ghulam Ali Khan’s family were very proud of their status as hereditary painters to the Mughal throne, the truth was slightly more complex. The Mughal court no longer had sufficient funds to retain Ghulam Ali Khan exclusively, and to survive the painter had to moonlight as an architectural and portrait painter to several other members of Delhi’s high society made up of European officers, influential chieftains, and other regional rulers.

These included the Nawab of Jhajjar, who Ghulam Ali Khan painted astride his pet tiger. The painter also worked for several British patrons, including the Rajput-Scottish mercenary James Skinner and for British Residents at the Mughal court including William Fraser, who became the painter’s principal patron by the 1830’s. As Fraser’s purchasing power gradually eclipsed that of the Emperor, Ghulam Ali Khan and his family worked on the Fraser Album, the supreme masterpiece of the period.

In addition to Ghulam Ali Khan, we know of other members of the family who produced remarkable work in this period. The oldest, Ghulam Murtaza Khan, was the court painter of the penultimate Mughal Emperor Akbar II. He continued to work in the refined style of the seventeenth-century—his figures display a restrained naturalism reminiscent of the formality of compositions during the reign of Shah Jahan. The painter according to descendants was related to Ghulam Ali Khan, and was perhaps his father.

Another painter, Faiz Ali Khan who is the painter of two stunning group portraits on display here, was almost certainly Ghulam Ali’s brotherand with his son worked on architectural renderings for the British Resident, Thomas Metcalfe. Finally, Mazhar Ali Khan, a close relation, was primarily an architectural painter who produced the commissions from the last atelier including the great Delhi panorama for Metcalfe on view in this gallery.

(Source: Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi)

The Fraser Album of William Fraser (1784-1835)

When the wife of the new British commander in chief in India visited Delhi in 1810, she was horrified by what she saw there. It was not just the British Resident at the Mughal court, Sir David Ochterlony, who had “gone native,” she reported; his two assistants were even worse: “They both wear immense whiskers, and neither will eat beef or pork, being as much Hindoos as Christians.”

One of these men, William Fraser, a Persian scholar from Inverness who went on himself to become Resident at the Mughal court and lived in Delhi for three decades, made perhaps the most interesting journey of any British figure of the period, transforming himself from an self-exiled Scottish landowner to a White Mughal with an Indian family, a private army, and close relationships with some the most interesting artistic, theological, and political figures of the period.

Fraser became a crucial figure in Delhi’s artistic development: the Fraser Album, which he commissioned, was the landmark masterpiece of the period and its portraits of soldiers, noblemen, holy men, dancing girls, and villagers, as well as his staff and his bodyguards, are unparalleled in Indian art. Particularly remarkable are the images the Fraser Album contains of the village of Rania, some of which are on view here. Rania was home to Fraser’s mistress, Amiban, and his two Anglo-Indian sons, and daughter. Fraser’s connection to the village means that there is an intimacy here quite unlike the usual colonial commissions. The wild-looking and handsome villagers, superbly painted with a realist flourish by a master portraitist, were intimately known by Fraser, and formed part of his circle of acquaintances—as he wrote himself, the images recorded “recollections that never can leave my heart.”

(Source: Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi)

Turning 30 can be a magical time. Photo - Kathy Crabbe

“I cannot be faulted for being true to myself.”

- Christina Aguilera

Single Desis – Wading into the 30′s

This next blog is dedicated to all you single 20-something’s, who aren’t sure about where life is headed and turning 30 seems to be a scary prospect. Sit back, relax and enjoy yourself, because I am about to share with you some thirty-something secrets that will surely give you plenty to look forward to:

By thirty you should own:

1. Your own furniture.
2. Your own style sense.
3. Your own music and video collection.
4. Your own sense of taste.
5. One great romantic memory.
6. An awesome outfit, if the man of your dreams chooses to see you in an hour.
7. A past, you are satisfied enough to move past.
8. A diamond necklace to make you feel like a fairy princess.
9. Your own savings account.

