In commemoration of the year coming to a close, The Aerogram shares with you 50 of its most viewed posts in 2015. What was the audience reading on the site? Take a trip down memory lane and find out below, in the year-end countdown of these 50 posts from 2015. A huge thanks goes out to all the writers who generously shared their work on The Aerogram in 2015. Check back over the next few days for more of the year’s notable posts.
50. Telling the Stories of South Asia: A Conversation With Sailaja Joshi of Bharat Babies
Nina Bhattacharya sat down for a chat with Sailaja Joshi, founder of Bharat Babies — a publisher of children’s books that narrate stories about South Asian cultures and heritage.
49. The Aerogram Book Club on Uday Prakash’s The Girl with the Golden Parasol
Mahmud Rahman brings together Daisy Rockwell and Kevin Hyde to discuss Uday Prakash’s The Girl with the Golden Parasol, originally written in Hindi.
48. I Propose Arranged Marriage
Apologies to Kim Kadarshian’s behind, but if anything’s going to break the internet, Tharun James Jimani believes it’s the clamor of newly broken-up Malayalee Catholic men at the doors of ChavaraMatrimonial.com.
47. Meet Rene Sharanya Verma — A Desi Student Rapping to Fight Misogyny
Editor Rohin Guha shares a post about a Delhi student who raps against misogyny.
https://youtu.be/a5aPQVXmjL0
46. Priyanka Chopra Bridges Indian Generation Gap with Quantico
Rohin on why we’re all cheering Chopra on.
45. MTV #VMAs Skit Has Bollywood Dancers In Miley Cyrus’s ‘Epic Selfie’
I posted about that time a group of Bollywood dancers were part of an Instagram selfie skit during Cyrus’s opening monologue.
44. Sacrilege in Punjab, Aftershocks In Canada
Jagdeesh Mann writes about events in Punjab leading to political strife in the Indian state, with the waves of turmoil washing up onto Canada’s shores.
43. The Problem With ‘Us vs. Them’: Muslims, Sikhs, Fear & Stereotypes
Yusuf Ziddy’s essay on how the mainstream media’s sentiment of “Sikhs are not Muslim” creates an “us vs. them” mentality.
42. Review: The Not So Unexpected Twist in Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced
People often talk about Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Disgraced as if the play has a big surprise twist that no one expects. Sameena Mustafa expected it.
41. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Continues Public Charm Offensive
Murthy may wear an admiral-style uniform as Surgeon General, but he also brings a distinctive personal style to the role. I shared some of his charming moments in this post.
40. Saree, Not Sorry: Using Fashion To Speak Back
Tanya Rawal started the #sareenotsorry project which uses fashion to speak back to the rising anti-immigration discourse in the United States.
#sareenotsorry #fashionispolitical #saris #birkenstock #indianamerican #indiancotton #indian #desi #pink A photo posted by Saree Not Sorry Project (@saree.not.sorry) on
39. Amma & Appa on Marriage and the Union of Two Families
Monica Luhar reviews Amma & Appa, a heartwarming film about two completely different families coming together to celebrate the love between their children.
38. Caste Privilege Is About Caste-based Discrimination, Not Caste Itself
A piece in response to the thoughtful “Caste Privilege 101: A Primer for the Privileged” which the writer Raman Khanna enjoyed reading and with which he wishes to engage.
37. An Incomplete List of Terrible The Good Wife Jokes Archie Panjabi Can Make on Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Archie Panjabi joined the cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine so here are some bad The Good Wife jokes for you from Rohin.
36. Sujatha’s South Indian Vegetarian Kitchen #1: Essential Spices + Potato & Onion Curry
Recipes that allow one to achieve sophisticated flavors with a few basic fresh and dry spices and herbs are the focus of Sujatha Bagal’s series of food posts this year.
35. Why A Bollywood Celebrity’s Struggle With Depression Is A Big Deal
Speaking up about personal challenges is highly uncommon for female celebrities in India. Ruchika Tulshyan takes note of Deepika Padukone speaking up on this important topic.
34. Despite Focus of India’s Daughter, Rape In India Is Not Just About Poverty
Watching Leslee Udwin’s documentary India’s Daughter was a wake up call for writer Ruchika Tulshyan.
https://youtu.be/rCZkjgBgOws
33. Is There Now A Responsibility To Offend?
Gurmeet Singh Ahluwalia writes about being in favor of a publication’s right to publish racist, sexist, homophobic cartoons — and also being free to think they’re assholes for doing so.
32. A Nation of Others: On Our Right to Be Treated as Humans
Rohin Guha explores how other-ing leads to acts of brutal violence in this essay.
31. Priyanka Chopra Dishes On Which 3 Bollywood Stars She’d Like To See On Quantico
Hint: She co-stars with one of her picks in Bajirao Mastani. Read her interview with Rohin.
30. The Chapel Hill Shooting & The Importance Of Labels
Yusuf Ziddy on how the language we use to describe certain incidents impacts the consequences of our actions and our responses.
29. Sendhil Ramamurthy On Indie Film Brahmin Bulls & The Universal Language of Acting
Anisha Jhaveri interviews an actor who has transformed South Asian American media depictions beyond mere ethnic caricatures.
28. ‘On Being Brown in America’: An Excerpt From Amitava Kumar’s Lunch With A Bigot
Amitava Kumar’s collection of 26 essays Lunch with a Bigot is a mix of memoir, reportage, and criticism.
27. In the Aftermath of Sandra Bland: Why South Asians Need to Speak Out In Support of #BlackLivesMatter
Shyama Rajendran writes about how our silence — especially in the wake of Sandra Bland’s death — grows deafeningly loud.
