Latest news with #IndianAmerican
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
First the festival, now the India Day Parade canceled for this year
Naperville's India Day Parade has been canceled, less than two months after organizers announced the festival to be held on the same day would not be happening. 'This was not an easy choice,' a social media post on the Indian Community Outreach Facebook page said. 'However, we believe that hosting a partial event would not reflect the energy, inclusivity and excellence our community has come to expect — nor would it align with ICO's mission: to Educate, Integrate, and Empower.' India Day, a daylong event featuring a parade, food, vendors, live music and other activities celebrating Aug. 15, 1947, the day India won its freedom from British rule, has been an annual Naperville event since 2015 and one that grew to be one of the largest Indian American festivals of its kind in the United States. Both the parade and fest were to be held on Aug. 10 until organizers announced in early June that the festival at Rotary Hill Park was being scratched due to growing costs and reduced funding. Only the parade would be held, event founder and organizer Krishna Bansal said. With that now off the schedule as well, efforts will be put into planning 'a vibrant and unforgettable' India Day Parade and Celebration for 2026, the Facebook post said. They are also 'exploring the possibility of an event for the remainder of the year.' Bansal was not available for comment. Refunds will be issued this week to those who have already registered and paid to be part of the event, the post said. Bansal previously told the Naperville Sun that part of the mounting costs were tied to city requirements that fencing be placed around the perimeter of the event grounds and metal detectors set up at controlled entry and exit points. Rules also require that attendees be limited to only bringing clear bags with them when they enter the event. Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said at the time that the heightened security requirements are not necessarily new, but they are 'something we've really been pushing towards for the past few years and are finally getting traction.' The same rules are in place and will be implemented for Naperville's Last Fling festival, which will be held downtown Aug. 29-Sept. 1 on Jackson Avenue. Additionally, minors will not be allowed inside the fest grounds if not accompanied by an adult. India Day is not the only celebration to be canceled this year. Naperville Salute, an annual Fourth of July event also held at Rotary Hill, also will not be held this year. Organizers did not go into detail but said the cancellation was done to preserve the long-term health of both the event and the charitage organization behind it. Another longtime Naperville festival came to an end last year. Although Ribfest had not been held in the city for a few years, the organizers decided the annual event would end after 35 years.
Tatler Asia
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
6 essential podcasts every foodie needs to listen to
2. 'Recipe Club' David Chang brings his Momofuku empire credentials and Ugly Delicious media savvy to this competition-style podcast. Co-hosted by Chris Ying, the co-founder of the groundbreaking food magazine Lucky Peach , this programme follows an engaging format that goes beyond typical top chefs podcast territory. The show is delightfully brutal: every episode, Recipe Club members bring their own take on a theme and debate whose recipe reigns supreme. Listeners get a front-row seat to high-level culinary creativity—and the occasional kitchen catastrophe. For anyone who's ever argued with a friend over the best way to fry an egg, this podcast is like a peek inside your most passionate foodie group chat. Read more: Now streaming: 10 food and cooking shows you need to watch in 2024 3. 'The Recipe with Kenji and Deb' Above This podcast gives foodies the knowledge and freedom to riff on recipes and make dishes their own. Far from offering simple, easy recipes, this podcast helps you understand the why behind cooking so you can adapt, improvise and create with confidence. J Kenji Lopez-Alt and Deb Perelman excel at demystifying kitchen science for home cooks. Lopez-Alt's James Beard award-winning approach and former Serious Eats role establish him as a premier cooking communicator. Perelman, who has built a devoted following through her Smitten Kitchen blog, is an expert at translating complex techniques for home cooks. Their episodes on stir-frying, roasting or even boiling water dive into the mechanics of everyday cooking, while their mailbag segments solve listeners's kitchen problems with practical cooking tips. This approach transforms casual foodies into intuitive cooks, giving them the knowledge and freedom to riff on recipes and make dishes their own. Read more: What chefs read: Go-to cookbooks according to culinary professionals 4. 'The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters' This podcast treats food as a gateway to understanding not just flavours but cultures—and under Francis Lam's stewardship, it's become essential listening for anyone interested in how cuisine shapes identity. Lam brought a fresh perspective to this established programme when he took over hosting duties in 2018, drawing on his New York Times Magazine and Top Chef Masters experience. Popular episodes include conversations with Indian American author Khushbu Shah about diaspora cooking, with Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Bill Addison about the intricacies of food criticism and with Yossy Arefi about finding freedom and joy in baking. For those seeking programmes for food lovers or interviews with chefs, The Splendid Table is a long-standing favourite in the best foodie podcasts landscape. 5. 'The Sporkful' A three-time James Beard awardee, Dan Pashman 'obsesses about food to learn more about people'. He can spend hours debating whether a hot dog is a sandwich or dissecting pasta shapes and sizes. This passion led him to invent a new pasta shape called cascatelli, a curved half-tube with wavy ruffles designed to deliver a more satisfying experience. Pashman finds profound stories in everyday dining. His interview with Crying in H Mart author Michelle Zauner explored how Korean food helped her grieve her mother's death and rediscover her cultural identity. Another episode examined why recipes that seem straightforward on paper become frustratingly complicated in practice. Meanwhile, a profile of street vendor Dan Rossi, who sleeps in his van to protect his coveted spot outside the Met, reveals the brutal realities behind New York's street foodie scene. 