Enjoy the ride! - Photo by Marilena Benini

10.  The understanding that the people who hurt you in your past have made you a fighter and more resilient.

11.  The belief that you deserve it.

12.  A plan for how to enjoy your single life.

13.  A solid start on a satisfying career.

14.  The realization that you are getting older and you need to focus more on taking care of yourself- vitamins, workouts, pilates, etc…

15.  Better coping skills.

By thirty you should have:

1. How to fall in love without losing yourself in the process.
2. The ability to let things go more easily.
3. Less infatuation and more satisfaction.
4. When to try harder and when to walk away.
5. How to live alone.
6. How you feel about having kids.
7. Where to go when your soul needs soothing, whether it is on your bedroom floor, your kitchen floor, a hot tub, a massage table or on a Pilates mat.
8. Who you can trust.
9. The knowledge, that although your childhood wasn’t perfect, it is over and you have the ability to start your own life in any part of the world-take advantage of it!

10.  The enthusiasm to travel the world and the personal drive to enjoy it all.

11.  The motivation to see concerts, sporting events and your favorite activities in full force.

12.  The ability to understand that you matter and you are enough.

13.  To understand that life is all yours and you have the power to do what you want with it.

14.  To enjoy your freedom and personal space.

15.  The understanding of why they say life begins at thirty.

Welcome to the Thirties club!  You guys are going to love it!

xoxo

Monica Marwah

Monica Marwah

Monica Marwah is a 30 something single school psychologist who enjoys living life to the fullest.  She is taking her experience and showing others how to believe in themselves and love themselves completely.  After years of dating and meeting people, she has come into her own.  Spirituality has been a foundation for self improvement for her and she is hoping to encourage people to embark upon a spiritual journey at this age.)

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Too Many Kids, Too Few Schools…

When I took the decision to come back to India, my home country,  the scale tipped down to touch the earth in support of my logic. Everything pointed Eastwards Ho. Here I am now –  un-regretful and proud; only wishing, however, that I was not ignorant about a few things that would have prepared me better.

Have you ever heard about the “Point System”? I can imagine visions of a sport coming to your head. Well I only wish. This “system” does not relate to any fun activity whatsoever. Rather, and arm yourself for this one, it’s a system through which your child could get admission in a reasonably respectable school.

No Place in the Pond - Lazslo Photo

It’s the most dreaded term for any expat moving to India. It  is even worse if you had left many years ago and lost any kind of claim to your roots or may I say relatives. I am not going to confuse you any further here. Following are a few points that stand you in good stead when you are in the midst of a raging war to get your child to school. Your address (to determine proximity to school and evaluate standard of living); Sibling quota (you are relatively safe if you have a sibling studying in your school of choice); alumni (if you are an alumni of the school you can take in that extra breath); there is more but the aforementioned are the most dreaded ones.

No Place in the Pond - Lazslo Photo

Indian Schools – The Back Door Entry

Most schools have points allotted against each condition. For instance for “alumni” you get 20 points (hence I will get none), for neighborhood they get 30 points (My choice of schools are not in my neighborhood so there goes another 30), one gets 5 points for being a child with special needs or if born of a single mother (whoosh whoosh). Where do I stand a chance?

Apart from the above there is a term called “back-door entry”. In this case, if your child has not made it through the perilous points, you have the option in some schools to pay an obscene amount of money to get admission in it. In my opinion that is nothing short of bribing the educational institution but I may still be a little unclear about the terms. Hence if you are an expat of ordinary means (they have never heard this term here before) whose ties have been kind of torn with India you are in deep trouble! Yes,  it is a war and nothing else.

No Place in the Pond - Lazslo Photo

‘World Schools’ in India

Of course there are these new “World Schools”- mostly American. I did go to visit one of these and I must say I was very impressed but oh the deep deep holes the fee structure can burn in your pockets are abysmal! This school even has helicopters for children who needed immediate medical intervention in an emergency.  I am in love with the curriculum it follows and the way it gives precedence to self development rather than rote academics but for most here it’s wishful to imagine leading a comfortable life with your child going to that school.

Just in case I am misleading you to think that this system is for higher studies or for courses that are competitive let me clarify here that I am talking about children of about three to three and half years who are just about starting school after nursery. One of my American friends thought it was all my fault for trying to get my daughter into a “private school”. How oh how would I explain to him the difference of a private school here compared to one in America! I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

My friend’s three-and -a -half year old daughter had to compete with 36 other children for a single seat in a school. She stood no chance with that kind of ratio even when her father was an alumnus of the school! Apparently the 20 points didn’t help her much!