26. Watch Aziz Ansari Diversify The Late Show, And Then Watch His Dad Steal It
My post about the time Stephen Colbert welcomed Aziz Ansari and his Master of None co-star and father Dr. Shoukath Ansari to The Late Show.
25. These Things DO Happen To Us: How Indian-Americans Can Stop Failing Each Other
To be rejected for who you are is painful, without a doubt, and Neepam Shah writes that framing this rejection in a way that questions someone’s fundamental identity is worse.
24. Dear Bollywood, When Did Obsessive Stalking Become Flattering And Respectable?
Farah Naz Khan on why it’s high time for Bollywood’s art to start making some changes, to stop condoning this behavior, and to highlight the wrongs of stalking.
https://youtu.be/7GPzpb4d7CM
23. Drawing Inspiration: A Conversation With Visual Artist Chitra Ganesh
Chitra Ganesh is a South Asian American visual artist who has earned accolades and awards and exhibited across the globe. She’s also one of interviewer Kavita Das’s oldest friends.
22. An Open Letter To Vijay Chokalingam
Somayra Ismailjee pens an open letter to Vijay Chokalingam about racism and anti-blackness.
21. Dear Nikki Haley, Who Are You?
Rohin is not here to celebrate the South Carolina governer lowering the Confederate flag because she was so slow to action.
20. Diwali Reflections On Visibility and Meaning in the U.S. & Singapore
A profound appreciation for childhood celebrations of Diwali in the U.S. inspired Pooja Makhijani to create new Diwali traditions with her child in Singapore.
19. White People Laughing While Eating Indian Food
Rohin finds the truth in stock photos. Be the life of the party when you transform your naan into an eyepatch!
18. Do You Think My Muscles Are Sexy?
Former professional tennis player and wellness authority Neha Uberoi asks how much muscle tone is sexy and at what point does it become unattractive?
17. The Colonization Of Curry In The West
Maryam Jameela writes about how Indian food and culture is received in the west, as opposed to Pakistani food and culture.
16. Dirty Diana Doing Yoga: A Chat Inspired By Janelle Monae’s “Yoga”
Crystal Leww and Dhaaruni Sreenivas look at music, culture and yoga through the lens of Monae’s music video for “Yoga”.
15. 5 Fierce Desi Women Making Indie Music Right Now
When it comes to South Asian American woman in indie music, you might assume there are none, but they’re out there and Sarah Sahim shares five of the fiercest.
14. Open Letter: We Need to Talk About How Mental Health Affects South Asian Men
Taimour Fazlani pens an open letter to South Asians to speak more frankly about how mental health issues affect men.
13. Did The Good Wife Snub Archie Panjabi at Paley Fest?
They forgot to invite Archie Panjabi to The Good Wife panel at Paley Fest, and Rohin Guha looks into it.
12. Obama Awards Jhumpa Lahiri National Humanities Medal For Enlarging The Human Story
My post on the author receiving this prestigious award includes video of the event and a special photo of Lahiri and the president exchanging smiles.
11. 9 Ways U.S. Journalists Can Report Responsibly On Quantico Star Priyanka Chopra
Rohin offers pointers even the most rushed or uninterested journalist can use while writing about the international superstar, without needing to do (much) research!
10. Let’s Talk About When Mindy Met Neepa
Editors Anita Felicelli, Rohin and I chatted about The Mindy Project episode where Mindy Lahiri goes off to Stanford to start a fellowship — and meets Neepa, an Indian immigrant.
9. Feminist Bollywood Movies For When You Want the Masala, But Not The Misogyny
Shailee Koranne enjoys Bollywood movies and knows fellow feminists who do too, so she put together a list of some of the most feminist ones she’s seen.
8. Bringing it Home: South Asians Talking To Our Parents About Sureshbhai Patel, Police Brutality, And Black Lives Matter
Solidarity group API Resistance asked South Asian organizers to talk to their mainly first-generation immigrant parents about the Sureshbhai Patel case and Black Lives Matter.
7. Twitter On The Smell Of Basmati Rice (aka Terror Rice)
The actual smell of basmati rice cooking is pretty faint, but this media coverage stinks, and my post rounded up some reactions on Twitter to The Daily Beast‘s description of a home visited in its investigation of the San Bernardino shooting.
6. Shankar’s ‘I’ Is About Everything And Then Some
Pulkit Datta reviews science fiction fantasy romantic thriller ‘I‘; no South Indian film has opened this widely in U.S. theaters before it.
5. Why I Don’t Date White Men
Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed writes about wanting to be in a relationship where she could be her full self, no explanation or education needed.
4. 2 Things We Can Do To Help Purvi Patel Fight Indiana’s Feticide Law
Purvi Patel is a 33 year-old woman who may not leave jail until her 50s…for miscarrying; Rohin wrote about ways to help out with her case.
3. Me, My Hair, and My Brownness
Shailee Koranne’s chronological piece shares experiences she’s had because of her body hair, a timeline from age 9 to 19 (now) of several instances that deeply affected her.
2. Caste Privilege 101: A Primer for the Privileged
An introductory discussion for upper-castes to begin working on their caste privilege so that Dalits don’t have to, from Thenmozhi Soundararajan and Sinthujan Varatharajah.
1. The Problem With ‘Punjammies’
Navjot Kaur and Simran Kaur believe that a company’s brand stealing a heritage and profiting from disrespect and cultural appropriation does not empower the women of red-light districts.
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