Global IndianstoryMindy Kaling: The Indian American actor and producer who truly represents South Asians

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Mindy Kaling: The Indian American actor and producer who truly represents South Asians

Written by: Global Indian

(July 29, 9:10 am)

Being the first woman of color to break into an all-white men writers team at American sitcom The Office wasn’t an easy feat, but that’s Mindy Kaling for you – bold, fearless, and unabashed. For someone who began her journey at 24, the writer, producer, actor, and director has come a long way with immensely successful shows and films to her credit.

Thanks to Kaling, underrepresented minorities are finding a voice and visibility in US pop culture. So much so that the Indian American has become the poster girl for South Asian arts, culture, and even quirks, on every media platform available.

The 42-year-old’s inspirational journey hasn’t been an easy one.

An overlooked teenager finds solace in comedy

Born as Vera Mindy Chokalingam in Massachusetts to a Tamil architect father and a Bengali doctor mother, Kaling’s life in Buckingham Browne & Nichols School was quite a dampener because, in her words, she was an “average overlooked” student. With no “cool” friends to hang out with, she found solace in comedy shows on American TV. It was Comedy Central, Monty Python sketches, and Saturday Night Live reruns that piqued her interest in comedy.

I was all smiles because I got to go to school and be myself. #62MillionGirls don’t have that chance. Let’s end that. pic.twitter.com/GyVi7XPoWZ

— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) September 27, 2015

But this wallflower truly blossomed at Dartmouth College. From writing plays and acting in college dramas to singing, Mindy spread her wings as she graduated with a degree in playwriting.

At 19, she got a summer internship at Late Night With Conan O’Brien. She reckons herself as the worst intern that the show had ever seen. “I treated my internship as a free ticket to watch my hero perform live on stage every day, and not as a way to help the show run smoothly by doing errands,” she wrote in her memoir.

The play that got Kaling The Office

The internship might have been a facade but Kaling was sure comedy was her true calling. Soon she packed her bags and moved to Brooklyn. But it wasn’t until 2002 that things started to move for Kaling when her comedy play Matt and Ben debuted at the New York International Fringe Festival. Such was the popularity of the play that in no time it was transferred to Off-Broadway venue in East Village. It was here that American screenwriter and producer Greg Daniels saw Kaling perform and offered her a writing gig for the first season of The Office.

Damn this is a #TBT pic.twitter.com/3xk6UL5lbr

— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) September 8, 2016

Kaling was all of 24 when she became the only woman and the only person of color to join eight other writers on the show which was nominated for an Emmy. Along with her writing credits, Kaling made her TV debut as a super sassy and fearless Kelly Kapoor in the hit American sitcom. Kaling fully represented her Indianness with all its quirks on one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. With the progression of the show, Kaling also became an executive producer and director, besides 24 episodes to her credit as writer.

When sexism rocked her boat

Early on in this very show, Kaling faced sexism. Shortly after The Office was nominated for Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, the Television Academy told Kaling that she wouldn’t be eligible for an Emmy like the rest of the staff because there were too many producers on the show.

In a conversation with Elle, she revealed,

“They made me, not any of the other producers, fill out a whole form and write an essay about all my contributions as a writer and a producer. I had to get letters from all the other male, white producers saying that I had contributed when my actual record stood for itself.”

Her name was included in the final list, however, the show did not win an Emmy.

After being part of The Office for eight seasons, Kaling bid goodbye to the show. It was around the same time that the 42-year-old released her first memoir Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? A hilarious account of her highs and lows in life, the book soon made it to the New York Times best-selling list.

The rise of a pop-culture icon

While The Office opened doors of opportunities for Kaling, it was The Mindy Project that got her bigger recognition and fame. The 2012 show that ran for six seasons made Kaling the first woman of color to have her own network show. In no time, she broke the barriers of race and became an international pop culture icon. Such was the popularity that when the show moved from Fox TV in 2016 to Hulu’s version, Kaling was pulling in an estimated $140,000 per episode. Moreover, she earned the third spot on the Forbes list of the highest-paid actresses on TV in 2017.

A popular name on television, Mindy also dipped her toes in Hollywood with films like A Wrinkle in Time, Ocean’s 8, and Late Night.

Mindy Kaling and Sandra Bullock in a still from Ocean’s 8

Despite being in the entertainment industry for decades, Kaling felt like an outsider because of the constant reminders that she is different.

“We talk about how representation matters in Hollywood, so much that it almost loses its meaning. But it’s actually real. Growing up, I realized that there was no one who looked like me on TV, so I often found myself drawing parallels to people who are like me on shows like the Cosby family or characters on white sitcoms. You cannot imagine how excited I was when Bend It Like Beckham came out. The idea that I could actually see people from my community onscreen blew my mind,” she told IANS.

Though Kaling was representing Asians with her stories, the actor and producer revealed that her shows weren’t ethnicity-driven.

