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“Let Freedom Ring”: A Reflection During Black History Month
As a child, the voice and stories of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. echoed in the halls of my home. My father, Reverend Michael Millben, would reminisce about his days marching with Dr. King in the Civil Rights Movement and serving as a glorified chauffeur to his beloved mentor Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr., simply to posture himself as a pupil and maximize time learning from him. I would provoke my mother, Pastor Althea Millben, to tell me the story over and over of the moment she and Dr. Coretta Scott King sang in duet together during her days in college at Langston University in Oklahoma. Dr. King, the King family, and the Millben family have their own place in Black History.
Reflections on Contemporary Indian American Art: An Inward Journey
I had always seen myself as a writer and a historian, with no more than a peripheral interest in contemporary art, mainly because I never had the opportunity to delve into it deeply enough to understand its abstract complexities. That is, until I was charged with directing an exhibition project EMerge: Art of the Indian Diaspora for the National Indo-American Museum (NIAM).
Supporting India's Vulnerable Children With Miracle Foundation
Her name was Shibani Das and she was not quite 2 years old. Her hair had all been shaved off because of lice, and she weighed almost nothing, just skin, bones, and beautiful eyes.
Diaspora: The feeling of being neither here nor there, solved!
Is the Indian diaspora really confused about their identity? We often used ABCD (American born confused desi) for an Indian who grew up in America—and I challenge that. I really don’t think they are confused. The really confused person is an NRI, someone like me— who grew up in India and then moved to live in America.
UNEARTHED: Untold Stories from The Ramayana
There is something about story-telling that captivates my imagination; it is an intrinsic part of South Asian culture. I grew up in New Delhi, India, in the 1980s, at a time when watching the Ramayana and Mahabharata were the beginning of our exposure to television, but mostly listening to stories from these epics, read to me by my mother. Decades later, these stories still intrigue me and I found a kindred spirit in Amit Patel, who grew up in Fremont, California in the 1990s, watching these on DVD, with his ba. These Hindu epics which mostly celebrate the victory of good over evil, read differently when viewed now – less simplistic, more layered, providing more questions than answers.
Fostering Inclusion and Allyship with Desi Rainbow
My child came out to me several times, from early childhood to adulthood, before I actually understood what he was saying. When he told me, as a 6-year-old child, that he was a boy, rather than the girl he had been assigned as at birth, I explained it away as him being a tomboy. When he told me he was gay in middle school, I told him it was a phase, and he would get over it. It was only when he was in high school that I began to take what he said seriously.
The Power of a Role Model
For years, I’ve told the story of my transformation from a child who rejected her Indian heritage, to a child who embraced it. But until recently, I was mystified about the reason for this change.
India's First Online Olympiad on Arts, Crafts, Culture and Heritage of India
India is one of the largest multicultural and diverse countries in the world. It boasts of rich knowledge traditions and cultural heritage. Due to the impact of colonialism and the ever-increasing impact of globalization, however, the Indian education system has been designed in a way that sidelines cultural studies to pave the way for STEM subjects only. As important as the latter is, it is important to adopt strategies to safeguard India’s multifaceted knowledge from being erased from our memory.
Silent Winds, Dry Seas: A Novel of Indian Identity in a Multiracial Society
Soon after my arrival to the United States as a student, I went to a football game in Hartford, Connecticut. At half-time, the guy sitting on the bench in front of me got up and turned, beer can in hand, half his shirt hanging over his jeans.
Tokyo: The Most Successful Olympics for India
The recently concluded Tokyo Olympics has been the most successful in India’s history. With a total of seven medals, we inched ahead of the previous record of 6 medals won at the 2021 Olympics in London.
Sinhayana Foundation: Dance Out Of Poverty
We all turned to our screens in a plethora of ways during this time- for work, college, events as well as all forms of entertainment. Most of our connections with creativity and culture, as well as people, was through art and film online. Work made before the pandemic became an archetype for a world before COVID19.
Securing the Next Generation: Free Mentorship for Youth in India
When Karishma Nageshwaran reached out to Dweebs Global, an organization I co-founded to provide free mentorship to people around the world, she had a simple ask—she wanted to improve her portfolio so she could get a good job upon graduation and to start feeling “significant.” She explains, “People have always looked at me as a young girl with small aspirations in life who is not bold enough to deal with the outside world. I’ve had to try to break that stereotype my whole life.”
Together for India
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the urgency of global health issues and the importance of a coordinated response to tackle them. India’s situation is urgent.
Addressing Inadequate Healthcare Infrastructure in India's Rural Areas
When her husband died from a snakebite in the fields, Venkamma went to live with her eldest son and his family. Within the few days of mourning, she had to adjust to her new station in life.
From PARIVARTAN to Adapt-Impact: Transforming communities through holistic interventions and education
In February 2004, I had the opportunity to participate in KHUSHII’s first Village Adoption Project in Neemrana, Rajasthan, called Project PARIVARTAN. For me, it all started with a walk-through one of the villages, where I was able to observe the life of the villagers, communicate with them, and learn of their needs.
India’s Key Role in Averting a Global Crisis Compounded by Covid-19 For Women in Technology
Imagine a world where women have lost representation and jobs, and they suffer as an invisible consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, it is the reality.
Parivartan: Empower Against Abuse
Have you experienced raw fear when walking on a lonely street? You are not alone. This has been a common experience for many of us growing up, and in our adult years as well.
Finding a Pathway for Indian Youth to Serve
To make ordinary men and women do extraordinary things, is my mission in life. SRIJAN (Self-Reliant Initiatives through Joint Action) that I founded in 1997 became the instrument for me to do so.