Author: Lavina Melwani

Deepa Mehta to direct Burnt Sugar

Happy peaceful Diwali to all from our over-crowded Hindu universe – Lakshmi for prosperity, Ganesha for wisdom, Krishna for joy and the Sindhi Jhule Lal for getting the boat to shore!

Here we share the wrappers of those lost, long-gone Diwalis when every kid with a handful of fire-crackers was king – yes, power was setting the match to that bichu or anar firecracker!

Our Communities: India’s 75th Independence Day  – and Indian-Americans are celebrating [dropcap] T[/dropcap]hey may be far, far away from India but their hearts are in India – especially on August 15, the historic day that India became a free nation, and the tri-color flag flew over the country.  It is India’s milestone 75th birthday and Indian-Americans are celebrating with music, dance, gatherings and video tributes. The scale of the celebrations is low-key and muted due to the pandemic but the enthusiasm is there. President Biden greeted India and in his remarks noted, “Over the decades, the ties between our people, including…

The anointment of Kamala Harris as US vice president has given 4.1 million Indian-Americans a new sense of self and of changing dynamics, with their community coming into its own and becoming a force to be reckoned with.

New York Stories – The Sound of Silence Lassi with Lavina  – Photo of the Day It’s a day and night difference. During the day, it’s a kid-centric universe in the playground with children sprouting everywhere – delighted screams and squeals, flying sky-high on the swings, sliding down the chutes at break-neck speed. Kids streaming into the park with parents, care-givers and dogs. Kids gathering in the sandpits with sandpail strategies as if they are taking over the world. Kids running, jumping and chasing each other. Kids on scooters, kids cycling madly, kids huddling arm in arm.…

Her transformation from an “It” Style Girl to a Buddhist nun is so complete that people who knew her earlier do a double-take. She admits, “It was hard at first because your sense of identity is tied to how you look and your look determines your self-worth. As a renunciate you shave your head, use no makeup, perfume or high heels – but the beauty of wisdom that adorns you is far more beautiful than any couture dress.”

“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.