IIFA 2014

If you follow me on social media (if you don't, you should! @TheDotIndian Twitter/Instagram and facebook.com/TheDotIndian) then you know that I attended the International Indian Film Awards in Tampa Bay over the weekend.

It was an absolute dream come true that my country got to host all my favorite celebrities from India.

The actual awards are pretty flawed, but the concerts, the celebrities, the performances around it all are absolutely amazing.

Thursday night featured IIFA Rocks which was a fashion show, but I was unable to attend.

Friday night was the technical awards portion, but more was like an outdoor concert. The night featured a live rock performance from Farhan Akhtar (respect increased after hearing him live), a dance performance by Sonakshi Sinha who has many major songs from this past year, Mika Singh sang as well, Sufi Guru Rahat Fate Ali performed classic and filmi music, a local gospel choir and bluegrass group . Saif Ali Khan and Vir Das did a wonderful job hosting the evening. The event took place at the Tampa state fair grounds amphitheater. The weather was beautiful, the ambiance was charged, the performances were above par.

Saturday night was the actual awards where legendary Madhuri Dixit and Hrithrik Roshan performed along with Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padkuone. The most epic moments were no doubt when Kevin Spacey wore a lungi and danced along with John Travolta bustin' out Bollywood moves on the spot. I'm pretty sure those two events alone stole my voice from all the screaming that was done.

The weekend was a blast and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Equal Opportunity Rude or Racist?

You guys! There's these Bollywood awards that are in a different country and every year and this year it's in Florida and I'm going!! As I pack and think about my trip and my flight a more serious topic comes to mind.

About a year ago, I was flying back home from Canada. As we were taxi-ing to take off the announcement for switching electronics off came on. As someone who flies nearly every other month I knew I had a time to send a quick message to my parents before shutting off my phone. I also know that many people do not turn off their phones while taking off and their flights go perfectly alright (and I guess it's finally legal?). Anyhow I was sitting next to a middle-aged (on the older end) couple and the wife, next to me, turned to me and rather curtly said "hey, you're supposed to turn that off." I politely replied with a half chuckle to lighten the situation and said "haha yes, just sending my mom a message." Her husband on her left leans over looks at me and says "you better turn that off, I don't want to die because of you."

Uh.

I understand the fear that comes with flying in general, but I couldn't help but wonder if the couple was being rude/nervous due to my skin color or if they were just rude people in general? Being born and raised in America, I've grappled with this situation many times "are they equally rude to everyone or am I being targeted" fortunately this crossed my mind more later in my life than earlier. 

I truly detest playing the "racism" card because I like to believe that people who are rude are just rude in general... equal opportunity rude, if I may. I am an American through and through (so American my favorite dessert is apple pie) so it is frustrating when people of my own country (America) are potentially targeting me for not being one of "them." A year or so ago a letter was sent to my home (with horrific spelling, might I add) asking my family to go back home. How do we go back to America? My siblings and I were born here while my parents have spent more than half of their lives here. I often say immigrants/children of color have a better understanding of the beauty of America and its rights because we get to exercise it.

 I love this country. 

And that's my little rant for today. 

God bless America, y'all.  

Easter in India

In light of Easter being celebrated this past weekend, I wanted to bring light to a demographic in India the world often doesn't realize exists.

Christian Indians.

Christianity is the third largest religion in India, and was brought to the subcontinent much earlier than most think around 52 AD. Because South India has a peninsula that juts out into the Arabian Sea they were the first people missionaries came into contact with therefore the Christian population is heavier in the South, though now they can be found all across the country. Kerala, a state furthest South has a high literacy rate and it is often accredited to Christianity. Another area of India known for its Christian is Goa. Goa is an incredibly popular beach vacation destination because of its culture break from India. The Portugese brought Christianity and European flair to Goa which makes it far different from the rest of British influenced India.

Some notable Christian Indians are, Mother Teresa and Freida Pinto, the actress of Slumdog Millionaire.

 

Direction

Womp.

You guys, I'm trying to figure out what direction to take The Dot India. There's an overwhelming amount of topics to be covered. Even within culture alone, clothes, traditions, music, movies... or history or economy or random stats and I could go on. Sometimes when there's sooo much to choose from it's hard to choose. Or is that just me and my decision anxiety?

So! Is there a specific aspect of India, Indianness, Indian-Americanness you're curious about? Let me know in the comments!

Dot or Feather?

Namaste, Salaam, Satsriakal, Hello! Welcome to my blog, y'all.

This brief conversation alone will explain why I chose the name "The Dot Indian."

"So where are you from?"

"Oklahoma."

"No, I mean originally."
"Oh, I'm Indian."

"Dot or feather?"

"Dot."

Some people might be appalled over the lack of PC (political correctness), but I appreciate the curiosity over the ignorance and/or assumption. Yes, the dot nor the feathers define an entire culture, but it's a great platform to educate and I hope to do that with this blog and my social media which you can find on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram along with my website The Dot Indian.

Peace.