Author: Lavina Melwani

“Millions of Americans are still not protected against COVID-19, and we are seeing more infections among those who are unvaccinated. And that’s why I want to talk to you today about one of the biggest obstacles that is preventing us from ending this pandemic.” – US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy

Vaccinations have certainly made this dream scenario possible. “This year, the Fourth of July is a day of special celebration, for we are emerging from the darkness of years; a year of pandemic and isolation; a year of pain, fear, and heartbreaking loss,” said President Joe Biden

Who are the Indian-Americans? A new study ‘Social Realities of Indian-Americans’ tells you a lot that you may have not known.

Chaat is that delicious dish that nobody can turn down – it’s guaranteed to bring back childhood, friendship and family memories and helps make new relationships as you stand on city streets, and all for some spare change. chaat is the synonym for a buddy’s hug – always gets you beaming.

For movie buffs, it’s been hard to get Sushant Singh Rajput out of our collective heads. I’ve taken to Youtube to catch bits of his life and try to piece together the reasons for that abandonment of life and living. It’s hard to think of a person in that state of mind, alone in the pandemic.

Dil Bechara – Sushant Singh Rajput’s last film is a poignant, bitter-sweet experience, a last goodbye to the young actor who died in June.

It’s almost as if an evil spell cast on a wondrous city in a fairy tale has been lifted and New York City is miraculously coming back to life. The dynamism of Times Square, the pulsating rhythms of Broadway, and the sounds of thousands of feet on city pavements are back. New York has officially opened up after the long horrific battle with Coronavirus which claimed so many lives and caused so many New Yorkers to flee to safer environments.

Film journalist Aseem Chhabra is a great believer in the power of cinema to heal and rejuvenate. Instead of an apple a day, his mantra is a film a day and he often watches 365 films in a year. The veteran of several film festivals, he has traveled to many across the globe, and has captained the ship of New York Indian Film Festival

How can it be summer without the New York Indian Film Festival?  Through ups and downs, its cinematic wisdom has seen us through good times and bad, and showed us the better sides of our nature. The good news is that NYIFF – one of the pure delights of NY- is back

You can take the Indian out of India – but you can never take India out of the Indian. The recent Covid-19 crisis in their homeland has galvanized Indian immigrants and their American-born children to action.

Walking along a Manhattan street, I came across a powerful mural outside a university, a tapestry of brown, white and black faces unified with the words, ‘Justice for the benefit of humanity’ – and it seemed to really ring true in a city which has seen so much trauma in the past year and is now finally getting it right.

This year we are witness to a catastrophic nightmare in India, multiplied many, many times over. Covid-19, in a virulent second wave, has invaded the country and has its powerful knee on the collective neck of India

Who would have imagined H.R.H Prince Philip would spontaneously agree to write an article for an unknown ethnic magazine, sharing his personal memories? I was on the receiving end of this generosity.

‘Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Mustache’ comes from a master filmmaker and a master teacher of Buddhism, and the direction and story by Khyentse Norbu set it apart and tempt you to see his other films, if you haven’t seen them.

There here have been nearly 3,800 hate crimes against Asian-Americans in all 50 states, with women being the victims in 68 percent of the cases.

While the ongoing pandemic has uprooted the regular lives of so many, three artists in New Jersey showed how painting an imagined world has actually offered ways to cope and make connections in a socially distanced life.

Have you eaten Pressure Cooker Pulao, Champaran meat or Gurda Kapoora – goat kidney and testicles – lately? Though these are authentic Indian dishes, chances are you haven’t tasted them in America. Now you will get to try them at Chef-partner Chintan Pandya and restaurateur  new eatery ‘Dhamaka’, which has just opened in New York

If you grew up in India you will remember the magic of myths and folklore which was passed on to you by your grandparents, loving aunts and grand-aunts and their loquacious  helpers. There were stories for all occasions: stories at meal-time, stories at bed-time and even stories for monsoon evenings. Stories for sad times, and stories for happy times.

As you grew up and left home, either for further studies, to find work or to get married, you haphazardly packed these childhood tales into your suitcases, in-between the spice boxes and the photo albums and the clothes. And then you forgot about them. Until you yourself became a parent – in a new land, in uncharted waters.

Longing to go to a real live theater, surrounded by real live people?  Tired of being glued to your television set? If you’re caught in pandemic hesitancy, there’s a better way – the all-American drive-in! You get to see movies on the big screen from the safety of your own car and you get to take off your mask for a breather!

“Even 65 years after our independence, we find that India’s progress towards establishing an equitable society has been slow and disappointing. Discrimination against women thrives and cuts across religion, caste, rich, poor, urban-rural divides. Secure in their solid economic and social foundation, men are men, and we are the other. Today, women realize that unless certain fundamental issues that affect gender equality and justice are addressed, women’s empowerment will remain at the level of rhetoric.” – Sharmila Tagore