A Fascination with Fairness Posted by Rachael on Nov 21, 2016
It wasn’t until I traveled to India for the first time that I fully realized how arbitrary beauty standards really are. While the United States was in the midst of a tanning craze, I discovered in Jaipur, Rajasthan (a state in the Northwestern part of India) that women (and men) were desperate to lighten their…
Comfort Food Posted by Nitya on Nov 18, 2016
When people move away from home for school, work, and where life takes them, they often leave behind countless childhood बचपन (bachpan) comforts including the tastes स्वाद (swaad), aromas ख़ुशबू (khushboo), and flavors ज़ायका (zaayka) of a warm home-cooked meal (भोजन bhojan formal usage/खाना khaana common usage). These become lingering memories यादें (yaadein), dormant in the subconscious mind, and are teased awake…
Save Grammar for a Rainy Day Posted by Rachael on Nov 15, 2016
Among some of my fondest memories of my stays in India are the “rainy days,” which would usually occur during the monsoon season (बरसात/barsaat, fem. noun). In North India, this season lasts from around June or July to September. But, it was not only during the monsoon season that rainy days would bless us with…
IST Posted by Nitya on Nov 10, 2016
If you’ve ever been invited to lunch or dinner in India, or if you’ve even arranged a meeting of sorts, you might have had a taste of IST or Indian Standard Time. IST is an inside joke that describes an Indian’s sense of time समय (sum-aye), or lack thereof. If you are invited to a party…
Hindi vs. Urdu, the Debate Continues Posted by Rachael on Nov 8, 2016
Many people have debated the differences (and similarities) of Hindi and Urdu. Some people believe they should be considered separate languages, while others are of the opinion that the two languages are essentially the same in terms of basic vocabulary and grammar; their differences lie only in their writing systems (Hindi is written in the…
Kiraana Shops and Buying Groceries Posted by Nitya on Nov 3, 2016
In the good old days (as I like to think of them) before mall and supermarket shopping became all the rage in India, small mom-and-pop shops called kiraana (किराना) or baniya ke dookaan (बनिया के दूकान) were the only places where one could purchase day-to-day groceries. In these stores, the shop/store owner and his store helpers were the…
Special Part 4, Indians in America: Popular Literature Posted by Rachael on Oct 31, 2016
Since my last post on Indian Americans in popular T.V. and film, I’ve had a nagging feeling that we have some unfinished business regarding our three-part (now four-part 😉 theme: Indians in America. Of course, it’s impossible to cover all of the topics that could fall under this umbrella, but I wanted to address one…