by Nadya Agrawal – UCLA Not gonna lie, I have been told, on more than one occasion, that I am beautiful.  This is always instantly backed up with a “You’re so exotic!” … Uh, mood-ruiner much? Why is it that South Asians, and South Asian girls in particular, are complimented through a telescope...

by Roshni Mulchandani – San Fransisco Bay Area By default, most Indians around the world associate Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as the brand ambassador to Bollywood. And thus, she becomes the face for Indian women all over. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with her representation in terms of...

by Shritin Patel – Houston Baptist University I can still remember the feeling of embarrassment and contempt I felt at my culture when my 5th grade teacher refused to take any of the food I made because she thought I had a disease that afflicted my hands. That “disease” was my henna. Growing...

by Komal Thakkar – George Washington University If I am not watching Mean Girls or Princess Diaries for the millionth time, Bollywood films are my movie night staple. The singing, dancing, classic love stories, and gorgeous costumes always take me away into a fantasy world where I can imagine my...

submission by Nita Garg – University of Texas School of Law The Human Rights Watch is pressing the Indian government to ban the so-called “virginity test”, which is commonly used on rape victims in India. The test, which many call degrading and unscientific, is utilized to determine...

by Sneha Goud – Michigan State Graduate I am a fist-pumping, pouf-loving Jersey Shore fan.  I got into a “fight” over Twitter last week with my friend defending Snooki’s honor (after this New York Times article).  But after hearing about a “Asian” version of Jersey...

by Shivangi Ramachandran – University of Oregon I am super patriotic for someone who claims to care about absolutely nothing. I wasn’t always this way though. While I was growing up, I was mostly oblivious to the surroundings I was growing up in. Like every other child, I considered my bhutta-eating,...

by Priya Patel – University of Florida Directed by: Nina Paley, Sita Sings the Blues. 2009. 82 min I’m not usually a fan of animation. If Pixar is not involved, I generally don’t give it another glance because I tend to automatically associate animation with the child-orientated cartoons that...

How do women feel about equal rights today? Are women progressing around the world in attaining better jobs and social standing? The NY Times  posted an article disscussing a new survey accross 22 countries that showed a large gap between the sexes when it comes to equality. Even in nations where equal...

by Neethi Srinivasan – University of Michigan A few weeks ago I was prompted to ponder the following question – what makes a concert great? Is it the size of the venue, quality of the background dancers, or the abundance of pyrotechnics that determines the success of a concert? Or is it the quality...