Never Have I Ever

With her 2020 Netflix show Never Have I Ever, Kaling broke barriers for Indians on the global stage. The popular series is one-of-its-kind that brought representation and diversity to the forefront, something that has always been a filler in most American sitcoms. Kaling has somehow shattered the glass ceiling by bringing South Asians alive on the screen like never before. Giving them a three-dimensional character has got her a huge thumbs up from fans and critics alike.

While Kaling is basking in the success of Never Have I Ever, she is ready to give Velma Dinkley an Indian twist in HBO’s Scooby-Doo spin-off. But this has got Kaling backlash from some fans who took objection to an “Indian” playing the part.

Responding to the backlash, Kaling said at Late Night with Seth Meyers,

“She’s such a great character, she’s so smart. And I just couldn’t understand how people couldn’t imagine a really smart, nerdy girl with terrible eyesight and who loved to solve mysteries could not be Indian. Like, there are Indian nerds. It shouldn’t be a surprise to people.”

Kaling has been a popular figure on American TV for a long time, but despite her fame, it has been a mixed bag for her.

“It really doesn’t matter how much money I have. I’m treated badly with enough regularity that it keeps me humble,” she told Elle.

Editor’s Take

For the longest time, Hollywood and American shows saw South Asian characters as caricaturish. Their unidimensional roles could be cringy and stereotypical at times. But it was Mindy Kaling that changed the game when she took the reins of The Office in her hands many years ago. Ever since the producer, actor, writer, and director has been making every effort to truly represent South Asians at their authentic best. The fact that she feels like an outsider even after all these years shows how migrants have to always put in extra effort irrespective of their vocation or the degree of success they have achieved.

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Published on 29, Jul 2021

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Indo-Canadian mathematician Sujatha Ramdorai awarded with Padma Shri 2023

(March 1, 2023) On Republic Day 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced the names of the recipients of the highest civilian awards of India – the Padma Awards. The list included Sujatha Ramdorai, the Indian-origin mathematician who is a professor of mathematics and Canada Research Chair at University of British Columbia. The algebraic number theorist is known for her work on Iwasawa theory - the study of objects of arithmetic interest over infinite towers of number fields. Professor Ramdorai has earned several awards and accolades over the years for her contributions to mathematics. She became the first Indian to win the prestigious ICTP Ramanujan Prize in 2006 in recognition of her work, which has implications in the fields of complex geometry, topology, number theory and cryptography. She is also a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award - the highest honour bestowed by the Government of India in the field of STEM. One of the finest Indian mathematicians, Professor Ramdorai received the Krieger–Nelson Prize in 2020 for her pathbreaking research by the Canadian Mathematical Society. [caption id="attachment_35602" align="aligncenter" width="401"] Professor Sujatha Ramdorai[/caption] Despite achieving so much both in India and abroad, the Global Indian remains humble and is not at all a fan of the pursuit of

Ramanujan Prize in 2006 in recognition of her work, which has implications in the fields of complex geometry, topology, number theory and cryptography. She is also a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award - the highest honour bestowed by the Government of India in the field of STEM. One of the finest Indian mathematicians, Professor Ramdorai received the Krieger–Nelson Prize in 2020 for her pathbreaking research by the Canadian Mathematical Society.

[caption id="attachment_35602" align="aligncenter" width="401"] Indian Origin | Sujatha Ramdorai | Global Indian Professor Sujatha Ramdorai[/caption]

Despite achieving so much both in India and abroad, the Global Indian remains humble and is not at all a fan of the pursuit of success. “Today we have put success in such a high pedestal that we have lost our moral moorings,” she said in an interview.

We worship others’ success without questioning how they really achieved that. Many people succeed by deliberately pushing others to the ground. I don’t think that kind of success should either be worshipped or appreciated.

The ace mathematician believes in acknowledging not just those who have attained success but even those who might not have succeeded but have done good work to help the society. “This approach should be applied to both individuals and nations,” she remarked. “How much money one has accumulated should not be an indicator of success. I don’t think that’s a good lesson to impart to youngsters,” believes the ace mathematician.

The math guru

In one of her TEDx Talks, Professor Ramdorai cited Galileo - the father of modern science, who made major contributions to the fields of astronomy, physics, cosmology, philosophy and mathematics. “Learn math because it’s the language in which the Gods have written the universe,” she shared, elaborating how Galileo’s words have affected her choices in life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=--LI0ZRsglg

The illustrious professor is a member of the scientific committees of several international research agencies, including Banff International Research Station, International Centre for Pure and Applied Mathematics, and Indo-French Centre for Promotion of Advanced Research. In the past, she was also associated with the National Knowledge Commission, a think tank constituted by former PM Manmohan Singh, and Government of India’s Scientific Advisory Council.

A little-known fact…

While people may be aware of her achievements in maths, Professor Ramdorai is a true inspiration in many other ways. In 2015, she was diagnosed with brain cancer and had to undergo an emergency surgery. “For me the main concern was whether I would be able to do math again, she said during one of her TEDx Talks. “This deep concern led me to think about, why I love mathematics so much – there is a sense of mystery, there is a sense of being confronted with the unknown,” she told.

