The Masque of VS Naipaul @ The NRI
I have waited nine years to see VS Naipaul. The last time he was in town, he was fresh from his Nobel win, and I was still star-struck from my introduction to his work in a postcolonial lit class. I bought tickets the day they went on sale. Unfortunately for me, Joe took ill (or so he claimed!) about half an hour before the talk, and I didn’t make it. Lucky for me, Naipaul is a prolific author much sought after on tour, so I did get to see him recently. My latest NRI piece reflects on the...
Read MoreObama’s Change, India’s Coming Of Age @ The NRI
Another new piece up @ The NRI – an overview of President Obama and his support for India’s bid for a permanent spot on the UN Security Council. Writing about politics, outside of my usual umbrella, is a fun change, particularly since I’m a BBC and WSJ junkie. It’s nice to work outside my comfort zone every now and then; books are still my first love, though! Do you try and write outside your comfort zone often? Why? Why not? Here’s the Obama blurb; read more, as...
Read MoreConquering Bollywood – An Interview With Amanda Sodhi @ The NRI
Long time, no updates! It’s been busy in Cambridge, with a sick kidlet, a sick me, and scads of work. I have a few pieces I’m really excited about coming up soon, though. In the meantime, here’s an interview @ The NRI with Amanda Sodhi, a fabulous woman conquering mountains everyday. Seriously, Amanda makes me look really, really lazy, even on my 3+ article days. Here’s the blurb; head over to The NRI to read more. Amanda Sodhi is something of a whirlwind–when she’s...
Read MoreIndia, Meet Galli Galli Sim Sim – Part 2
In part 1 of my interview with Shari Rosenfeld, International Vice President of Sesame Workshop, we chatted at the beginning of Galli Galli Sim Sim, India’s local version of Sesame Street. Here’s what Shari has to say about how parents feel about GGSS: I think overall the reception has been very very strong. It’s a complicated question because it’s a mixed demographic and – for example, the initial Pogo cartoon audience was largely the upper socioeconomic class, really the...
Read MoreIs NBC Outsourcing Their Comedians?
I have a new post over at The NRI, about how NBC’s latest offering isn’t just unfunny–it’s racist. Here’s the gist: Indian stereotypes are a strange, awkward sort of bird. Stereotypes exist for a reason, and they usually have some truth to them. But what happens when a stereotype becomes outdated? Do new ones appear, or do old ones linger like a poorly written joke? If Outsourced, NBC’s latest offering is anything to go by, old stereotypes stick around,...
Read MoreAn Indian Sesame Street?
Last month, I was fortunate enough to interview Shari Rosenfeld or Sesame Workshop International, about Galli Galli Sim Sim, the Indian Sesame Street. Here’s a snippet from part 1 of our chat: Sesame Street is an icon in children’s programming–kids in more than 140 countries watch Big Bird, Elmo, and the Count on a regular basis. But Sesame Workshop, the show’s parent organization, is a non-profit with a mission: bringing literacy and education to kids everywhere. While it may...
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