Jul31

No surprises, one mistake

The Times of India reports that Indian-Americans spend 3½ hours a month on the phone to India. If it was any other group instead of Indian-Americans, the preceding sentence should have ended with an exclamation mark. Given that its American desis we are talking about, it’s a pity there is no such thing […]

Feb12

Cumin before coriander?

Conversation around the water cooler (the hub of Western civilization, if you ask me) recently gravitated toward phones and phone bills. Nearly everyone (barring other desis, of course) was horrified to learn how often I called India and for how many hours I shot the breeze across the oceans. “What do you talk about?”, asked […]

Feb7

The Inscrutable Indian Nod

The other day, a colleague wanted my opinion on a chart she’d compiled. “What do you think? Is this fine?”, she asked. I gave her what I thought was an enthusiastic nod to indicate, “Bilkul perfect! Lage raho”, only to receive a puzzled stare in return. Maybe I wasn’t vigorous enough, I thought. So I […]