Author: Lavina Melwani

They are superwomen who can fly and carry thousands with them to distant lands. I speak of course of Air India’s magnificent women pilots, the largest such force in the world.

Art is often about aesthetics and beauty but in Chittaprosad’s work it was about the ugliness of life and the horrors of the Bengal famine. This retrospective of Chittaprosad’s work is a not to be missed event for it illuminates the life of a little known artist whose searing body of work is being seen for the first time in New York.

A law degree has been the avenue for a number of Indian-American women who have done very well in corporate America and private legal practice. It has also been the building block for a handful of strong women who have entered public life via this route as judges, attorney generals and lawyers in the public sphere, this having an impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.

Celebrities may wear the armor of success but as Anupam Kher shows they all have human failings and frailties and he shares ways to deal with everything from stress to fear to failure. And that is why readers will catch glimpses of themselves in the pages of his new book, find strength for the days they lose confidence or feel useless. Says Kher, “They need to discover that the best thing about them is them. It is the truth, it is not just a catchy title. I believe in it.”

you know that there’s another showman named Raj Kapoor – a young Indian-American in Hollywood who’s on the Oscars production team? His company, Raj Kapoor Productions, designed the screen content and performances for the big night.

Superstar Rekha shares pictures of her friend the late great Sridevi

The delight of New York is that it embraces every festival and makes it its own – and in a grand way. So it was that the mighty Golden Dragon in all its spectacular churning and beat of drums came to the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on February 20.

PadMan has landed in New York City, and the do-gooder while doing good for society is also bringing in the big bucks at the box-office! A review

Falu’s Bazaar shares South Asian culture through a fun learning experience with a mélange of instruments and languages, spices and foods – and of course music, both classical and modern.

eera Gandhi likes to do good – and always manages to have fun doing it.  Whether it’s a CD, a documentary or a coffee table book, she creates it and all funds go to the non-profit Giving Back Foundation which she founded in 2010 to help women and children.

It is a pleasure to have a bit of respite and see ‘Pad Man’ – a film which is a true story about a very different kind of man, a man who respects all women and wants to make their lives easier, better and full of dignity.

Can you be a film buff and not see ‘Padmaavat’? Like thousands, I too wound my way to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s saga starring the luminaries Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. I donned 3-D glasses and entered into the surreal, far-off world of medieval India which has been brought kicking and shouting into the 2018 conflicted world of Karni Sena and today’s India.

Over the years, Indian immigrants have celebrated Diwali in their own fashion, in their own communities but it is only recently that American institutions and organizations have also started joining in celebrating this Hindu and Indian festival.

India is often the silver thread woven into some of the beautiful designer gowns – and the 2018 Tony Awards at the Radio City Music Hall was no exception. Here you see noted Broadway actress Kelli O’ Hara, star of ‘The King and I’  at the 2018 Tony Awards wearing a gorgeous Bibhu Mohapatra outfit  which had a definite touch of India.

 6407 people reached on Lassi with Lavina FB page Kinkini Dey Sarkar, Poonam Sharma and 6 others like it on Lassi with Lavina page 161 views on LinkedIn A New York Celebration – Indo-Jazz Festival! Photos: Michael Toolan [dropcap]C[/dropcap]an borders be crossed with impunity? Can diversity be celebrated with stamping feet and clapping hands? Can east and west embrace and the result be pure, unadulterated joy and energy? Sitting at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room for the Indo-Jazz Festival was to see all this happen before your eyes, with the amazing glittering city of New York as…

The instructions were simple – wear red, gold or white for a Bengali celebration! It was a party for the holiday season and a welcoming of the New Year. And yes, Jal Muri was absolutely on the menu. And since Nandini Mukherjee, once owner of the hugely popular Indian Bread Company, was the host, you could expect a great spin on Indian food.

What can $1.99 buy you?
In today’s day and age – not much. Not even a slice of pizza, not even a burger, not even a Metrocard!
But $1.99 can buy you romance, drama, comedy and magic, happiness and laughter, a trip to foreign lands for a full 30 days.
The secret is BigFlix.

[dropcap]2017 [/dropcap]has been a rough year for everyone but in the changed insular political climate, it’s been particularly rough on immigrants and minorities, especially Muslims. And it’s been toughest on Muslim teens and children who have to defend who they are.

How can a Muslim parent explain to their child about Muslim-bans and terrorist-taunts, and still expect that child to feel validated and have a healthy self-esteem? At the same time, how can children of other faiths learn about the ‘mysterious’ Muslim culture and realize its richness and plus points?

Homai Vyarawalla’s 104th Birthday – A Google Doodle Tribute [dropcap]H[/dropcap]omai Vyarawalla may have caught some of the 20th century’s most prominent figures in her lens, but from the 1940s through the 1960s in New Delhi, she was a familiar sight herself. Biking to assignments with a sari sailing behind her and equipment bags on her shoulders, India’s first female photojournalist stood out among her male colleagues. But it was her electric images of India’s independence movement and candid shots of such people as the Dalai Lama, Mohandas K. Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. that earned Vyarawalla lasting recognition. Born…

Lavina’s Picks – Stories from Around the Web. Tributes to Shashi Kapoor are pouring in – here’s an endearing one which showed his generous, down-to-heart nature.