By Priyanka Gupta 

Walking into the Aicon Gallery in Palo Alto (previously Arts India West) I was confronted with numerous heads all staring back at me. Some mounted on the wall and some on the ground. The works of Mayyur kailash Gupta explore the inherent beauty in the most feature-filled personality-laden form of the human body: the face.

The artist Mayyur speaks of his works, ‘I always arrive at my work from my own temperament and environment. Faces always attract me. I pick features and faces from people I pass by everyday or during my travels. I believe in the tactile quality to my work. I want people to want to touch my works.’ He goes through the process of constant sanding and resting and sanding again to get the exact feel that he wants. His material too invites the viewers to touch them. The soft wood heads like ‘Apsara’, ‘Guardian’, foil covered heads like ‘two friends’,  graphite painted ‘for her’ and ‘head on head’, they all invite touch. More »

By Isheeta Sanghi

The three words that I hear every time the electricity goes out from my Dad are ‘Welcome to India.’ If India had a door the sign on the door knob would read ‘PROCEED WITH CAUTION.’ I say this because really, there are some things that you need to be aware of before moving/relocating here here. More »

Hari Srinivasan, age 13 lives in Cupertino, CA and is in 7th grade. He was awarded 2nd prize in the annual youth poetry contest held by The California Federation of Chapparal Poets. It is a statewide poetry contest for students from grades 7-12. His poem "The Power of the Human Mind" won 2nd prize in the category Youth's View of Humanity.

This is his winning poem

Power of the Human Mind
© Hari Srinivasan 2008

 A mere speck is our earth from space
Another sphere in the universe so huge
Yet what makes this planet so special
Are the Homo Sapiens that reside on its surface

  Big or small, black or white
Mere external distinctions of the human mind
Political dominance, the desire of the age
Oh the sorrow of the thoughtless human race

  Commercialism, the new education taught
Greed and envy are the fast food of the day
Are kindness, peace and compassion
lost history in the fickle human mind?

  Noble souls exist, scattered around the world
Altruism at its peak, best example for all around
Infinite is the compassion buried inside our minds
Such is the positive power of the human mind

 Amazing is this earth's human race
With its constantly evolving brain
A focus on what's good for the planet
Surely will benefit the human race.

- Hari Srinivasan

By Joy He, Second Place Winner (Grades 9th to 12th)

America is long overdue for a minority leader. For being a well-developed world power, we are notoriously single-minded when it comes to electing our presidents – no women, no minorities, no Jews, and no Muslims (indeed, even JKF’s Roman Catholicism kept the public talking for years). It is no question that America is quickly approaching a time for minority leaders. However, the conflict surrounding that issue comes from two sides. Not only is the question one of the American people’s willingness to elect a minority president, but it is also one of finding the right minority candidate to lead America.

The philosophy of the American people – the “American Dream” – is one that emphasizes equal opportunity for all individuals in all aspects of life. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence demanding freedom, justice, and the rights outlined in the first ten amendments to the constitution, he defined the United States to be a nation of choice – of free-will and independence. However, today, with the public’s increasing aversion to immigration and a pronounced distrust of those from the Middle East after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the American Dream is becoming just that – an American dream. When 5th or 6th generation “Americans” (whose families were incidentally immigrants themselves) begin persecuting other, newer, immigrants for pursuing the same dreams and ideals – the same freedoms – as their own families did once upon a time, then there is something inherently wrong with our Dream. The first obstacle America as a nation must overcome before entertaining hopes of electing a minority president is thus preserving the American Dream not only as a relic of the past, but also as a model for the future.

Conversely, it is also up to the candidates themselves to prove themselves worthy of leading our nation. Not only must America do its part to ensure that all candidates are given an equal opportunity to success, but the candidates must do their part to ensure that America will be led by the best people possible. Overcoming prejudice is one thing, but America shouldn’t feel pressured to elect a minority leader “just because.” Ability must come first and foremost. Whether or not the candidate is a minority should be almost an after thought – although, admittedly, their ethnic background would undeniably play a large role in areas of the presidency such as foreign policy. Indeed, we can’t simply say “minority president” and expect one to show up on our doorsteps.

Each president of the past was elected primarily on ability, and any presidential candidate, regardless of their racial status, must show that they have the ability to lead our nation.Ultimately, the election of a minority president will depend on both America’s willingness and the candidates’ competency . It is not only a question of whether the American public is ready to elect a minority president, but also if minority candidates are ready to step up to the plate. America is not yet quite ready for a minority president – the American Dream must be preserved in its entirety before we can truly be deemed ready – but conversely, we have yet to have a minority candidate who has really shown outstanding competency. In the future, America may be ready for a minority president, but will a suitable minority candidate be ready to lead America?

Judge's comments: Excellent point about older immigrants persecuting newer immigrants. Well structured and well thought out essay. Good postulation about whether the country would be able to throw up a minority candidate ready to lead. Good use of word limit. 

Joy He is a 10th grade student at Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield, Mo. Essay published as submitted.

Prizes sponsored by Desi Knowledge, a great place to get books, CDs and DVDs pertaining to Indian culture. Products ship from within the Bay Area, California

By Colette Jaycox, First Place Winner (Grades 9th to 12th)

Asking whether or not the county is "ready" gives undue credence to racist perspectives. By posing the question as a two-sided quandary, we tactically accept the answer "no"- and doing so has consequences. If we decide that the country is not ready for a minority president, we condone discrimination against political candidates based on their ethnicity. After all, if the country is not ready for a minority president, why bother supporting a minority candidate, regardless of his or her skill sets? This legitimizes bigotry in the political sphere. Because we deem a minority candidate unelectable, it becomes socially acceptable to discriminate against such candidates. This, then, makes it even more difficult for a minority candidate to be elected president. We spiral downward and it becomes even more difficult for us to overcome our racist past.

