Being an Indian in America in the 1980s was rather lonely. I was raised in the bosom of a large family, and then found myself 10,000 miles away from familiar people, familiar places, and a familiar culture. When I got the opportunity to partner in India Currents, I found the perfect way to reconnect with my community in my new home.
At the time, India Currents’ vision seemed a pipe dream: to create a space where the community could draw together to discuss relevant issues, plan cultural events, and connect South Asian service providers and users with one another. How would this work in a new country where the community, with its many cultures and languages, was so disperse?
India Currents faced many challenges in those early years—lack of resources, domain knowledge, and funding were constant worries. But then a wonderful thing began to happen: we found ourselves on the cusp of an emerging and prominent community that flourished in its new home, while keeping old traditions alive.
I found myself making this journey with India Currents. Stories that touched my life found a home within the pages of India Currents—dealing with the loss of a loved one, juggling childcare and elder care, family-run businesses where kids grew up too quickly, assimilation vs. acculturation issues. What had started as a utility for events had now evolved to address social issues that were taboo in our society at the time: domestic violence, sexual orientation, interracial relationships. Twice, we even got death threats for our editorials!
In the beginning, we looked only to bring the Indian community together. Today we’ve expanded to actively building bridges—between South Asian communities and the larger American community, between generations, and exploring what it means to be a hyphenated American.
Like most others in this nation, the last few years have been a financial struggle for us. However, India Currents is emerging with renewed hope and enthusiasm. In celebration of 25 years in business, we return to our free-subscription model. We are launching a new website and exploring technologies to deliver our unique content to a new generation of readers. Today, through our two print editions as well as our online edition, we reach over 125,000 readers every month!
Our publication has thrived because of the support and encouragement of the very community we serve. We could not have done this without you—our readers, advertisers, and community patrons. India Currents has always been, and still remains for me, a labor of love. Let’s celebrate another 25 years together!