BlackChai | Watching life over a cup of tea
Speaking & thinking in another language
Up until first grade I spoke and wrote in Punjabi when my parents decided to move back home and put me in an “English speaking” school. Teachers threatened to deny admission if I didn’t learn to speak in English in the first year of being there. Ever since then, my parents spoke to me in [...]
India 2008: Identity crisis
I just got back from India (well it has been almost 2 months but I need an excuse to post my first post of 2008) and while all the talk about burgeoning population, rising middle class and even bigger midriffs are certainly true, I was sadly reminded that India is going through an identity crisis. [...]
Indian Comic Books Revived
Growing up, I sometimes would read Indian comic books that covered stories of epic heroes. The visual depiction was traditional and often lacked the sophistication in story-telling that you are accustomed to in the Western world. Story-telling and character development is in our history, as is evident in the numerous Hindu gods and goddesses that [...]
Sindhi New Year – Cheti Chand
My Sindhi (hindu) community celebrates their new year today. Unlike the solar calendar where January 1 is officially the New Year, the Hindus (Hindu Sindhis included) follow the lunisolar calendar that is based on the new moon cycles.
Happy Holi – Connecting Cultures
Holi, also known as the Festival of Colours, is my favorite Indian festival for two reasons one, since it officially marks the end of winter and second, for the range of colours that the festival centers upon. The significance of these colours is related to change in weather that is prone to cause certain ailments. [...]