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Senior Essays: Growing up Indian in America

Atlanta, GA, July 14: Last month, we asked Indian-American teens to submit an essay on the topic, ‘Growing up Indian in America’. We had a great response from our young talents.

“It was good to see the perspectives of these youngsters,” said Ajay Vishwanathan, one of the judges. “From being embarrassed by their Indian lunches to becoming aware (and eventually respectful) of the space they occupy between the two cultures, the experiences were intriguing to read.” The other judges echoed his sentiments.

Congratulations to Senior Category winner Ananya Ghosh, Runner-up Suma Gangasani and all other participants!!

Diversity Within Diversity (Winner, Senior Category)

Imperialism. It’s a word that the entire world was familiar with when Great Britain was a force to be reckoned with. Snatching up territory to expand its sphere of influence, the unassuming island claimed lands from the bottom tip of Africa to the northern regions of the Americas.India was also caught in its wide cast net, tangled in fishing line, but jumped to turn back to water.

In the traditional sense of the word, imperialism is now obsolete. Countries don’t stake claim to territories; they influence others by diplomacy, military, and most importantly, culture.America’s cultural imperialism is very subtle, taking the form of a boosted denim industry in Korea and a greater likelihood of spotting a Kentucky Fried Chicken in India. If my India-dwelling counterpart is swaying from her traditional Indian culture, then how am I, a first generation America-dwelling desi, supposed to stick to mine? This imperialism is not only the root of an internal struggle, but also led to the birth of the American-born Confused Desi (ABCD).

This person will be ready to eat a Domino’s pizza, while secretly craving some biryani, butter chicken, and saag paneer. This person loves to go to football games, but also gets up at 5 to watch the India-Pakistan cricket match. This person perfects the art of the Indian mono-braid at a young age, and later perfects the art of the messy bun.

But sometimes, this dual-culture can be confusing. Do we go to the new Hollywood blockbuster with trendy actors, or do we go to the run-down theater on the other side of town to see the Bollywood box office hit? Do we press a single button on our car sound system to get English music, or do we shuffle through our Hindi music playlists on our phones while simultaneously rushing to find the aux cord at a red light? How many times can we make a conscious decision to immerse ourselves in American culture before we can no longer make a list of the Top 10 Shah Rukh and Kajol moments from film, or forget the words to our favorite Hindi song? How much time does it take for us before keeping up with Bollywood movies, Hindi songs, Indian sports and current events becomes too taxing?

Being an American-born Confused Desi is difficult. We dwell on the dichotomy between American and Indian culture, with a cultivated respect for both. We go through phases where being Indian is easier, but usually the American phase predominates. Maybe some can sit on the bridge between the two, but such cases are regarded as rare.

However, even the most ‘white-washed’ Indian treasures and possesses the remnants of his Indian heritage. He might wear Polos and Sperry’s to school, but he still remembers how to play the tabla from the lessons he took as an elementary school kid. She might refuse to speak Hindi at home, but she will always oil up her rusty vocabulary before speaking on the phone with her thamma. And even the most ‘fresh off the boat’ Indian still captures part of the essence of American culture growing up, despite his boycott on Hollister tees and McDonald’s fries.

ABCDs lie on a spectrum of Indian-American culture, but can never reach one side completely. This diversity within diversity is what makes the Indian community in America remarkable. Instead of consisting of two primary colors blue and yellow, an American-born Confused Desis is one of thousands of shades of green. We might have struggled growing up in two worlds, but as young adults, we appreciate our unique cultural perspectives, our atypical social experiences, and our great fortune of having been born into a culture with such a storied past and present.

We are criticized for being too Indian by Americans, and too American by Indians. But by our own standards, we are all sitting on a bridge together.

-Ananya Ghose
Age: 16
School: Chattahoochee High School

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In a sense, I lived two lives (Runner-up, Senior Category)

“Yet another magazine where I see no one who looks like me,” I sighed to my friend as I flipped through magazines for a project in yearbook class. Besides one ad for Priyanka Chopra’s show Quantico, I had yet to see any Indians gracing the pages, or even corners, of the magazines that people all over America consume daily. When I thought about it, the same was true for television and movies. It was a breakthrough seeing an Indian woman heading a television show for a major network, but what about everything else?

My favorite TV show is the recently ended Castle. I was thrilled that Sunkrish Bala was cast in the crime-comedy but was disappointed to find that he was merely another background character who just so happened to work with computers. Why couldn’t he fight crime? Why did he have to be typecasted to one of the handful of roles left for Indians as the IT specialist, the doctor, the taxi driver, or the gas station owner? Come on, it’s 2016. We do so much more than that, right?

