Nandini Pandya

Abroad at Home Nandini Pandya

First Generation Perspectives, First Person Voices. This is a collection of essays and short stories that were published on Desijournal.com, an online magazine. They offer a peek at the insider-outsider lives of modern-day immigrants from South Asia. Although colored by the authors' being from someplace else, the portrait that emerges is more layered than the familiar one of loss and nostalgia. In the "Profiles" section, the reader is introduced to individuals who can best be described as "off-the-beaten-track trailblazers." The "Parenting", "Musings" and "Among the Locals" sections challenge the prevalent narrative of "circling the wagons." In the "Out of India" section, the authors look at the ways of the old country with new insight. The fiction section tackles topics ranging from job loss to cultural and generational divides.