Throwing light upon the connections between math, and art she pointed out:

There is a component of mathematics which is pure art. In the sense, if you prove something in maths, small bits come together, it’s like crafting and planning a symphony.

Her road to recovery from brain cancer interestingly involved discovering a new hobby, and that was painting.

Making math more welcoming

Professor Ramdorai strongly believes in transforming learning of mathematics in the classroom in a way that encourages students to develop more interest in it. “We don’t have to make it competitive. Make it cooperative and make students aware that knowledge is a collective endeavour.” This, she believes, would turn the whole process of learning into a more equitable endeavour, making students embrace the subject wholeheartedly. “They would become more imaginative. It will give a ‘can do’ feeling to the learners,” she remarked.

[caption id="attachment_35603" align="aligncenter" width="351"] Indian Origin | Sujatha Ramdorai | Global Indian Photo Credit: International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Italy[/caption]

Along with her husband, Srinivasan Ramdorai and Indian mathematical writer VS Sastry, the Padma Shri awardee has partially funded the Ramanujan Math Park in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, which was inaugurated in 2017. The park is dedicated to mathematics education and honours the work of the great Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, who is an inspiration for Ramdorai. “He is one of the greatest mysteries of the mathematical landscape. He had a great grasp on the subject and was self-taught. This to me is tremendously admirable,” she said.

Early years

Professor Ramdorai grew up in Bengaluru (then Bangalore) and loved mathematics, even as a child. “By the time I was in class five, I realised that maths was a subject where all you need to do is to understand what was happening. You didn’t need to learn by rote, like in History, where I faced problems remembering the details like the dates of wars, ascensions to the throne and how long the various rulers ruled and so on,” she said, reminiscing about her childhood.

For me mathematics was equivalent to the computer games that today’s children play.

Ramdorai used to indulge in the fascinating world of numbers wherever she could. “For instance, after I learned addition, whenever I went out in a car or a scooter, I used to add the digits on the number plates of the vehicles on the road. It became a game for me and my brother, both wanting to add the numbers faster than the other.”

One of the greatest influences in Professor Ramdorai’s life has been her grandmother from whom she imbibed the values of discipline and earnestness. “She taught me and my brother the dignity of labour. Whatever you do, do it to the best of your abilities is what she used to tell us,” she said in an interview.

[caption id="attachment_35604" align="aligncenter" width="354"] Indian Origin | Sujatha Ramdorai | Global Indian Photo Credit: Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru[/caption]

After finishing high school, the math enthusiast completed her B.Sc. in Mathematics at St. Joseph’s College, Bengaluru and went on to do her M.Sc. from Annamalai University. She completed her PhD from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) where she worked for a few years before moving to Ohio State University to do her post-doctoral research.

Life then took her to Canada where she currently works and lives with her husband. “Whether you are a boy or a girl, just keep in mind that you can do anything. Gender does not come in the way of attaining knowledge if one is curious, focused and believes in deep learning,” believes Professor Ramdorai.

Follow Professor Sujatha Ramdorai on LinkedIn

Reading Time: 5 mins

Supermodel to Emmy-nominated TV host: How Padma Lakshmi became a brand in herself

(August 26, 2021) The 80s was a different era for a teenager of Indian origin to find a footing in America. With deep-rooted colorism and cultural bigotry, things weren't too rosy. But Padma Lakshmi wasn't the one to bow down to any of it. She not only became the first Indian supermodel to walk for some of the biggest names in the fashion industry across the globe but also authored her first book in her 20s. In the following years, the 50-year-old maneuvered from modelling, acting, and writing to hosting, and the multi-hyphenate has become a brand of sorts in herself in the last few decades. Here's the story of this Global Indian who stood against racism and made peace with her scar that finally led her to a life of vanity. Chennai-New York-Chennai: A childhood between two cultures Born in Chennai in 1970 into a Tamil Brahmin family, Lakshmi's parents divorced when she was just 2. To escape the stigma and hostility, her mother Vijaya moved to the US, while Lakshmi stayed behind under the care of her maternal grandparents for two years. At four, when she reunited with her mom in New York, little did this kid know

moved to the US, while Lakshmi stayed behind under the care of her maternal grandparents for two years. At four, when she reunited with her mom in New York, little did this kid know that her baby steps into a new country would open up a world of possibilities. She spent most of her young life traveling between the US and India, existing between two cultures.

However, growing up as an Indian in a white country in the 80s wasn't easy for a young Lakshmi. In her memoir, Love, Loss, and Where We Ate, she mentions that India was mostly perceived as a third-world country back then and she gradually learned that for many Americans her skin color was associated with stinky food, strange clothes and malaria-infested third-world slums. Such was the pressure to fit in that it made her change her name temporarily from Padma to Angelique during the four years of her high school.

