December 30, 2007 at 5:52 pm (Uncategorized)
There were two wedding announcements featuring South Asian in today’s NY Times. One was a for a ceremony in Bangalore, India that will be performed by a Hindu priestess. The other was a ceremony performed at Toronto’s City Hall.
* Hindu priestesses are fairly unusual.
December 30, 2007 at 2:27 am (Uncategorized)
Here is a post I did for the Huffington Post on past statements the presidential candidates made on Pakistan and Pervez Musharraf before Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.
December 24, 2007 at 9:55 pm (Sania Mirza, Tennis)
Sania Mirza recently called 2007 the best year of her career. This despite undergoing knee surgery and missing out on 10 weeks of the tennis season. She rose from being ranked 66th in the world to 27th.
Things went well for her endorsement-wise as well. It was just announced that Adidas signed Mirza to a multi-year partnership. She became the second Indian global brand ambassador for the company, following cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
December 23, 2007 at 8:16 pm (Uncategorized)
There was one wedding announcement featuring a South Asian in today’s NY Times. It was a ceremony performed by a justice of the peace in Vermont. The couple were also married in a Hindu ceremony in Udaipur, India in November.
December 23, 2007 at 5:34 am (Arts & Culture)
Here’s their 1997 single Brimful of Asha. Wikipedia says the band is going to release their next album in 2008.
December 23, 2007 at 4:29 am (religion)
In a nod to the many New Yorkers that do not celebrate Christmas, the New York Times Travel section highlights several of New York’s non-Christian houses of worship. The Hindu Society of America’s Ganesh Temple is prominently mentioned.
Interestingly, the article is accompanied by a photo of the Ganesh statue in the Temple. It looks like the Times was granted an exception to the no photography in the temple rule.
December 22, 2007 at 9:47 pm (Uncategorized)
Somini Sengupta of the New York Times takes a look at the recently overturned ban on female bartenders in India. She notes that bartenders can make up to $1000 a month, which is three times more than what call center workers earn.
Previous coverage of the ruling on bartenders can be found here.
December 22, 2007 at 9:00 pm (The Beatles)
The iconic Rishikesh ashram the Beatles stayed in during their 1968 sojourn is in a sad state of disarray. Now owned by the Indian government, the grounds are overgrown with weeds and have been looted by local villagers.
The Washington Post reports that Maggie O’Hara, a former actress, has submitted plans to turn the ashram into a home for 2,500 street children. The plans have stalled as O’Hara navigates through many layers of bureaucracy.
Photos of the Beatles during their spiritual journey at Rishikesh can be found here.
December 17, 2007 at 11:43 pm (Muttontown)
Mahender and Varsha Sabhnani, the wealthy Long Island couple accused of enslaving and abusing their maids, were found guilty today on all 12 counts held against them.
Newsday describes quite a scene in the courtroom after the verdict was read. The entire Sabhnani family collectively lost it. Varsha and her daughter Dakshina fainted, daughter Pooja screamed for her Papa, and daughter Tina cried out, “We didn’t do anything to anybody. How could this happen to us?”
The Sabhnanis face up to forty years in prison.
Via ANNA at Sepia Mutiny: A link to the Sabhnanis’ fragrance company.
December 17, 2007 at 6:13 pm (Famous People named Lakshmi, Happy News)
Lakshmi Tatma, the toddler born with eight limbs, was released from the hospital this weekend.
The Times of India begins their coverage with a cute, though awkwardly worded, anecdotal lede:
Ask Lakshmi where are her extra legs and hands and the two-year-old gives a bright smile. She gestures with her hands indicating they are ‘gone.’
Lakshmi’s future looks promising. Her doctors at Bangalore’s Sparsh Hospital believe that she will live a normal life.
There was another bit of happy news in the Times of India article. Lakshmi’s father Shambhu has promised to educate his daughter to the best of his ability. “Who knows, she might become a doctor or engineer tomorrow,” he said.
NYT > Asia Pacific