Gori Girl

Photo Credit: Meanest Indian

Friday Connections: a time when I give links and a bit of commentary to things I’d blog about if I had the time. This week there’s just two categories: random India-related articles and vodka the Russian way. Because I’m all about multicultural celebration traditions, especially on Fridays after a long week.

India-Related Articles

• It’s Morning in India
  As many of you have probably already heard, Obama is headed to India today as the first stop on a trip around Asia. Friedman is more bullish on the Indian economy than many, and perhaps a tad too optimistic overall (see, for example, this post on the problems facing NRIs returning home), but I think his point on India’s optimistic aspirations here is valid – especially the contrast the current mood in the US.
• A Sikh Temple Where All May Eat, and Pitch In
  A fluffy article about the Golden Temple in Amritsar – not a lot of depth here, but I enjoyed reading it and learning a bit more about Sikhism.
• Fadeout for a Culture That’s Neither Indian Nor British
  Another short NYT profile on another culture of India: Anglo-Indians. The thing that struck me the most is how similar this story of a community of older British/Indians living in India but not assimilating sounds like the story of older communities of South Asians in Britain or the US. Both groups, I think, tend to cling to the old ways of the “home country” closer than the home country itself does.
• Oldest university on earth is reborn after 800 years
  An international group is hoping to recreate the Nalanda University in Bihar, which sounds like it could be a great thing for both the state and India overall.
• India Journal: Gandhi and Ambani, Indian Neighbors
  I suspect the fear of coconuts (among other things) is too high for Obama to make this walk between these two houses, but I hope that the sense of India portrayed in this article is not one that is lost on Obama during his trip.
• Chess & Sanskrit: Persian Jones in Old Calcutta
  A wonderful profile of the (by all accounts) good man and polymath who first made (or at least published) the connection between Sanskrit and European languages, kicking off the field of comparative linguistics.
• The Living Dead
  The zombie apocalypse is here, and it’s sorta the Indian government’s fault!

Vodka the Russian Way

• Holiday Spirits: A Russian Doctor Describes the Only Correct Way to Drink Vodka
  Yeah… This and Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin are probably my two favorite cultural items to come out of Russia. (Dostoevsky is so over-rated.)

Addendum: Being in San Francisco during the World Series has been a pretty cool experience, despite my complete lack of interest in baseball. I’m even okay with the way the games have completely screwed with my commute. This video gave me shivers – I really love how sports – despite how silly they are objectively – can really bring a community together.