By Vidya Pradhan
Our Indian community is known for its obsession with the education of its children and sometimes we make enormous personal and professional sacrifices to make sure our kids are in the right environment and the right school. While there are many public schools around the bay which meet the rigorous standards of Asian parents, when it comes to keeping the kids abreast on current events, even the best schools fall short. Continue reading
By Arvind Srinivasan
Identity Crisis
Superman has Kryptonite, Batman has the Joker, Rama had Ravana, and President Bush has “nucular,” but none of these heroes, if we use a broad sense of the term, have antagonists that hold a candle to what I have had to deal with my entire life. The knife to my heart is not simply a fear of heights, snakes, tests, or a breakup with my invisible girlfriend, but much more profound. My complexity complex is…the idli. Continue reading
By Gaurav Rastogi
The style, and other reflections
I noted last time that there are some very striking things about the Bhagavad Gita that leap out at the modern reader. The writing style is very mathematical and tight and relatively free of the “Indian mystical” style that seems all the rage these days. Also, there seems to be some solid science (and science fiction) behind the assertions in Chapter 2. Continue reading
By Rohini Mohan
How long has it been since you wrote a letter in long hand and on a piece of paper?
Funny how we’ve wandered into an era in which we are more comfortable communicating with inanimate objects than we are in talking to live humans. We feel secure only if we are hooked up electronically 24/7. Laptop, Blackberry, and Cell phone, (read as I-phone), are as important for our sustenance as Dal and Roti. Continue reading
By Vidya Pradhan
A plaintive mass email reached my inbox recently. “I am thila from Malaysia,” went the email(typos intact), “I have always been a movie freak since I was young. Somehow, since the past few years, I kept thinking of writing stories for movies especially Indian movies. In fact, I have written two movie stories and even send it to Revathy madam via e-mail. Unfortunately, there was no reply….I even send my stories to Hrithik's mailing address three years ago but there was no reply. Send it to Vinu Vinod Chopra but no reply too. I am currently working but I know for sure that this Job is not what I want to do for the rest of my life. I would really really appreciate it if you could help me on this matter.” Whether Malaysia or Mongolia, the lure of Bollywood is getting irresistible. Can Silicon Valley be far behind? Continue reading
By Vidya Pradhan
It is an immigrant’s tale as old as time. Rukhsana( not her real name) was brought to the US from her native South Asian country on a fiancée visa. Once she was married, her in-laws found many excuses not to proceed with her green card application. This ensured that the lonely and helpless girl would submit to other, typical, patterns of abuse – emotional, verbal and physical – without recourse. With her spirit all but extinguished, Rukhsana made a last ditch attempt to escape. While being taken out of the state, she evaded her captors and asked a stranger for help. She was taken to the police station, where she had her first piece of luck since coming to the land of the free, a meeting with a Narika representative. Continue reading
By Rohini Mohan
There are millions of people who set out to do something with their lives. Some fail, and fade into oblivion while most fall to mediocrity; but there are a chosen few who can’t help but succeed. It’s almost like there is a divine force guiding them on their journey. Mother Theresa was one of the blessed ones. And she chose to share her largesse with the City of Joy, bringing succor to many. Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu arrived in India at the age of 18. Clad in her iconic white sari with the blue border, she lived and worked amongst the poorest of the poor, until her death a decade ago this week. Continue reading
by Basab Pradhan
Ramayana and the Mahabharata are not just great stories – they form the backdrop to the rich tapestry of greatest mythology there is – Indian mythology. But they are also religious texts. To tell these stories in ways that strictly adhere the original scripts, is a safe commercial bet. After all, India is a deeply religious country. Ramanand Sagar and B. R. Chopra did exactly that with their TV Series. But what Virgin Comics has done with Ramayan 3392 AD is anything but safe. It is bold. It is comic book art. Continue reading
By Vidya Pradhan
The big news in the Fremont Unified School District is the introduction of Hindi as an accredited course in the high schools.
The person responsible for this, Madhu Aggarwal,has been conducting Hindi classes at various locations in the Bay Area under the auspices of the Madhu Bhasha Kendra.
Madhu started as a volunteer at the Hindi classes at the Fremont temple nearly 20 years ago. After a while, the lack of structure in the system forced her to develop her own teaching methodology. She started offering classes in her garage and never looked back. Continue reading
By Gaurav Rastogi
I’ve been reading the Bhagavad Gita for a couple of weeks now, and I’m feeling one with Arjuna already. When Chapter 1 ended, Arjuna was overwhelmed and panicked. Ditto for me.
SO MANY VERSIONS, SO LITTLE TIME
OK, so I cheated. I had promised that I would only read one version of the Bhagavad Gita and record my notes. Now, I’m adding internet searches on Amazon and Wiki, to my set of sources.
After I posted last, I received many comments and recommendations for Gita translations. The ones most recommended seem to be Eknath Eshwaran’s version, as well as Osho’s version. I’m panicked that people might compare! Continue reading
Water, No Ice 