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In a conversation with the People, Lakshmi said,

"I think everyone has experienced feeling like an outsider. And it’s something that I’ve carried with me – it’s like this invisible shadow that’s there because I was always flitting between cultures, so I was never really at home in one, and never really an outsider in the other."

The accident that left a scar

At 14, she underwent a life-changing moment when her family found itself in a horrific car accident. Though the three of them survived but not without scars. With a fractured hip and a shattered right arm, the accident left a seven inch long scar on her arm. For the longest time, Lakshmi harbored the dreams of becoming a model but the scar cast a shadow on her goal, or at least she thought so.

"Now that I had a caterpillar of scarred skin crawling down my arm, it seemed ridiculous to imagine that any agency would be interested in such an imperfect specimen. It angered me that people saw me as a ruined beauty," she told The Guardian.

Lakshmi was so conscious of the scar that she would often cover it up with makeup.

It was while studying in Spain in the 90s that she caught the eye of a modelling agent at a Madrid bar. He made her meet celebrated photographer Helmut Newton, and that was beginning of her modelling career. Newton was someone who helped Lakshmi get comfortable in her skin, and especially with her scar. It was the same scar that singled her out and made her a star in the modeling business.

[caption id="attachment_8396" align="aligncenter" width="404"] Padma Lakshmi scar The scar that made Padma Lakshmi conscious initially[/caption]

Modelling: The new beginning

Lakshmi was among the first Indian faces to model for big brands like Armani, Versace, Roberto Cavalli and Ralph Lauren. She soon found herself on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar and Allure. "I was the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan and New York. I'm the first one to admit that I was a novelty," she told Evening Standard Magazine. Modelling assignments took her around the world and helped her pay off her student debt from her time at Clark University. While her popularity grew with each of her modelling projects, she felt that her career wasn't personally rewarding. "I know that my looks are really the alchemy of my parents' genetics and have little to do with me or my accomplishment of my own," she said.

The branching out of a fledgling

It was then that she branched out into writing when she got her first publishing contract in her 20s. It was the inquisitiveness of the people about what a model eats that led to her first cookbook, Easy Exotic: A Model's Low-Fat Recipes from Around The World. A compilation of recipes and short essays, the book got Lakshmi the best debut award at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

For someone who was already modelling and had a book to her credit, Lakshmi dipped her toes into acting with Italian pirate movies like The Son of Sandokan and Caraibi. In 2002, she made a special appearance as a princess in TV series Star Trek: Enterprise and a few years later, she appeared in ABC's Biblical TV series The Ten Commandments.

Along with her acting career, Lakshmi donned the hat of a host for shows like Padma's Passport and Planet Food where she whipped up dishes from across the world. But it was Top Chef that changed the game for Lakshmi. In 2006, Lakshmi replaced host Katie Lee Joel, and the show's ratings shot through the roof helping Top Chef earn an Emmy nomination. The very next year, she cemented her position as a chef when she came out with her second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet. Interestingly, Lakshmi's food career arose from her modelling career and not a culinary school. On her travels, she would often explore the local vegetable markets and ask waiters at the five-star restaurants for recommendations. That's how she fell in love with food.

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Giving Back

Lakshmi is more than a brand that's about glamor and gloss. The 50-year-old is also an activist who is involved in spreading awareness about women's reproductive health. In 2009, she co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America, a non-profit organization that's focused on increasing awareness, education, research and advocacy against the disease. Her foundation was instrumental in the opening of the Centre for Gynepathology Research.

"I suffered from endometriosis all my life and was never treated for it properly. When I got better and saw how normal women lived during the periods, it got me terribly angry inside. It made me realize that there is misogyny even in healthcare," she told Hindustan Times. Her foundation educates boys as well as girls.

"They need to understand the disease too, You cannot just educate half the population and expect overall change. The basic problem today is that girls have become liberated, but boys have not caught up," she added.

Apart from this, Lakshmi is also the American Civil Liberties Union ambassador for immigration and women's rights. In 2019, she was appointed United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador to shine a spotlight on inequality that can affect the people in rich and poor countries alike.

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From being a glamor girl to a multi-hyphenate star, Lakhsmi's journey has been one of self-discovery. From someone who hated her scar as a teenager to making it big in the world of fashion to authoring books to hosting an Emmy-nominated reality series, Lakshmi has come a long way. The model, actor, author and host is a perfect example of anything is possible till you follow your dreams and take every chance that comes your way.

