Author: Lavina Melwani

Portrait of a mother – as this young artist, who is very close to me, has depicted in this art from the heart, may the flowers always bloom for you, the sun shine on you and your lives always be full of love. Roses, gifts, visits to the spa, jeweled baubles, lunches and dinners, lots of pampering – you deserve them all! A perennial post I love to share on Mother’s Day.

A perennial favorite that I like to share on Mother’s Day.

Mothers, Sons and Daughters…

To all the wonderful moms – Happy Mother’s Day! As this young artist, who is very close to me,  has depicted from the heart, may the flowers always bloom for you, the sun shine on you and your lives always be full of love. Roses, gifts, visits to the spa, jeweled baubles, lunches and dinners, lots of pampering – you deserve them all!

Sharing a wonderful video tribute to mothers by SNL’s Tina Fey!

The much-awaited New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) which is presented by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC)  – a must-see during the summer – is once again coming to town. This time, with the changing times, it is a hybrid model with films being shown by zoom and also in person.

It entailed a helicopter ride from Washington, secret service personnel and caused traffic jams in New York but in spite of all these hassles, the most powerful man in the world, President Barack Obama, still made it to a Broadway show, ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’, right in the heart of Times Square. As he told reporters, “I am taking my wife to New York City because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished.”

Such is the lure of Broadway, that all-American icon of theater!

For art lovers, Asia Week is a great space to learn more about Asian art and understand the complexities of the art world from museums to art galleries and auction houses.

Intercultural Marriages are Becoming More Common – “I think the combination of two different backgrounds offers a unique insight in life, the hard working immigrant story mixed with the confidence of belonging.   I also think intercultural children are generally better looking!”

The ceremony was a mix of prayer and laughter and there were a lot of moments that we will remember forever. After the ceremony was over, it felt so cool to walk down the aisle as a married couple and be showered by rose petals.

Don’t you just love love stories and happy endings? When I first did the story with chocolatiers on their own sweet romances, it was a popular post. This year I thought I’d go back and see if there were any romantic updates. Yes, there were – including an adorable baby!

Shefalee Patel, our only chocolatier who was single had found true love and Aarti Mahtani Raman who had just got married now has a baby boy!
So here is a Valentine’s Day Treat – true love stories!

As Wordle has skyrocketed in popularity, multiple media outlets have published articles that explore the best word to use as your initial guess. Here are some winning strategies

Have you eaten Beetroot Kofta Curry or Lal Maas recently? How about Chocolate Bebinca or Pear Jalebi – all without traveling to India, right in the heart of New York City? Try NYC Restaurant Week!

What happened to the New York model who became a nun?

I introduce my first bi-weekly column of 2022 ‘From Me to You’ – How a Corn Snake Taught me My Purpose in Life’ – these are just random, intimate thoughts which may help us through our chaotic times. None of us have the answers!

Melanie Chandra and Surina Jindal star in the first Diwali holiday movie – Hot Mess Holiday and strike a first with South Asian actors and an Indian festival theme on Comedy Central

It is a wonder that something so small as a virus can hold an entire global community hostage but that is the sad fact of our lives. Leisure travel is once again restricted to flying carpets of the imagination as more and more people cancel their plans.

Escaping the Taliban
2021 has been quite a  year – and it’s not done yet! Here we share dramatic images which  overwhelmed us when we first saw them – and which continue to surprise us.

India runs on spice! A billion plus people can’t be wrong – they swear by the tangy, sour-sweet spicy street foods of India. Indeed, there is something homey and comforting about street foods, almost like the hug of a mother. Not surprisingly many of these street treats go back to ancient times and have been a part of Indian tradition and memory.

Education activist Malala gets married

Deepa Mehta to direct Burnt Sugar

Happy peaceful Diwali to all from our over-crowded Hindu universe – Lakshmi for prosperity, Ganesha for wisdom, Krishna for joy and the Sindhi Jhule Lal for getting the boat to shore!

Here we share the wrappers of those lost, long-gone Diwalis when every kid with a handful of fire-crackers was king – yes, power was setting the match to that bichu or anar firecracker!

Our Communities: India’s 75th Independence Day  – and Indian-Americans are celebrating [dropcap] T[/dropcap]hey may be far, far away from India but their hearts are in India – especially on August 15, the historic day that India became a free nation, and the tri-color flag flew over the country.  It is India’s milestone 75th birthday and Indian-Americans are celebrating with music, dance, gatherings and video tributes. The scale of the celebrations is low-key and muted due to the pandemic but the enthusiasm is there. President Biden greeted India and in his remarks noted, “Over the decades, the ties between our people, including…