Letters to the Editor: 2/25/2021
Dear India Currents, On skin color... I am not an apologist for the Indians' penchant for fair skin. I merely want to say that different nations/ethnic groups have different criteria for beauty/handsomeness, mostly illogical. Why is a taller man considered more...
Indian Couples Plan Their Own Big Fat Indian Wedding
Indians all over the globe are binge-watching the new Netflix series, The Big Day. The series focuses on big fat Indian weddings in exotic locales and I could not get enough! The Valentine‘s day launch was on point to woo the romantic notions of thousands of couples...
Your Featured Life
Designer Babies: The Genetic Saviors
Tell A Story - a column where riveting South Asian stories are presented like never before through unique video storytelling. Genetic Engineering has always been a promising field of science right from its inception, but to advance to a level where babies can be...
The Financial Folly of Fossil Fuels
Natural disasters are as old as our planet. From asteroid impacts that caused major species loss, to floods and plagues of biblical proportions, to modern day hurricanes and wildfires, they have affected both plant and animal life. Past events were viewed as “acts...
IC Live: A Vibrant Community of Desi Poets
IC held its third Desi Poetry Reading, in collaboration with Matwaala, on December 3, 2020, which was moderated by Srishti Prabha and Kanchan Naik. The topic was certainly timely – Uncertainty and Change. After a quick introduction by Pramila Venkatewaran, the...
Community
Treatment From Mumbai to Houston: Help A Family
This is about my husband, Sanjiv Agarwal. Sanjiv is the quintessential 40-year-old - an engineer, working as a marketing professional with an FMCG company. Full of dreams and full of life, always smiling, super intelligent, the center of attraction of any gathering,...
Letters to the Editor: 2/15/2021
Dear India Currents, I penned a thoughtful article on BLM to celebrate Feb as Black History Month. This is an honest attempt to contribute through Indian Classical dance to the movement. Many asked me to write about this for a long time. February is the ideal time. We...
Can Schools Reopen Safely?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday, February 13th, 2021, issued new guidelines for the reopening of K-12 schools. Many teachers and parents have raised concerns about the early reopening of schools. Returning to schools before teachers can...
Bay Area Burmese Americans Protest the Military Coup
In response to the recent military takeover in Myanmar (Burma), the Free Burma Action Committee (FBAC)--a coalition of the San Francisco Bay Area-based Burmese American activists--will stage a peaceful protest on Saturday, February 13, from 1 PM to 3 PM at the UN...
Voices
The Boy Who Loved Vasant Panchami
The year was 1940. It was Magha in the Hindu lunar calendar. The Sun God was in Uttarayana. The Devas were offering their morning prayers. The portal to Heaven was open. On planet Earth, the mortals were stirring to welcome Vasant Panchami. A harvest festival flushed...
The Sweet Devil In Me
7:30 pm is here and dinner is done, dishwasher loaded, floor mopped, air freshener sprayed. The sign is up: Kitchen Closed! Time for my evening walk - jacket, leggings, and headsets on top of my head. Calories screaming on top of their voice: please burn me! I finish...
California Nani: A Video a Day Keeps The Doctors Away
In the pandemic of 2020, when the world went into lockdown, one Indian lady who is above 80 years of age, engaged herself in making videos on Indian culture, mythology, and literature from her apartment in San Francisco. Her name is Mrs. Harsha Watts and she is my...
The Good and Bad of Living as an NRI
From Surabhi’s Notepad – A column that brings us personal essays and stories, frivolous and serious, inspired by real-life events and encounters of navigating the world as a young, Indian woman living outside India. Sitting beside a window in my house in West...
Get stories from India Currents delivered directly to your inbox Subscribe!
Culture
Indian Couples Plan Their Own Big Fat Indian Wedding
Indians all over the globe are binge-watching the new Netflix series, The Big Day. The series focuses on big fat Indian weddings in exotic locales and I could not get enough! The Valentine‘s day launch was on point to woo the romantic notions of thousands of couples...
Slick Malayalam Language Thriller “C U Soon”
The real deal Having read the disclaimer about COVID-compliant measures during the making of C U Soon and with all the social media and dating app screen grabs at the start, I wondered if this was just a creative attempt at making a movie during these unprecedented...
The Reunited States: South Asians Take the Lead
The Reunited States is a powerful documentary about the rampant division in America with a difference. It offers solutions. It tracks Black Lives Matter and Susan Bro’s mission for social justice from the anniversary of the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally up...
