Hey. Gather 'round to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Lakshmi Gandhi.
Who are you?
I'm Lakshmi Gandhi. I'm a freelance journalist and researcher based in New York City.
What are you?
I'm a second generation Indian American, a New Yorker and a Mets fan.
Where are you?
Right now I'm in my living room watching The Daily Show.
Where are you from?
I was born in Manhattan and grew up on Long Island after a brief stint in Queens. When new acquaintances ask me this question I usually say some variation of, "Long Island, and my parents are originally from South India."
What do you do?
Along with my friends Kishwer Vikaas and Pavani Yalamanchili, I am a co-founder and editor of The Aerogram, a new South Asian American web magazine that launched in February. Our site is all about sharing news, arts and culture stories from a desi perspective. (You can follow us on Twitter @theaerogram and on Facebook here.)
We named the site after the aerograms our parents used to send to relatives back in the 70s and 80s.
What are you all about?
I'm all about finding interesting stories and people to write about. I see The Aerogram as a place where readers can find both fluffy posts about celebrities and vitally important things like articles highlighting the need for more South Asians to join the bone marrow registry. Our site is just over two months old now and I feel like we've struck a nice balance between the two.
What makes you angry?
I find any attempt to weaken civil or reproductive rights to be extremely upsetting. A recent example is the current effort to weaken the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Just thinking about it fills me with a cold, hard rage.
