Since Monday morning, I have been taking in the positive and negative feedback towards Nina Davuluri’s winning of the 2014 Miss America crown and $50,000 scholarship. Ms. Davuluri is the first Indian American (not to be confused with American Indian, aka Native American) woman to win the title of her state, New York, and the…
Tag: entertainment
Bourdain, Bites, and the City of Brotherly Love
Several posts ago, I alluded to the portion of our vacation spent at home in Philadelphia. Our trip to Thailand was flanked on either end by several days in Philly, and we took the opportunity to visit some old favorites as well as venture out to try completely new restaurants. Not having lived there in…
Congo Square Rhythms Festival
About one month ago, I wrote about Red Baraat after happening past a place on Frenchmen Street that was featuring the band that night. I lamented at letting the chance slip by to see them, but luckily they made it back to New Orleans for the 6th annual Congo Square Rhythms Festival in Louis Armstrong Park….
Red Baraat: a bhangra brass band!
As we strolled along Frenchmen Street last weekend, I overheard the words “Indian funk brass band” and immediately turned around to learn more. That night, Blue Nile was hosting Red Baraat, a diverse band that fuses the contagious energy of bhangra music with the joyful shake-your-hips sound of the brass bands of New Orleans, the…
Philly Friends Meet New Orleans Carnival
This year’s Mardi Gras marks the third consecutive season for me. As a resident living in New Orleans, it is easy to look forward to the revelry and good cheer surrounding this joyous time. While the rest of the country slows down their celebrations after New Year’s, NOLA keeps its spirits energized for a few…
Mardi Gras!
I cannot believe Mardi Gras is upon us again! Memories of last year’s festivities are still fresh; it was especially unique in that it was my husband’s first Mardi Gras. The weeks of parades, catching beads and trinkets (all in good clean fun, unless you’re on Bourbon Street of course), the crazy and colorful costumes…
London Travelogue: Day 3
To view all London Travelogue entries, click here. 12/31/12 Monday brought a visit to Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and Trafalgar Square, all within walking distance of each other in Westminster. “Circus” refers back to the Latin word for circle, indicating “a round open space at a street junction.” There are several “circuses” in London, including Piccadilly…
Honoring a Musical Legend: Pandit Ravi Shankar
“Pop changes week to week, month to month. But great music is like literature.” [Pandit Ravi Shankar] After 92 years defined by musical brilliance and accomplishment, Pandit Ravi Shankar died on December 11, 2012. The term pandit signifies teacher or scholar; Shankar was indeed both of these in the art of classical Indian music. He brought…
The Nutcracker
For a very long time, I have been wanting to see a live symphony or ballet performance. Although I have studied only a minute fraction of the history of classical music and art, I have a great appreciation for the technical skill and discipline of classical musicians and ballet dancers. There is nothing like hearing…
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Almost one full year ago, a good friend and coworker invited me and an interviewing applicant to view William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Somehow, I had gone through all of high school and college without having to read more than one or two of Shakespeare’s plays. Unfortunately, this was not one of them! Feeling…
The Aboveground Work of an Underground World
Street art is absolutely fascinating. I never paid attention to the strange creativity of it until I moved to New Orleans and noticed the words “You Go Girl” graffitied onto a small patch of a building, something that could easily go unnoticed, during my first year of residency. On any given day when I would…
A Streetcar Named Desire
In April, I had the opportunity to see a live performance of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The Southern Rep theater hosts several performances each month, and thank goodness for the five-minute drive to work when I heard about this showing on NPR. I had read the play for English class in high school and…
pen . paper . storm 