Home Sweet Home

So you’re decorating your new digs and you want to stay true to your roots, but in a more….eclectic moden way. What’s a desi to do??

You could mosey on over to ABC Home and Carpet. Think sumptuous Victorian settees upholstered in gold colored saris, intricately carved wooden armoires, rose colored lanterns, and hand woven rugs.

A modern day Indian fairytale set in the heart of Manhattan, ABC’s flagship store is sight to behold. From their rotating installations (including a Valentine’s day tribute to Krishna and his Gopis) to their month long ode to the subcontinent earlier this year, ABC’s love affair with India is certainly remarkable. The store features several collections, including India Bed, Sacred Body Sacred Home (featuring our favorite deities), and Indo-Colonial among others.

So pull out those old saris, light a little incense and let ABC inspire you to create your own little desi installation right in your own home.

For more information or to place an order, visit their website www.abchome.com

Banging Bangalore

India’s “silcon valley” is more than just IT, engineers, and computer programmers. The subcontinent’s 5^th largest city is also home to emerging art scene, which includes the likes homegrown and returning artists pushing the boundaries of what we consider “desi”. Here’s a guide to Bangalore’s burgeoning art scene….

At the forefront is one of Bangalore’s most well known galleries, Gallery Sumukha. The gallery, which exhibits Indian contemporary art, shows emerging and established artists in a beautifully minimalist 5000 sq foot space. Look for upcoming exhibits featuring Lalitha Shankar, M.Shanthamani, and Vidya Kamat.

Another venue leading the pack is Gallery Ske, featuring upcoming exhibits by Susanta Mandal and Chinmoy Pramanick.

Support local artists and get yourself a copy of artist and graphic designer Avinash Veeraraghavan’s book I Love My India, a visual journey though India. Combining photography with digital art, Avinash blurs the lines between fantasy and reality while successfully avoiding the clichés of snake charmers and 4-armed gods.

After all the gallery hopping, you’re bound to be thirsty. Treat to yourself to a cocktail at Spinn. Designed by one of the hottest architects in town, Sandeep Khosla, Spinn still remains one of the most beautifully designed bars in Bangalore. With a 1940’s colonial house as a backdrop and an open air courtyard, Spinn combines retro and modern for a perfect Bangalore night.

Gallery Sumekha 24/10 BTS Depot Road, Wilson Garden, +91 80 2229 2230, www.sumekha.com

Gallery Ske, The Presidency 82, St. Marks Road. +91 80 4112 0873. www.galleryske.com

Spinn, 80, 3rd Cross, Residency Road. +91 80 2558 1555. www.spinnblr.com

Work It Out

You swore you were going to lose those last 10 pounds before summer. But after one more crappy date, you found yourself buried in a bucket of rocky road ice cream.

Well now you have a good reason to get up off that lazy bum.

This Saturday, June 30^th, the Asha For Education NYC/NJ chapter will host their 4^th annual run/walk at Riverside Park in Manhattan. 100% percent of the proceeds will go towards providing educational projects for underprivileged children in India. The international organization works with chapters around the world to encourage awareness and to allow people of all walks life get involved in great cause. So if you’re not in the New York area, you can still contact your local chapter for upcoming events or make a donation online.

And just in case that wasn’t reason enough to participate, a plethora of Indian snacks and refreshments will be served at the end of the run.

So you can indulge that sweet tooth after all.

Asha For Education, www.ashanet.org

Indian Summer

Margaritas. BBQ’s. Long lazy days at the beach. This is what summer is all about. Of course, no sojourn to the beach would be complete without the perfect summer read.

Girl Most Likely To…, by Poonam Sharma, is the story of Vina, a 27 year old Indian-American investment banker, living in NY, and troubled by the idea of turning 30 and still being single. Between being set up with an attorney by her parents, and navigating the gaggle of “nice Indian doctors”, life in NY, and endless martinis, Vina searches for what she really wants, how to deal with her parents, and how to find happiness on her own.

Okay, so its chick lit. But is also painfully funny, easy to relate to and well just a jolly good time. Perfect for summer.

Just what the doctor ordered.

Girl Most Likely To (Red Dress Ink Novels) is available at Amazon.com by clicking the link above.