Limited Seats, No Admission

Even though mothers like me are losing sleep over this situation, I somehow do not blame the schools. In a country with the 2^nd largest population in the world there have to be preposterous systems of elimination. We must keep in mind that it is this same country that is producing some of the best brains in the world.

In the meantime, all I am seeking is a way to get my daughter to join that stream of screaming thousands for an academic certificate. An extremely ambitious dream to have in a country where expectations go beyond just the crazy procedure of admissions. These are just the entry tickets to an endless journey of prodding for things that have limited “seats”, like delightful careers or cushy lives. Or it may turn out to be an endless search for something one may not even want.

I go back to the day in the ultrasound room, where the doctor showed me a prune-sized cell and told me,  “That thing will ask for your car keys one day!”

The future is a mammoth blank sheet of paper – I wonder what it will look like when the artist has finished the job.

Kriti Mukherjee

Check out Kriti’s new site!

www.socialpotpourri.com

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Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy in 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – Adventures in India

If the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was really a hotel in Rajasthan, I think I’d like to spend a few weeks there for there’s just such a kookie charm about the going-to-seed establishment and the young manager Sonny Kapoor, played by Dev Patel with maniac energy and chutzpah, is such an exuberant, happy host.

Indeed ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ gives outsourcing a whole new dimension. What if old age could be outsourced – to India? The film follows a group of British retirees who decide to move to India to get more bang for their buck – and discover a whole new world at the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ‘for the Elderly and Beautiful.’

No Return to the Raj this, this warm and wry comedy takes you into the lives of seven Britishers in the sunset of their lives and shows there’s nothing quite as wonderful or an unpredictable as an Indian sunset:  lives change, attitudes change,  love happens and by the end of it, most of them are thoroughly charmed.

India gets to them all.

Dev Patel and Tena Desae in 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'

A Peep into ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ and the lives of its inhabitants…

Considering the fact that apart from the love story of  Sonny Kapoor and his girl friend played by the vivacious Tena Desae, the film is really about seven crusty senior citizens, you don’t have any dull moments at all – and that’s credit to the wonderful ensemble cast of actors who make it all come alive. It’s a pleasure to sit back and watch the stellar actors Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie and Ronald Pickup, not to mention India’s own Lillette Dubey. Each f their stories has pathos and humor, and each character is real, etched with consummate skill.  The film has already  received critical and box office acclaim in Britain and is sure to be remembered at Oscar time for some strong performances.

India & the Stars of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Recently several of the stars were in New York and met with the press at a conference at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel ( a far cry from the crumbling Best Exotic Marigold Hotel!) It was almost intimidating to see so much distinguished star power gathered in the room but they were all surprisingly down-to-earth and chatty.  Judi Dench, Penelope Wilton and Tom Wilkinson were there along with Indian actress Tena Desae, who makes her western debut in this film, and the acclaimed director John Madden.

The actors spoke about their diverse experiences in India: “India is a land like no other. You can’t begin to  know the meaning of the word ‘culture shock’ until you get there. I don’t think I ever recovered!” said Tom Wilkinson. He added:  ”This country (US) is a tiny country, this is a piffling 300 million people; we in the Britain are a piffling $ 60 million people –  that’s 1.3 billion people! it’s an enormous proposition, India and I recommend it to everyone of you!”

Judi Dench said, “My character says ‘India is an assault on the senses’ and I never had a desire to go to India but  within 24 hours I was completely, completely fascinated and bewitched by the country. The beauty of the people I thought was astounding – the color, the noise, the smell – everything about it is completely staggering – and I can’t wait to go back there. ” She added: “We’ve made some remarkable friends who are very keen on the mobile so if my mobile was to go off now – it’s probably one of them!”

Dev Patel in 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'

Asked about working with Dev Patel, who was unable to make it to the press conference, Dench was high praise. “Dev Patel – yes, he’s probably got more energy than any other actor I’ve ever met and that’s  in 56 years of being in the theater. He is a powerhouse and also each take is never quite the same, so it’s very exciting. He’s utterly delightful and I watch his career fantastically closely. In the scene welcoming us, he’s a powerhouse, he’s like a battery, he’s like a very strong battery – he always wants to try new things. He’s also a very funny, sweet, gentle modest man.”

