Aziz Ansari Tackles “Comedic Sociology.” With a smile that gets right to all of our hearts, comedian and aspiring sociologist Aziz Ansari talked this week about his much awaited upcoming book. Ansari called it more of a “sociology book” than a comical memoir, and is conducting research through his new Modern Romance tour, consulting with sociologists, and on Reddit — a perfectly reliable real-world source, I suppose. In Ansari’s sub-Reddit entitled, “Modern Romantics,” he asks questions we all would love answers to, such as “Do you ever strategically ‘wait’ to text someone back, in order to make yourself more desirable?” The answer is always yes, Aziz, unless you’re the one texting me, sweet pea. [NY Mag]
How is India Contributing to the Search for Flight MH370? As the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 enters another day, India is stepping up its efforts to to help. India has deployed two navy ships, as well as a long-range maritime reconnaissance, an anti-submarine plane, and several coast guard aircraft and vessels to the area. [WSJ]
Aamir Khan Speaks Out Against Fairness Creams. Still in disbelief that anyone would ever endorse such products, *cough cough* Shah Rukh Khan *cough cough*, Aamir Khan is the latest Bollywood celebrity to come out in opposition to skin lightening creams which are still widely used in many South Asian communities. Aamir seems to be on quite the Satyamev Jayate roll these days! [Digital Spy]
Death Penalty Stands for Convicted Delhi Gang Rapists. This week the Delhi High Court upheld the death penalty for the four men who were convicted of gang-raping a young woman in Delhi in December 2012. The judges cited the “gruesome manner” of the crime and called it “unparalleled in the history of jurisprudence” in their decision to uphold the sentence. [New York Times]
Hyderabad’s Unlimited Potential as a New Dual-State Capital. With more details about India’s new state, Telangana, coming to light, Hyderabad seems to have the most to gain. Slated to be the shared capital between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 10 years before belonging solely to the new state, Hyderabad enters unchartered territory during a transition that can have a large impact on the city’s real estate, private education system, and infrastucture developments, among more. [Scroll.in]
New Reports on Bullying of Sikh Students. The Sikh Coalition released a report this week that claims Sikh students in Fresno Country, California, are bullied regularly, and nothing is being done by school administrators when the behaviors are reported. [Fresno Bee]
A Dose of Inspiration from Lisa Ray. Now in remission after a long battle with multiple myeloma, actress and model Lisa Ray is breaking the silence about her long battle with cancer, her many struggles and triumphs, and her more recent foray into philanthropy. What an inspiring lady! [Complete Wellbeing]
More Prison Time for Convicted ’95 Air India Bomber. Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only person convicted in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985, lost his appeal against an additional 9-year sentence for perjury during the initial trial. In the 2003 trial, he was found to have lied 19 times, and was found guilty of making the bomb that killed all 331 people on board the flight.The other two men on trial, Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri ended up being acquitted. [News 1130]
Would you rather be called a FOB or a Far East-er? ABC has renamed a milestone pilot by Asian-American Eddie Huang from Fresh Off the Boat to Far East Orlando. Huang, one of the show’s producers, is speaking out against the racially offensive move. (The the executive producer and writer is Nahnatchka Khan of Don’t Trust the B– fame, who is Iranian-American.) [Mediaite]
Advocating for Girls’ Education in Afghanistan. Dana Burde, a professor at New York University, has been working on access to education for girls in Afghanistan since 2005. She talked about the progress she’s made, the many obstacles she faced, and her visions for the future of making sure young girls are allowed to go to school. [NYU News]
A Chilly, Miraculous Resurrection. Devotees of guru Ashutosh Maharaj who died in India on January of an apparent heart attack, have placed his body in a freezer, believing that he is in a deep sleep beyond what science can measure, and will return to life. Whether you believe them or not, I’m going to go ahead and steer pretty clear of that freezer. [The Telegraph]
A New Fashion Line for “Real Women.” The famed and star-studded Lakme Fashion Week started Wednesday in Mumbai. One of the highlights was the debut of model and actress Mandira Bedi’s summer sari line called “Real Women.” In a sweet and surprising moment, she brought out her mom, Geeta Bedi, as the showstopper. In addition to involving her mom and keeping with the inspiration for her line, many of the “models” of her show were real women from various walks of life (and of all shapes and sizes, YAY). Last seen in India’s version of 24 (and also known as the beloved, too-quiet Preeti in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge), Bedi debuted her fashion line last year and has a flagship store in Mumbai. Way to go! [Pinkvilla]
Priya Arora is a graduate student at New York University, studying Human Development and Social Intervention with a research focus on mental health in LGBTQ youths. Born and raised in California, Priya has found a home in New York, and hopes to go on to become a mental health counselor. Follow her on Twitter at @thepriyaarora.
