Ever Google yourself? It may seem a bit narcissistic, but it’s amazing, and a little scary, the kind of information that’s out there about us. Since I put myself in the public eye when my writing career started taking off, I Google myself about once a week. One day a few weeks ago my search revealed a recent article on interfaith families by Harvard Divinity School that cited me from an interview of me on PBSNewshour a couple years ago.
I was like, “Me? Harvard? Say what?” I did a little happy dance, 
and then a reality hit me.
No. I still can’t get into Harvard. But, if Harvard Divinity School recognizes that the issues I write about resonate in society, then I have a valuable opportunity to make an impact through my writing. What started out as personal therapy for me while my husband and I were in the throws of raising our kids in a jumble of intercultural ways, my novel and the articles I write on my intercultural experiences have reached thousands. A couple of years ago, while I was working on my blog and writing The Unexpected Daughter, the editor of Masalamommas Magazine invited me to write a post for them. From that first post, it was evident that my story is the story of many, and that exposing underlying cultural and racial bias within families is a starting point for cultural wider cultural understanding .
My tiny new Harvard fame prompted me to write an article for Masalamommas Magazine on my interfaith family and it ignited huge interest from readers. So to further the conversation about openness of understanding different faiths, I wanted to share an excerpt of the article here. I invite you to jump over to the full article at Masalamommas and share your thoughts on raising families from two faiths.
Let’s start a dialogue here or on my Facebook page. Tell us what resonates with you, what you disagree with, or questions you have for me. I really want to hear your thoughts, because they matter.
The best part is, I will feature the most intriguing five responses you send on my blog and across my social media. Come on, let’s hear it!
5 Reasons My Family Is Interfaith
“Because of my blond hair and green eyes, most would never suspect that Indian culture and religion are a part of me. Having met my Gujarati husband when we were teenagers though, meant I absorbed parts his culture and Hindu beliefs, just as he absorbed parts of my southern culture and Christian beliefs. Our multicultural life together has been a rollercoaster, and is the impetus for my writing career. My blog, Southern Life, Indian Wife and my novel, The Unexpected Daughter, were born from the emotional ups and downs in our cultural merger, and their popularity led to PBSNewshour featuring of us in a discussion on navigating intercultural holidays, as well Harvard Divinity School citing us in Raising Multi-faith Children. Despite the attention, my husband and I really have no magic recipe for handling two faiths in our family, but we have vowed not to choose one over the other. Hinduism and Christianity are equal players in our interfaith family, and these are the five reasons why.”