Sree Sripathy, Staff Photographer

“I wasn’t expecting to have a piece on ice change how I drink my water. I was quite fine with drinking it chilled from the filter, no ice! But after reading Jaya’s piece, I decided to add a couple of ice cubes into my afternoon cup of water and haven’t looked back!”


“I enjoyed reading the perspective of one of our youth writers, Kaashvi, about marriage and arranged marriage. We must allow the voices of our teens to be heard, so we can learn but also we can allow them to shape their own experience with our culture.” 

Tanay Gokhale, Community Reporter

Tanay offered this take on his top stories, both of which focused on immigration.

“As someone who recently moved to this country, and was even detained at the SFO airport for a few minutes when I came, this story grabbed my attention right from the headline. I also enjoyed the short, snappy writing style and the interweaving of the woman’s stream-of-consciousness anxiety thoughts and her story of abuse and trauma before she got there.”

“Another story resonated with me on a personal level because it hints at that timeless question that all immigrants have to face: how much of this country can I lay claim to as mine? I have the right to live and work here and the communities around me have welcomed me, but will this country ever become “home” for me? I also found the article very informative about South Asian history in California.” 


Anjana Nagarajan-Butaney, Donor Engagement Advisor

“As a history nerd,  I loved young writer Ashir’s interview and the relevance of Dalrymple’s work to his generation.  His nuanced questions about the identity and belonging of Dalrymple who as a Scot has spent most of his life in India are fantastic. “

Anjana also loved the We Belong story on Sarang Bhatt. “Only at India Currents, can we tell the life story of Sarang comprehensively, with all its complexities and joy, and celebrate it. “

Prachi Singh, our Audience Engagement Editor agreed. “To me, this is a unique conversation on topics that might seem opposite otherwise, but come together beautifully in the life of Sarang Bhatt. I found the candid conversation and the perspectives to be a great resource for myself and feel it could be the same for those inquisitive about identities and self-representation.”


Prachi’s Picks!

“I find this to be a very well-reported piece, examining an issue we might overlook in daily life. It’s easy to either accept neglect and financial abuse of seniors as normal circumstances or ignore it. This piece brings to light problems and the cultural nuances of a demographic that may generally go unnoticed.”