Interview

Photo : Sivani Babu is the co-founder and co-CEO of Hidden Compass, a platform dedicated to immersive storytelling and redefining the narrative of exploration. She is seen posing on Deception Island in Antarctica. (Photo: Laurent Dick) By REENA RATHORE From running her

By SEEMA AZHARUDDIN Sports generate a lot of noise, especially when things go wrong. In India, cricket is a popular national pastime, similar to ball and hoop games in the US. The positive and negative noise around sports creates imbalances and

Photo:Taparia is currently in California and will be sharing advice during a Meet and Greet to be held in January 9 at the Sheraton Cerritos Hotel in  Cerritos.  By REENA RATHORE CERRITOS, CA – When longtime matchmaker Sima Taparia embraced the opportunity

Photo: Bakshi also serves as a producer on critically acclaimed films such as “WOMB (Womb of My Billion)” and “Wakhri.” BY REENA RATHORE SARATOGA, CA – At a young age, Apoorva Bakshi has shown her knack for interpreting sensitive subjects and aligning

Snehal Desai will be overseeing the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre and Kirk Douglas Theatre in California. (Photo:Kim Newmoney) By REENA RATHORE LOS ANGELES, CA – Theatre is a place of joy and wonder. But it can also be a place

National Award winning Varun Grover, has turned his talent to directing.  His film All India Rank will be the closing feature at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles running from October 11-15.  By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN He is a Renaissance man. Varun Grover

By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN Most people you speak to have a job and probably a hobby making it easy to spread questions around whatever has made them successful. But Chandrika Tandon presents all kinds of challenges: One among just eight women in

Soprano Melissa Sondhi and Joshua Sanders in Opera San José's “Romeo and Juliet” playing Sept. 9–24 at the California Theatre in San Jose, CA. Photo: David Allen. By REENA RATHORE SAN JOSE, CA – Fueled by passion and perseverance, Melissa Sondhi is

Photo: @pallavijoshiofficial By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN Right off the bat, this interview seemed to be set up for slingshots: For the critics, the questions are geared to give him a pass, for the die-hard of the nationalist variety, they are aimed at getting

By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN Those were early, pre-satellite days when Indian TV programming was an hour long on the weekend. Right after blasts of some nostalgic film music, a youthful man with a wispy beard, long black hair, and a sing-song voice

Photo : Indian American rapper/singer/songwriter Raja Kumari is set to perform at ‘BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!’ festival – the longest-running, free performing arts festival in New York City – on July 22. (Amit Gupta photo) By REENA RATHORE LOS ANGELES, CA - Blending

Photo Credit: Jim Bennett By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN Ustad Zakir Hussain is 72. Who knew? On stage,the percussion master is the forever youthful one with his dancing curls,high energy, and fingers that flash quicker than a hummingbird’s wings. Just as it is hard to

Renowned fashion designers Shyamal and Bhumika unveiled their Spring Summer 2023 Couture Collection March 3 at their store in Artesia, CA. By REENA RATHORE ARTESIA, CA – Over the past two decades, their mantra has been very concise: championing Indian craftsmanship on

Photo: Eric Wolfinger Heena Patel in her kitchen which runs on her inventiveness and is staffed on a principle of inclusivity. By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN  It happened in 2013. Heena Patel applied to La Cocina, a restaurant incubator program dedicated to supporting immigrants and

By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN If you sat down for a game of snakes and ladders, your fortunes would likely fluctuate less than the professional and personal life of Shri Thanedar. Father, a court clerk in Belgaum, Karnataka, retires at 55. Mouths to feed:

Indian American McEnroe Francis is a producer at NFL Network. By REENA RATHORE SAN FRANCISCO, CA - You may not have heard of McEnroe Francis, but you’ve almost certainly seen the sports content he’s helped create over the years for the NFL. As

Michael James Scott (Genie) and Michael Maliakel (Aladdin) in ‘Aladdin’ on Broadway. (Photo by Matthew Murphy) India-West Staff Reporter Having a healthy obsession with Aladdin isn’t all that abnormal. As a young boy growing up in central NJ, Michael Maliakel was proud

McDonald’s partnered with NY based Indian American fashion designer Megha Rao to celebrate Diwali in a unique fashion. (photo provided) By REENA RATHORE Like many first-generation Indian Americans, fashion designer Megha Rao grew up celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights, at home

Indian cuisine is the most successful cuisine on Shef, an online platform that helps people, especially immigrants and refugees, start a home-based food business. San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.,-based Anu was one of the first cooks to join the company By

By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN Ro Khanna has just turned 46 and is already in his third term as a CA Congressman. Young, energetic, and well-informed, Khanna has stood out in the crowded House of Representatives. On the face of it, he seems

Internationally acclaimed conductor Viswa Subbaraman at work before the debut of the all-new production of Mozart's 'The Marriage of Figaro.' India-West Staff Reporter “The Marriage of Figaro” presented by Opera San Jose conducted by Viswa Subbaraman. From September 10-25at  California Theatre, 345 S. 1st St.,

By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN In giving voice to three Indian women from the past, Chitra Divakaruni it would seem has found for women of today too, a unique voice: spirited and independent. With this, the prolific Texas-based novelist whose books have won awards

By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN It’s a busy job being the Indian Consul General, and more so in a region with a thriving and demanding community - Indian Americans in CA and the other states along the West Coast want their visas yesterday

By Nimmi Raghunathan If you are a budding musician, the Berklee Collage of music in Boston is something you aspire to. If you are Indian American and have finer music tastes, the Berklee Indian Ensemble is something that fascinates and delights.

