OUR COVER STORY
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Young and Spiritual
November 2011 -
When many of us moved to the “material” West from the “spiritual” East, we were not focusing on spiritual aspirations. Today many in the following generations are giving up lucrative careers in search of inner fulfillment through spiritual pursuits.
Khabar interviews a number of young individuals and couples who have turned to a spiritual life, as well as a family whose son is on his way to becoming a swami in the BAPS Swaminarayan organization--where he will live a Spartan life, giving up even the smallest of luxuries, breaking all ties with past lives and completely dedicating himself to the faith and the organization.
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Rural India through American Eyes
October 2011 -
Magical images and perceptive insights come about when a group
of Americans are transported to Himachal Pradesh and Orissa in a
photography expedition where they, along with local school children,
chronicle the region and its culture and people. Previous workshops by the IPP involved local children only (“Worth a Thousand Words,” Khabar, September 2010). This year, Bhaskar included Americans for crosscultural education.
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From Murder to Meditation
September 2011 -
Many of the inmates in one of Alabama’s toughest prisons are in for heinous crimes such as murder. Thanks to a revolutionary rehabilitation program, highlighted by a rigorous 10-day meditation retreat based on the teachings of the Buddha, these distressed souls are finding a way out — while never leaving the walls that imprison them.
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Brain Man: A Conversation with Dr. V. S. Ramachandran
August 2011 -
Ramachandran’s work on agnosia, phantom limbs, synesthesia, mirror neurons, autism, language evolution, aphasia, etc. makes him a star in his field, and he has a large following among lay enthusiasts. Having co-authored the best-seller PHANTOMS IN THE BRAIN and authored A BRIEF TOUR OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS, he came out earlier this year with THE TELL-TALE BRAIN: A NEUROSCIENTIST’S QUEST FOR WHAT MAKES US HUMAN.
An episode of the TV show, House, illustrated how Ramachandran’s famed mirror visual feedback (MVF) method helps real-life amputees in pain.
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Motions and Emotions Surrounding Adoptions
July 2011 -
One of the ironies of life is that there are millions of children without homes or families and there are millions of adults who wish to be parents but cannot. Adoption is the process that can unite them, and yet for many Indian families it is still a loaded word—not to mention an often challenging process.
For years there was a stigma attached to adoption, especially in Indian society. Adopting a child was a reluctant option for couples who could not conceive a child of their own. It was often a discreet undertaking accompanied by dubious stories of why an adoption was necessary.
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The China Challenge: Can India compete with its formidable neighbor?
June 2011 -
Much has been made, mostly in the Indian press and the diaspora, about what The Economist referred to as "the contest of the century." But is it really a contest between equals? Khabar takes a look at the relative strengths and weaknesses of both countries, and why India can benefit by learning from its formidable neighbor.
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The Charitable Indian-American: How, why, and where we like to give of our money and time
May 2011 -
Perhaps one reason Indians are not among the leaders in charitable giving is that, traditionally, organizational giving hasn’t been a big part of our culture. As a society that emphasizes the community over the individual, taking care of each other is ingrained among us—but in an innate and informal way. The close-knit extended family meant caring for and helping other family members, be it emotionally or financially.
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Anand’s Journey
April 2011 -
In his nonfiction debut, INDIA CALLING, journalist Anand Giridharadas takes us on a revealing journey through a fast-changing nation that's no longer the old India--which his parents left decades ago when they moved to the United States. But Giridharadas's reverse journey is also a personal transformation that leaves him, as he said in an interview with KHABAR, "very committed to India, interested in India."
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Driving Through the Himalayas
March 2011 -
It’s a magical journey through two high Himalayan passes and the verdant Lahaul valley. Starting from Kaza, the district town of Spiti and the tourist town of Manali in Kullu valley, the journey comprises 185 km of almost uninhabited yet mesmerizing Himalayan terrain. But then, if you are fond of driving, have your own wheels—two, four or even hired ones—and love the mountains, then this high-altitude terrain is a gift for the senses and the spirit.
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Of Foreigners and Terrorists
February 2011 -
Amitava Kumar is a critically acclaimed author whose latest book, A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of his Arm a Tiny Bomb, is a damning indictment of the global war on terror. In an interview with Khabar, Kumar explains why he thinks the war on terror is an elaborate and expensive distraction that harms rather than helps our cause against terrorism.
Kumar's books include Bombay- London- New York, which is a chronicle of the immigrant experience. Circling the three capitals of the Indian diaspora, Bombay- London- New York captures the contours of the expatriate experience, touching on the themes of abandonment, nostalgia, and exile that have powered some of the most prominent Indian writers today.
Passport Photos , one of Kumar’s earliest books, also trains its lens on the immigrant narrative and focuses as well on transnational identities and globalization.