Reading Time: 7 mins

Sophia Duleep Singh: The Indian-origin princess who fought for women’s rights in the UK

(July 27, 2021; 6.30 pm) Did you know that less than 3% of all public statues in the UK are of non-royal women? Ethnic minorities representation is even more sparse. Which is why lawyer Zehra Zaidi of We Too Built Britain launched the Hidden Heroes campaign. The campaign calls on British MPs to nominate people who deserve to be remembered with a statue. And one name that's come to the fore is Princess Sophia Duleep Singh (1876-1948) - daughter of the last king of Punjab, Queen Victoria’s goddaughter, and a prominent suffragette in 20th century UK. Britain’s first Sikh woman parliamentarian Preet Kaur Gill nominated the late princess for a new memorial to represent the diversity of the UK. “I am backing the Hidden Heroes campaign because we have so many of our achievements to celebrate and the stories of more under-represented groups can help build pride and a shared narrative of what Britain is today,” said Gill in a statement. [embed]http://twitter.com/SinghLions/status/873008620761264128?s=20[/embed] Princess Sophia was among the leading suffragettes who campaigned for women’s rights and most famously fought for women’s right to vote in Britain in the early 1900s. Daughter of deposed Maharaja Duleep Singh, she used her fame,

a statement.

[embed]http://twitter.com/SinghLions/status/873008620761264128?s=20[/embed]

Princess Sophia was among the leading suffragettes who campaigned for women’s rights and most famously fought for women’s right to vote in Britain in the early 1900s. Daughter of deposed Maharaja Duleep Singh, she used her fame, position and tenacity to fight for gender equality in the early 20th Century. Her campaigns attracted the attention of the British government and press as she organized activities that ranged from selling The Suffragette newspaper outside Hampton Court Palace and participating in the landmark Black Friday. She is best remembered for her leading role in the Women’s Tax Resistance League, though she participated in other women’s suffrage groups such as the Women’s Social and Political Union too.

Complicated heritage

Born in 1876 at Belgravia to Maharaja Duleep Singh and his first wife Bamba Müller (of German and Abyssinian heritage). Her father Duleep Singh had been chosen to rule Punjab at the age of 5 after the death of his father Ranjit Singh, while his mother Jindan Kaur acted as Regent. However, during the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1849 the kingdom of Punjab suffered a crushing defeat and the 11-year-old king was forced to abdicate. He had to hand over his kingdom and the famed Kohinoor diamond to the British and was sent to England where he was placed under the care of Dr John Login. His mother, Jindan, was exiled. During his years in England, Duleep Singh converted to Christianity and was befriended by Queen Victoria, who was very fond of the “Black Prince of Perthshire”.

[caption id="attachment_6130" align="aligncenter" width="584"] One name that's come to the fore for the Hidden Heroes project is Princess Sophia Duleep Singh - daughter of the last king of Punjab. Maharaja Duleep Singh[/caption]

Thirteen years passed before the Crown permitted him to reunite with his mother, whom he took back to England with him. As Jindan struggled to adjust to her new life in an alien country amongst people she deeply distrusted, Duleep reconnected with his roots and reconverted to Sikhism. He learnt just how much he had lost by abdicating all those years ago. It would be years before his children learnt the same.

According to Historic Royal Palaces, Princess Sophia's name (Sophia Jindan Alexandrovna Duleep Singh) shows a truly international and remarkable family history: Sophia after her enslaved Ethiopian maternal grandmother, Jindan after her paternal grandmother Maharani Jindan Kaur, and Alexandrovna after her godmother Queen Victoria.

She was part of a large family and had five siblings and two half siblings. When she was 10, her father attempted to return with the family to India. However, they were met with arrest warrants in Aden (Yemen) and were forced to return. In 1887, when Sophia became ill with Typhoid, Queen Victoria sent her own physician to care for her goddaughter. Sophia’s mother who had been caring for her fell ill instead and succumbed. Sophia survived.

[caption id="attachment_6132" align="aligncenter" width="392"] One name that's come to the fore for the Hidden Heroes project is Princess Sophia Duleep Singh - daughter of the last king of Punjab. Princess Sophia Duleep Singh (right) with her sisters Catherine (middle), and Bamba (left)[/caption]

By the time her father died in 1893, Princess Sophia had grown into a young woman fully immersed into studies and proud of her musical abilities. After her education, Sophia and her sisters traveled to Europe, which left her with an appetite for more adventures. When she returned to England, she was given a residence at Faraday House in Hampton Court. However, during her official debut into society, Sophia was disappointed that she and her sisters (despite being born princesses) were relegated to entering behind Duchesses.

Tryst with British activism and Indian nationalism

[caption id="attachment_6117" align="aligncenter" width="453"] Princess Sophia Duleep Singh the Suffragette Princess Sophia Duleep Singh selling The Suffragette Newspaper[/caption]

In 1895, she bought herself a bicycle, which became a symbol for the emancipation of women. She soon became the poster girl for the bicycle movement. Sophia traveled to India in 1903 where she stayed for nine months. The visit exposed her to the extreme poverty in the country and she returned to England as a more thoughtful person; she felt a profound need to be useful. When she returned to Indian once again in 1906, the country was in political turmoil and the Princess was caught up by Indian nationalism much to the chagrin of the Crown. During a 1907 trip to India, she visited Amritsar and Lahore; it was then she realized just how much her family had lost by choosing to surrender to the British. She hosted a “purdah party” at Shalimar Bagh in Lahore (shadowed by British agents). Here she encountered Indian freedom fighters such as Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Lala Lajpat Rai and sympathized with their cause. She slowly began turning against the Raj.

