Author: Lavina Melwani

Indian-American students are among the 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search

Adda’ means a hangout in Hindi and New York’s Adda India Canteen is exactly that – a small homey place in an industrial neighborhood in Queens, next to a 711 and set close to a rumbling overhead subway track, small businesses and a community college in prosaic Long Island City, away from Manhattan’s frenetic dining world.

In my column, From Me to You, I share the tale of the last rose which battled the snowfall to tell us about optimism and beauty and how we can go out in a blaze of joy and color.

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga’ begins, in true Bollywood fashion, with a Big Fat Indian wedding but as you meet the people in this universe you soon realize that it’s not more of the same and that Bollywood is actually taking some risks.

On Valentine’s Day we share some of the fabulous chocolates and desserts created by Indian pastry chefs, culinary experts and entrepreneurs – and to add some extra sweetness, we also unearth their personal romance tales, from New Delhi to New York! Meet Divya Burman, Shefalee Patel, Monica Bhide, Surbhi Sahni and Aarti Mahtani Raman – taste their chocolates and hear what Valentine’s Day mean to them. We ran this story last year – and this year it’s twice as sweet!

Forget the Vedas, forget the Bible, now we are getting infinite wisdom from chocolate wrappers! When did we start consulting our chocolates for knowledge about life and living?

No matter which part of the world Indian immigrants live in, they each carry with them their special memories of India filed away in their heads and hearts. For these diasporic Indians, many now with hyphenated identities, India’s Republic Day does bring in a whole lot of memories and a feeling of pride in being a part of India, and India being a part of their emotional DNA.

Nashville, Tennessee is the home of American country music but now it’s also getting known as the home of Indian street foods, thanks to Maneet Chauhan, 42, who is striking some spicy notes in Nashville with her brand new restaurant Chaatable which brings the delight of Mumbai street food to Nashville.

Calcutta was once known as ‘City of Palaces’ and in the days of the British Raj there were opulent buildings built by the rulers as well as the Bengal elite. Today many of these grand structures are in decay and a passionate chronicler of these disappearing stories is Prabir C. Purkayastha, award-winning photojournalist who tells evocative tales through his camera.
Purkayastha was recently in New York where the Sundaram Tagore Gallery showcased Stories in Stone: Colonial Calcutta, images which tell the story of grand edifices in decline.

Hers is a true immigrant story of an unknown brown woman who came to America as a 16-year-old student and rose to become a powerful Congresswoman, the very first Indian-American woman in the US House of Representatives in the history of America.

These Monday motivations will get you through Monday – or any day! They are about persistence, joy and gratitude.

Most viewers in America have seen or at least heard of ‘New Amsterdam’ the NBC medical drama which has brought actor Anupam Kher to New York. In fact, as work becomes increasingly global,  more and more Indians live on two continents, and actor Anupam Kher is the latest to call both Mumbai and New York home.

Can South Asians survive without cinema? I think not. It’s the surreal chicken tikka of their dreams, the spicy samosa of their entertainment. There are desi film festivals in many US cities, and NY as not one but two festivals back to back.

Books of every stripe, the Internet and family folk lore are full of great advice on how to live life – the  trouble is it’s an overwhelming tsunami of information!
What do you read, what do you absorb and what do you discard? It’s like having an unending army of guides to take you through the maze of life!
Let’s take the journey together!

An all-Indian cast heads the animated film ‘Mira, Royal Detective’ – a great way for young Indian-Americans to see people like themselves on the big Hollywood screen.

2587 people reached on Lassi with Lavina FB page – 63 post clicks Meera Narasimhan, Pranay Gupte and 8 others like it on Lassi with Lavina FB page The Indian-Americans Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj More Addictive Than Masala Peanuts! [dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you haven’t watched Hasan Minhaj before, you have been forewarned – he is more addictive than a bowl of masala peanuts. Sundays in New York will never be the same again because they are now MinDays – they must include the very likeable comedian Hasan Minhaj and his new Netflix show ‘Patriot Act’. The hugely popular host has a lot…

Padma Lakshmi fans will be delighted to know that the culinary star was recognized by Mayor Bill De Blasio with an official proclamation of ‘Padma Lakshmi Day in New York’ on the occasion of  Diwali celebrations at the beautiful Gracie Mansion in Manhattan. 

Sayu Bhojwani herself is an immigrant and her mission is to make sure there is room for all immigrants at America’s table. Her America is a very different one from that of Donald Trump’s. It is an America where immigrants are central to the story and where the country thrives because of their participation.

New York is full of surprises where unexpected things happen and you get to meet the most unexpected people. I certainly didn’t expect to be eating a home-cooked meal by Master Chef Vikas Khanna served in his 10th floor apartment near the United Nations. Nor did I expect to be eating it with the iconic Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy whose powerful work has won her a gaggle of awards including two Oscars and six Emmys.

It was a packed audience at the Minetta Lane Theater, an intimate off-Broadway house in Greenwich Village. Everyone was waiting for the show to begin; the lights had been dimmed. A man with a suitcase suddenly strutted up the aisle, wide-eyed and with an innocent, open smile, waving to the audience.
It was Azgi, immigrant restaurant worker from India, on his way to the America of Dreams.