by Priya Mukhopadhyay – Stony Brook University Have you ever felt as if you were in a tug of war between two worlds?  Or even questioned traditions and customs that you at first grew to accept without really enquiring whether there is any validity behind them?  Maybe you worked your hardest to...

by Aditi Mehta – Houston, TX A few of us at the BG Staff were lucky enough to acquire a few copies of the wonderful new audiobook by Kamala Nair titled The Girl in the Garden. Honestly, I’ve never listened to an audio book before and being an avid reader, I’ve always scoffed at the...

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...

Dear BrownGirl Readers, Imagine living in the developing world in a village, where that one river is the only source of water you have for drinking, cooking, and bathing. You don’t have safe flowing water from your tap. You cannot go to the store and buy sanitized bottles of water. Imagine the state...

by Sneha Goud – Michigan State – Graduate I remember my mom telling me stories of being embarrassed while riding Indian public transportation as a teenager.  Her developing body made her the target of unwelcome attention.  I haven’t spent enough time in India to be a target of sexual...

by Kriti Garg – San Fransisco, CA Like many children born and brought up in the U.S. these days, I grew up exposed to two cultures and two languages.  American was my home, and India held my heritage.  My family shopped at Trader Joe’s and New India Bazaar, we watched “The Parent...

by Komal Thakkar – George Washington University In January 2008, Dr. Renu Khator became the thirteenth president of the University of Houston and the eighth chancellor of the University of Houston System. She joined a handful of female presidents of major universities and is the first South Asian...

by Komal Thakkar – George Washington University Ever since I was in eighth grade, the Board of Education felt it absolutely necessary to mandate a summer reading list comprised of the most boring books on the face of the earth. Every June after final exams, our English teachers would present us...