Back in the UK, in 1908 she met marriage reformer Una Dugdale, a member of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) and the princess pledged her commitment to women’s rights. By 1909, she was involved in the women’s movement and signed up as a tax resister.

Transformation into a suffragette

Soon Princess Sophia joined other suffragettes as they descended upon the House of Commons hoping to meet the Prime Minister. However, they were thwarted by brute police force of such nature that even Winston Churchill (who was no admirer of suffragettes) was taken aback. During her years as a suffragette, Princess Sophia was arrested as well. One such incident occurred in 1911 when she hurled herself at the Prime Minister’s car with a banner that read “Give women the vote!” In the meanwhile, the suffragettes began to realize that the Princess could help their cause and requested her to take on a more high-profile role; Sophia preferred to stay low key. She began selling The Suffragette Newspaper outside Hampton Court Palace and by 1914 was donating 10% of her annual income to the cause.

[caption id="attachment_6136" align="aligncenter" width="407"] Princess Sophia Duleep Singh (right) with her sisters Catherine (middle), and Bamba (left) Princess Sophia Duleep Singh registered as a Red Cross nurse during World War I[/caption]

When World War I broke out, she signed up as a Red Cross nurse and tended to wounded soldiers; many of them Indians. In 1928 The Representation of the People Bill was passed in parliament; it enabled women over the age of 21 to vote on par with men. The following years Sophia spent a relatively quiet life at Hampton Court Palace. After the Second World War, it was discovered that Sophia had a tumor in her eye that needed surgery. She refused the treatment and passed away in her sleep in 1948 at the age of 71. Though raised a Christian, she requested that her body be cremated in keeping in line with her Sikh heritage and her ashes be scattered in India.

Editor’s Take

Princess Sophia Duleep Singh may have been born and brought up in a country other than her own. But she adopted it to the best of her ability and fought to make women’s lives better at a time when it was unheard of. As she grew older, she discovered her love for her Indian and Sikh heritage and embraced them wholeheartedly. When she discovered just how much her family had lost to the Crown and how her country was suffering, a history-defining journey of self-transformation began. She then dedicated her life to the cause of women’s rights and saw several changes made in her lifetime. Let’s commend Preet Kaur Gill for taking the initiative of bringing Sophia’s contributions to the fore by nominating her for the Hidden Heroes campaign.

Reading Time: 10 mins

Lila Lakshmanan: The Bombay-bred editor who paved her way to French New Wave cinema

(September 27, 2024) A group of trailblazing French directors exploded onto the film scene in the 1950s seeking to revolutionise cinematic conventions with artistic liberty and creative control. Steering away from the linear tropes of storytelling, these filmmakers were keen to create a new language, and this revolution gave birth to French New Wave Cinema. With pioneers like Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut at the center of the movement, it became a defining moment for world cinema. And amidst this path-breaking current was an Indian editor — Lila Lakshmanan. The India-born and Sorbonne-educated Lakshmanan found herself cutting her way through the French New Wave in the 60s by working with stalwarts like Godard and Truffaut. She was among the first Indian women to find a place in world cinema. From Bombay to film school in Paris It was in 1935 that her story began in Jabalpur where she was born to a French mother and an Indian father, who was the director of All India Radio. Owing to her dad's transferable job, Lila shifted base from Lucknow to Delhi to later Bombay, where she spent the initial years of her life. However, after her parents' separation, a 12-year-old Lila packed

r parents' separation, a 12-year-old Lila packed her bags and left for a boarding school in England. With Indian-French roots, Lila had a hard time adjusting to her new life at the boarding school that was too strict in its discipline. However, in her own words, it was this strictness that forced her to evaluate life from many corners.

Two years later, Lila found herself at a student's ball in Paris where she met a 24-year-old actor who wrote and made films. The meeting sparked a connection, however, things soon fizzled out after an exchange of a handful of letters. But this brush with someone from the world of cinema piqued her interest in films, and she vowed to either marry a filmmaker or become one herself.

[caption id="attachment_7390" align="aligncenter" width="567"] Lila Lakshmanan in a still from Breathless[/caption]

At 17, she enrolled herself in the Sorbonne to study English Literature. But her English way of thinking didn't find a perfect landing in the French world, and she had to unlearn and learn a lot to graduate from the University of Paris.

"But I failed with bad marks (two on 20). My teacher said, 'poor thing she doesn't know how to think'. I was not dismayed. I managed to learn how to think. The French way of thinking is based on logic and construction and the thought must be synthesised. The English prefer you to know your subject well and then allow you to present your thoughts in your own rendition coherently," the Global Indian told a daily.