Growing up as an Indian-American I have become accustomed to my minority status not just in the media but in my everyday life. When I was in elementary school, I became aware that I was not like everybody else. Besides the fact that I stood out for being taller than most of my female and male counterparts, I discerned that my skin color made me different. Some people would assume that because I was Indian, I was naturally gifted at math, when in actuality I worked hard to understand it; or that I couldn’t play sports – when I actually loved to play volleyball. It was not all their fault. Media and society had groomed them to believe many of these things.

Throughout elementary school, most – if not all – of my school friends were not Indian. My family would jokingly refer to me as a “coconut” because they thought that I was brown on the outside but white on the inside. In a sense, I lived two lives. At home I ate Indian food, listened to my parents speak Telugu, and said my three shlokas every morning on the way to school as my mom played her M. Balamuralikrishna CD. On the weekends I attended Indian functions and Balavihar. Outside of this, however, I was full-blown American: I went to soccer practice, listened to pop music, and even forced my parents to buy me a “Just Like You” American Girl doll which, for the record, didn’t even look like me because there were no dolls with Indian features. I didn’t actively try to mix my American side with my Indian side, but whenever my two worlds coincided, I was secretly over the moon. My 8-year-old self was thrilled to learn that the third installment of Disney Channel’s The Cheetah Girls franchise would be set in India because it seemed to me as though an outsider had taken an interest in my other universe.

For the longest time, it was not that I rejected my Indian heritage but that I never fully embraced it – until I started high school.

The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, is not your ordinary high school. Forty-one percent of the student body is Asian, and South Asians compromise much of this percentage. This school gets much of the credit for helping me come a long way from my younger self in terms of embracing what it means to be Indian. The open student body and culture have given me many opportunities to display and expand upon my Indian identity both inside and outside of school. Out of fascination with classical dance, I started learning Kuchipudi; I partake in Garba each year to celebrate Navaratri; my musical playlist now includes many Hindi tunes. Unlike before, I now try to show my non-Indian friends Indian culture. I want to blend my two worlds.

When I was younger, I avoided learning Telugu partly because it seemed like a daunting process. Now that I am older, I have a deeper understanding of the importance of learning Telugu. It not only lets me communicate with my relatives but also connects my life here in America to my ancestral ties back in India. Just because I have grown up in America doesn’t mean that I have to abandon my Indian roots. While American culture has definitely shaped my upbringing, my Indian heritage has not been forgotten. I am proud of both of my identities and the fact that I have had the opportunity to be raised amidst two unique cultures. It has taken much growing up to realize that my two worlds don’t have to be separate but can coexist as one.

– Suma Gangasani
Age: 17
School: Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology

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The other notable essays (in random order):

Neither there nor here, but somewhere in between

 “Wait.. so do you speak Indian?” “Are you feather or red dot Indian? “Are you getting an arranged marriage?” are many of these questions I have been asked throughout my 11 years of school and trust me, some people still ask me questions despite the growth in diversity in America in the past decade. Growing up as an Indian in America has been rewarding, yet challenging trying to fit in a world where we are considered immigrants.

 Although we live miles away from India, I still feel connected to my Desi roots. My parents have embedded strong Indian values and traditions in me since I was a toddler. I have learned Hindi from a young age, have been exposed to and fallen in love with Bollywood cinema, have learned Kathak at NNKB since I was four, have been taught about my religion, and have celebrated Indian festivals. I think that when an Indian family is raising a child in America they must not forget their Indian culture because it is so important to teach future generations the importance of heritage so they can keep it alive for years to come. For example, Indian classical dance and my religion have been huge components in my life since I was young. Learning Kathak has helped me understand my culture in depth and has taught me Indian values and history. My family is also heavily involved with JSGA, and learning about my religion has really kept me in touch with my roots and heritage.

 Celebrating different religious festivals has helped me forge life long bonds with family and friends, taught me about my culture, and given me a tolerance for traditions. Not being able to grow up in India right next to my family has been tough at times, but being blessed with such amazing parents and friends has really helped me stay in touch with my Indian background. Not only this, but I also live in Johns Creek, also known as Little India, and go to Northview, one of the best and most diverse high schools in the state. One of Northview’s biggest events is International Night in which the whole student body comes together and celebrates the difference cultural backgrounds we come from. Celebrating our Indian heritage with the rest of the JC population brings so much pride and reminds me how fortunate I am to be living in an environment where I can express my culture. Having events around the city such as International Yoga day, Festival of India, Holi, Garba, and Diwali help me stay in touch with Indian culture. Living in such a strong Indian society has taught me how important it is to stay connected to one’s roots.

