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[…]
Tagged: Identity
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[…]
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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[…]