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India Currents gave me a voice in days I was very lost. Having my articles selected for publishing was very validating – Shailaja Dixit, Executive Director, Narika, Fremont
Summer. Can we not have sunshine year round? With sunsets past dinner time and afternoons with nary a gray cloud in the sky? With the garden blooming and fruits weighing down tree branches? My mind wanders. I arrive at the answer to these questions sitting in my favorite spot in the house, at the corner of a green couch that has seen better days, gazing out onto the street.
The view outside my front windows is enough to teach me about the laws of nature, that constantly churning cauldron of invisible forces working outside the comfort of my house. Those natural laws move and shift in patterns, causing a veritable rainbow of colors to wash across my front windows.
Now, the leaves on the maple trees are a lush green and bright orange flowers dot the pomegranate trees. Soon, in the fall, the maple trees will turn a shade of burnished gold and the ground will be carpeted with leaves. The pomegranates will stain a bright red against the green of the leaves. And, as winter marches towards this house, the tree branches will stick out bare reaching the sky. The magic will continue with the first rain showers. The now-brown California hills that loom large across the street will turn into a carpet of soothing green, prompting me to look up every time I hurry into the comfort of my car in the early morning air. And, then, soon enough, the bulbs that live beneath the soil will suddenly burst forth with leaves that gracefully fall to the sides revealing single blobs of color in the form of tulips.
There is a time for everything and everyone are words I hear whispered from these trees.
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I have enjoyed working at the helm of India Currents for three years how. And, just as there are seasons in nature, one moves through seasons and interests in life too. Now, seems the right time to move on from my role as editor. I will continue in my role as an essayist for the magazine, writing about politics and the arts. I will also have more time for crafting new choreography and movement vocabulary in the timeless art of Bharatanatyam. Creating art through words or movement is all I ever want to do. You can keep in touch with me on Instagram @dancenwords
I welcome Preeti Hay as the Managing Editor of India Currents magazine. She grew up in Mumbai and has written for The Times of India. and Hindustan TImes, and in the US, she has written for India Currents, Khabar and other publications. She trained directly under Pat Schneider, the Founder of Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA), a highly acclaimed creative writing method. She is passionate about creative writing and her fiction and poetry pieces have been published in anthologies. The written word, whether it is creating it or perfecting it to its utmost beauty is Preeti’s passion.
We also have Meera Kymal joining the team as a contributing editor. She was Head of content on a digital platform, www.talkingcranes.com, and was responsible for developing online content, and driving strategic communications. Meera received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Madras University, a Foreign Fellowship from Mount Holyoke in MA, and a Master of Arts degree in Communication from Ohio University.
Geetika Pathania Jain will continue in her role as Media and Culture Editor. She has somehow managed to convince her skeptical family that watching films is hard work, but someone has to do it. An award-winning writer and editor, Geetika earned her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin and attended Purdue University for her master’s degree. She is an advocate for mindfulness practices and yoga.
With this stellar editorial team in place, I have no doubt that India Currents will continue to be a thought leader and serve as a voice for the Indian American community. The publisher Vandana Kumar has supported my work completely; she has served as a sounding board for ideas and has always stood by writers and the strength in their words in any discussion. Such fearless and dedicated leadership is essential for leading an ethnic media publication.
So, rest assured – India Currents will be moving onwards and upwards through every season!