 I’ve always known how important it is to stay connected with all my family around the globe, but lately, it has been hitting me so much harder. My family has ensured that we visit Indian every summer but lately since I have been in high school we haven’t been able to go that often. The last time I went to India was freshman year and for the past year, I think about the motherland every day. Almost everything Indian reminds me of motherland and I long to go visit and cherish every moment of me being there. I now understand that it is vital to keep your traditions alive and teach children about your culture because it is the one special thing that can keep you going when things get rough.

However, living in the suburbs of Atlanta isn’t all just one big fairy-tale; there are its cons, and the biggest one I believe is the feeling of always being considered a foreigner here. Yes, I was born here, but I come from an Indian heritage which distinguishes me from the “American” population. Likewise, when I visit India I am considered a foreigner there. Sometimes, I don’t know where I truly belong. I am American, but I am also Indian. Neither there, nor here- but somewhere in between.

 Growing up as a first generation Indian in the United States has been quite the ride. In all honesty, I wouldn’t trade it in the world. I was blessed with hardworking parents who came to America to live their dream, and because of their perseverance, I have been rewarded with such an incredible life. I feel truly privileged to be receiving the best education while being tied to my Indian roots, having my loving friends and family right by my side. I am really proud to be an Indian-American and look forward to many more adventures life brings me!

-Aarushi Jain
Age: 17 years
School: Northview High School

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I am privileged to be able to share my culture with others

 Every year, families throughout my neighborhood gather together for the celebration of lights, Deepavali. The sky shimmers with vivid colors: blue, gold, red, green, you name it. Although it’s a Hindu celebration, many others from our neighborhood join in the festivities, marveling at the bright night sky. While others are partaking in our Hindu festivities, I stand in awe at how interested people are in taking part in our culture.  Looking back, I realize that not only has life in America created an opportunity for me to embrace my culture as an Indian, but it also has given me an opportunity to share my culture with others and learn from theirs. I have learned that it really is quite easy to keep a cohesive culture and to remain motivated, no matter how far away from India I am. From participating in a weekly Balavihar to making service trips to India, I’ve taken advantage of the variety of opportunities available to me in America.

 As an Indian American, I have learned that it is always possible to find cultural values regardless of where I am. Every Sunday, my family and I spend a couple of hours at our Balavihar with like-minded people. For the first half an hour we chant prayers and then we have classes to become more familiar with the Hindu culture. In addition, it entails a variety of programs, which allow us as the next generation of Indians in America to understand and carry on cultural traditions such as Diwali, Garba, and Holi celebrations. Chinmaya Mission Balavihar has offered me such an amazing opportunity to reconnect with India and meet people who wish to do the same.

 Not only have I had the opportunity to take part in cultural celebrations in the United States, I have also had the wonderful opportunity to partake in a service visit to a rural community in Tamil Nadu,India. Through this service visit I had a chance not only to teach and help develop rural areas, but also to get in touch with my roots more intimately. I had a chance to spend three weeks comparing my life in America with my temporary life in India. The reason this opportunity was available to me was none other than because I grew up without giving up my Indian values in America.

 Growing up Indian in America also had an impact on my school and many of my friends. Many high schools and middle schools now have garba nights, and students show up in Indian attire, Indian or not, to enjoy the celebrations. International nights are filled with Indian performances, classical and Bollywood, one after the other. My friends ask to join me at Balavihar out of sheer curiosity about Hindu culture. It’s amazing how much of a melting pot our society has become and how easy it has become to grow up Indian in America.

 Similarly, by living in America, I have gained exposure to American culture, as well as many other cultures. I am part of an Indian family, but our family still puts up the Christmas tree every year. We light the same fireworks for Deepavali as we do on the 4th of July. Because of this amalgamation of cultures, I’ve gained knowledge of a variety of cultural traditions such as Bar Mitzvahs, quinceañeras, and even Chinese New Year. My life in America therefore has given me the ability to learn about the many different backgrounds present in the world around me.