For more info about Poonam, check out her website,

www.poonam.info

Lifestyles of the Fabulous

“Hello Muffy. How are you?”

“Why hello Buffy? May I offer you a spot of tea?”

“No, no, I am off to a polo match with Jeffrey. I really must run as driver is waiting for me.

The life of a socialite is hard indeed. Charity balls, luncheons, wild affairs with the Manny, rehab stints at Promises. All in a day’s work.

It’s enough to make you want to marry rich.

Thankfully, 18-year-old James Kurisunkal’s will entertain your daydreams and whisk you out of the doldrums, with his socialite blog Park Avenue Peerage. The Indian-American college freshman from Illinois, is certainly the last person most people would suspect as interested in the likes of Tinsley Mortimer and Fabiola Beracasa.

Nonetheless, from his far-removed locale in Urbana, he manages to cover the ins and outs of the rich and fabulous, detailing their every move, posting party pics, and in the process coming off as an insider himself. Interestingly enough, James has always been interested in socialites, studying up on the royal families of Europe and socialites as a child.

So next time you’re slaving away at your 9-5 job, wishing you could be sunning St. Tropez, just read Park Avenue Peerage and read about people who actually are.

Here’s to reincarnation.

Park Avenue Peerage, parkavenuepeerage.wordpress.com

**Photo from New York Magazine

Cry Me A River

You have so many good intentions. Call mom more often. Help old ladies across the street. Stop charging new shoes to your maxed out card.

Some things are easier than others. With CRY (Child Rights and You) you can put all of those intentions to good use.

CRY is a human rights organization that works by acting as a link between grassroots organizations with little resources and the people who do. CRY does all the dirty work seeking out grants which it then distributes to organizations that help build schools, create social change, end the caste system, and provide health care to the underprivileged.

CRY has chapters across the country where you can volunteer, work, and of course donate. For all of you in Boston tonight, you can check out CRY's fundraiser with Generation Desi at Nick's Comedy Shop featuring the likes of comics, Masala Mami and Desi Bad Boy.

Giving never felt so good.

CRY America, www.cry.org

Generation Desi, www.generationdesi.com

Past Present Future

In this crazy quickly changing world of ours, it’s easy to lose track. Back in high school you called friends from your old-school landline to meet them after school at the Dairy Queen. Now you IM/email/call your friends on your latest Blackberry/Treo/Iphone to meet them for a glass of rose. Funny how the future catches up with you so quick.

In her upcoming installation at P.S. 1 Art Center MOMA, Fuzzy Logic, Prema Murthy explores the possibilities of what happens with technology merges with convention. Prema weaves the past and future, with various media including yarn and digital drawings, exploring the “idea of putting lines in space”.

Prema has also exhibited her work around the world from The Whitney in New York to the Jindhal Art Center in Mumbai to the Reina Sofia in Madrid, and co-founded Fakeshop an artist collective based in Brooklyn. But this talented artist is hardly stopping there. Look for upcoming exhibits and installations using various media, including video, performance art, drawings, prints, and computer generation.

Catch Fuzzy Logic this weekend at the PS 1 MOMA. www.ps1.org, 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101. 718.784.2084.

Me Me Me

The boss is demanding to know you why you missed your deadline. The phone is ringing of the hook and you broke the heel on your brand new Manolo Blahniks.

Before you chuck your Blackberry out of the window, check out Me and Ro, a serenity inducing line of Eastern inspired jewelry.

Referencing Buddhist and Hindu (as well as Chinese and Tibetan) philosophy, Me and Ro adorns its necklaces, earrings, and anklets with Sanskrit words such as “Ahimsa” (non-violence) and “Veda” (wisdom), various mantras, and the ubiquitous yogi favorite, “Om”. Me & Ro even has a “charity” collection, in which all proceeds to go to a variety of organizations, including Step Up Women’s Network and the Joyful Heart Foundation to help survivors of sexual abuse.

Most importantly, you can shop online and even check out the Me and Ro blog which features some of their inspirations and links to some of their favorite sites including www.miraclefoundation.org (helping orphans in India) and www.jivamuktiyoga.com.

Now you can carry that post-yoga bliss with you all day.

Me and Ro, www.meandrojewelry.com

A Mighty Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little desi star, how I wonder what you are?

