NBC News - In an attempt to claim a sliver of India’s formidable $25 billion wedding industry, four Harvard Business School graduates are giving the matchmaking mechanism a millennial facelift. It comes in the form of easyBiodata, a new website that digitizes an age-old document that’s integral to the Indian process of arranging marriages. The "biodata," as it's known, is a profile teeming...continue to the full article here.
'Meet the Patels,' Arranged Marriage 2.0 in America →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - An annual family trip to India, complete with a dip in the River Ganges, meddling relatives and the occasional cow joke is hardly an antidote to heartbreak. But this is how 29-year-old Ravi Patel, an Indian-American actor and comedian, attempted to get over his spunky, redhead ex-girlfriend (a serious relationship he hid from his seemingly orthodox Gujarati parents) approximately five years ago...continue to the full article here.
Traffic Control →
VOGUE INDIA - For a man who steers the world’s most formidable online activist network—Avaaz.org, a seven- year-old web movement that’s empowered millions to tackle everything from corruption to climate change—Ricken Patel is surprisingly soft-spoken. But there’s an urgency to his statements. "This is going to sound whacky," prefaces the 37-year-old, holding court in his Manhattan office, with views of bustling Union Square...continue to the full article here.
New York, L.A. Host Indian Film Festivals →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - A psychological thriller that exposes Mumbai’s malicious underbelly served as the opener this week to the New York Indian Film Festival —America’s oldest event showcasing independent South Asian cinema. Directed by Anurag Kashyap, “Ugly,” a film that starts with the disappearance of an aspiring actor’s young daughter, embodied the gritty spirit of alternative Indian cinema. “A film like ‘Ugly’ would never typically open in New York,” said Aseem Chhabra...continue to the full article here.
Man of the Moment →
VOGUE INDIA - There's nothing charming about Akhil Sharma's desk. Wedged in a closet inside his handsome Manhattan flat, the modest space is an unlikely sanctuary for an award-winning author. But it's within these claustrophobic confines that Sharma - who works with the sliding doors closed - scribed much of his second novel, Family Life. "Writing for me, feels deeply selfish," reveals Sharma, 42. "Hiding in my cubby and sealing myself in makes it easier." Family Life, releasing this month in India...continue to the full article here.
A Bollywood Spectacular Comes to NJ →
TRAVEL + LEISURE - As the synchronized jingle of a dozen anklets claimed center stage at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center last Saturday, I watched with giddy anticipation. There was something exhilarating about listening to the Bollywood tunes of my childhood—songs that often served as the overplayed soundtracks to family road trips and dinner parties—captivate an audience of nearly 2,300....continue to the full article here.
Q&A With Ritesh Batra: Director of "The Lunchbox" →
TRAVEL + LEISURE - Director Ritesh Batra’s debut feature film, The Lunchbox, a charming epistolary romance set in Mumbai, is steeped in nostalgia. As it traces an unlikely relationship between a curmudgeonly widower, Saajan (Irrfan Khan) and a neglected housewife, Ila (Nimrat Kaur)—all triggered by a delivery mistake, courtesy of the city’s supposedly foolproof lunch couriers, or dabbawallahs...continue to the full article here.
Smithsonian Explores Beyond Bollywood in Desi Display →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - A new exhibition at the Smithsonian, one of America’s most prestigious museums, is the first of its kind to celebrate the role played by Indian Americans in the history and formation of the country. “Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation”, which opened at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, tracks the integration of the Indian-American community in the U.S...continue to the full article here.
NY Students Want to be the Nate Silvers of Indian Elections →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - A group of tech-savvy Indian students studying in New York are hoping to reinvent Indian election coverage for the digital age with TheFiveFortyFive.com, a website that launched earlier this week. The site (named for the number of seats available in India’s lower house of Parliament) bills itself as a “single-subject” platform with a focus on the upcoming national general elections. Stripped of politico-speak and overheated diatribes...continue to the full article here.
Indian-American Chef Captures the Himalayas →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - Award-winning chef Vikas Khanna’s latest book, a vivid culinary journey across the Himalayan river valleys, is dedicated to a woman whose name he will never know. At a recent launch party in New York City, Mr. Khanna told those gathered that while writing the book he left his laptop by a street-side cafe in Tibet, moments before boarding a bus to Nepal...continue to the full article here.