 At the same time, however, being Indian in America has placed tremendous pressure on me and many of my Indian friends as well. Being Indian automatically sets you at a higher academic standard, which inevitably creates tougher competition, the need for higher test scores, and a more outstanding resume than the average. Though there is increasing pressure, however, it serves as a form of motivation, which in my case has always encouraged me to aim for excellence.

Overall, my experience of growing up inAmericahas motivated me to enhance my knowledge and learn to appreciate my culture as well the culture of others. I have learned that although I live thousands of miles away from my homeland, I can still easily stay in touch with my Indian culture. Living in America has motivated me to do my best every day and to give my all to everything I do and it has opened my eyes to how privileged I am to be motivated and to be able to openly celebrate my culture and share it with others.

-Sadhana Durbha
Age: 16
School:Lambert High School

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Unraveling the stories of India’s past helps pave my future

 Growing up as an Indian-American has been- in one encapsulating word- a journey; a wild adventure complete with its own set of trials and tribulations that I would not trade for the world. My ethnicity is essential to who I am today, but accepting my cultural identity and all of the rich history and vibrant traditions that come with it is a personal victory that I had to fight societal stigmas and, more importantly, myself for.

 I was born in Bengaluru, Karnataka and moved to the United States at a very young age. I grew up completely content with myself and never understood nor acknowledged hyphenated labels such as “Indian-American”. As all children of preschool and pre-kindergarten age, I did not “see” color; thus, I did not understand differences in race, religion, or ethnicity. I did not feel any different from my unhyphenated American friends, therefore I was not any different in my mind. I assumed that all my friends ate dosas and idlis at home and that they all practiced Hinduism like me. I remember attending an after-school Bible study session at my preschool as my parents were running late one afternoon and being really confused. All my schoolmates seemed to know the story, but I was completely lost. I simply brushed it aside as a story my parents just forgot to tell me. It was not until I started Kindergarten that I began to realize my cultural identity was different from that of my friends.

 Being a vegetarian was a foreign concept at my first elementary school. To avoid the awkward exchange with the lunch ladies in which I explained my predicament, I brought my lunch to school everyday. Unlike the carefully wrapped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches of my friends, my lunch generally consisted of rice and other Indian dietary staples. Because my meals looked different and smelled of pungent Indian spices, my lunch was often the object of my classmates’ curiosity and ridicule. As one of maybe five Asian students and one of only two Indian students at my school, my main priority was fitting in with the other children. My exotic lunches did not help my case. After several days of bringing home full lunch boxes, my mother sat me down and explained to me that my differences made me unique. My mother revealed to me the cultural significance of my meals and the rich history behind the flavorful dishes. She taught me to be proud of my Indian heritage and to always stay connected with my traditions. Unfortunately it took nearly an entire year of eating soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from the cafeteria before I finally learned my lesson and began appreciating my mother’s cooking.

 Soon, we moved to a community with a larger Indian presence, and I began to feel more accepted. As I entered adolescence, I still struggled with trying to keep my cultural identity separate from my identity. I vividly remember being embarrassed to speak in my mother tongue with my family in public settings or in front of my friends, because I was afraid they would judge me. Around the same time, my family and I started to become more actively involved in our cultural association – Nrupathunga Kannada Koota (NKK). My involvement helped me to begin sealing the breach and to start accepting my Indian-American label. My family and I also went to India for the summer between 7th and 8th grade. Reconnecting with my extended family and visiting historical sites gave me the vital exposure to my beautiful roots that I needed to finally embrace my cultural identity as a significant part my identity as a whole.

 As I transitioned into high school, I began making a conscious effort to incorporate my heritage and beliefs into my daily life. I began classical training in the expressive South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam at Kalaivani Dance Academy and Bollywood at Kruti DanceA cademy. I also started taking a more serious interest in mastering my proficiency in the Kannada language and in reading and writing Kannada to ensure my mother tongue never dies out. I continued to learn about my ancestors and my past thanks to constant encouragement from my mother. My traditions have helped shape me into the person I am today. Being bilingual has taught me to appreciate other languages and has allowed me to communicate freely with all types of people. Learning Indian dance has given me an outlet to express myself and escape the struggles of everyday life. Unraveling the stories of India’s past helps pave my future. I am equal parts American and Indian, and I proudly embrace both cultures.

-Nisha Kashyap
Age: 18
School: Georgia Institute of Technology

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Growing up burdened to create a legacy

 Growing up Indian in America is growing up being ridiculed for your thick accent, being looked down upon for your skin color, and being scared of taking chances. It is being the victim of racism as your legacy is reduced to “another brown-skin stealing our jobs”.