Well, you might just be Archie Panjabi. Starring with some of the biggest names in the biz, Russell Crowe, Keira Knightley, and Tim Robbins, hobnobbing in Cannes, and receiving prestigious awards is all in a day’s work for the rising star.

In her biggest role yet, the British born actress stars alongside Angelina Jolie in the hugely anticipated film, A Mighty Heart. In the film, Archie plays journalist Asra Nomani, the Indian-American colleague and friend of Daniel Pearl, the journalist savagely beheaded by Islamic extremists.

Like many a desi mom, Archie’s mum instructed her to (what else?) finish university before pursuing acting. After graduating with a Management Studies degree from Brunel University, she soon landed the part of Meenah Khan in East is East and more famously as Parminder Nagra’s nutty older sister Pinky in Bend It Like Beckham for which she won a BBC Mega Mela Award.

The movie also showcases a gaggle of other desis actors, including Irfan Khan, Adnan Siddiqui, and Mushtaq Khan.

A starry night indeed.

A Mighty Heart opens June 22. www.amightyheartmovie.com

Om Shanti

Riddle me this, joker. What does one do when your pad starts to look oh-so dull and your wallet looks oh-so thin?

Paint? No. Wallpaper? Definitely not. What you need is a few sassy new pillows from Om Home. The unique online shop designed by Oorbee Roy, is inspired interestingly enough by the ancient art of alpona (otherwise known as Rangoli).

After learning of alpona from her grandmother and mother, Oorbee was soon hooked, doodling and drawing on every possible surface. However it was a fateful trip to Kolkata that sealed her destiny. While visiting relatives, Oorbee learned that alpona is unfortunately a dying art form. Determined to keep it alive, she began collaborating with local artisans to create a line of textiles including pillows, placemats, and napkins. Working with a fair trade group in India, Oorbee’s roy incorporates traditional Indian elements with modern design.

Named after childhood memories of India, such as the Tolly Club, New Market, and Calcutta Cricket and Football Club (C.C.F.C.), the collections come in sunny colors like carmine rose, sunny lime, and coral, among others.

Now you can bring the traditions of Rangoli right into your own home. Even if you’re not exactly an artist.

Om Home, www.omhome.com, sold online and throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Living in a tiffin world

It's 1 pm on a yet another weekday afternoon. As your colleagues start munching on their tuna salads, sushi, or gourmet sandwhiches, your mind drifts off to another world. A world of fresh baked naan, creamy saag paneer, spicy chicken tikka. If you were in India right now, you surely would have called up the dabbawalla and ordered all of your faves.

“It’s not fair!” you cry out. But alas, perhaps you spoke too soon.

Munish Arula, the creator, of Tiffin Store, is here to save you from your lunch doldrums. That’s right, we said tiffin. The tiffin box of yesteryear, this is not. On their online store, you select the day, time, and location of delivery, place your order, and voila, the tiffin is delivered hot and fresh to your door. The online delivery service inspired by the tiffinwhallas of Mumbai, allows the lucky denizens of Philadelphia to choose from box meals (including 2 entrees, rice, pickles, dal and raita), to appetizers, breads, and biryanis.

And the meals are trans-fat free to boot. To say this is genius, might be an understatement.

Now if we could only get gulab jamun with that.

Tiffin Store, 710 Girard Street, Philadelphia, PA, 215.922.1297. www.tiffinstore.com

Party All The Time

Another Saturday night, another bar, in the newly hip-suddenly-gentrified-cooler-than-thou part of town. Blah, Blah, Blah. Forget the same old same old and impress your friends (and yourself quite frankly) with a fantasically awesome Bollywood shindig right in your own home.

Now it goes without saying that we desis enjoy a little bit of sparkle and color. So hide that Ikea couch with a few carefully chosen saris (no, not your sister’s best wedding sari) or drape them over your windows as curtains, throw some mirrored pillows on the floor, and hang up a couple of old Bollywood posters.

Next, light some vanilla and sandalwood candles, to evoke a sexy exotic feel. Rent some classic Bollywood flicks such as Andaaz or Howrah Bridge (go Helen!) to play in the background and keep the music flowing with some mellow tunes from Talvin Singh’s latest CD, Sweetbox.

