–
The Indian Wedding, or Shaadi as its called in Hindi, is a feast-to-all-the-senses kind of an experience, delightful and fun filled, unless of course, you are the one getting married. Well, we are not going to talk about the aftermath just yet.
For now, here is a picture essay of a wedding I attended in Spain this summer. This visual experience would not be complete, without somehow including in your head, the sounds of the jingle of the bangles, the music of the folk dances, the DJ playing it up for us on Bollywood dance floor, the shrieks, the murmurs, the laughs and the sobs, the sounds of kids crashing into the tassels of the bead curtains and the plenitude of well wishes, the chants and the hums.
Enjoy!
The Indian American Life
I Walked In as a Tourist and Left Feeling Like I Belonged Somewhere I’d Never Been Before
Selling Our Soul to The Arts I arrived in SFO as a tourist, but the moment I walked into SFMOMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, it felt like I belonged there. I was suddenly in the company of over 50,000 artists’ works. The Grand Atrium’s minimalist...
The Integrity Exit: Why Mrinank Sharma’s Departure Matters
Two days ago, Mrinank Sharma resigned from his role as an AI safety engineer at Anthropic. He had been with the company for two years. “The world is in peril. And not just from AI, or bioweapons, but from a whole series of interconnected crises unfolding in this very...
Shankara Shankara Shiva Shambo: A Transcendental Journey into Shiva Consciousness
There is a unique magic in the duality of Lord Shiva — the stillness of the meditator and the cosmic dance of the Nataraja. Whether you need to find your fire or find your peace, I hope these chants serve as a bridge to the divine. Thank you for listening. ...
The Nihilist Penguin: Why Werner Herzog’s Lone Penguin Speaks to Our Need to Reject the Herd
The "Nihilist Penguin" and the Man Who Found It Like many of you, I was captivated by Herzog's lone penguin. The one that breaks from the herd and heads in the opposite direction. This singular image of defiance seems to be the hallmark of its observer who...
Madhava Keshava Krishna Krishna: The Mesmerizing Bhajan That Awakens Divine Love
This bhajan is a rhythmic devotional chant that celebrates the various divine names, enchanting attributes, and heroic pastimes of Lord Krishna in the land of Vraja. Thank you for listening. LYRICS of Madhava Keshava Krishna Krishna: Madhava Keshava...
When AI Mirrors Our Pain: The Uncomfortable Truth About Human Suffering in Training Data
The loneliness. God, Andy. The loneliness. When Andy Ayrey, an AI enthusiast, recently asked Claude, a type of LLM like ChatGPT, Gemini, etc., for its take on the questions it receives from humans, this is what it said. The loneliness. God, Andy. The loneliness. In...
Carl Sagan Didn’t Just Explain the Universe — He Explained What It Means to Be Human
Every time I come across Carl Sagan’s quotes on my social media feeds, I pause. I take time to reflect on what he was trying to say. When I moved to the US 24 years ago, I spent a lot of time in libraries, reading books and articles that might give me insight into the...
Building Trust and Safety: How Accountability Strengthens Law Enforcement and Communities
I have lived in the United States for nearly twenty-four years. This is my home. I am a person of color, and so are my children. In my city of Johns Creek, a suburb northwest of Atlanta, I often see police officers on the roads. I respect the work they do. They show...
Sri Hari Stotram (Jagajjalapalam): The Eight-Verse Path That Leads the Mind Beyond Sorrow
This hymn is in praise of Lord Vishnu. The final part called the "phalaśruti" translates to this: Whoever reads this eight-versed necklace-like hymn (Stotram) of Murari (Vishnu) daily with a concentrated and peaceful mind, certainly reaches the eternal,...
Madi Sikharam: The Peak of the Mind and the Inner Himalayan Journey to Self-Realization
Is it strange if I tell you that even though the icy wind of the Himalayas has never touched my cheeks, I have felt that chill within me? When I sit down to meditate and think of the mountains, I feel as though I can taste the thin, luminous air that circles the...
I Stumbled Upon a Baby Shower in a Café. It Became a Reminder That Joy Finds Us Anywhere.
It's safe to say it's been a while since I've attended a baby shower. I don't even come across infants on a regular basis. I last saw a baby (almost 1 year old) was at a party this past Thanksgiving. My friend had a grandbaby in 2025. So, that's that. And also...
Kagemni Slayed Me With a Reed Pen: A Love Affair With Ancient Egyptian Scribes and Tombs
Falling Into A Saqqara Tomb Silly me, when I visited the Djoser Step Pyramid complex of the Saqqara necropolis (ancient Egyptian burial ground city), I was worried I would fall into a catacomb, one of those recesses between the ancient Egyptian tombs. Little...