Author: Lavina Melwani

Guess whom I saw outside Trump Tower? Was it or wasn’t?

Happy Thanksgiving! Introducing Vice President Elect Kamala Harris’s Cornbread Dressing – and some choice coments from the Twitter World!

Did you ever hear of the arrival of the turkey on to the Thanksgiving table being heralded as the arrival of the ‘dulhan’ or Indian bride? For Sunita Advaney’s family fixing the 30 lb bird was like preparing for an elaborate Indian wedding. Trust desis to bring their own take on this American holiday, imprinting it with their own special flavor!

3299 people reached on FB Lassi with Lavina page – 76 engagements – FB insights Biden beats Trump in a Roller-Coaster Election Kamala Harris becomes America’s First Female Vice President [dropcap]N[/dropcap]ovember 7 was an unbelievable day in America. Today the US presidential election, after a nail-biting vote count, was finally called for Vice President Joe Biden as he reached the magic number of 270 electoral votes needed to be declared president. He and Senator Kamala Harris, who is now vice-president elect, plan to  usher in a very different America from the dystopian Trump world of the last four…

There are scores of groups coming together to bring the Biden-Harris ticket to the White House. Besides AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) there are several power players like Indiaspora, AAPI Victory Fund, Indian American Impact Fund and South Asians for Biden, and Indian National Council for Biden.

Sean Connery was a fine actor who went on to many challenging roles, was knighted by the Queen and won an Oscar but to us he will always be the first and best James Bond.

The American president and vice-president were always white and always male. With President Obama’s inauguration they finally got to see a minority family in the White House.

Now with the nomination of Kamala Harris as vice president by Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden, comes the unprecedented prospect of a woman and a minority in the second highest position in the land.

Elections 2020 – “Democracy does not just come around in November – it actually happens every single day of every single month of every single year.”

Time is running out! Have you filled the Census 2020?

The Obamas have it. So do the Pope and the Dalai Lama. And Queen Elizabeth too. As does Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan. But unless you’re world-famous or have loads of moolah you probably won’t get your hands on ‘Utsav’ – Vikas Khanna’s book of festivals. That’s because he’s made only 12 customized editions and over 12 years has presented it to some of the world’s movers and shakers.

eeting Kamala Harris in the flesh is compelling. I experienced it first hand when I saw her take the stage for a fundraiser for Pratham in New York two years ago. This was before the pandemic and over 500 Indian-Americans had gathered close, excited to meet one of their own. For them the name ‘Kamala’ resonated – almost every Indian knows or has a Kamala amongst family and friends. In her well-defined Indian eyes and luminous smile, in her genes there were echoes of a shared past and ancestry.

The triumph of good over evil, light over darkness. This simple sentiment is at the heart of the great festival of Diwali which is celebrated in the Hindu Diaspora all across the world. This year it falls on November 7. In this Diwali 101, everything you ever wanted to know about Diwali – check out the videos.

Corona Diaries – The Mask Ask! The most important thing you can do during the Pandemic is also the simplest and easiest thing to do.

In this grim time of the pandemic, what can be more joyful than having the iconic AR Rahman visit you in your home, on the wings of music, along with singer Ila Paliwal and the celebrity chef Vikas Khanna?

“We are stronger because of our diversity, not in spite of it,” says Kamala Harris. “And to all the young women watching this, I just want you to know that leadership starts the day you are born.”

It was an eye-opener to see all that she went through to get where she was, and how she retained her  grace and equanimity – and the steel and determination – within her, as she brought her formidable legal mind and fresh gaze to the Supreme Court and affected real change for women and minorities through her thoughtul dissents in a world of male judges. 

He makes hundreds of pink origami lotuses bloom in the Rubin Museum of Art with a twist of his fingers.
He recreates a surreal miniature world of animated figures and glittering jewels in the show windows of Cartiers on Fifth Avenue.And yet, Uttam Grandhi is a mechanical engineer who’s created new PPE and masks for this age of COVID

“Nature has been revered in Vedic scriptures for thousands of years, and all Indian festivals and traditions are closely linked to nature. I grew up celebrating those traditions and singing folk songs about rivers, trees, rain and nature.”

Indeed, the time of rising Indian American political engagement is ripe as they are part of the Asian American demographic, the fastest growing voting bloc in the country which made such  a difference in suburban house seats in 2018.

The tea had a special earthy flavor in this cup and the fact that the clay container would once again become one with nature seemed a beautiful idea. After all, aren’t ancient civilizations traced out by the clay remains of their days?

Our civilization of course will probably be remembered by the piles of plastic containers and garbage stuffed landfills we will leave behind! So the idea of the reborn clay utensils really appealed to me.