Swati Couture – for the princess in you

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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. Continue reading →

Curry – a tale of cooks and conquerors

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By Vidya Pradhan

Curry has to be the most misunderstood and most misused word in the food lexicon. Even in South India, where the word first originated as ‘kari’, it could mean a dry vegetable dish or meaty gravy. And of course, the British have adopted it for their very own in a form that is probably unrecognizable to most Indians. Author Lizzie Collingham traces the evolution of British ‘Curry’ from the time of the Mughals to its various avatars in the early days of British and Portuguese occupation in India. In her epicurean voyage, she discovers that there is no such thing as an authentic Indian meal. Indian food as we know it today is a product of our history of occupation and the fusion of various traditions brought in by the many nations that sought to conquer us.

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Khamoshi-mesmerizing, captivating, timeless

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By Rohini Mohan
My motto is – it is better to watch a good movie again than to put up with the dreck that passes for entertainment these days. I decided on “Khamoshi” – not the Manisha/Salman one, but the old black and white Waheeda Rahman starrer. Not really what you would deem “Bollywood”, Khamoshi is one of those timeless classics in the genre of greats like “A Million Pound Note” or “Madhumati” or “Casablanca” that gets better every time you watch it- and this was only my third time!. With scintillating music by Hemant Kumar and magnificent lyrics by Gulzar, I know it will not be my last.

Young Global Leader

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By Rohini Mohan
What do Aishwarya Rai, Karan Johar and Jhumpa Lahiri have in common with Infosys Vice-President, Subhash Dhar? They are all part of the exclusive forum of Young Global Leaders commissioned to envision a better world by 2030 and to develop concrete ideas and strategies to transform that vision into reality.

Democracy is not a spectator sport

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By Any Natarajan
Indian-Americans today are considered a “model” immigrant community – we are well educated and have made tremendous inroads in several areas.  As a young  community, we have been inward-focused – on us as individuals, on the family and children and a close circle of friends.  It is only recently that we have started to be involved in School PTAs and other school related outreach efforts. Despite the fact that we think of ourselves sometimes as being “temporary citizens” in this country – with the dream of going “back home” soon, we are here.  And we need to get involved in merging with the mainstream community.  There are several ways to be involved in the communities we live in.

At the dude ranch

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By Vidya Pradhan
Global warming, shlobal warming! I refuse to be despondent about the future of a species that can be crammed into progressively smaller and smaller spaces over longer and longer periods of time and still be able to smile at the end of it. I am referring of course to our 7 hour flight to Newark, New Jersey on a trip to the Rocking Horse Ranch(RHR).

The adoption experience

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By Vidya Pradhan

Conclusion of our two part series on adoption:

 

M is a long time resident of the Bay Area. After several unsuccessful attempts at fertility treatments had left the family emotionally and physically battered, her husband suggested adoption. Her parents, who could not bear to see her suffer through the pain of one more round of IVF, also got on board with the idea. It was M herself who was most resistant to the idea. It is not surprising that a woman’s sense of self is so tied in with her ability to be a mother.

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Soaring above the Bay

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By P.R. Ganapathy
You hear the controller say “Cessna 4-3-0-2-Lima, Runway 27, cleared for take off.” You turn around to make sure your passengers are all belted in. “Ready to fly?” you ask. They nod eagerly. The next few seconds are a bit of a blur – the rapidly increasing sound of the engine, racing down the runway till suddenly all that seems to fade away as the aircraft gracefully leaves the ground beneath it. You look down at the little planes dotting Oakland airport as they get smaller, and then suddenly you hold your breath – just beyond the boundary of the airport, the magnificent structure of the Oakland Arena and Coliseum have come into view – your once-in-a-lifetime experience of a flying tour of San Francisco Bay has begun! 
 
 
 
 
 

Get your paddle – let's play TT

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By Rohini Mohan
13 year old Vivek Ramakrishna moved to the Bay Area from Madison, Wisconsin last summer. Leaving your friends, your home, your school, your comfort zone and move half way across the country can definitely cast a cloud over your life. But Vivek soon discovered the silver lining – that the Bay Area is a veritable paradise for the table tennis buff.

The Namesake

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By Nandini Minocha
I didn’t think I could do the ‘Namesake’ justice as I hadn’t read the book, but hopefully, I am coming from a non- biased position and can see whether the movie can stand alone.

Set in the 1970’s, the Namesake chronicles the experience of early Indian immigrants to this country and their children and how each generation deals with the challenges of assimilation differently.