Author: Lavina Melwani

Exploring the Veggie Food Trail to India Delhi, Mumbai and Bhuj A trip to India means a vegetarian food orgy! I invite you to this delicious gigantic dosa and a glass of cold chas as I eat my way through Bombay, Delhi and Bhuj in the line of duty – a veggie food assignment from the editors of Hinduism Today in Hawaii. I’ll also be blogging for Lassi with Lavina so watch out for these food fantasies. Putting on a few pounds for the entertainment and knowledge of my readers!😊Let me know of any eateries you think I should visit!#Indianfood…

  Mira Nair, Gurinder Chadha, Deepa Mehta – The Three Bhenjis in The Big Apple THREE FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! Three iconic South Asian film directors -Mira Nair, Gurinder Chadha and Deepa Mehta -all under the same roof at Asia Society was the big draw for film lovers in New York. They live on three different continents so to get these enormously busy power women actually together was a marathon task but here they were, all three of them sitting gleefully together, as if in a Delhi chaat shop. The great sorority of the Bhenji Brigade! As Rachel Cooper,…

From Nilgiri Hills to New York One Hundred Beautiful Elephants and Sabyasachi too! Who would have thought that on one fine morning in Manhattan you would meet a herd of 100 Indian elephants from the Nilgiris – and noted designer Sabyasachi too! This was the first day of the fabulous public art event – The Great Elephant Migration- which is taking place across the US, starting here in New York. The idea behind the whole effort is a wonderful one about sustainability and the coexistence of humans and animals. The Great Elephant Migration event in the Meatpacking District featured…

Ganesh Chaturthi – Time for New Beginnings in a Troubled World You Are Invited to Birthday Celebrations Did you know the very first blog I wrote on Lassi with Lavina was all about Ganesha? Forget consultants, coaches, influencers and critics – He’s the one to invoke when you start something new! What better way to start something new in life than with Ganesha, the Lord of New Beginnings? Give him whichever name you choose – He is that consciousness that is within us and around us and in the very breath we take. I’ve never been able to discard a…

Tips from the Indian Consulate on Getting Home to India A Public Service Message from Lassi with Lavina   Traveling home to India is always a delight but sometimes it involves the dreaded paperwork of renewing passports, visas and OCI cards and there’s the old belief that you need to know someone at the Indian Consulate to get things to move quickly and efficiently. Well, the good news is that it’s not so. Indeed, it’s the digital age and most things are paper free, and hopefully hassle-free. The new CG Srikant Binaya Pradhan had his first press conference with local…

  Mayor Eric Adams on National Elections, the Migrant Crisis, and New Yorkers.  A One-on-One Interview with Mayor Eric Adams Eric Adams, Mayor of New York, sat for a one-on-one interview with Lavina Melwani of Lassi with Lavina and spoke about all things New York, starting with the upcoming National Elections. New York is seen as a really blue state so how important is it to get out the vote there and how can one influence the swing states? “You know, oftentimes people believe that New York City is a state that’s not in play, but every vote matters, not…

It’s India’s Independence Day – and the children are celebrating! Happy Independence Day from Children’s Hope India and Lassi with Lavina! Watch this beautiful video of the children of CHI Prayas – it is a love song to all the Indians living abroad and remembering their homeland today. It is also a thanks to all of you who live in the US and never forget to support the health and education of vulnerable populations in India. Children’s Hope India thanks you! ❤️

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Monica Bhide Saigal talks about love, marriage and divorce and how to cope with life’s triumphs and travails

Making Your Vote Count: A Primer for Desi Newbies All That You Wanted to Know About the Elections – but Were Afraid to Ask What’s at the heart of your vote? Just three words: ‘A Better World.’ You vote for the issues which will make America the country you pined for, forsaking all that was known and familiar, as you embarked in search of a dream. Voting is your power to ensure that America continues to move in the right direction and be the country that first drew you to its orbit. Having come from many different countries…

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  Exciting News for South Asian Playwrights South Asians, when they go to the theater in America, have got used to seeing just one or two performers who are desi and, if they are lucky, there may be random Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi names in the crew. Imagine then, the delight these audiences feel to hear that an entire theater festival is dedicated to their stories, their angst, their joys – their part of the world! Yes, it’s true – get ready for the inaugural South Asian Playwrights Festival. It’s being presented by ASDS AT Pace University and EnActe Arts from…

Surrender to the Saree!Sarees are Taking Over Times Square! That iconic Indian apparel is taking over Times Square. On May 4, if you venture into that New York hotspot you will see not one, not two but 500 women dressed in sarees, celebrating its longevity and grace.The event is Saree Goes Global and it will be celebrated with music and dance. This is the brainchild of British Women in Sarees and Uma Global with lots of support from groups across the tristate area. After all, who doesn’t love sarees?In fact, the saree has been highlighted at several events such as…

In Jackson Heights: A Wishlist for the Future Giving Voice to the Voiceless By Lavina Melwani How can one understand what motivates South Asian Americans to vote – or not to vote? I decided to track this species in their natural habitat – the temples, storefronts, and the chai and dosa eateries of Queens. Jackson Heights, called Jaikishan Heights affectionately by desis, is the mother of all South Asian neighborhoods, a melting pot of many different cultures. They may be cultures which often bicker in Asia, but on these streets, you find signposts which tout Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi groceries…

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Dev Patel in Monkey Man Dev Patel is Monkey Man in This Action Thriller For all the Dev Patel fans who have been hankering to see this wonderful actor – there’s good news you get triple the Dev in Monkey Man – he not only stars in it but it’s also his directorial debut, and the story is also written by him. The movie is being released on April 5. Check out my review next week in Lassi with Lavina but meanwhile here are some images from this much-awaited movie and some details from Universal Pictures: Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog…