Suvir

Instamatic: Poetry in Pictures

Grateful to Dr. Shashi Tharoor for reading Instamatic when it was being compiled into book form. In his debt for having seen sense in it in that loose form. Overjoyed that he found the time and will to write the foreword for Instamatic. 

Today, Instamatic is being released to the world. The day my publisher/editor, my friend Yogi Suri (Milap Publications) and I had been looking forward to for the better part of this last year. 

Here, I share the words of Dr. Tharoor to launch the book into the world. Words that are gracing Hindustan Times' HT Brunch. 

Grateful to Jamal Shaikh and the paper for this wonderful feature that also made it to the cover.

Quest For Identity

Slice of Life, my column for December 28th, 2019, Mail Today.

Why is my food, our food, considered “Ethnic”? … often even, by ourselves.

When I arrived in NYC in 1993, Manhattan was a very different place than it is today.

 

The taxi drivers were Russian, Greek, and some even Irish. But this was rapidly changing. More and more frequently I encountered Haitian, Dominican, Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi drivers. With this demographic change, there was a burgeoning of restaurants that catered to the culinary proclivities of these men—and also some women—on the move.

Read this piece I wrote for the Economic Times here. Or continue below

What's in a name, what's in a word?

The third of my fortnightly column from Mail Today, by India Today.

Alfat by Sonam Kalra's Sufi Gospel Project reveals a most essential secret through poetry and notes

Love and life, music and religion, dreams and aspirations - it is in these that we see the oneness amongst our human collective. When we let go of organized chaos, rules and rituals, dogma and prejudices, generalizations and fears; we become one with self and the other. 

Tolerance is ones capacity to endure pain and hardship, it speaks of stamina and fortitude, it is about endurance. It is not tolerance that helps us rise to greater heights as a human with humanity. For that we need to learn and appreciate acceptance. 

Alfat, the new album by Sonam Kalra, teaches us how to do just that.

Where the Maharanis Meet the Aawam......

It is not everyday, and everywhere that one sees the privileged interact most happily and hungrily with the average man. 

The world is sadly as polarized today as one can stand it to be. Inequality has risen to epic heights around the world. Separating people into an ugly world where the haves and have-nots live apart, with nary a care, respect, or even a thought about the other. 

And so, it should hardly be surprising that the demagoguery of the likes of Donald Trump has become de rigueur. Humans have been divided by geography not just by race and religion, but also wealth, furthering the chances of derisive division. 

If it were not bad enough that we hate the other because of race and religion, now we can also throw in fortune, both of luck and hard work, into that mix. 

Such is the ugliness that holds true, when people are separated by walls, boundaries, neighborhoods, and lack of access for those under privileged and less fortunate.

Happy Spring, Happy New Year, Happy Holi!!!

Holi is celebrated by the Hindus of the Indian subcontinent. Though it seems like most religions of the region have adopted it in some form or another. It is a day to reflect upon past errors and to reflect upon ways of ridding oneself of them. Time to resolve conflicts,  and mending broken relationships by meeting those we are strained with. A time to forget old grudges, forgive others, and to go from angst to enlightenment.

Holi marks the start of spring. For many the start of the new year. For all, it is time to mark the changing seasons and giving life a new lease and fresh start. 

For me there is celebration and renewal in the air, when I see mom and Panditji together in the kitchen. The browning of milk solids, and the smell that permeates the home, is my sign - of assured sweetness and time to think of renewal, of hope on the horizon, of repairing those relations that have somehow gotten fractured, of change coming that shall better life and bring it closer to what does work, of seasons changing, of new opportunities, of harvest, of feeling joy and pride. And of course, of deliciousness at the table. 

Happy Spring and Norooz Mobarak!

My wish list this Spring, is based on the "Haft Seen". Hope these wishes come true for all, not just me. 

May wheatgrass bring you a rebirth of ideas and self, as you want and desire. May it continue to keep you inspired and remain inspiring. May you never be at a loss for renewal in any way, shape or form. 

 

May gold coins beckon prosperity with which you can better all lives around you, and ensure that the least amongst us see better lives and richness, so as to further bless your own life and this world. 

 

May sumac bless you with the brilliance and brightness of the rising sun, wherever you are and travel.

 

May vinegar gift you the patience of an inclusive, kind and compassionate person and give you the gift of mindfulness. 

 

May decorated eggs keep your mind, body and spirit fertile and feeling lively at all times. 

 

May the flickering candles keep you and yours enlightened, bright and forward thinking, with respect for the past and all humanity. 

 

May apples always keep you healthy and happy, blessing you with a fulsome long life. 

 

May cakes and pastries, add sweetness and satiety at every turn of your life. Giving you the ability to sweeten the experience of life for yourself and all around you, wherever you are. 

 

May the savory brilliance of garlic keep you always content and grounded, and blossoming with a sense of belonging as you grow from strength to strength. 

 

May the fruit of the oleaster keep you feeling loved always, and find all your life's desires see fulfillment. 

 

May the poetry of Omar Khayyam, Hafez, Rumi, Khusrau and other great poets and thinkers, keep your life inspired, at peace with self, and in harmony with others.

 

Wishing you peace, happiness, good health, and joy this new year.

To read more about Haft Seen and Norooz, continue reading

Where the mind is without fear - Happy Republic Day, India!!!

Why I am with Hillary Clinton and against Donald Trump

 

 

 

Charlie and I have been for Hillary even before we were for Obama. And as swiftly as we supported Obama, we also never lost our love, respect, and trust for and in Hillary Clinton. She has worked a lifetime for us, and we will work a lifetime for her. That is what one does for those that work for others, even when no camera is watching.

Hillary Clinton is a tireless champion of human rights, womens rights, gay rights, minority rights, and the rights of all that have been marginalized by society. Where others might have said and done nothing, Hillary was fighting for change. It is this that makes it easy for us to stand behind Hillary.

But here below I share the words of Fareed Zakaria, a rather centered voice, that speaks up with great erudition about why he is against Donald Trump, and shall vote for Hillary Clinton. Read his words, and you will join Charlie on Tuesday, and cast a vote for Hillary Clinton, and against Trump.