6. 'Your Mama's Kitchen' Above This soulful foodie podcast taps into childhood memories in the kitchen to explore identity, heritage and belonging. 'Tell me about your mama's kitchen'—this podcast's opening salvo transports guests (and listeners) to a specific time and place, evoking memories of sights, sounds and smells that shaped their identity. Michele Norris, former NPR All Things Considered host and Washington Post columnist, understands this power and uses it to create something genuinely moving. Produced by the Obamas's Higher Ground media company, this podcast explores how those early kitchen experiences—recipes passed down, traditions upheld or abandoned, moments of connection over shared meals—fundamentally influenced guests's worldviews. When Michelle Obama, Kevin Kwan or John Legend open up about their childhood food memories, Norris's seasoned interviewing skills draw out the deeper connections between nourishment, identity and belonging in ways that transcend typical celebrity conversations.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Murray Bartlett on ‘Murder at the Patel Motel': ‘It is a double-edged sword'
Murray Bartlett, who won our hearts as Armond in The White Lotus, and as Frank in The Last of Us, plays Gareth in Maulik Pancholy's comedy podcast, Murder at the Patel Motel. He also appears as the disgraced puppeteer, Brian, in Season Two of Nine Perfect Strangers. 'They're similar, in a way,' says Murray over a video call from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. 'Both have a mystery at the centre of it. The difference with Nine Perfect Strangers is we got to be in amazing locations in Germany and Austria, with a wonderful cast of people that I got to work with in person.' Past traumas Both characters, the 54-year-old actor said, are dealing with trauma from the past that holds them back. 'They both have to be backed into a corner before they reveal themselves. It is not easy for them to face or talk about it or be vulnerable around.' The absence of visuals is both liberating and challenging, according to Murray. 'It feels uncomplicated to have one sense to hone in and focus on. There are fewer distractions. It gives you a strong focal point. It's an interesting process where you've only got the audio so you become ultra aware of how you can play with that in interesting ways to tell the story.' With a look There are some scenes, Murray says, which you wish you could just do with a look. 'You have to find a way to do it with sound. It's a double-edged sword, it is a challenge, but it also makes you creative. There's something thrilling about that.' Voicing a character in an audio-only format calls for a similar approach to his work in television or film, Murray says. 'There are certain subtleties that you can do visually without saying things that you can't use in audio. You have to make sure you're getting the character and the story across effectively through audio.' Rich world The world of audio is so rich these days with podcasts and audiobooks, Murray says. 'It's an exciting genre to step into. We are now used to listening to content in the way that we used to listen to radio plays. I was familiar with the genre and how you can bring subtlety into audio in a way that you might when working on film and television visually. Murder at the Patel Motel is comedy, so you can be a little broader, and play with sound in a comedic way.' Having known Maulik for a long time, Murray immediately said yes to playing Gareth, Maulik's character, Milan's, partner. 'I love the idea of this small town in Montana where there's this Indian American family, and the kind of world that surrounds them. Maulik told me about this network of Indian American families who run motels around the Midwest of America, which I was unaware of.' Grounded in reality Comedy is challenging as it should be grounded in reality, Murray comments. 'You don't want it to be totally untethered. This show has a definite reality to it, and there are some poignant moments. As an actor, you want to have fun with the comedy, while making sure that these feel like actual characters, with moments of reflection, poignancy and connection.' Murray says the cast did different takes and versions of certain scenes. 'When they were editing, they had some choices to get that balance of comedy, drama and mystery right.' Occasional improvisations While the cast mostly stuck to the script, Murray says there was improvisation too. 'With audio work, you don't work with the other actors. I was lucky, because Maulik was leading this project and was in all the recording sessions. We were reading the scenes together in real time. He encouraged improvisation when it felt right. We did the scenes as scripted, but then would do takes where we play around.' There are scenes where it made sense to improvise, Murray says. 'With 10 episodes, the recording sessions were long, and once you start to settle into the character, you get a sense of what else you might be able to offer as the character. Maulik was collaborative and encouraged us to stay with the script to make sure that we were telling the story properly, but also to inhabit our characters and play with it.' Close to home The podcast touches on themes of identity, family and returning home, all of which resonated with Murray. 'No matter where a story is culturally, environmentally, or geographically, there are universal things about family that we can all relate to — complex, unsettling, challenging, and funny things.' Murray was intrigued with the 'wonderful specifics' about Indian American families that he got to learn through the podcast. 'A lot of us, particularly in the arts, who grew up in small towns, have the same experience that Milan has. We tend to be the black sheep of the family. I went halfway around the world to pursue the work that I love.' Highlights the contrast When you return home, Murray says, there are all these wonderful, difficult and comic things that happen. 