By Priya Mukhopadhyay – Stony Brook University “Mom, Dad, you don’t get it!” I’m sure we’ve all heard this phrase leave our mouths or even had to bite our tongues when wanting to say it numerous times.  Growing up in a South Asian household while going to school in a Western environment...

by Nadya Agrawal – UCLA Dr. Gyanam Mahajan is the language Program Coordinator for SSEALC and she teaches Hindi-Urdu and South Asian Language and Culture classes at UCLA.  She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics and has been teaching at UCLA since 1992. As an Indian mother of a daughter who currently...

by Syeda Hasan - University of Texas at Austin When I suggested to my mom that I be allowed to wear a sari to her cousin’s wedding in Pakistan this summer, I was surprised to see such a puzzled expression on her face. “A sari?” she said with a chuckle. “We’ll go clothes shopping together when...

by Sneha Goud In the latest hit Hindi movie, 3 Idiots, main character Rancho (played by hottie Aamir Khan) encourages his two friends to let go of stress in their prestigious engineering college and pursue their dreams free from obligations. I saw the movie with my parents.  On the ride home, I told...

by Foram Mehta Jewel-sized droplets of rain begin to pitter-patter on Brice Johnson’s head. A pesky bumblebee zooming around briefly interrupts his thoughts, but the disturbances are only external. His unwavering calm exudes from a place deep within, and he continues to recall memories of the long...

by Sunita Dharani photographs by Thuy Ly The end of the school year can bring about high levels of anxiety for college seniors-professors stacking exams and projects back-to-back, decisions arrive for graduate programs and job interviews, and the ever imminent graduation itself. It is within the past...