I’m writing this op-ed as a response to the deeply problematic Huffington Post blog post “Miss America and the Indian Beauty Myth,” by Asha Rangappa, an associate dean at Yale Law School. In the article, Rangappa situates herself in the recent discourse surrounding the choice of Nina Davuluri as Miss Read More…
It’s India, in summer 2010. My family and I get a respite from the intense heat and walk into a sari shop, where my mom wants to finish her shopping for the day. We sit down, the shopkeeper brings us various sodas and water. My mother, my brother and I Read More…
This column is in response to the article on CNN called India: The Story You Never Wanted to Hear about an American student’s experience with sexual abuse in India. I recently returned from a two-month language-learning scholarship in the state of Punjab in northern India. There, patriarchy acts upon your body: Read More…
Heartbroken over not having recorded her grandmother’s story, Guneeta Singh Bhalla established the 1947 Partition Archive in 2010, which aims to document stories from the Indian-Pakistan partition. Read More…
The wit and wisdom of Anupam Mishra’s TED Talk is not just a compelling watch – it’s also a pertinent discourse on water conservation, especially considering today’s shortages. In this talk, Mishra explores and expounds on the various ways that indigenous Indians harvest water with wells, filter ponds and catchment Read More…
With the end of Chancellor Birgeneau’s term in sight, Chancellor-designate Nicholas Dirks is undoubtedly preparing for his ascension to the top of the university. Having been appointed but a few months ago, you probably don’t know too much about him — but, of course, we’re here to dispel your ignorance. Read More…
“Art for Partition,” an event held Saturday in downtown Berkeley, sought to raise funds for the preservation of stories from survivors of the Partition of 1947 in South Asia. The Partition of 1947 involved the division of colonial India into the sovereign states of Pakistan and India after the dissolution Read More…
If you’re looking for a documentary to break your heart with harrowing images, “The Revolutionary Optimists,” by Nicole Newnham and Maren Grainger-Monsen, is not for you. If you’re looking for a film to inspire you, it is. The documentary, which opened on April 5, instead presents a hopeful view of Read More…
Berkeley based non-profit organization International Rivers has been recently awarded the 2013 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Solutions. Read More…
Although Mihir Deo makes a well-intentioned point that he indeed should have walked his sister home that night in Belize (“Stop India’s rape culture,” Feb. 5), many of the views expressed in his discussion of rape are grounded in the skewed frameworks that color discussions of rape and sexual violence Read More…