The actors spoke about India, about theater and film, about their own lives, about how they would never like to retire from acting, be it in India or elsewhere. Listening to those wonderful voices off the screen was quite a pleasure and a privilege. Judi Dench shared a parting bit of wisdom from a friend: “He said always look for the pluses and somehow it’s a very good piece of advice. Even if it’s a very small plus, you get something out of something instead of the erosion of always thinking your cup is half empty.”

Indeed, ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’  has powerful British talent but India of course is still the star and top scene stealer. India’s unmatched contrasts, crowds, color, celebrations and sorrows are a palpable presence in the film. If you’re a fan of India and a fan of fine performances – then head for ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’.

Judi Dench and Celia Imrie in 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – Adventures in India with John Madden

“Since the characters are all of a certain age, it was a chance to cast actors who are at the peak of their abilities. They were the most extraordinary resource and they brought the story alive.  The sheer level of comic talent, acting skill and depth of experience was staggering. The only thing we had to do was bring them together with an equally skilled ensemble of Indian actors, and then watch them collide with this magnificent country.

“In this story, definitions of age and maturity completely fall away because the characters are made young again by the situations they find themselves in.  Challenged and overwhelmed by the experience of modern India, caught in different forms of emotional realignment – friendships, liaisons, rivalries – as well as in unfinished business that sparks in comic eruptions – they find that ultimately the only thing that matters is what is happening right then and there, between them.”

-  Director John Madden

Ranjana Khan. Photo by Nick Hunt/PatrickMcMullan.com

Ranjana Khan to be honored at CHI Spring Event

Can’t get to South Beach? Come to the next best thing – Children’s Hope India’s much anticipated annual Spring fundraising lunch – Miami Beat! On May 16, over 250 women are expected at this fun event poolside at the beautiful Crest Hollow Country Club in Long Island.  Ranjana Khan, the noted designer, will be honored as Woman of Distinction for having achieved success and balanced the worlds of work and family perfectly.

For years Ranjana Khan has applied her vast knowledge of embroideries to create instantly iconic pieces of jewelry and accessories. Born and raised in India, she brings Bombay to New York via Paris, the disparate influences of her life forming an aesthetic that combines hard and soft, dark and light, masculine and feminine, leather and tulle.

The Spring lunch, as every year, brings together many diverse and talented women of all generations so Ranjana Khan’s presence will be a source of inspiration to many emerging women entrepreneurs. Ranjana, who is passionate about supporting young women achieve their goals, has worked with several non-profits including Wishwas,  an organization which helps low-income South Asian immigrant women in New York  find vocations and become self-supporting.

The Spring luncheon, as always, is focused on the girl child and proceeds will go to help girls in various slum communities in India get vocational training and skill development, ranging from learning English to computers and various professions.

Guests at last year's lunch

Miami Beat – Spring South Beach Getaway!

The luncheon is a perfect opportunity to connect with old and new friends, watch an informal fashion show of contemporary styles by beautiful models in fashions by Shimmer. This year is a celebration of emerging women entrepreneurs and many dynamic young women are participating with their own brands. An open air market will showcase resort wear by SexiGuru and  fine jewelry by Jewel Joy, shawls by Sonika and desserts by Bittersweet NYC. The Miami heat and fun atmosphere is being generated by event planner Jharna Jaisinghani of Artistic Affairs.

Miami Beat boasts cocktails, lunch, dancing, Chinese auctions and enough shopping to make you drop.  For more information www.childrenshopeindia.org

Members of the CH lunch benefit committee

Supporters and performers at CHI lunch

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Gloria Ramchandani in her SRK tee shirt - Photo: Lavina Melwani

Shah Rukh Khan Fans – Who Are They? You? And You?

Who are Shah Rukh Khan fans? No anthropological thesis this, but anecdotal evidence and what my eyes saw at the recent Yale event where the Bollywood Badshah was honored with the Chubb Fellowship, I would have to say SRK fans are an ageless lot, going all the way from  babyhood to Golden Oldies. Actually maybe it starts even earlier with Shah Rukh-mad moms watching his movies during their pregnancies, giving their unborn babies a taste of Chammak Challo while still in the womb!