Lastly, and mostly importantly whip up some shrimp kebabs from www.barwachi.com and some Mangopolitans.

Mangopolitan
4 parts Finlandia Mango Vodka
2 parts Triple Sec
2 parts Mango Juice
1 part grenadine

Keep going and pretty soon you’ll be giving Martha a run for her money.

We All Scream for Ice Cream

Remember on those hot summer days how mom used to pour delicious layers of ambras over vanilla ice cream?

Well those days are long gone. Which is why we're so excited about 5 Boroughs Ice Cream.

Kim and Scott Myles, inspired by the rainbow of diversity that is New York City, created 5 Boroughs Ice Cream. From “Bakla-Wha?!” representing Astoria’s Greek Community, to “Amaretto-Amore” representing Bay Ridge’s Italian roots, the company seeks to pay tribute to the city built as they put it “on mom and pop shops, not Starbucks and Cold Stone”!

The Desi Mecca of New York, Jackson Heights, is represented in the form of Mangodesh, a creamy delicious Mango ice cream weaved with hints of spicy cardamom. The locally owned 5 Boroughs Ice Cream starts all flavors with a 16% butterfat base (yum!) produced by dairy farmers in upstate New York. They then add extras from local vendors, in this case, the Patel Brothers.

Represent.

For more info and locations check their website, 5 Boroughs Ice Cream. For online and out-of-state orders, check out The Ice Cream Cellar

It Ain't Easy Being Green

Simran Sethi sure knows that. The German born, North Carolina raised Punjabi, cohosts The Green, on the Sundance Channel, produces weekly radio broadcasts for TreeHugger, and all the while manages to be a stylist jet setter while still remaining conscientious about Mother Earth.

Some of Simran’s tips?

1. Choose non-toxic cleaning products such as Seventh Generation, Shaklee, or Method. These companies use plant based solvents rather than formaldehyde and petroleum ones.

2. At the grocery store, look for products in minimal packaging and buy products in bulk which uses less packaging than individually wrapped portions.

3. Buy a water filter and a reusable water bottle from Sigg, Nalgene or New Wave Enviro, in lieu of buying bottled water.

4. Bring your own shopping bag to the market. Even better, buy an eco-friendly Jute Bag, made from natural Indian fibers.

5. Switch your regular energy vampire lightbulbs for energy efficient ones.

Maybe being green isn’t so hard.

Check out www.treehugger.com and The Green for more eco-friendly tips and of course to catch Simran Sethi herself.

Bollywood Nights

Ever dream of dancing around a tree while simultaneously changing saris / kurtas, and having Shah Rukh / Aishwarya chase you around?

If so, then Houston, TX has the bar for you. Bar Bollywood, already a hit in London, is bringing its desi flavor to the Houston nightlife scene. With Bollywood movies playing silently in the background, and a mixture of South Asian and Western tunes, the upscale bar will also feature yoga classes and ayurvedic meals before its time to drink. So after you cleanse all the “toxins” you can add them back in with their themed drinks. Concoctions such as Ash-Weary Rai, ShahRukh Sunset, and Madhurita will keep revelers partying til the wee hours.

If you’re in a mellower mood, you can head upstairs to the Butterfly Lounge or if you’re hungry head next door to Yatra (same owners) for some tasty-licious Indian and Pakistani dishes.

So put on your dancing shoes and make your way to Bar Hollywood. “Kajare re, kajare re, tere kale, tere kale naina….”

Bar Bollywood, 902 Capitol Street, Houston, TX 77002 Tel: 713.224.6700

Pay It Forward

Another Dior handbag, another Sabyasachi dress, what does it all mean if you can share a little with your sisters?

Good thing there’s Maitri. The San Francisco based organization created to help South Asian women in abusive relationships, human trafficking or other family conflict, aids women with legal, medical, and financial services while they learn to get back on their feet. In addition, Maitri provides low-cost housing for women in need of assistance after transitioning into a new life. Believing that the best relationships are characterized by empowerment, Maitri focuses its work on helping South Asian women make educated decisions and encouraging self-confidence and independence.

Maitri also has various job and volunteer opportunities in positions ranging from public speaking, teaching English, to event planning. Of course if you can’t volunteer, you can always donate online as well.

