Indian American Love Child

I just cried while reading a novel. New low?  Chetan Bhagat's 'One Indian Girl' is no literary masterpiece, actually in all honesty, it's basic as hell. But damn that novel struck a chord. I only started it two days ago, and I am already halfway through. For a novel written by an Indian man, I must admit...he gets it.  The protagonist is an Indian woman in her 20's, very successful, independent, smart, etc. She pretty much has all the makings for a fabulous life, and yet she doesn't... because like many women, she finds herself battling not only society but also herself. I found myself relating so much to this fictional character.  I love being Indian. I love the music, festivals, food, etc. I am proud to be Indian! However being an Indian woman point blank kinda sucks sometimes. My trip to India really solidified this feeling. I was speaking with my aunt, who happens to be South Indian. She was telling me about the dowry system, and how it still pr...

The other day Yera sent me a link to the new Coldplay/Beyonce Music Video. Personally, I am a fan of the song "Hymn for the Weekend", though I have to admit as much as I love my girl Beyonce, I am not really sure she adds much to the song. The collaboration must have been mostly for the upcoming Superbowl? But anyways, I watched the music video, and can honestly say, I much enjoyed it. The video is shot in India, and I thought the imagery was beautiful. I did not think for one second that anything about the video was insulting or demeaning. Actually, I didn't give the video a second thought until I read a NPR article examining the video under the broader context of cultural appropriation. Theft and Artistry: Coldplay, Beyonce in India Spark Discussion on Appropriation Truthfully, I had never even heard of the term cultural appropriation until this article. After reading quite a few articles on it, I learned that cultural appropriation general...

There has been a substantial amount of media coverage surrounding the rapes in Dehli. First, the young college woman raped violently by a group of men, and now the tragic case of a 5 year old child raped by two men and then left to die. The rapes themselves are disturbing and unsettling events, but the public's response to the rapes have been severely troubling as well. Yes, there has been some outcry of public outrage against the rapes, but there is still a great percentage of the population that have not come to terms with the severity of the crimes. Statements such as "Women who dress provocatively are asking to be raped" or "why does a woman need to walking around alone after 9pm?" are not uncommon. The "blame-the-woman" attitude is shared by both woman/men, rich /poor, and young/old. Below is an interesting article that delves deeper into the psyche of Indian men. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/24/india-rape-disturbing-attitudes-men ...