'The dynamics highlight the contrast you feel between the person you've become and the 17-year-old you were when you may have left,' Murray says laughing. Hoping that listeners to Murder at the Patel Motel laugh a lot, Murray says, 'There are some beautiful things about being disconnected from family and the complexity of trying to reconnect. A lot of the characters have secrets or parts of themselves that they're not in touch with, or hiding. And through the course of the show, secrets come out and the characters have to look at and face who they are.' If Gareth had a secret hobby, Murray says he would probably fancy himself a popstar. 'I would imagine when nobody's home, he would get out the karaoke machine and sing in the mirror,' he says laughing Murray's favourite scene in the podcast was when his finger gets partially cut off by an axe. 'It was fun to be able to scream and let loose,' he says, laughing uproariously. Murder at the Patel Motel is available on Audible
News18
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Priyanka Chopra's Daughter Malti Has A Fairytale Moment At Aladdin Show In NYC
Through her post, Priyanka also praised two Indian American actors who play key roles in the Broadway show Aladdin. Our Desi Girl, Priyanka Chopra, along with her husband, Nick Jonas, and their daughter, Malti Marie, decided to spend their weekend indulging in a concert and a Broadway show. After attending the BLACKPINK concert, the family of three's next destination was Aladdin's show in New York City. And as always, Priyanka did not forget to share some glimpses of their outing for her millions of fans on social media. Taking to her Instagram account on Monday, July 28, the actress posted a series of pictures from the show, where she and her family were seen posing with the cast of Aladdin. In one picture, Priyanka, Nick and Malti were seen with Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie. One photo also showed the couple's little munchkin trying to rub Aladdin's magic lamp. A video showed Malti, with her back towards the camera, having a conversation with Genie, and in another, she was seen with the actress who played Jasmine. A clip captured the loud cheers and applause for the cast of Aladdin as their show came to a close. Priyanka also shared a news article at the end of her post with pride, whose headline read: 'Two Indian American stars of Broadway's 'Aladdin' trace their roles back to school." In the caption, she wrote, 'It was so magical to see the Broadway production of @aladdin with our little family. " She praised the two Indian American actors, further adding, 'Also to see the two incredibly talented leads @adivroy @sonyabalsara who are Indian made my little heart flutter!" Priyanka ended her little note, applauding the impressive work of the entire cast. She said, 'You were all mesmerising! Thank you for the magic as always @disney." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Priyanka (@priyankachopra) Aladdin's Broadshow Actors React To Priyanka's Appreciation Post Meanwhile, Sonya Balsara, who plays Jasmine, said, 'Words can't express how special it was to meet you and your family. Thank you for being such an inspiration and a pioneer for our community." What's Next For Priyanka Chopra? The actress was most recently seen on the screen in the action comedy film Heads of State, featuring John Cena and Idris Elba. It was released on Prime Video on July 2. As of now, Priyanka has The Bluff, The Judgement Day, and an untitled SS Rajamouli film in the pipeline. First Published: July 28, 2025, 09:06 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
These Voters Were Overlooked. Then They Helped Mamdani Win.
Nor does having a South Asian candidate guarantee support from South Asian voters. Some Indian American groups in the greater New York region opposed Mamdani, running ads on trucks and airplane banners claiming the mayoral candidate had an 'extremist agenda and history of hateful rhetoric' — a reflection of rising Hindu nationalism in India. And, as the writer Yashica Dutta reported before the primary, some South Asians did not seem to be on board with, or even know, the Uganda-born Mamdani, the son of a Muslim father and a Hindu mother. Even so, in June, as primary voting maps show, those same South Asian areas in Queens and Brooklyn that had lost Democratic support and shifted towards Trump in 2024 went decisively for Mamdani. According to an internal analysis of voting data shared with POLITICO Magazine by a political strategist who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media, South Asian turnout increased by 12 percent between the 2021 mayoral primary and this year's race in 13 assembly districts with a significant share of South Asians. This increase was driven primarily by Bangladeshis and to a lesser extent, Pakistanis — mainly in Queens and Brooklyn. First-time voters over 45 years old increased by over 6 percent across these 13 districts. The lion's share of this increased South Asian vote went to Mamdani, despite the gross imbalance in campaign funding between him and Cuomo and the latter's dynastic bona fides. A November 2024 video Mamdani posted on social media contains clues about how Mamdani went from polling at 1 percent shortly after launching his campaign to comfortably winning the primary. In it, Mamdani did interviews with Trump voters, many of whom appeared to be working-class South Asians, asking them why they voted for Trump and what it would take for them to switch back to the Democratic Party. Then he told them about his campaign. The video captures the mix of tactics that may have led to Mamdani's ultimate success: He went directly to these voters, asked them what they needed, and told them he could deliver it. He then made what he heard — in particular, concerns about affordability — the heart of his campaign, amplifying it consistently through savvy social media videos in South Asian languages and an aggressive field campaign staffed with South Asian faces. Conventional wisdom has dictated that targeting 'triple prime voters'— those who have voted in at least three previous primaries — is the winning electoral strategy. But Mamdani's campaign decided to target 'low propensity' voters — those who have been disconnected from electoral politics. 'He went after them full throttle and it paid off rather handsomely,' said Lange.
