Newly minted UN Messenger of Peace George Clooney visited Delhi today along with officials from the UN and India’s Defense Ministry.
According to IANS, South Asia is well represented in the UN Peacekeeping forces: “With 9,357 troops engaged in UN missions, India is the third largest supplier of peacekeepers behind Pakistan (10,610) and Bangladesh (9,856).”
Clooney was coy on what exactly a messenger of peace does, saying that he was too new to the job to describe it.
There was one wedding announcement featuring South Asians in today’s NY Times. It was a Hindu ceremony in Florida.
Here’s some good news for Indian tennis fans: Serena Williams will play in this year’s Bangalore Open. The tournament begins on March 3.
Meanwhile, mixed-doubles partners Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupati advanced to the third round of the Australian Open. Sania was recently entangled in a faux controversy after a photograph was published showing her bare feet next to an Indian flag.
There were two announcements featuring South Asians in this week’s Weddings and Celebrations section. The first was a destination wedding in Hawaii and the other was performed by a friend of the happy couple that became a Universal Life minister for the ceremony.
Bobby Jindal became Louisiana’s governor Monday and The Times-Picayune ran a fairly standard profile of Supriya Jindal, Louisiana’s new first lady. Readers learn about the birth of her third child, her favorite television shows, and how she met her husband.
Supriya was born in New Delhi, but says that she does not have any connection to the motherland:
Although she has visited India several times — including once with Bobby, when he was sent as a congressman on a trade mission — she says she doesn’t feel any particular attachment to the country of her ancestors or any particular sense of comfort when she’s there. Nor does she follow the news from India with any particular regularity.
“I think it’s interesting. I enjoy traveling and experiencing different things, different cultures. But it’s not a direct connection,” she says.
“She’s a New Orleans girl,” Bobby says. “I think that defines her more.”
Via Sepia Mutiny: A new take on an 80s classic.
There were no wedding announcements featuring South Asians in yesterday’s Sunday Styles section.
Via Matthew Yglesias: Slate’s Tim Noah parodies the fawning remembrances of Benazir Bhutto many of her former Harvard and Cambridge classmates have published recently.
Chapati Mystery’s Sepoy also recalled his few encounters with Bhutto this week, describing his disgust after hearing her speak at the University of Chicago.
For more on the aftermath of the Bhutto administration, my classmate Carl Winfield has been tracking the latest developments on his blog.
Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie ushered in 2008 in a remote Indian village in Rajasthan. The couple arrived by chartered plane from the Maldives.
The couple celebrated with five friends, and will be guarded by heavy security throughout their stay.
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