 Growing up Indian in America is growing up disadvantaged before you can even speak. The melanin in my body lets people know I am an “alien” unknown to this country.

 Before people even learn my name, they have made assumptions about me based solely on the color of my skin. “I bet you’re really smart!” “You like spicy food, right?” “Your skin color is so pretty like coffee!”

 They think they are cunning and their comments are funny but what they don’t realize is when you generalize what you see on TV to an entire race, you are trivializing that race and disregarding the individual personalities of the people. Why must you compare my skin color to that of a perfectly swirled mocha for it to not taste bitter on your tongue?

 Growing up Indian in America is growing up scared to experience new things.

“I hope these people aren’t racist”. That is the phrase I chant to myself each time I step into an interview, a classroom, a party, a discussion. I repeat it to myself constantly as if it is a mantra that will pray the devil away. It is my mantra. It has sewn itself into the deepest parts of my mind. It is my biggest fear.

 Growing up Indian in America is growing up burdened to create a legacy. The stories of struggles our parents have overcome to get us here become ingrained in our brains. We have been recited those more than we have been read stories from Aesop’s Fables and they are what become our bedtime stories. But they are also what become our nightmares.

 We have to play it safe. Pick a safe career like medicine or business that will guarantee our success and future. Singers, dancers, artists, chefs, politicians are all out of question. We were brought here for one thing and one thing only: a guaranteed future. We must not think outside the box for who knows what scary things lurk there ready to deport us from the country we have learned to call ours. We must stay inside the box and create a legacy as strong as our parents’.

 Growing up Indian in America is hard. But it has only made us tougher.

I will always be a victim of the unoriginal “do you like curry” jokes. I will always wonder if the people I have just met are racist in anyway. I will always have to work twice as hard as a white man to be seen as half as good. I will always have the short end of both sticks because not only am I a person of color but I am also a woman. I will always, always, be at a disadvantage as an Indian inAmerica but it does not mean I will be less.

 My people did not fight to be free from the reigns of the white man just for him to deny us our rightful places in this world. I have learned to be headstrong, persistent, and dominating. I have learned to be a leader and stand up for everything I believe in despite all the people and obstacles in my way knocking me down.

 Growing up Indian in America is growing up with an opportunity to change the world.

Americais the land of opportunity and I aspire to take advantage of every single opportunity presented to me. I know that I can be anything, do anything, and have anything if I put my mind to it. I can be a lawyer and advocate for civil rights, I can be a diplomat and work to make living conditions better for minorities, I can become a biotech engineer and invent new medical supplies for those in poverty, I can even be a public speaker and speak out on issues such as rape and domestic issues.

 Growing up Indian in America is growing up with national pride.

Because of the racism Indians face from others, we tend to have stronger ties within our Indian community. Unlike inIndia, we do not define each other based on caste, religion, language, etc. We are birds of a feather. When we hear of a local temple holding a Holi festival, we’ll all show up in our white clothes ready to throw colors on strangers because in the end, we are all the same and we feel a strong bond.

Growing up Indian in America is the best thing that could have happened to me.

-Manya Garg
Age: 17 years old
School: Northview High School

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Suddenly I became the odd man out

 Eighteen years ago, I came bounding into our creator’s raw land; home, pleasure, love,

freedom; all hand in hand. The majority of my pre-pubescence, I walked the ancient streets of motherIndia. A country where the atmosphere is filled with joy, respect, and culture. It was a place of morals in a time of modernization. A land where humanity presents itself in the most muzzy, expressive burst of culture and religions, races and heritage.

 As I turned two, my parents set off to the United States entrusting me to my god parents —strictly speaking my aunt and uncle— as they went seeking for new job opportunities. As the first great-grandson in my entire extended family, I was raised like a king. With my uncle as my pedagogue, I grew up with opportunities accessing intellectual and spiritual growth, secure in the knowledge which I fancied, free from fear, and confident that my world was close to perfect.

 This state of innocence persisted until I reached my early teens. I was able to master eight languages, act in movies, dance to music, and pick up various unique skills.

 I began to explore and satiate my curiosity through my own exploration and experimentation. With a surprising amount of freedom at such a young age, I was able to build Rube Goldberg machines, simple circuits, high flying rockets, and retrieval mechanisms. I loved every bit of it. I often asked my uncle for his old electrical equipment, and when I heard the magical word “yes,” I would carefully reverse engineer his old VCRs, computers, RC planes, and rebuild them in high hopes of understanding how they ticked. My identity and aspirations were the product of early influences and childhood experiences. These little things are what taught me to be independent, to continue to be a scientist and an engineer at heart.

