Latha Varadarajan

Several years ago, as tourists in Pune, my friend and I visited a homeopathic doctor. His clinic was a simple whitewashed room containing a shaky table, a swivel chair and a black-and-white photo of a sculpted naked torso. As we sat down, the chubby, grey-haired doctor volunteered the information that he had been Mr India for bodybuilding, 30-odd years ago. There was no guessing. Besides the doctor’s ardent eyes and the same avid expression, the two bodies were unrelatable.

In 2010, a disturbing report made its entry into an already upsetting news cycle. Members of a U.S. Army brigade, assembled into a self-proclaimed “kill team,” had indiscriminately targeted civilians in southern Afghanistan. As trophies for their deeds, the soldiers collected fingers, leg bones, and skulls from their victims.

(As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2015 and assures the diaspora of the “several opportunities” waiting for them, read this extract from our latest quarterly ‘Diaspora: Southasia Abroad’. To read the full article, you can buy the print or digital edition of the issue or subscribe to us.) On 28 September 2014, a 19,000 strong crowd comprising predominantly of Indian-Americans, gathered in Madison Square Garden in New York City.