By CHHAVI CHAWLA Dr. Khadar Vali is an eminent, independent food and health scientist based in Karnataka. As the world gets ready to celebrate the International Year of the Millets in 2023 at the behest of India, he is considered the

BY AKSHAY ACHARYA MUMBAI, (IANS) - Ranveer Singh, whose latest film 'Jayeshbhai Jordaar’ has dropped in theatres, has a penchant for different forms of humor, more so tragic humor, and satire which the film hinges on. For him, satire and tragic

BY AKSHAY ACHARYA MUMBAI, (IANS) - With two National awards, a Padma Shri honor, several other accolades and an illustrious body of work by her side, one may wonder what keeps Tabu inspired and find passion in her work, every single

Stephen Baldwin and Jainardhan Sathyan on the sets of ‘God's Club.’ India-West Staff Reporter LOS ANGELES, CA - Jainardhan Sathyan straddles the world of Hollywood and Bollywood with ease. The Indian American has over a decade of producing, visual effects, postproduction and

MUMBAI - Bumble, the women-first dating app, has partnered with the popular Bhumi Pednekar in India to show some of the gendered inequalities women face in dating and relationships. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the 'Romance Gap' - the

By SUKANT DEEPAK LOS ANGELES, CA - She studied music from the Royal Music of London and acting at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in the US. Los Angeles based singer and actor Shannon K has also finished filming

Superstar Deepika Padukone says communication is key to a loving and healthy relationships. By DURGA CHAKRAVARTY MUMBAI (IANS) - As her film 'Gehraiyaan' is all set to release just days before Valentine's Day, Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone, who has redefined romance with

Publisher Chitwan Mittal, who has a degree in English Education from Boston, has promised a string of book releases this year. (IANS photo) By VISHNU MAKHIJANI Growing up in Kanpur, Chitwan Mittal heard "wonderfully imaginative stories" from her 'dadi at mealtimes and

RICHMOND, VA (IANS) - Imagine setting out as a writer by penning your own obituary to "find out who I really wanted to be" and close to two decades later, being the award-winning author of 11 books on food, culture

John Abraham in “Satyamev Jayate 2.” (photo via IANS) MUMBAI – With an 18-year career in Bollywood that is filled with some of unusual choices of films that hold strong recall value, John Abraham is trying to cater both sections of

Indian actress Rani Mukerji. (photo via IANS) By DURGA CHAKRAVARTY NEW DELHI (IANS) – She made her acting debut with the Bengali film “Biyer Phool” in 1996 and entered Bollywood the same year with “Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat.” Rani Mukerji, who has

Divya Khosla Kumar. (Hype PR photo) By R.M. VIJAYAKAR/Special to India-West MUMBAI — She is now the wife of Bhushan Kumar, head honcho of India’s biggest music label as well as a leading production house, T-Series. Divya Khosla Kumar came to Mumbai

Akshay Kumar, in a scene from “BellBottom.” (Universal Communications PR /Sterling Media photo) By R.M. VIJAYAKAR/Special to India-West MUMBAI — He is the undisputed Numero Uno today, mixing the best with the maximum assignments among our superstars. Akshay Kumar, requesting an e-mail

Answering key questions on COVID: in conversation with Dr. Nene and Madhuri Dixit. By R.M. VIJAYAKAR/Special to India-West MUMBAI — It is one of the most enlightening videos on COVID you will see, and answers almost every question Indians have about COVID’s

Mallika Sherawat stars in RKRKay. (Outsider Pictures photo) By R.M. VIJAYAKAR Special to India-West MUMBAI — Mallika Sherawat first captivated Indian audiences in the 2003 film “Khwahish” (2003) with 23 kisses. In the following year, she starred in the annual topmost hit,

Actor Ehan Bhat. (Jio Studios photo) By R.M. VIJAYAKAR Special to India-West MUMBAI—He’s the Chosen One. A.R. Rahman, no less, has chosen Ehan Bhat as the leading man, in the role of an aspiring singer-composer, in his debut production “99 Songs.” The

AR Rahman. (Arun Titan photo) By R.M. VIJAYAKAR Special to India-West MUMBAI—A.R. Rahman, come 2022, will complete 30 years as a composer. However, a year earlier, the composer-singer of films in multiple national and international languages ambitiously turns to a new zone