Fulfilling a Dream 33 Years in the Making — I recently spent $900 dollars on a LEGO set. I am a life-long Titanic buff. My fascination with Titanic began at nine years old and has only grown since. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to build a LEGO Titanic. But I’ve been waiting for LEGO to…

What is the point of your BLM Sign? — As a person of color, do you think that I believe you’re a better person than someone without a sign? I guarantee you, I will not. How does a sign show you care about black lives? It’s performative nonsense. I’m sure it gives the homeowner or renter pleasure to feel…

Oh, you meant Cilantro! — My wife Sasmita is an Indian immigrant. She came to the US on a K-1 fiancee visa on July 14, 2012. We married a few weeks later. Though we’re both brown-skinned Indians, our backgrounds could not be more different. In our marriage infancy, Sasmita stayed in our apartment in Washington…

The Halloween season is the worst part of the year. — I use baby shampoo because I never close my eyes in the shower. I am terrified of a spider falling on me or crawling out of the drain. I approach bananas in the grocery store with anxiety and trepidation, because one time I read a story about arachnids in banana…

He saved me from imminent death. — There’s a marked difference between being a strong and efficient swimmer, and being able to swim. That contrast almost killed me. Years ago, I was sailing with my best friend Jay on his parent's boat, near Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. …

‘Our family is cursed,’ screamed my mother-in-law when her daughter Sasmita was born*. Sasmita is darker than the rest of her family. Her own daughter’s skin was so offensive to her that she thought the devil was playing tricks on the family. Indian businesses and others in Asia have long…

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, Sir, I was born in the great land of India, but I left on June 15, 1980. I was adopted by a white family residing in the United States. I returned to India in 2001 with my family. Then I interned with an Indian NGO in…

Reflecting on my privilege when I left in 2015. — During the summer of 2015, I lived in Kabul, Afghanistan. I was there for three months. Now, I’m watching Afghanistan plunge into a yet unknown hell, as US troops leave in 2021. I thought about my ability to visit a war-torn country and then have the luxury to leave it. …

My family is those who raised me. Blood isn’t a factor. — I am adopted and my family history's blank, but I refuse to take a DNA test. I won’t buy one from any popular DIY firms. Nor will I pay for a professional genetics test. Why? There are two reasons. I don’t trust companies dealing with DNA samples. …