Author: Lavina Melwani

Madhur Jaffrey, & Priya Krishna discuss the arc of Indian food in America, & their new books – Instantly Indian Cookbook and Indian-ish at IAAC’s event at DAG

Tulsi Gabbard, 38, outspoken, thoughtful and at the same time controversial, is certainly a viable candidate. She has been the US Congresswoman from Hawaii since 2013 and is also a soldier, having served in both Iraq and Kuwait.

Trump’s Build America Visa: Non-Starter or Game-Changer? [dropcap]F[/dropcap]or HI B visa holders, recent months have been stressful ones – they don’t know if their glass is half-empty or half-full or totally empty  as they wait to hear the latest from the White House on their future in America. Should they be putting a down payment on their dream house in America, which has become like home – or should they be packing their bags for Canada? Life was complex enough for many dealing with H1 B and H4 visas without a new wrinkle being added in to the immigration high…

10,109 people reached on Lassi with Lavina FB page – 586 engagements Vinita Ramnani, Milan Devjani, Shagun Mehandru and 21 others like it on FB  Children’s Hope India Raises $ 50,000 at Spring Luncheon [dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen 260 women get together, what can be better than getting inspired, enjoying shared laughter over common experiences, shopping to support emerging women entrepreneurs – and at the same time helping the girl child to get a great education? All this happened on May 8, 2019 at the much anticipated Children’s Hope India Spring Luncheon at the Carltun in Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, Long Island.…

Sometimes ten years can pass in the blink of an eye! Hard to believe, but it was a decade ago that social entrepreneur Meera Gandhi launched The Giving Back Foundation to uplift and empower girls.

This year women of Indian heritage had a fine showing at the Sundance Film Festival and it was the first time that two of the biggest sales were of films created by desi women.

On Father’s Day, what gift do you give to the perfect dad? Two creative teens give you the perfect solution!

Many NRIs have supported the re-election of PM Narendra Modi, and the OFBJP has been very active in drumming up support among the Indian community.

Vishwesh Bhatt  become the first Indian-American to win the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for best chef from the South, after five nominations as finalist in the past.

Nina Duvuluri and Reshma Saujani – both are the daughters of Indian immigrants, both have encountered racism and stereotypes and both have had to overcome challenges to forge new paths for Indian women. They are warriors in the field of tech and STEM studies for women.

Walking in Times Square, you suddenly realize something strange – everyone is taking selfies! What is it about this part of New York that makes you want to record your visit for posterity? It’s like the Taj Mahal –  you feel it looks so much more meaningful when you’re standing in front of it!

We all love stories and cinema is the ultimate story-teller which spins magical tales of love and loss, set in unimagined realms. Sometimes cinema is a mirror of society, sometimes a celebration of the imagination and the invincibility of the human spirit.  It is always the magician which draws us into people’s lives

Heard of India in a Bottle? And spiced dark artisanal chocolates? Fashion designer and tireless entrepreneur Bina Ramani, who was a New Yorker for over two decades, was back in the city to introduce friends to her latest flight of fancy at a fun launch event hosted by Robin Roche, Director of the DAG Gallery.

“I think I’m one of the few people who don’t feel what they do is a job,” Hari Nayak says. “People who eat my food –I make them happy – there is a direct reaction right away and that doesn’t happen in most jobs except cooking. And that’s what drives me.”

he casual browser of Indian art may not know this but Indian modern art has a definite French and strong connection. It’s hard to believe but over a hundred Indian artists have called Paris home, studied at various French institutions and made their life far from the heat and dust of India.

Madhur Jaffrey, the elegant, 85-year-old culinary icon and award-winning actress, has a wild new avatar, thanks to Queens desi rapper Mr. Cardomom, known in real life as Zohran Mamdani – and she couldn’t be more pleased.

A new study MASALA has some startling new facts for Indians, heart disease, and diabetes. The two investigators are Dr. Alka Kanaya & Dr. Namratha Kandula

Kalank is about love and violence in time of partition and tells the story of six entangled lives.

Learning Upgrade, a small business in California headed by Vinod Lobo has hit the big times by being selected as the co-winner for the grand prize in the $7M Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy X PRIZE.

Shiraz – A Romance of India’, one of India’s films of the silent era, has the distinction of being reviewed twice in The New York Times – once in 1929 when it was first released and now in 2019 in its new avatar. The film which has had a 2 K restoration by the British Film Institute and a fabulous new musical score by Anoushka Shankar has been shown in several US cities