Instead of focusing on the ethnicity of presidential candidates, we should examine their opinions on the issues at hand. Media coverage of the elections directed in such a way would send a message to the population that deciding who to vote for based on skin color is socially unacceptable- and societal pressure can be a powerful thing. Only by moving beyond our insecurity as to the readiness of our country to elect a minority president can we actually have a chance at getting a minority candidate in that position. The color of one's skin does not hamper one's political abilities; the country of one's ancestors does not limit one's capacity as a presidential hopeful. Once we stop making race an issue, we will have only the abilities of the candidates to look to- and this is in no way constrained by color.

Skeptics remain as to America's ability to reason in such a manner. However, we have empirical evidence to the contrary. The frontrunner in the Democratic primaries, leading in both states and delegates, is the minority candidate Barack Obama. The unprecedented success of his campaign, even against well-connected Clinton machine, flies in the faces of the political pundits who dismissed him at the beginning of the race. The thousands upon thousands of Americans who flocked to the caucuses to support Obama must think the country is ready for a man like him. The fact that he is African-American does not seem to discourage Americans in any way from voting for him. And as a serious contender for the Democratic nomination, that party must surely believe the country would vote for him. America's readiness is determined by the people, and as of yet, American citizens are looking favorably on Obama, a minority candidate.

They think that America is ready, so it is. America is its people, and its people have spoken. We are indeed created equal.

Judge's comments: By questioning the very premise of the topic, Colette elevates the discussion to a higher plane. Even though the essay is short, it argues its point well. A discussion of the realities of race in America would have improved it further. 

Colette Jaycox is a 10th grade student at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, California. Essay published as submitted.

Prizes sponsored by Desi Knowledge, a great place to get books, CDs and DVDs pertaining to Indian culture. Products ship from within the Bay Area, California

By Sanjana Prasad, Third Place Winner ( Grades 5th to 8th)

“My fellow Americans, you know how much I love this country. You know what I will sacrifice for America, the land of opportunity, which is why I stand here now,” I start my inauguration address smoothly. As I continue discussing my policies with certainty, everyone lets out a sigh of relief, realizing they have elected a great president. More »

By Shreya Malik, Joint First Place Winner ( Grades 5th to 8th)

Signing bills to make them laws. Directing billions of dollars of budget. Representing the entire country in the world. Commanding the United States army. Bossing over employees who address you as “sir”.
-Whose job does this sound like to you?
This is the not-so-glamorous, yet most powerful position in the world–the President of the USA. Tiresome perhaps, but there is never a dull moment in the job of the President. More »

By Nicole Dalal, Joint First Place Winner ( Grades 5th to 8th)

The swarm of news reporters stormed into the Oval Office, eager to extract any piece of information they possibly could.
The magnificence of the room brought a special sense of national pride to one of the reporters. His eyes beamed as he perceived the stability and peace in the world that had been achieved under the reign of the new president. The eagle had truly spread its wings under this new administration and had taken flight, soaring into new and unexplored heights.
"Excuse me," he spoke, politely introducing himself to the kind secretary in the corner. "I would like to have a word with Ms. President."
"One moment please," the soft-spoken secretary announced as she walked over to the miraculously carved desk. She tapped the large leather chair and murmured, "Ms. President. We have some reporters who would like to talk to you."

More »

(Also read "A returning Indian entrepreneur reflects", an excellent article on moving back to India and The Big Move back, which talks about the practical aspects of moving back)

By Isheeta Sanghi

Delhi is one of the most fascinating places in the world,weather wise. It’s deathly hot in the summer, and its winters are frighteningly cold. On one such winter morning in Delhi, on my way to college in an auto I experienced something I had never experienced before. I was at a stop sign, and a young girl with dirty brown hair, and big curious brown eyes walked up to me. It was not that I hadn’t seen girls like her before, or that it was the first time someone had come up to me in an auto and asked me for money, but this time it was different. It’s almost as though the numbness of my fingers reached my heart, and I was able to feel just how numb it had become.

For years now, I have been coming to India for vacation and staying with extended relatives. They all seem to have one common mantra from Delhi to Bangalore “don’t look at their faces.” 'Their', in this case, referring to the beggars on the street. I never questioned this because I wanted to avoid the awkward situation of staring at a complete stranger, and them staring back. But this morning was different; I looked into this young girl’s eyes, and looked past her smile. I saw her parents on the sidewalk, or at least what they call a sidewalk in Delhi, and saw them covered in torn blankets, and rotting clothes. I saw their health and spirit deteriorating, and me not being able to do anything about it. When I saw this, it was like all of a sudden my problems had no place in the world. I didn’t have the right to complain about the cold because I am fortunate enough to run the heater the whole night, and afford blankets that make me sweat so much that I have to pull it off at times. What seem like little, or insignificant things are actually the most important in life. And if one wants to discover that, India is the place to come to. The disparity between the rich and the poor is just horrific, and it’s probably the only place on earth where the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor can live on the same street, side by side. More »

By Aparna Ramakrishnan

Swami Vivekananda, the great Hindu pioneer and diplomat to the United States who helped drive the modernization of India, once said, “Arise, awake. Stop not till the goal is reached.” The North South Foundation under Dr. Ratnam Chitturi’s direction has continued Swami Vivekananda’s mission in uniting Indians of many different religions and ethnic backgrounds under a single guiding principle: the importance of education.

The North South Foundation is best known to most Indian parents as an organization that sponsors local, state and national competitions in the US for children of Indian descent. Capitalizing on the dedication and pride that the parents here in the US feel in their children’s achievements, NSF, founded in 1989, has achieved astounding success in providing scholarships to promising but underprivileged students in India. More »