Author: Lavina Melwani

Kamala Harris, for the People’ is the new mantra of the US Senator from California who has dedicated her life to fighting for ordinary people, and she likes to use three words as an introduction to who she really is: “Tough. Principled. Fearless.” She proved this first when she became the first African-American, the first South Asian, and the very first woman to serve as Attorney General of the State of California.

“You know, growing up as an immigrant is inherently political: there’s a constant struggle to fit in, to overcompensate for ‘how American you are’ to prove that you belong” – Suraj Patel, on running for US Congress

]he days of invasions and colonization may be over but the world is now facing a mass threat from an invisible invader – the infamous coronavirus which has caused so much grief and pain in countries around the globe. Just a few months back,  this insidious virus had been a blip on the horizon, a tragedy that was unfolding in far-off Wuhan in China. Like a thundering army, the Novel coronavirus which causes the deadly COVID-19 disease has spread across the world, leaving no country untouched.

I was the sole person standing outside Bloomingdale’s, that temple to fashion and style and extravagant lifestyles. Its windows beckon with beguiling stories but its doors are shut, due to the coronavirus crisis.

When immigrants came to America, they bought their home cures and folk remedies along, a legacy of mothers and grandmothers. It is surprising how many families still turn to ginger as the first remedy for coughs and colds, and even motion sickness. Ginger has certainly been around for centuries and everyone from the ancient Greeks to Confucius to the Emperor Akbar is supposed to have been a fan, not to mention the sage Vatsyayana – author of India’s famed sex manual, Kama Sutra, who recommended ginger as an aphrodisiac for lovers.

Restaurants are some of our favorite places, our hideaways, our escape with friends. Yet in the time of coronavirus, they lie empty – a stark still life of empty chairs and tables, as millions of New Yorkers self-quarantine and practice social distancing in this strange new world.

Census 2020 is a snapshot of the American family. The South Asian community has expanded over the last decade but we can’t tell its story effectively if we don’t participate and get counted.

US Immigration in the Time of Coronavirus Bad News for Indian immigrants waiting to enter a sealed off America   [dropcap]U[/dropcap]nable to control the migration of the coronavirus into America, the Trump administration is trying once again to control the immigration of humans.  In an early morning tweet, President Trump wrote, “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!” With this Immigration Proclamation  (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-suspending-entry-o-outbreak/)  begins another tension for those…

Yet millions of Indian-Americans still feel a pain in losing  within the course of two days, two particular individuals – Irrfan and Rishi – whom they had never met but with whom everyone was on a first name basis, and instinctively felt they were family. So it was like losing someone you had known all your life.

Have you ever met Apu – Satyajit Ray’s Apu? If not, this is your chance to finally make his acquaintance – and he’s looking better than ever before. As film fans know, ‘The Apu Trilogy’ is master filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s seminal work, a story that is bound to touch whoever sees it, because it is our story. We may never have stepped into a Bengali village or lived in that simple yet hard world a century ago but this tale of family, struggle and aspirations speaks to something so universal, so human that it affects us all.

Update: Ritesh Batra’s award-winning drama THE LUNCHBOX has now become the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2014 in North America.

The Irrfan Khan hit has grossed $1.45 million to date surpassing the $1.3 million grossed by both Salman Khan’s latest action picture Jai Ho and the sleeper hit Queen to set a new record for this year.

Kelly Macdonald and Irrfan Khan star in a beautiful, understated film ‘Puzzle’.

As the caronavirus pandemic hits countries around the world, Indiaspora’s ChaloGive for Covid-19 has raised over $1 million for food security for hard-hit populations in both India and America.

Grammy winner Ricky Kej brings you a global concert right into your home during the COVID-19 crisis. It celebrates environmental concerns and tells you to shine the light

Indian-American physicians, nurses and health workers are on the frontlines treating patients during the Coronavirus pandemic

If there’s only one thing you do today to make yourself happy, watch this excellent video! For all those who love the street foods of India this is the ultimate experience, traveling state by state and eating the delicious eats right on the road. The tears sting your eyes, your nose runs, your tongue burns – and you’re in foodie heaven!
It is amazing how everything is available in the open – be it spicy chat papri, ragra patice, alu tikki, chole bature or seekh kebab. You’ll see foods you’ve never eaten!

New York has become the epicenter of the Coronavirus pandemic – a look at how the city is coping.

If you can’t go to the MET, the MET comes to you! Enjoy the digital premiere of The Mother of us All’

As in much of the world, life is on hold in America, held hostage by the deadly Coronavirus pandemic. In this fast moving news cycle, the figures keep changing and new developments are taking place all over the world.

This morning we learned that we have lost that wonderful chef and human being Floyd Cardoz to Coronavirus. My eyes welled up with tears; I must have met Cardoz briefly about a dozen times over the span of 20 years – but his grace and his integrity stayed with you. That was the kind of person he was.