PERSPECTIVES

Turkey: My Cruise Through Greek, Roman, Christian and Islamic Civilizations and Empires

Interestingly, my fascination with Turkey started with the nearly 500-episode Netflix series, “Resurrection: Ertugrul.” For…

U.S. Midterm Elections as Seen From India: I’m Acutely Worried About the Future of America

I have always been a bit cynical of the American media pompously proclaiming every U.S.…

Microaggressions: Why I Ask My Berkeley Friends to Conceal Their White Savior Complex

It’s the first principle of writing that I have abided by ever since I was…

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Roman à Clef is a Magnificent Meditation on Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Last Wife Rani Jindan Kaur

To read Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s award-winning historical fiction, “The Last Queen,” based on the life…

Poor Health: Neglected Dung Diseases in India Urgently Need Crucial Expert Attention

Having been a bit of a gadfly on the mucormycosis crisis in India, I started…

View From London: Trevor Noah’s Rant About ‘Backlash’ Against New British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is Misplaced

Racism exists in every country and every society. But when Rishi Sunak became the first…

The Wire v Meta: How Facebook Caters to Fascists and Authoritarian Regimes, Including India’s

The last few weeks saw an intense drama play out between Meta, the social media…

Balls, Gowns, Marriage Pressures: The Reasons Why Jane Austen was Basically Pakistani

“You know what this Amazon review for “Pride and Prejudice” says? ‘Nothing special, just a bunch…

Amazing Grace: A Tribute to My Guru and Kathak Dancer Pundita Labonee Mohanta

To commemorate Pundita Labonee Mohanta’s upcoming show “Pancha Bhuta” (The 5 Elements — Water, Wind,…

Is the Bashing of Narendra Modi and the Use of Inflammatory Adjectives Against the BJP Justified?

The recent anti-Hindu, anti-Modi advertisement taken out in the New York Times by several organizations, many but…

Diwali Comes of Age in America — a Long Way From the Time When I First Moved Here 30 Years Ago

An American student in my Cultures of India class at the University of California, Santa…

Civil Rights Activists Say Appointment of Right-Wing Hindu Americans to DHS Would Increase Islamophobia, Racism

Indian American organizations, activists and academicians are raising concern at the appointment of three Indian…