So buy that purse on sale next time and throw a little coin to your ladies.

Maitri, 408-436-8393, Toll Free Hotline 1-888-8MAITRI,
www.maitri.org

Skin Is In

You’ve always known less is more. You’ll wear 20 bangles, not 50, thank you. Heavy kohl eyeliner? You’ll stick to your trusty Rimmel Pencil.

Well Vaishaly Patel is your kind of girl. Jet-setter, fashion plate, and facialist extrodinaire, Vaishaly Patel is a step above the rest.

With a clinic in London and a skincare range based on natural and organic ingredients, Vaishaly is something of a skin care wunderkind. Based on her philosophy that you don’t need a lot to take good care of your skin, Vaishaly’s skincare line encompasses all of 5 products. Even better each product comes with step-by-step instructions on how to recreate Vaishaly’s unique massage technique designed to enhance circulation and effectiveness.

At her London clinic, where she treats Elle Macpherson and Nigella Lawson among others, her famous signature facial includes extraction, microdermabrasion, and a treatment mask, topped off with her famous massage technique. Besides facials, she also offers threading, working with and individual’s unique face shape.

Now you too can have the skin of a glowing gopi.

Vaishaly, 50 Paddington Street, London W1U 4HR. Tel: 020 7224 6088
www.vaishaly.com

Too Spicy

She’s done it again. Make us drool that is.

Season 3 of the eagerly awaited (for us foodies anyway) Top Chef debuts June 13^th at 10pm on Bravo, with our favorite model-turned-actress-turned-chef, Padma Lakshmi playing hostess with the most-ess.

For those of you who haven’t tuned in yet, Top Chef pits 15 contestants against each other in a series of culinary trials and tribulations eliminating one chef each week, until of course the most awesome TOP CHEF is left standing.

If the idea of people getting heated over who bought the last chili pepper, doesn’t excite you, surely Padma will. After graduating from college, and modeling for the likes of Vogue and Versace, Padma hosted 2 cooking shows, penned a successful cookbook entitled Easy Exotic and became a syndicated columnist for the NY Times. Another pretty face? We think not.

Next up for Padma is another cookbook Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet releasing later this year and a film directed by Deepa Mehta and starring John Abraham entitled "Exclusion" releasing in 2008.

Whet your appetite with a smack down between Seasons 1 and 2 airing June 6^th at 10pm. Then catch the real deal June 13^th at 10pm.

Top Chef, www.bravotv.com/topchef

Padma Lakshmi, Padma Lakshmi

Scandavian Love

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Scandanavia? Vikings? Herring? The Swedish Bikini Team? If you answered any of those, you’re wrong.

You should have thought of Indiska. Indiska, which means Indian in Swedish, is a trendy chain of stores based in Scandinavia. The unexpectedly fun store carries merchandise inspired by and from India and South Asia. Kurtas as dresses, Hurry Curry spice sets, mirrored notebooks, and a daily desi personal favorite, ceramic tile maharaja hooks, are just some of the trinkets you can find.

Unfortunately, you can’t shop on their website yet. But you can enter a competition to win a trip to India, find recipes for “khari machlee”, enter a contest, or read a blog.

Guess you will just have to take that vacation to Stockholm. Bet you didn’t see that coming.

Indiska, www.indiska.com , multiple locations throughout Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway.

Desi Girls Do It Better

Shalini Kantayya is out to win. The 30 year old Brooklynite, is one of the finalists in "On the Lot" the hit reality show created by Steven Spielberg. Miss Shalini is one of the 18 film makers chosen from over 12,000 submissions from around the world. Each week the filmmakers will shoot a short film based on one of a variety of themes. The films will then be screened by a live audience and critiqued by a host of venerated judges, such as Gary Marshall and Brett Ratner to name a few. Not just another ego, Shalini seeks to make films that encourage social change. Besides staring a production company, 7TH Empire Media, she has also produced and directed movies and video across the globe and worked for clients such as Sting and Mariah Carey.

So tune in or set that DVR/TIVO and VOTE!!!! Let’s show them how big our voice really is.

"On the Lot" airs Monday and Tuesday nights on Fox at 8 pm. airs Monday and Tuesday nights on Fox at 8 pm.