 On June 23, 2008, after becoming financially stable, my parents came back to India for the summer. They decided to take me to the land of opportunity. Their decision was the main transition to the second half of my life. Leaving my relatives behind was difficult, but I was fired up to travel afar and witness the beauty of our ever-changing world. I felt that travel was beyond the seeing of sights; it is when your mind reshapes, a change so profound and permanent that changes one’s life forever.

 After arriving in the United States, my expectations shattered. Suddenly, I became the odd man out. Bullying and racism became an integral part of my life. I endured the harshest of words, but I persevered and matured into the man I am today. It took time adjusting to the new climate, people, and culture; however, I adapted. I started celebrating the American holidays with my new found friends of the new world —from trick or treating to hanging ornaments on Christmas trees.

 Discovering new religions and cultures was what I found fascinating, because it was so distinct from mine. The values deeply rooted in me are a direct result of exposure to various cultures, which serves as a foundation in shaping my principles, behaviors, and attitudes.

 When I gaze into the mirror, I see an individual molded from two distinct cultures. Through life, I have examined, questioned, and experienced ideologies from both India and the Western world; this ideological experimentation has created who I am today. Born in India and raised in the United States, I have a perspective that often differs from my friends and family on both sides of the globe. I believe that I have been given a uniquely neutral exposure into the perspective of both cultures. The world is becoming increasingly complex, and it is increasingly imperative to walk a mile in another’s shoes.

 Regardless how ominous the situation may seem, there can always be a solution. We are human. We are more than the sum of our parts. If we are to survive as a species, we cannot be just a scattered collection of sheeple; we must also learn to embrace our differences and coexist. Cultures will blend and we will unite.

-Vishwa Mudigonda
Age: 18
College: University of Georgia

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The Judges

The essays were graded blind by this panel of five judges- all with great writing credentials. Thank you for your time and effort, judges!

  • Ajay Vishwanathan has work published or forthcoming in over ninety literary journals, including The Minnesota Review, Sou’wester, Southern Humanities Review, The Potomac, and The Baltimore Review. He’s currently working on a new novel as his completed manuscript, Little Hands of Silk, is being readied by his literary agent to be sent  to potential publishers. One of the editors of Foundling Review, Ajay is the author of From a Tilted Pail, a short story collection from Queen’s Ferry Press (2014).
  • Navami Naik works as Lead, Global Partnerships with the American Cancer Society. Navami has been working in non-profit management for the past 10 years. Prior to this, she worked as a journalist with The Times of India, where she primarily covered issues related to health and education. Navami holds a Master’s degree in Social Service from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania,USA and has trained as a journalist in the United Kingdom.
  • Jyothsna Hegde grew up in a house full of ardent readers, and has always enjoyed writing. Being a software engineer and an adjunct faculty at a university in Baltimore hardly left any time to read, let alone write. But after moving to Atlanta, she found an opportunity to write for NRI Pulse and has been part of the newspaper’s editorial team for several years. She hopes to write about real or fictional people and events in way that makes the reader feel part of the experience, and encourages thinking that goes deeper than the surface.​
  • Aditya Rao is a 2015 graduate of New York University. While his papers have been published in academic journals, he is fond of creative and essay writing. He also maintains a blog: Bureaumania.wordpress.com.
  • Reena Joshi is the owner of WriteRight.
    WriteRight’s goal is to help all its students from grades 2-12 understand the English concepts tested on all assessments culminating with the SAT and the ACT.  Students are taught to master reading comprehension techniques, conquer confusing vocabulary, and of course, score well on assessments. From constructing basic sentences to constructing SAT and college application essays, WriteRight students learn to consistently write well. The long term goals are high SAT/ACT test scores and acceptance into choice colleges, and so the earlier students start preparation, the better the chances for a higher score, acceptance into choice colleges and scholarships.

 WriteRight has a special offer for NRI Pulse essay contestants and readers:

  • All essay contestants – free registration ($100 regular registration) + $50 discount on tuition upon registration for a semester. 
  • All readers – free registration upto September 1, 2016 ($100 savings) *must bring the page from NRI Pulse Newspaper that has the essay results on it

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1 comment

Veronica July 13, 2019 at 4:06 am

Excellent article. Thank you.

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