Indian-American Culture 2

Amitabh Bachchan – the comic book superhero?!

Apparently, my childhood is incomplete because I completely missed a comic book starring Amitabh Bachchan. This man was my idol back when I watched Indian movies – and I only watched his movies, for the most part. I figure that I missed it because it sold out and TV was very limited there in the 80s and it was likely not considered news-worthy. Here’s how the idea was hatched: Adventures of Amitabh Bachchan was the result of an incident that IBH publisher Pammi Bakshi witnessed while she was standing in the balcony of her flat (or so the story goes). Bakshi … Continue reading

Fried Cheese Balls featured in the racial & cultural diversity in comics blog!

Much thanks to Super Heroes in Full Color for featuring my comic on their blog devoted to racial and cultural diversity in comic books (and derivative works). The world is way, way, way more diverse than the mass media would have you believe – it’s good to see people trying to make a difference. Check out Superheroes in Full Color on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

FCB featured in the Superheroes in Full Color blog!

Meet the Patels?!

How did I not know about this – an actual movie about Indian-Americans in the theatre?! This is total date night material. In other news, yes – I’ve been awol. Work has kept me busy and now I realize why comic creators have buffers – a completed number of comics that keep things from stopping in case the creator is way too to create one week. I’ve got about 5 strips mapped out that need to get drawn and that should get me back on track. I also have some movies I’d like to discuss (like Bend It Like Beckham, which holds … Continue reading

The best mishti in Kolkata is still there!

Hot damn. I’m doing a little research this morning, looking for photo references for the comic. I was specifically looking to see if Google Maps had taken a pic of our road (Manicktola Street) or not (they hadn’t). My backup was finding other typical 3 story homes instead. Naturally because the internet is involved this became a bittersweet rabbithole. It all started with the map: It’s weird but cool that a Google Map exists of something that I only had in memory. I found our house pretty easily. I recall the names of a bunch of places: Hedua Park, where … Continue reading

Snakes and Ladders was not just a game…

Anyone who’s spent time in India with family has surely played Snakes & Ladders (and not the wussified Western Chutes & Ladders). It’s a simple game of chance where you roll a die, move the number of spaces defined by the roll and – if you land on square at the bottom of a ladder or a snake’s mouth – move up or down. These days I loathe games of chance where there’s no skill involved but as a kid, Snakes & Ladders was a nice way to pass some time. What I did not know was the history of the game as a … Continue reading

Love this Aziz Ansari bit on thanking our parents

I discovered Aziz Ansari only in the last couple of years. Yes, I’ve been living under a rock – also known as I don’t have cable. He’s funny as shit and like all great comedy there’s truth behind it. I certainly have it easier than my parents did (though I did move to Costa Rica for awhile to make things interesting). And I’m not sure wtf I’d tell my kids about serious struggles I’ve had. To be honest, I’ve never faced much racism in my life.(distinct possibility: I’m oblivious).

Sikh Captain America rocks!

So does Hari Kondabolu. I’m going to keep posting this stuff for days…

Indian-American kids + spelling bee = 8 in a row

The video is a couple of years old but I found it today so there. Plus Hari Kondabolu is new to me I’m looking forward to checking out more of his stuff.