Viswakarma: God of Broadband, DSL, and Ethernet
byThe mustachioed, elephant-riding, dainty-looking deity on the right is Viswakarma: God of Technology, Machines, Iron-work, Masonry, Carpentry, and all Trades and Handicraft. His Puja…
India
Durga Puja Part 2: Oh Boya—It’s Bijoya!
bySorry, I couldn’t resist. It’s just that I’ve been listening to “Shubho Bijoya!” all day, as Birparians wish each other a happy final phase…
Kichuri: It’s what’s for lunch. And dinner. And in between.
byI’ve mentioned “kichuri,” the ubiquitous Bengali dish, several times and, partly in response to my mother-in-law’s request, and partly because we’ve been served so…
The U.S. Government: Raising Anxiety Around the World
byYou’re not alone, New York—unsubstantiated fear-mongering knows no national boundaries, especially when it involves indistinct and uncertain terrorist alerts from mysterious sources. On October…
India News: A Poem from Today’s Headlines
byTWENTY-NINE HEADLINES (AND ONE CAPTION) Death for Bali bombers, cries mob on rampage Al Gore not in the race Chinese duo in space
Our Other Roommate: Shelob the Shaggy
byThe first time we met Shelob, we murdered several thousand of her children—freshly hatched spiderlings which were seething over one corner of our bathroom….
Durga Puja: Praying to the Demon Slayer
byFiercest of all Goddesses, consort of Shiva the Destroyer & Source of the Universe, Durga is the most revered deity in all of West…
Traveling with American Jewish World Service
byOur work on the “labor lines,†as the palm-lined neighborhoods of plantation-provided row houses are called, begins at four in the afternoon, when the…
Outstanding Article about the Indian Tea Crisis
by“A Machete, A Uterus, and Indian Tea,†by Charles Norman Todd, is an excellent breakdown that explains why the workers are starving.
Bengali Winter: The North Winds are A-Blowin’
byWe said goodbye to Sarmishtha and Debasish on the first day of winter. Or close to it, anyway. It was raining and fifteen degrees…