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End of Exoticism
Mandira Banerjee

Indian writers in English have carved out a niche for themselves in the literary world by dutifully focusing on an "ethnic" format. But do they run the risk of becoming passé by not widening the canvas of their creative imagination? Mandira Banerjee examines.

Finally, there it was, a tiny house, almost a playhouse, with mud walls and straw on the roof like in my storybook pictures. Mother knocked on the door, and after a while an old man came out. He squinted at us in surprise, but when she told him who we were, he took us in and gave us some puffed rice and sweet creamy milk. From his own cow, he told me, as he watched me gulp it down. more

Highlights

COVER STORY
End of Exoticism
Mandira Banerjee finds out if immigrant themes of Indian American authors are passé.

FASTLANE
Attorney at Large
Swetha Iyengar looks at the softer side of Sarita Kedia, the tough criminal defense lawyer.

20 SOMETHING
Reach Out and Touch
Swetha Iyengar argues that there is more to charity than merely doling out dollars.

THE AMERICANS
Indian Affair
Neela Pal meets with Steve Coll to discover that the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist has ‘Indian roots.’

LOOKING GLASS
Science of Success
Harmeet Dhillon enters the world of Narinder Kapany, scientist, entrepreneur, art collector and philanthropist.

SOCIETY
Pretzel or Piety?
Radhika Sharma finds out if one can keep Hinduism out of Yoga despite all the Americanization.

MATINEE
Special Effects
R.M. Vijayakar goes behind the camera to see the technological advances made by Hindi filmmakers.

GUEST COLUMN
Remembering Johnny Carson
Rajen Anand pays tribute to the legendary talk-show host who enthralled the nation for decades.

GETAWAYS
On the Waterfront
Michel W. Potts provides a bird’s eye view of the exotic Amby Valley Sahara Lake City near Mumbai.

ENTREE
The F Word
Lisa Tsering savors the exotic world of fusion food that some South Asian chefs are experimenting with.

Dr. Narinder Kapany is much more than a pioneering scientist and entrepreneur who helped put Silicon Valley on the global map. He's a connoisseur of art and artifacts and a philanthropist promoting Sikh studies, art and culture, Harmeet Dhillon writes.

THE SCIENCE of SUCESS
Harmeet Dhillon

Waiting outside Dr. Narinder Kapany's College Avenue office in Palo Alto, Calif., you are just as likely to overhear an intense discussion concerning the terms of the latest private equity financing round for his latest fiber optics company, as a negotiation with the government of Punjab over the terms of the loan of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's golden throne, or a discussion with a Sikh scholar filling one of the endowed chairs of Sikh Studies at the UC campuses, or a chat with more

INDIAN AFFAIR - Steve Coll
Neela Pal

Steve Coll is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist; one of the youngest journalists to rise to the top echelons of the influential Washington Post; and the author of the best-selling book, "Ghost World: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001." But, as Neela Pal finds out, he also has strong roots in India, both professional and personal.

Perhaps it is because India was Steve Coll's first posting as a foreign correspondent for The Washington Post. Or maybe it is because India was the birthplace of Coll's third child, Max. Or, perhaps, it is because Coll's experiences in South Asia led to his fourth book, "On the Grand Trunk Road: A Journey Into South Asia."