Category: Asia

Asia, India

Freedom at midnight: Indian independence came at a high cost

  Today, on the 70th birthday of my homeland, I reread Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s evocative speech, delivered just before India gained independence from oppressive British rule. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when … Continue reading Freedom at midnight: Indian independence came at a high cost

Moni Basu
Asia, Awards, Courage, Feminism, gender bias, human rights, Journalism, Pakistan, Women

Moment of desi pride at the Oscars

Lost in the diversity controversy at the Oscars Sunday night was this: The only woman of color who won was Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Who? That’s the problem. Very few people in America know who she is. But they ought to. Obaid-Chinoy, 37, has two Academy Awards to her name; her latest was in the best documentary short category  for “A Girl in the River: The Price … Continue reading Moment of desi pride at the Oscars

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Asia, Holocaust, India, Iraq, Kolkata, Religion

War hero, Indian and Jewish

He was known in my native India as the hero of the Bangladesh war. In Israel, he was known as the highest-ranking Jew in the Indian Army. Lieutenant General Farj Rafael Jacob died Wednesday morning. He was 92. Jacob said in interviews that he was drawn to the then-British Indian Army in 1942 because of the massacre of Jews in the Holocaust. He fought on several … Continue reading War hero, Indian and Jewish

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Asia, India, Kolkata, poverty, Religion

The saint

Pope Francis announced that Mother Teresa is becoming a saint. She will be canonized next fall. The pontiff attributed the miraculous healing of a Brazilian man with multiple brain tumors, which means the Albanian-born nun can now ascend to the most vaulted status in the Catholic church. But for me, and millions in my hometown of Kolkata, Mother Teresa’s true miracles were on the streets … Continue reading The saint

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Asia, General news, India, Religion

Diwali, Lakshmi and good winning over evil

Today we mark a day of solemnity, remembering all those who fought for our country. I salute you on Veterans Day, especially those of you I came to know well in Iraq. I think of you often, not just on days reserved to honor you. Today is also a day of joy. It’s the festival of lights. Happy Diwali, everyone! Hindus and Jains mark the … Continue reading Diwali, Lakshmi and good winning over evil

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Art, Asia, culture, India

Satyajit Ray, or Manikmama

  A few weeks ago, I went to see “3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets,” a riveting documentary about the shooting death of Jordan Davis at a Jacksonville gas station. It’s well worth your time. On the way out, I picked up a Midtown Art film calendar that had Apu’s face on the cover. Apu as in Satyajit Ray’s “The Apu Trilogy, the highly acclaimed series … Continue reading Satyajit Ray, or Manikmama

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Anniversaries, Asia, CNN, India

Missing plane tragedy, one year later

I have been corresponding with K.S. Narendran for almost a year now. His wife, Chandrika Sharma, was one of the passengers on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 when it vanished from the skies on March 8, 2014. He recently shared with me how he has been coping. He spoke  with me by email, phone and Skype from his home in Chennai, India. The story was published … Continue reading Missing plane tragedy, one year later

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Africa, Asia, India, Lifestyle, People, poverty

They own nothing. ZERO.

  A few weeks ago, when President Barack Obama visited India, I wrote a piece for CNN about how my homeland was poised to become a global power in the next few decades. The most recent World Bank forecast says growth in India is likely to outdo China’s. But then came a sobering reminder of the widespread poverty in India. The latest Census data says … Continue reading They own nothing. ZERO.

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Asia, Courage, India, People

Reflections on a fresh start

Below is what K.S. Narendran, husband of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 passenger Chandrika Sharma, posted on his Facebook page on the 6-month anniversary of the plane’s disappearance. I have admired his fortitude since I first spoke with him in March and his incredibly poignant expressions of his ordeal. So I thought I would share. You can read my CNN story on him here: A hole … Continue reading Reflections on a fresh start

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