The South Asian community comprises a large portion of the US population, yet there has been little presence of South Asians in popular American entertainment, much less an accurate portrayal of their “desi-ness”. In the last few years, however, some artists have started making their place in mainstream American entertainment. For better or worse, here are my thoughts on the top personalities that come to mind.

Clockwise from top: Mindy Kaling, Jay Sean, Priyanka Chopra, Kal Penn

Kal Penn

Kal Penn first got his fame through his hilarious portrayal of Kumar in Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle. While it was great to see an Indian as a central character in a movie, his name was the extent of the “Indian-ness” portrayed  (and perhaps fairly so, because ethnicity wasn’t a central aspect of the movie). In the years following, Kal Penn has developed an even bigger name for himself with his roles in The Namesake and Robin’s funny boyfriend/therapist in How I Met Your Mother, and perhaps more importantly, as an active democrat working for President Obama. It’s great to see him gain success but I’m left wanting more from him regarding some ownership of his Indian pride.

Mindy Kaling

Where Kal Penn left off, Minday Kaling picks up and runs with it! Mindy first gained popularity in the hit show The Office, but it’s her recent show The Mindy Project that has me hooked. It is so refreshing to see a brown female succeed as a comedian/artist and not ignore her ethnicity in the process! While Mindy’s character doesn’t revolve around her being Indian, there are meaningful nods to her background. I especially love her relationship with her brother Rishi on the show and her botched attempts at Indian cooking.

Jay Sean

Jay Sean gained popularity in the South Asian underground music scene in Britain back in 2003 with the release of his song “Dance With You”. The song quickly topped the music charts, but it was his immensely catchy song “Down” that made him popular in the US. Not only is he talented (and good looking), he’s been able to successfully blend his South Asian roots with hip hop/RnB music. I hear that he recently released a new song which I can’t wait to listen to!

Priyanka Chopra

A household name in India due to her immense fame in Bollywood, Priyanka Chopra is a newbie in US popular culture. Last year, she decided to foray into the singing world with the release of her song “In My City” during NFL Thursday Night Football. She also just recently released a new song “Exotic” in collaboration with Pitbull. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of either of the songs. It’s great to see her presence in the US pop scene, but her songs aren’t cutting it for me. Firstly, how can anyone “feel so exotic” – you either ARE exotic or you’re not. Secondly, it is just perpetuating the stereotypical notion of India being an “exotic” far-off land. I also feel like she is not using her strengths – why would she forgo her excellent dancing abilities and settle on some silly hand moves in the music video? Regardless, she does look smoking, and I guess there are plenty of other folks who love it her songs and music videos.

Who are the top actors/singers that have made an impact on you recently? Stay tuned for an upcoming post on the increasing popularity (and rightfully so!) of Indian fashion designers! 

Washington Square Park

One of the things I love about living in NYC is how full of surprises it can be. Not too long ago, my husband and I decided to take a long walk from Greenwich Village up to midtown. Along the way, we walked through Washington Square Park, admiring the arched structure even though we’ve seen it numerous times before. It was a bustling scene there, made all the more lively by a street artist playing the piano in the middle of the square. Everything was hunky dory. Then BAM! A few minutes later, our senses were assaulted by the sight of strangers without pants loitering around in Union Square. It was the annual “No Pants Subway Ride”, and some brave souls had dared to shed their pants and their inhibitions to parade about in the biting cold. We laughed at what was a provocative yet comical scene in front of us. A few feet ahead, we came upon a group of Hare Rama Hare Krishna devotees sitting on the pavement and singing spiritual songs. They urged passerbys to denounce material desires and worldly goods to reach a higher moral and spiritual consciousness.  And around the street corner, you would have found a girl looking a lot like me, posing in front of a brick wall and forcing her husband to take pictures of her for her blog. The irony of the situation was not lost on us. Ah New York, what a contradiction you are. Never dull, never expected.

Haunted houses are open for the season, pumpkins are being carved into ghoulish shapes, and candy is being sold by the pound…You know what that means – Halloween is almost here! As fun as dressing up can be, the process of deciding what to dress up as can be difficult. Most people want to have a clever costume concept that is relevant and cute. Each year, I notice how it's the current events and popular culture that drive costume ideas. Remember the year every other person dressed up as a Colombian miner? Or the Joker?  Or Lady Gaga?

Since it is soo lame to dress up as clichéd fairies and witches (though we’re guilty of this too), here’s a handy list of top costume ideas, driven by current events in 2012. What do you think will be the most popular Halloween outfits this year?

As promised, the Urban Mantra sisters announced the winner of our giveaway on Twitter this last weekend. The random number generator picked Ashwini from the Zing of My Life as the lucky winner of the coffee table book, New York Fashion Week: The Designers, the Models, the Fashions of the Bryant Park Era. Ashwini, we hope you like the book and do tell us of any interesting stories revealed about Fashion Week in it!

On a separate note, I came across this incredibly funny website called "The Oatmeal" earlier today (full cartoon image here). It puts a satirical spin on the act of taking pictures, which, let’s face it guys, has made us all cambeeps. What used to be a fun way to capture memories with families and friends has increasingly started to become a race towards getting the next best Facebook or blog picture. With Instagram and Twitter right on our iPhone fingertips, even a simple dinner can become a photoshoot.

But as much as our friends roll their eyes when we pull out our phone for a picture, the Urban Mantra sisters are unapologetically owning the fact that we love taking pictures! It’s true that there is a time and place for everything and sometimes, we need to just put away our cameras and phones and enjoy the moment for what it is. But at the same time, life is short and that cute, mini-skirt isn’t gonna look good on you forever. So embrace your inner photographer! “Making mediocre experiences look awesome on Facebook”, says the cartoon? We say, “There is a Kodak moment in every mundane event!” What do you think, fellow bloggers? :)

It’s not often that a billboard catches my eye. There are so many of them everywhere, with most of them being quite forgettable, that I barely even register what I read anymore. But not too long ago, as I was driving from New Jersey into New York City, I saw a giant yellow billboard that read, “Traffic is God’s way of telling you to slow down.” The words left an impression. Not only because the message on this random billboard was somewhat profound, but also because it was kind of funny. Since then, for some odd reason, all I see are quirky billboards everywhere in the city. And odder still is the fact that I’ve felt the need to capture these signs and billboards on my iPhone camera.