The line of fans waiting outside the Schubert Theater  for the SRK event snaked several blocks. They had come from California, Atlanta and New Jersey. There were mothers and daughters, and even three generations with grandma, mother and grand-daughters  and even a son-in-law in tow who had driven them all the way to New Haven, CT from Long Island, NY.  There were fathers and sons, hordes of college kids and even children, all waiting patiently for their SRK sighting.

Fans singing SRK songs outside Schubert Theater Photo: Lavina Melwani

SRK Tribe

Later, the hall was packed with 1700 fans,  screaming every time his name or his films were mentioned, and even a baby or two adding in their wah-wahs. Yale had probably never encountered  such a raucous crowd during the pomp and ceremony of the Chubb Fellowship Award.  I’m sure past recipients like President George Bush, Walter Cronkite or Toni Morrison had not got such an exuberant response.

While waiting for Shah Rukh Khan to arrive (yes, he had been detained at the airport as usual by over-zealous authorities) the press-wallahs got a chance to interview the legions of fans waiting in the queue. I chatted with several of the people in line to find out how and why they had escaped from reality on a working day to head out to the Schubert to meet their reel hero.

There was  Gloria Ramchandani who had actually flown in all the way from Atlanta just for this one hour event.  Her friend Sonia Sirnani, a New Haven resident, learned about the event on FB and within five minutes booked the hot  tickets.  Gloria, a student at Georgia State University, was in her SRK shirt. ” I am a huge SRK fan – I am wearing him right now! this is the shirt I wear at night so I can dream about  him! My dad thinks I am crazy, my mom thinks so too. My fiance, however, thinks it’s understandable!”

Another friend went one step further and said she had a poster of SRK right on the ceiling of her room so when she opened her eyes in the morning, Shah Rukh would be the first person she saw every morning!

Waiting for the Bollywood Badshah -Mitanshi Patel, Mahwish Makhdoom with Mrs. Makhdoom. Photo- Lavina Melwani

Shah Rukh Khan, India & Pakistan

Shah Rukh Khan seems to be  a big unifying factor where India and Pakistan are concerned.  “I love Shah Rukh! We all love Shah Rukh, we love his films, we love his songs!” said a woman who is originally from Pakistan. So could we say Shah Rukh Khan is a big unifying factor?   Mrs. Makhdoom, who was with her daughter  Mahwish and Mitanshi Patel, her Indian friend, agreed: “He’s a good human being and a good actor. Pakistanis love him too.”

For many, it was a pilgrimage from different states. Denna Oakland, a student at Georgetown University, had come from Washington DC, clad in a saree and carrying a Shah Rukh Khan bag.  The first Bollywood movie she ever saw was ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ and then saw ‘Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayege’  and ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gaam’. She got hooked on SRK. “I just fell in love with him – on the screen and as a good guy in real life.”

Denna Oakland with her Shah Rukh Khan bag. Photo - Lavina Melwani

A Kiss from SRK

She traveled to India and studied at JNU.  While there, she tried many times to meet him but it never happened. Then one day in Chicago Denna did get to meet him. By then she knew enough Hindi to rattle off a filmi dialogue to him:  “Shah Rukh, kabhi al vida na kehna – hum hain rahi  pyare ke.  Phir milenge chalte chalte.  Mujh ko Shah Rukh Khan  bahut bahut pasand hai ! ”

Her reward was a kiss on the cheek from the Bollywood Badshah. Did she ever wash that cheek again? She laughed, “Eventually – I had to!”

SRK’s appeals crosses all cultural and national boundaries. Also waiting on line was Marlena Ahearan with her mother who had driven in New Rochester, NY.  ” We have a rental place in our community and we started watching Bollywood movies. My mom and I watch him all the time – we love him!”  she said. “He’s just such a kind person in his movies and outside of them. He represents his country so well  and gives back to his country.  He’s a very positive person  – I can see why so many people love him.”

