Browsing: The Buzz

Would you be willing to give up your life, your family and your name? Would you renounce love, marriage and parenthood forever? Could you live with the prospect of never seeing your father and mother again?

Bhavesh Choksi, 27, has done exactly that.

This high-achieving young Indian-American, forsaking all, has taken ‘diksha’, monastic vows, and is on his way to becoming a swami in BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a socio-spiritual Hindu organization. For those of us still embroiled in the trappings of the material world, this decision can be wrenching. Breaking all ties with his past life and giving up even the smallest of luxuries, he is turning his back on what most people fight tooth and nail for. Bhavesh is following his dream, walking into a joyous light which most of us cannot even comprehend. He is obtaining ‘moksha’ and guiding others to find it too.

For most Indian immigrants the two most mouth-watering words in the English language are “Indian Food”. Last summer I enjoyed a great culinary journey back to India: I visited Anjappar, a noted ‘military hotel’ in Chennai famous for its non-vegetarian Chettinad cooking , and also the iconic Sarvanna Bhavan beloved for its dosas, uttappams and other vegetarian delights. I next ate my favorite street foods at Kailash Parbhat, my family’s favorite Sindhi eatery in the by-lanes of South Mumbai. Final stop was of course the classic Moti Mahal in my hometown of Delhi where I’d first tasted the divine makhani murg or butter chicken in my childhood.

Yet you’ll be surprised to know that I visited all these treasure troves of regional cuisine without ever boarding a flight or stepping out of America!

For the last eight years we have seen President Barack Obama do this symbolic act of pardoning the turkey, though of course lots of turkeys are going to be eaten today! However, there is freedom and respite for these two lucky turkeys, Tater and Tot.

November 8 is here and today America decides its future as millions go to vote. Here are some of the stories from around the web as we cast our ballots, then hunker down for the outcome.
What kind of a morning will it be in America tomorrow?

Mansion, the official home of the Mayor of New York, had probably never seen so many Indians or cooked up such a big batch of samosas!

Hundreds of Indians from all walks of life – diplomats, community bigwigs, journalists, artists, chefs and business people had all gathered in a huge tented space on the lush lawns of Gracie Mansion, overlooking the East River. This was the biggest Diwali bash in memory and included so many faces from the Indian-American community of New York.

The upcoming IAAC Lit Fest has not one, not two but three Tharoors! It’s being billed as a Trio of Tharoors and promises to make for some intriguing conversations: Shashi Tharoor and his twin sons Ishaan and Kanishk.

In our hi-tech, virtual world where blogs, tweets and e-mail rule, is there place for a good old-fashioned story lovingly told? Seduced by smart phones and I-pads, TV and laptops, can we still revel in a classic, slowly unfolding story – and that too on a blog?
The stories we read and the stories we write help shape us and create the scaffolding for our world. So let’s end this year with a beautiful piece of fiction by the great Bengali writer Leela Majumdar – a story about love, compassion and humanity.

Little could Indian immigrants have dreamed that technology would connect them in many ways – and their own efforts would finally bring them a US Diwali stamp to put on the letter to the homeland, making them feel truly at home in their adopted home.

I’m not monkeying around! There really is an Onam feast for monkeys – the guests seem to be having a monkey of a time!
Of course, monkeys are especially beloved because of Lord Hanuman, the monkey god and diehard devotee of Sri Rama. In any Indian town or city, monkeys can do a lot of mischief but get away without punishment due to this divine connection.
During the festival season of Onam, there is a special feast for these honored guests. Watch the video!

The sadness of 9/11 persists. Today morning watching the names being called on television, I remembered the sheer helplessness of that day, the surreal quality of the world. Today too I go to New Jersey for a memorial for the beloved son of dear friends whose life changed forever on this day. I share with you an earlier piece about 9/11 and how we must never forget.

Lassi with Lavina India Blog: An Idea for a Hungry World Feasting and Fasting I’ve been on a…

‘Family Life’, Akhil Sharma’s new novel, is devastating – about the unpredictability of life, of how 3 minutes can change it forever.

Yet it is also about the resilience of the human spirit and how we can keep raising the bar on the amount of grief and pain we are able to tolerate – all for love. And sometimes for guilt.

Deceptively small, ‘Family Life’ comes with a lot of turbulence packed into it – each page takes you into human lives which are raw and conflicted.

“Muhammad Ali was The Greatest. Period. If you just asked him, he’d tell you. He’d tell you he was the double greatest; that he’d ‘handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder into jail.’

Over 250 women turned up for a fabulous Spring Luncheon at Swan Club organized by Children’s Hope India to support the children living in homeless shelters in New York City. A highlight of the 2015 spring luncheon is the Woman of Distinction Award, given to a woman who has managed to balance the challenges of the workplace, home and social responsibility. This year we honored Ila Paliwal who is a classically trained vocalist, song writer and producer. She was presented the award by Sadhna Shanker, wife of the Consul General of India, Ambassador D. Mulay.

Lassi with Lavina Video of the Day – TinderIndia Tinder Comes to India The West is rushing into the…

 Trumping Up the White House  What would a Donald Trump White House look like? Will it be the end…

On International Women’s Day, we share this wonderful inspiring video from Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy which shows that men can be women’s best friends and strongest allies. It is with such simple, quiet stories of courage where people do what’s right, where men and women encourage each other and share the traumas of the world that a viable way of life, a decent society can emerge.

Who is the Indian Bollywood star with a huge mainstream fan following in Spain, Germany and France? Amitabh Bachchan? No. Aishwarya Rai? No. Shah Rukh Khan? No. It’s Sally Bollywood!

Who would have thought a time would come when there would be a Bollywood movie made by a totally non-Indian team, and its heroine Sally Bollywood would become a super-star with French, German and Spanish fans, her own series of books, stationery line, a comic strip, a luggage and textile line. WATCH THE VIDEOS!

The phone line crackled across the Atlantic Ocean. I was in New York, and renowned artist Sakti Burman was in his country house in Anthe, near Toulouse, 650 km from his home in Paris. Thanks to satellite communications, the dialogue was as crystal clear as if we were sitting in the same room. Burman, 74, told me his 13-year-old grandson was with him, while his wife and the other grandchildren had gone for their daily walk.

Duru Massand, Slade Malhotra, Amrita Ghosh Douglas and 21 others like this. 6530 people reached on FB page – Lassi with…