In a Soundbite, Indian Cultural Events

On describing the food at India Fest 2016 in a piece with The Virginian-Pilot I said.

“Indian cuisine is the Asian version of Southern food. It’s soul food with some spice,” said Nitesh Arora, general manager of Nawab Indian Cuisine. “If you want to try some comfort food that’s different, try Indian food. Our Samosa is like a giant french fry.”

My quote was edited, but it was a good PR soundbite. I think. Also a shout out for samosas in the newspaper. 

Also—I'm glad to still be in the career stage in which a self Google alert is a good thing.

Unending Love, Rabindranath Tagore

​"Unending Love" is a poem by Rabindranath Tagore--an Indian author.

Apparently, Audrey Hepburn requested it to be read at her funeral. It's a lovely poem from an author that I've briefly studied.​

Here it is, translated from Bengali:​

I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times…
In life after life, in age after age, forever.
My spellbound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs,
That you take as a gift, wear round your neck in your many forms,
In life after life, in age after age, forever.

Whenever I hear old chronicles of love, it's age-old pain,
It's ancient tale of being apart or together.
As I stare on and on into the past, in the end you emerge,
Clad in the light of a pole-star piercing the darkness of time:
You become an image of what is remembered forever.

You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount.
At the heart of time, love of one for another.
We have played along side millions of lovers, shared in the same 
Shy sweetness of meeting, the same distressful tears of farewell-
Old love but in shapes that renew and renew forever.

Today it is heaped at your feet, it has found its end in you
The love of all man’s days both past and forever:
Universal joy, universal sorrow, universal life.
The memories of all loves merging with this one love of ours – 
And the songs of every poet past and forever.

Source​

George Allen is Running for VA Senate

​George Allen is running against former Governor Tim Kaine in the Virginia Senate race. 

Here's a video from his previous time on the campaign trail. 

Just to break that down for you, he's call​ing an Indian campaign worker from the opposition 'macaca'. Slate  says to read the wikipedia entry with a pinch of salt. 

OK. But, he's still calling the Indian guy something. I don't care if it's a racial slur or it it just means 'monkey', would he have done the same to a white male? And , before people start yelling at me for using the 'race card', that's not my intention. Honestly: Would he have used the same words for a person that looks like him?​

Senator George Allen (R-VA) calls campaign volunteer S.R. Sidarth "macaca".