Tailing Pond: The Story of Jadugora
Outside the village of Jadugora, a few miles from the town of Jamshedpur in India, kids kick a ball around in the fields. Their friends watch from the sidelines cheering them on - but they don’t join in. If you take a closer look, you’ll see Munna. He’s 8 - he can...
Trending
Aberration: Chapter 5
This story is published every two weeks as part of the column – Legends of Quintessence – which interacts with Sci-Fi in a South Asian context. Recap: In the last chapter, Sneha’s truth is revealed to the others in the shelter. She also discovers that she has evolved...
Naturalization Fees Spike On Oct 2
If you are eligible for naturalization, or some other immigration benefits, now is the time to apply! After concluding their biennial review of fee collections last month, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a significant increase in filing...
Sponsored Articles
Las Positas College Is Here And Ready To Help You
Apply today for Spring Classes at Las Positas College! Want to transfer to a four-year university? Looking to train for a new job or get career-ready? Las Positas College offers a wide variety of flexible online programs to help you stay on track and reach your goals....
Come Celebrate The Holidays At Filoli
Holidays at Filoli is the perfect season to make special memories with loved ones and friends. The historic House and Garden will be glittering and glowing with festive cheer every day and night of the week through January 3. Filoli is one of a kind. With its 16-acres...
Opinion
Iconoclasm Is an Expression of Fanaticism
This article is part of the opinion column – Beyond Occident – where we explore a native perspective on the Indian diaspora. After he was killed by an assassin’s bullets almost 73 years ago on a cold January day in Delhi, the locals found a decapitated statue of...
Am I Allowed to Have Sex On My Mind?
Desi Talk – A column that works on embracing our brown background and unique identity using Coach Yashu’s helpful tips. Find her talking to IC Editor, Srishti Prabha on Instagram LIVE Tuesdays at 6pm PST/ 9pm EST! After conducting a free Sex Education workshop, the...
2021 is A Hangover & We Are Facing the Repercussions
Hey, the New Year 2021 is here! Yay! There were a lot of private parties and a few public parties, with both masking and unmasking happening, for sure. A lot of cake was eaten and quite a bit of champagne was drunk. Unfortunately, the new year started with a heavy...
Cycles of Destruction and Renewal
As 2020 inexorably moved to a close, the world watched as the global COVID-19 pandemic affected every aspect of our lives and livelihoods. Personally, my mindset moved between fatalism and cabin fever driven anxiety that this virus would dictate our lives for a much...
Health & Wellness
Why Should You and I Care About Palliative Care?
Sukham Blog – A monthly column focused on South Asian health and wellbeing. My wife’s oncologist recommended a palliative-care consultation during one of her checkups. This was the first time we heard about it and my wife, subsequently, received beneficial palliative...
Suvita’s Solution to Mass Vaccinations Involves Gossip
(Featured Image: Pippa Ranger, Innovation Advisor, DFID) In the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic, vaccination is a hot topic globally. In America, 400,000 people have died. We still don't have a uniform understanding of the efficacy, distribution, availability, and side...
The Virus & The Vaccine
Getting the COVID19 vaccine out of the freezer and into people's arms has been slow. And, even as people battle unsympathetic websites to find slots for a shot, there still are many unanswered questions. Will people who have been vaccinated still be asymptomatic and...
Charting a Course For Renewal
Sukham Blog – A monthly column focused on health and wellbeing. As 2020 drew to a merciful close, our editor sent me a note suggesting we begin the new year with a focus on renewal and the environment around us. I filed that thought away as I began a break from my...
From Our Sponsors
Lifestyle
The Cowboy and the Yogi: Ever-changing Traditions
“India, like America, feeds and nourishes creative individuality. Just as Americans have been inspired by the archetype of the Cowboy, who wanders the open spaces in search of a dream, so Indians are inspired by the Yogi, who wanders inner spaces in search of...
Youth
The Mask: Art Therapy Can Ease Anxiety About COVID
In a perspective published in the journal Science, a group of scientists reiterates that masks are not only helpful but necessary to combat the spread of the virus from people without symptoms. The top reasons why Masks will continue to play a critical role are: No...
Contact Us
From the Publisher
For the past 32 years, we have been telling stories about the Indian diaspora in our own voices – and winning awards for these story-tellers! Many thanks to all those who have supported community journalism – this is YOUR platform.