Lakshmanan still had the desire of being a part of cinema, and this dream led her to a French film school IDHEC (Institut des hautes etudes cinematographiques) where she studied editing as opposed to filmmaking because she didn't consider herself creative enough. It was here that she met Jean Vautrin, a French writer and filmmaker. The two got married in 1953 and after the birth of their first child in 1955, the couple moved to Bombay.

While Vautrin found a job as a French Literature professor at the Wilson College, Lila taught French at the Alliance Francaise. It was around the same time that Vautrin assisted Italian director Roberto Rossellini on his documentary on India titled Inde, Terre Mere.

The beginning of French New Wave

While Rossellini was working his magic with Italian neo-realist cinema, in France, French New Wave cinema had started to spread its wings. Steering away from the traditional studio-bound filmmaking style, the avant-garde French filmmakers were exploring new narratives and visual styles. They often used handheld cameras, natural lighting, improvised dialogue, and non-linear storytelling to create a sense of immediacy and realism. Rejecting the polished, studio-bound films of the time, the French New Wave favored on-location shooting, low budgets, and unconventional editing, such as jump cuts. This movement celebrated the director as the "auteur," or creative force, and explored themes of existentialism, love, and rebellion. And this new art movement found Godard and Truffaut at the center of its rising.

Lila Lakshmanan ended up working with two of the biggest French filmmakers of all time as an editor. It all began when she moved to France by the end of the 50s with her husband. And one balmy afternoon while walking down the Champs Elysees, she met Godard. "My husband asked him if he could employ me as an intern and Godard agreed, that's how it started and I became his assistant editor. I first film I worked with him was Breathless. It was a weird experience because he didn't know what he was doing. He sort of imposed me onto editor Cecile Decugis, who was in the Algerian Resistance," she added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAuqDI4EAl4

Learning the ropes from Godard

Working with a legend like Godard wasn't an easy experience for Lila Lakshmanan. For someone who was keen to revolutionise cinema, he came across as a complex person. "Godard was a sadist really, and he liked to see how far he could go with somebody and that didn't show immediately. He would test and see if you yielded," said Lila.

But she found her footing in the world of Godard and the new wave cinema as she went on to edit A Woman Is A Woman. The 1961 film was a musical comedy starring Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo that went on to win big at the 11th Berlin International Film Festival.

The next film that came on Lila's table to edit was Virve Sa Vie. Deeply influenced by Bertolt Brecht's theory of epic theatre, Godard borrowed a new aesthetic for the film. The jump cuts that disrupted the flow of editing made Virve Sa Vie a masterpiece in itself. The film turned out to be the fourth most popular film at the French box office in 1962 and also won the Grand Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival.

[caption id="attachment_7391" align="aligncenter" width="535"] Anna Karina in a still from Jean-Luc Godard's Virve Sa Vie[/caption]

Lila Lakshmanan was working with a taskmaster like Godard, but every time she surprised him with the efficacy of her work. "Godard never took anyone's advice; he had always made up his mind. We used to scratch the films and stick them together. If you missed a frame, it was considered bad luck. Godard used to stand over the editor to see if she did not make a mistake. I wasn't intimidated by him because he tested me and he knew I could step over his toes," added Lakshmanan.

In 1963, she worked with Godard on two films - Les Carabiniers and Contempt. While the former enjoyed a good reception at box office, it was the latter that has been a point of influence in cinema till now. Touted to be the greatest work of art produced in postwar Europe, Contempt is ranked 60th on the BBC's list of 100 greatest foreign-language films.

Lila's skill of editing was also explored by another maverick director of the French Wave cinema, Francois Truffaut. The editor collaborated with Truffaut on his 1962 romantic drama Jules and Jim. Set against the backdrop of World War I, the film is a tragic love triangle that has made it to Empire magazine's The 100 Best Films of World Cinema.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEtiba8_gsk

"Truffaut was independent-minded like Godard. He often put his mind to work and was more organised than Godard. He had a clear plan; he wrote his own scripts. There were men that would control directorship, editing and scripting of the film," she added.

It was during this time that Lila Lakshmanan separated from Jean Vautrin, and married Atilla Biro, a Hungarian architect-turned-surrealist painter. After working with the French filmmakers for a few years, Lila bid adieu to her career as an editor and focused on her married life.

Though Lila's stint was short-lived, she was among the first Indian women to cut her way through French Wave Cinema in the 60s. Working with stalwarts like Godard and Truffaut is an achievement in itself, and she stood like a pro editing film after film and contributing to these masterpieces of work. At a time when not many women thought of crossing over to other continent for work, Lila was brushing shoulders with the bigwigs of French Wave Cinema, making her presence count in the sphere of world cinema.

