By Vidya Pradhan “Hey, here is a story about a girl who would rather read comic books than practice piano,” I said, hiding a grin. “Let me see, let me see,” said my 11-year old son, who is definitely guilty of the same behavior. He grabbed the magazine out of my hands. By the end of the evening the glossy pages were sticky with jam and milk and decorated in curry colors. Such is the power of Kahani .

Let’s admit it – most of our knowledge of Indian mythology comes from Amar Chitra Kathas. And even here, 7000 miles away from home, most of us have a couple of those comics stashed away in our bookshelves. Indian books are our link to our childhood, a sometimes tenuous link with our culture that we would like to hold on to and pass on to our kids. Desi Knowledge, the brainchild of Monica Khosla, is one such company which aims to help us do just that.

By Rohini Mohan Teena Arora, co-owner of CurrySutra, conducts cooking classes around the Bay Area, while educating her students on the wonders of vegetarian cooking and the health benefits of the Indian spice pantry. She has experience from the ground-up in the food business, having been hostess, waitress and manager/supervisor at her parent’s restaurant in the Midwest. Who says that the dhaba-esque flavors of Sarson Ka Saag and Makki Di Roti cannot tempt the tastebuds of the stereotypical meat and potatoes kinda guy? Hey, you can’t knock till you’ve tried it, right?

By Vidya Pradhan Stepping into Swati Couture’s tiny studio in Milpitas is like entering a fairy tale world, shimmering and sparkling with color. All around you are gorgeous dresses embroidered intricately and embedded with gems and sequins. Even at first glance it is evident that this is not one of your run of the mill desi outfit store, but a place for the princess in you.The creator of this magical queendom is Swati Kapoor, designer and style entrepreneur. She gives me a mini tour of the studio and I am captivated. The first stop is the hand painted sari line, developed specially for a fashion exhibition at the Pleasanton library. Each sari is like a painting, with detailed images of temples and other Indian icons. The work is astonishing, unique. “What about repeat value?” I ask her. “These are pieces that people wouldn’t forget.” “If you want repeat value, buy a t-shirt from Gap!” is her acerbic reply.

By Vidya Pradhan Imagine your backyard as a canvas. The flowers and the greenery provide the color while the architectural details form the composition of the painting. If you have a vision for your garden and want help transforming it into a work of art, then Laxmi Natarajan of Bagicha is the artist for you.

By Vidya Pradhan “Uh se akhbaar, aah se aam”, chant a group of kids in a classroom in Forest Park Elementary school in the Indian-heavy Ardenwood district of Fremont. Led by patient teacher Chitra Jayaraman, the kids are attempting to reestablish roots that have been diluted by exposure to an all-English environment. The after school Hindi program is run by the US Hindi Association (USHA), the brainchild of Prerana Vaidya and Ruchita Parat. 

By Vidya Pradhan Sujatha Suresh knows about dignity of labor. A few years ago, she put in time repairing shoe heels in Boca Raton at 3 dollars an hour. Today, she runs the highly successful event management company Akaar Events, along with partner Suzy Khendry.