VOGUE INDIA - From the LBD to the conical bra, Simone de Beauvoir to Malala Yousafzai and suffrage marches to Slutwalks—we scoured the history books so you wouldn't have to. Here's our compilation of the most game-changing ideas, leaders, anthems, tomes, films and threads to hit global women's empowerment movements...continue to the full article here.
The Power Woman's Handbook →
VOGUE INDIA - Every generation has its share of them—the trailblazers who lead the way. Vogue engages five women [Sudha Murthy, Arianna Huffington, Vrinda Grover, Firuza Parikh, and Eve Ensler] each a champion in her chosen field of work, for a masterclass. Whip out your notebooks...continue to the full article here.
Pierce the Veil →
VOGUE INDIA - Bikinis and burqas; flirting and fundamentalism; Mecca and Majorca—they're just a handful of the juxtapositions dissected in Burq Off!, actor Nadia Manzoor's ambitious one-woman show, which has commanded the attention of everyone from alt-guru Deepak Chopra to activist Irshad Manji. In it, the Brooklyn-based artist takes on 21 characters, ranging from her dictatorial father to a mullah...continue to the full article here.
The Hundred-Foot Journey Star, Manish Dayal, Dishes on Movie →
NBC NEWS - Watch actor Manish Dayal flip a cilantro-flecked omelet in The Hundred-Foot Journey—a culture clash between an immigrant Indian family and the owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant, set in the south of France—and you’ll never guess he spent a frenetic month immersed in culinary bootcamp. “We filleted and we chopped,” said the 31-year-old, who worked with gourmands including...continue to the full article here.
Green Revolution →
VOGUE INDIA - Chef John Fraser's edible universe — a whimsical world where beets are rotisseried, sweet potato is barbecued and baby carrots are delicately fried, then dunked in a velvety tofu and jalapeno dip — has vegetables playing anything but supporting roles. While Fraser has drawn consistent crowds to his Michelin-starred Dovetail, a nouveau American restaurant on New York's Upper West Side, his newest eatery, Narcissa...continue to the full article here.
Ethereal Ooty →
ENDLESS VACATION - India is a country whose mention triggers images of pulsing megacities and colossal crowds. But Ooty, a eucalyptus-scented town in the Nilgiri mountains of the southernmost state, Tamil Nadu, is an unexpected escape. Ideal for tourists who have crossed the nation's palaces, temples and beaches off their to-do lists, this eccentric "hill station"—the name given to a locale...continue to the full article here.
Indian-American Students Work to Break the Poverty Cycle in Indian Cities →
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - Uplift Humanity, a New Jersey-based nonprofit that works with orphans and imprisoned youth in India, was founded by Anish Patel, a junior at New York University’s Stern School of Business. This month, Mr. Patel and 65 fellow Indian-American students embarked on a three-week trip to Vadodara, Indore and Hyderabad to engage with underprivileged children. Mr. Patel's organization...continue to the full article here.
A New Digital Service Gives Indian Matchmaking a Makeover →
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.