Marlena Ahearan and her mother, both SRK fans. Photo- Lavina Melwani

Shah Rukh’s Junior League

Manisha Beriwala, a Shah Rukh fan,  had come from New Jersey with another diehard SRK fan – her 5-year-old daughter Ivanka, who was probably one of the youngest people present at the Yale University event. “She doesn’t know anything about Bollywood but knows SRK only because of Chammak Challo,” said Manisha. ” She kept screaming his name and was thrilled to watch him dance to her favorite song. Seeing him dance, Ivanka and I ran to the aisle and started dancing too and we were joined by other enthusiastic fans. SRK shook hands with us,  and my daughter – like her mommy – was the happiest girl!”

So I guess SRK fans would say the Bollywood Badshah unites generations, unites countries, unites east and west, shows them dreams to dream but most importantly for them, he entertains them and is an agent for instant happiness.

Manisha and Ivanka Beriwala, SRK fans

For more fun updates, don’t forget to sign up for the Lassi with Lavina e-newsletter – fresh lassi home-delivered !

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“Finding Carlton: Uncovering the story of jazz in India.", a film by Susheel Kurien

“Finding Carlton: Uncovering the Story of Jazz in India”

When Carlton Kitto was just a teenager many decades ago in Calcutta, he had a love, and its name was jazz. At first, it was an innocent attraction, but the notes kept calling him, taunting him. It became an obsession and soon the yearning was too great. He had to make a choice between staying back and fulfilling expectations, or leaving to chase jazz where it took him. Fifty years later he’s still playing for crowds in the new documentary that bears his name, “Finding Carlton: Uncovering the story of jazz in India.”

“Finding Carlton: Uncovering the story of jazz in India.”

An Interview with Susheel Kurien – An Accidental Filmmaker

Susheel Kurien, who made the documentary, calls himself an accidental filmmaker. When he arrived in New York in the 1980s, later beginning his master’s degree at Teachers College at Columbia University, he was up to his ears learning computer programming and working at the same time, setting himself down the path of corporate success. He became a partner at KPMG, a managing director with an international consulting firm, but it wasn’t enough. His own love of jazz kept calling and it was getting louder. Kurien started listening to what he really wanted and it wasn’t long before he found himself in the midst of a film crew making this documentary. It became an exercise in learning the importance of following his dreams. In the interview below, read how Kurien navigated the process, what filming in India is like, and how “class […] over color” prevailed in India for people like Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie.

Q: You’ve spoken about a life change, a period in your life where priorities shifted and making this movie became a passion you could no longer ignore. Can you talk about that time frame and what was going on in your life then?

A: Maslow talked about a hierarchy of needs, I remember this from my Sociology classes, (not much else, though) and right on top is “self actualization,” the pursuit of inner talent, creativity and fulfillment. I think we all yearn for this, but the challenge of our daily existence often makes this difficult. However, when you start tapping into this zone, it’s an irresistible force. For me this film was a way of pulling together skills and experiences from my past (creative and film), my love for jazz (which has stayed with me for almost 40 years), and the understanding of what made musicians tick, (which I discovered in a big way when I became a dedicated student of jazz guitar). I can’t honestly say that I had a vision or some flash of wisdom or enlightenment, it just grew over time and I morphed into who I really am.

Q: One of the big themes that’s present when you talk about this film is the importance of following one’s dreams. What advice do you give people who may feel like it’s a luxury they cannot afford to pursue?

A: In this context dreams are personal goals that reflect a deep level of aspiration. The mind reaches out beyond where you are today, and in effect takes you where you want to be. When you have a dream, you have a goal. Be prepared to have your dream reflected on by people whom you respect and are willing to tell you what you don’t want to hear. You may not get validation, but they are helping you refine your dream and move it from the mind to reality. Write it down, develop knowledge relating to the dream and create a pragmatic list of steps that can take you there. Then, stop dreaming and focus on the first step and get it underway, constantly exposing it to more critique. Be prepared to let events, fate, serendipity, chance, and sheer persistence play their part and then look back. You climb a mountain one rock at a time; what’s most important is that you give it a try. Lastly, remember it’s ok to realize your dream cannot be accomplished or will fail, failure is learning.

“Finding Carlton: Uncovering the story of jazz in India.”

Q: Some say to work in India, one must take the good with the bad, expect a tough road and to be prepared for the worst. What adversity did you face in completing this film?