Anjum Anand: The British Indian cook and writer who’s been introducing the world to healthy Indian food

(November 10, 2021) Anjum Anand’s love affair with food and flavours began rather early on. Her father taught her to enjoy food and her mother taught her to cook. When the family lived in Switzerland, they would often cross over to France to sample trout cooked a certain way because her father would have heard of it. Their adventures often culminated in amazing eating experiences. Yet, despite this obvious love for food, a culinary career was not Anjum’s first choice. Regardless, the pull towards all things gastronomical was inevitable and today, this Global Indian is the author of over seven cookbooks, and has several successful TV shows to her credit, including a couple for the BBC. Called the Indian Nigella Lawson, she also helms a successful business called The Spice Tailor which offers a range of curry sauces, naans, and chutneys. Rather popular, her brand has also received the several awards; the most recent one being the Canadian Grand Prix Award earlier this year for their dal. [embed]https://twitter.com/Anjum_Anand/status/1119984581111894017?s=20[/embed] Indian connect Anjum’s father Prem was born in the Pakistan side of British India 12 years before Partition. He was one of 14 siblings and his family fled to Delhi in 1947 where they began from scratch. He moved to London where he worked with a pharmaceutical company when

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[embed]https://twitter.com/Anjum_Anand/status/1119984581111894017?s=20[/embed]

Indian connect

Anjum’s father Prem was born in the Pakistan side of British India 12 years before Partition. He was one of 14 siblings and his family fled to Delhi in 1947 where they began from scratch. He moved to London where he worked with a pharmaceutical company when he 20 and worked hard to build a new life for himself in a new country. It was here that Anjum was born and raised, though Anjum did also live and study in Geneva, Paris, and Madrid. When the family lived in Switzerland, they would often drive over to France on the weekends to try new food. She graduated from the European Business School London with a degree in European Business Administration before launching and running a business importing flat-pack furniture from Eastern Europe.

However, the job didn’t satisfy Anjum, who’d always had a passion for all things food. In an interview with Deccan Herald she said, “I would go to the office every day, but when I came home, I found myself depleted. I started cooking in the evenings and I soon realised that I really loved those moments in the kitchen. Soon, I started calling my friends home on weekends for meals, and they enjoyed the food so much that they asked me to open a restaurant.”

Global Indian Anjum Anand

New beginnings

This sparked the beginning of a new journey and Anjum began working in cafes and restaurants to get exposure to working in kitchens to educate herself about the food industry. As she began learning more and more about all things food, she also realised that what she truly wanted to do was educate people on the healthy Indian food alternatives. A large part of this stemmed from her own struggles with weight as a teenager.

Anjum also believes that Indian food often gets the rap for being unhealthy. However, in reality offers a plethora of flavours while being healthy too. This she says, can be easily done by reducing oil and increasing spices like ginger, curry leaves and mustard. In an interview with Stephanie Dickison, she said that people assume Indian food is unhealthy. “It isn’t but needs to be understood and also put in context. What you eat at the average Indian restaurant isn’t how we eat at home. We never add nut pastes or cream to our curries; our curries are often thinner, tangier and fresher than you might think. Also, a typical Indian plate would feature a vegetable dish, a protein and a carbohydrate. It is rare to have much more than a crunchy salad and or a raita with it. Indian food is replete with healthy ingredients, spices, garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes, vegetables and lentils and only a little meat or fish. It is, in fact, a really good way to eat.”

Global Indian Anjum Anand

The learning curve

With this in mind, she went on to become a food columnist, consultant chef and also brought out her first book Indian Every Day: Light Healthy Indian Food. She also starred in the BBC series Indian Food Made Easy and was a regular guest on UKTV’s Great Food Live. Her family-friendly and healthy spin on traditional food shot her to popularity and her latest book I Love India is a guide to create authentic and vibrant Indian dishes at home.

Anjum has been constantly inspired by the variety and originality of Indian flavours and cuisines. A frequent visitor to the subcontinent, she spends substantial time at her family homes in Delhi and Kolkata. For those who mistake curry to be the essence of Indian food, she says that the diversity can be rather surprising. From street food to kebabs, fresh chutneys to a host of local flavours that each region offers, there is a lot to discover and learn about food from the subcontinent, according to this writer.

Global Indian Anjum Anand

In 2011 she launched The Spice Tailor which is now sold across supermarkets in the UK, Australia, and Canada. The brand offers a range of sauces and dals that use fresh ingredients, are slow cooked, and are devoid of preservatives or additives.

A big champion of choosing food that nourishes the body, Anjum believes in Ayurveda and her book Eat Right For Your Body Type also draws from its principles. Her tryst with the ancient Indian science began when she consulted an Ayurvedic doctor for her indigestion and lack of energy. “The doctor figured me out in five minutes and put me on a course of herbal medicine and helped me to understand how the body works,” she said.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtsbEM3VUeY[/embed]

Giving Back

She routinely does her bit to give back to society and one of the causes she lends her support to is Fight for Sight, UK’s main eye research charity. She encourages the public to sign up to the charity’s fundraising initiative Feast your Eyes, which nudges people to challenge their senses through a blindfolded breakfast, lights-out lunch, pitch black picnic, challenging cheese and wine or dinner in the dark.

Follow Anjum Anand on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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