The Wind Chaser →
VOGUE INDIA - About six years ago, on a flight from New Delhi to Darjeeling, a voice on the loudspeaker directed my attention to an ethereal mountain peak wreathed in fog. It was majestic, overwhelming— a view I would see more intimately in the days to come. Soon, I’d join 65 elite runners from all over the globe on an ultramarathon that featured rare glimpses of the world's highest points: Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Kanchenjunga...continue to the full article here.
Man of Letters →
VOGUE INDIA - On a Monday morning at the Huffington Post headquarters in downtown Manhattan, backpack slung boyishly across one shoulder, managing editor Jimmy Soni leads me on a tour of the labyrinthine office. He offers a lively weekend recap: three blissful days at a friend’s beach house in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. “I’ve never done that before,” he admits. “But if you don’t carve out time for yourself, this job can get all consuming.” He pauses...continue to the full article here.
Special Delivery →
VOGUE INDIA - For the discerning customer, nothing spells luxury like getting an item custom made. Vogue witnesses just what made-to-order really means when six labels get up close and personal with their muses. Zameer Kassam's eyes sparkle, much like the diamond ring he's clasping. The breathtaking bauble belongs to one of the jeweller’s favourite clients, Manhattan-based attorney, Susheila Khachane...continue to the full article here.
Legal Eagle →
VOGUE INDIA - Forty-nine-year-old Kamala Harris, the attorney general of California, is the first woman to be elected as her state's top law enforcement officer. In a recent face-off, Harris, who battles financial institutions guilty of mortgage fraud, recovered and estimated 20 billion dollars for jilted home-owners. "I would cast Kamala in a movie about Kamala," says Hollywood producer-director JJ Abrams, floored by Harris' glamorous looks...continue to the full article here.
Imran Khan: Bollywood's Immature About Sex →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - Actor Imran Khan says he’s fed up with headlines that scrutinize Bollywood’s relationship with sex. “On-screen kisses are still talking points [in the media] and it’s baffling,” said Mr. Khan, who was recently in New York City on a global tour that included stops in London and Dubai to promote his upcoming film, “Gori Tere Pyaar Mein”, which releases in India Friday...continue to the full article here.
America's Best Family Hotels →
TRAVEL + LEISURE - Name an activity that kids might dream up for their perfect vacation and Florida’s Ponte Vedra Inn & Club probably has it. They can join lawn games and craft classes, improve a tennis or golf swing, take a horse ride along the private beach, and learn a captain’s secrets for catching flounder. It’s a winning recipe that has earned Ponte Vedra the title of America’s best family hotel, according to T+L readers...continue to the full article here.
Best Subway Stores →
TIME OUT NEW YORK - The vast majority of New Yorkers ride the subway every day, but your commute doesn’t have to be strictly business. These underground stores inside subway stations allow you to shop for beauty products, stationery, accessories and clothing without deviating from your normal trajectory. Look for NYC-themed threads at Grast in Port Authority, grooming products at eShave...continue to the full article here.
South Asia's Growing Impact on U.S. Films, TV →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - When she was growing up in Kentucky, Samata Narra regularly snuck into her family’s laundry room to catch episodes of the soap opera “General Hospital” on a tiny television set. “My parents only allowed me to watch 30 minutes of TV for every two hours of reading,” said Ms. Narra. “Despite their best efforts, I grew up with a love for television...continue to the full article here.
Miss America, Julie Chen and the Beauty of Choice →
CNN - Nina Davuluri, a 24-year-old Indian-American from upstate New York, expertly twirled to the pulsing beats of a Bollywood tune during the talent portion of the Miss America pageant. At the same time, she spun the traditional notion of American beauty on its head. In the interview portion of Sunday's pageant, Davuluri was asked about Chinese-American journalist Julie Chen's decision to have eyelid surgery to advance her career...continue to the full article here.
Documenting the 'Crime of the Century' →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - “Fire in the Blood,” directed by Irish-Punjabi filmmaker Dylan Mohan Gray, describes itself as an intricate tale of medicine, monopoly and malice. The documentary, which opens in the U.S. this weekend and in India next month, argues that Western pharmaceutical companies and governments caused at least 10 million unnecessary deaths since 1996 by aggressively blocking the developing...continue to the full article here.