
Author Archives
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Why the fear around “ethnic enclaves” and fewer White faces in Metro Vancouver?
If you are reading this on your handheld device, please sit down and put your device on a table, lest you drop it and break it. Here’s the scariest news to come out this week: Whites will become the minority… Read More ›
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Guest blog: Bollywood extravaganza TOIFA comes to Vancouver — on the backs of South Asian women
First came the Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) announcement. Interestingly, the timing of the awards couldn’t be politically better: to be held on April 06, just ahead of the B.C. provincial elections on May 14, the star-studded show has… Read More ›
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Patriarchy and racism give birth to rape culture, not a drunk woman or her miniskirt
The 16-year old Steubenville rape victim went through a horrifying rape ordeal – she was raped, tossed around like a sex toy, photographed and mocked at. It just didn’t happen once and stopped, but it happened again and again, countless… Read More ›
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You think you know how to breathe? Wrong. Let Yoga teach you correct breathing
Who would have thought with the progress of science and technology, human beings would lose the basic tech-how of life – the skill of breathing? Yes, breathing: the simple body process where air moves in and out of lungs. It… Read More ›
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Yoga: so you thought it was all about getting into downward dog or headstand? Read on:
I call myself a yogini, a practitioner of Yoga. Technically, I also am a certified Yoga teacher. Starting from this post, I am introducing the category “Yoga” on my blog. Through writings under this category, I will try and dispel… Read More ›
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Gender equality: When a man and a woman are just friends, who should pay for lunch?
Last week I posted a poll on my Facebook page. Titled, “When out on a casual luncheon with a guy friend, do women still expect the guy to pay the bill? Do men get offended when a woman friend picks… Read More ›
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Reject “girl things” and “boy things”. Sex organs don’t dictate nurturing or adventure
“Look mom, Kabir is pretending to be a mommy”, my then four-year old daughter pointed enthusiastically at her year-old brother, who lovingly pushed a doll stroller around the living room. He had carefully placed a toy baby in. My first… Read More ›
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Call us desi if you want to. We have big hearts and a lot of candy for Halloween
First, the desi story: Who is a desi (pronounced they-see)? In the Canadian colloquial use, the word desi has come to denote, one of South Asian-heritage. Literally, desi, a Hindi/Punjabi word means an indigenous person. In the Canadian context, since… Read More ›
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Bhangra: stop cultural stereotyping of Punjabis
How do you tell a Canadian of Punjabi heritage to step out and take a walk? Going by David Suzuki Foundation: wear a bhangra outfit, put on Punjabi music and invite Punjabis to explore nature in their mother tongue –… Read More ›
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Mangoes: a slice of immigrant life, South Asian style
Downtown Toronto. Fresh snow on the ground. A young man of about 20 on a sidewalk. He is dressed like any Canadian young man, except his tee with the word Pakistan written across, in all caps, is not too subtle…. Read More ›