The Piping Hot Tea Of Culture
The words, “we have no culture” clink around in our empty glasses as my aunt’s eyes dart around the dinner table, looking for someone to agree with her. I sink[…]
Tagged: Identity
About Onions: A Letter to My Daughter
A letter to my daughter (who is still tiny and can’t really read) *** When you were tiny — even tinier than you are now — the only times you’d[…]
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When Identity Exists Between Worlds
A couple months ago, I went on a Tinder date with someone I knew from college. Knew is maybe too strong of a word — we had both participated in[…]
These Things DO Happen To Us: How Indian-Americans Can Stop Failing Each Other
A few months ago, a Buzzfeed article entitled “How My Culture Failed Me When I was Raped” made the rounds on my Facebook news feed. In it, Beejoli Shah (no[…]
Dialogue, Identity and ‘How Do You Pronounce That?’
Every time I am introduced to someone new, I say my name and pause, waiting for the furrowed brow and inevitable question: how do you pronounce that? My name, Ashwin,[…]
Identity In Pieces: When You Don’t Know Where You Count
Last summer, I wore a pink and yellow sari to my cousin’s wedding. As my Indian family lingered in the hotel lobby, dressed up and waiting for our shuttle, we[…]
‘My Body Is Not Your Battleground’ Explores What It Means to Be a South Asian Woman
My Body Is Not Your Battleground is a two-part photographic exploration of what it means to be a South Asian woman today, specifically in terms of identity, religion, education, employment[…]
In Defense of the Word ‘Desi’: Why I Love Being Desi
I love being desi. They-see. Theeyy-see. I let it roll off my tongue; I ask other desis if they are also desi and we commiserate, connect, smile quietly and share a diasporic bond. I[…]