A: My India experience on this film was quite the opposite, good things happened all along, most importantly in the form of working with an amazing film crew whose creativity and talent made it possible. The key to working in India is flexibility. Compromise can work in your favor, and sometimes understanding that all participants can be winners can deliver a richer outcome. Having said this, making a film is an exhausting and demanding process that tests character and integrity, and challenges one’s initial assumptions. To quote the great Albert Maysles, “The very essence of filming is not controlling, but uncontrolled. You have some sort of idea of what your story might be, but you are ready at the same time to abandon that if it doesn’t happen or if something better comes along.” That last point was the real adversity: being willing to abandon.

Q: In a sizable amount of instances, the backstory is often as good as the featured story itself. What sort of things went into the making of this film that the audience doesn’t get to see?

A: This is a very insightful question. This film has many backstories, and one of the challenges was to determine which story thread to follow. What the audience does not see, for instance, is the story of how I “found’ Carlton through a newspaper article in the New York Times travel section that led me to pick up my phone and call a bar in Calcutta. They will never know what brought together over 100 people from all over the world who spoke with their wallets and helped make this film. They don’t see what happens when the incredible Louiz Banks opened his heart and his door to the crew and me. The search for archival music through spools of audiotape that reveals this awesome moment, finding music from 1961 isn’t there either; I can go on and on.

“Finding Carlton: Uncovering the story of jazz in India.”

Q: In establishing the very first International Jazz Day, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock has said jazz has been a major force in bringing people and cultures together. What are your thoughts on that, and what can you tell us about how jazz got to India?

A: Music is a language that all cultures understand, and when we share a musical experience, for those moments, however brief, we set aside all our differences and engage with the singular truth that music communicates. Suddenly it’s not about who we are or where we are from, and our intersection is now the music that we are sharing. Jazz created jazz cultures in many places, even in Shanghai in the ’30s. It came to India through some amazing African American musicians who really sowed the seed for long lasting impact. Yes, underlying all this was the pragmatic, economic fact that musicians needed jobs and in the early ’30′s the grand hotels and salons in India stood in marked contrast to a recession ravaged Europe and America. Jobs are what brought them there, not a romantic journey to bring the “gospel of jazz to the natives!”

Q: If skin-whitening creams and the pursuit of fair complexions are any indication of a certain groupthink that occurs in India today, what does it say about the significance of how African American musicians came to India and escaped oppression and discrimination during the Jim Crow era in the U.S.?

A: “Skin-whitening creams and the pursuit of fair complexions” should really be the subject of a documentary film that delves into the culture, society and mass media that keeps this groupthink going. Was this any different back in India of the ’30′s? Most likely not, but these rules did not apply to the musicians who came there, class prevailed over color. In other words, the African Americans did escape racism, oppression and discrimination by coming to India, but the overarching reason for going there was primarily economic; it was well paid gigs, the same thing that drives musicians today. They were well paid in contrast to local musicians, having been competitively sourced from gigs in Paris and the U.S. Society and the upper classes appeared to have viewed them with a different lens as opposed to that of color. They were stars, headliners, public figures, exotic if you will, but recognized for their musicianship and skill. They were not subject to the oppressive treatment that prevailed for many of their peers back home and were compensated well which contributed to what kept them there for a significant length of time. In fact, Teddy Weatherford, a pioneering African American pianist and bandleader, when asked how things were in India, was quoted as saying, “They treat us white folks just fine!”

Q: What project are you working on next and what lessons from this experience will you apply to your following work?

A: I am an accidental filmmaker, so filmmaking will continue to be the “second shift.” The next project will hopefully be much less demanding and complex, if there is such a thing. But it’s not going to be another feature length documentary, I assure you. I have been grabbed by some wonderful illustrations done by my good friend, artist Tony Vita, and I see an e-book or an interactive visual work that’s beckoning. I hope to do a short film over the summer, right here in New York. What did I learn? Follow your heart!

“Finding Carlton: Uncovering the story of jazz in India” will be screened at the U.N. on April 30 at 3:00 p.m. as part of Indian Mission’s programming for the first International Jazz Day. For more information FindingCarlton.com.

Sabrina Buckwalter

Sabrina Buckwalter is a student at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, a member of the Stabile Center for Investigative Reporting and a video editor for StarringNYC.com. She is a member of the South Asian Journalists Association, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the New York Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to moving to New York, she was a news features reporter for The Times of India based in Mumbai.