On November 8th, 2016 at around 11pm, my father came to the balcony above our living room and looked down at me with the most painful combination of despair and conviction. “It’s over, Puja. She lost, and you have school tomorrow. Go to sleep.” I sunk into the couch and closed my eyes to release the tears that were welling up, reopening them only to stare at my television screen incredulously — Hillary Clinton lost the presidency to Donald Trump.
Ever since I put up my own “Hillary for President” sign on my 4th grade cubby in 2008, the idea…
When a Tik Tok sound reveals so much more
“I am so glad the North Indian half of my boyfriend is his dad. I could never imagine taking his mother’s maiden name because it’s so long!”
A college peer of mine said this, with a chuckle, to me, a South Indian woman with a long last name.
Although my family is one hundred percent Tamil, I shot at every opportunity to let other Indians know that my mother actually grew up in Mumbai, and that because of this, my mother is more fluent in Hindi and Marathi than Tamil. I…
Stop saying you are one of the good ones without acting like it.
I am disgusted at the idea that Asian and South Asian Americans can have the audacity to claim that our struggle in America is equivalent to that of Black people. I am disgusted at the notion that Asian and South Asian American young adults can profit off the hard work and determination that their immigrant parents have put in to bring…
Never Have I Ever seen representation that I needed
Hey Gods, it’s me, your favorite Hindu girl from the Western New York area. What’s poppin? It’s the first time I’m watching Never Have I Ever, so I thought I would have a check in. I think most of us can agree that Never Have I Ever wasn’t good for a number of reasons.
“But I thought you loved Mindy Kaling?” I received that text message from at least five friends as I delved into my grievances about another one of Kaling’s classically cringe-worthy portrayals of a teenage Indian American Girl.
…
Former President Barack Obama leads with those four words as he delves into his endorsement of Joe Biden. Obama’s ever charismatic and hopeful demeanor is laced with pain. Not surprisingly, his words are crisp and logical, but there is something refreshing about seeing a public official speak with simultaneous conviction and grace.
There is no need to sugar coat this. We were waiting for the moment when Obama would endorse Biden, yet we knew it wouldn’t come until Obama had no other choice. There are a multitude of reasons why Biden may not be the best…
