PERSPECTIVES

Beyond Building Magnificent Mandirs and Mosques, We Need to Strengthen Our Political Giving Muscle

November is both election season and a time for gratitude. This year in particular, my…

Makers of HBO’s ‘White Lotus’ Should Know Gayatri Mantra is Not Some New Age Energetic Warm Compress

It’s impossible to enjoy mainstream American entertainment media these days without feeling constantly assaulted by…

In Defense of the Advertisement in The New York Times Condemning Religious Persecution in India

In an accusatory response to an advertisement in The New York Times — endorsed by a host…

Can a Widowed Indian Woman of a Certain Age Find Love Again? Excerpt From Priya Malhotra’s Novel ‘Woman of an Uncertain Age’

Although it was almost two o’clock on a gray Sunday afternoon in April, she was…

‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’ Lifted Me Out of the Weariness of Adulthood and Made Me Feel Light as a Feather

I love musicals! My very first musical and my all-time favorite is “The Sound of…

Midterm Elections: I Had a Front Row Seat to See American Democracy in Action

“Good morning! Are you here to vote? Let’s see if you are at the right…

Transnational Threat: Violence in Leicester Exposes the Danger Posed by Hindu Extremism to Peace in Our Diverse Communities

The recent Hindu-Muslim violence in Leicester has sent shock waves through the local community, the…

Why My Mother Braved Flash Floods, Rain and Fog to Cast Her Vote: To Safeguard My Freedom and My Choice

My mother came home late. She said she went to vote. I was mad at…

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…