In this Issue
October 2004

Editor's Note

October's Contributors

Features
Not-So Missing in Action
She performs under the moniker M.I.A., short for Missing in Action, but artist/musician Maya Arulpragasam is anything but. Nirali talks with M.I.A. to learn what makes this feisty Tamil tigress tick.

Going Greek
On campuses across the country, South Asian women are taking the Greek system by storm. Nirali profiles three South Asian sororities forging sisterhood through shared culture and service.

Hoping for a Match
There are currently 31 South Asian American patients in desperate need of bone marrow or stem cell transplants, but the South Asian community faces a tragic lack of donors. A few courageous patients and volunteers are hoping to change that.

Arts and Entertainment
Love's Labour's Found
Shakespearean actress Nazneen Contractor talks to Nirali about joining the players.

Writing from Two Worlds
Novelist Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni weaves fictional yarns that delve into the South Asian immigrant experience. Nirali talks with the storyteller about her latest book, Queen of Dreams, and what Divakaruni is dreaming up next.

Directing Awareness
Meena Nanji is unlike other female South Asian filmmakers currently in the spotlight. She makes documentaries—and the subject matter isn't always pretty.

Career and Education
Working Woman: Sunita Williams
Each month, Nirali talks to a South Asian American woman who has distinguished herself in a non-traditional field to find out how she made it to the top. This month, we caught up with Sunita Williams, an astronaut in the NASA space program.

Health and Beauty
Beauty Queen
Celebrity makeup artist and Nirali beauty expert Shalini Vadhera didn't plan on a career in the beauty industry. Now she's taking it by storm.

Balle Balle Burn
Bhangra moves aren't just for the dance floor anymore—they've hit the gym, and now thousands are burning calories the "balle balle" way.

Breast Left Unsaid
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women. But you can't fight the disease if you don't have your facts straight. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Nirali draws back the veil of secrecy to examine how breast cancer affects the South Asian community.

Ask Shalini
Celebrity beauty expert Shalini Vadhera answers your beauty questions in her first monthly Nirali beauty column.

Life and Style
In the Mix
A trendy new boutique in New York brings the hottest Indian designers and their fabulous fusion wear stateside.

A Fast Break from Tradition
Greasy pakoras and boring fruit chaat, be gone! Try our iftari spread that's simple—and simply divine.

DIY Diwali
Celebrate the dazzling Hindu festival of lights with do-it-yourself divas, homemade candles and a modernized rangoli.

Society and Culture
Focus on Faith
Young South Asian Americans' views on religion are as varied as their religious backgrounds. With Diwali and Ramadhan fast-approaching, Nirali asks readers to share their thoughts.

On Location
The University of Notre Dame
Each month, Nirali explores a different city or college campus across the country to help you find the brown-friendliest places coast to coast.