It was a good eight years before I was born in Sydney when my parents migrated to Australia in the early 1980’s. With two suitcases, a 12-month working visa and one night’s hotel accommodation booked, my mother and father took a leap of faith, swapping their familiar lives in Suva, Fiji for what would hopefully…
History was made at St George’s Chapel on Saturday, not just because the British royal family’s first interracial couple got married, but because there was a wedding service like no other in the history of the monarchy. Meghan Markle, whose father is white and mother is black, did not shy away from letting her culture…
Many of you would know that I’ve been planning to take my blog in a new direction in 2018. And this week couldn’t be a more perfect time to unveil the changes being made to I Am Starstruck. I’m thrilled to share that as of today, I’ll be launching I Am Starstruck’s ‘Draw Your Box’…
A Sydney resident proving it’s never too early to start making a difference is teenager Bassam Maaliki. The 14-year-old was named the Premier’s Youth Medal Winner earlier this month, acknowledged for his contributions to helping migrant and refugee communities in Australia. The Homebush Bay High School student initially launched social change campaign #uBelongHere as a…
Today marks the 7th birthday of I Am Starstruck, and before we begin partying like it’s our birthday, I have a special announcement. This year the I Am Starstruck network will be expanding. The past 7 years don’t just represent my collection of fun, thought-provoking and entertaining blog posts, but also a period of my…
This month UNICEF has introduced a nationwide fundraising campaign called #CookForSyria, aimed at supporting children and refugees in Syria. On June 18, former MasterChef Australia star and UNICEF Australia ambassador Adam Liaw will be hosting a special dinner in Sydney, wth a string of talented chefs serving up some of their signature meals with a…
It was a proud moment for Indians when Priyanka Chopra attended the royal wedding last week, but the actress was not the only South Asian present at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s nuptials. Here are the other awesome desi invitees who helped make the royal wedding’s guest list a lot more diverse. Suhani Jalota View…
As harsh a reality as it is, the South Asian culture, like many others, has a history of gender inequality. So when this year’s International Women’s Day rolled around, it was refreshing and extremely encouraging to see the Hindu Council Of Australia host its own awards dedicated to the cause. The 2018 Gargi Awards held…
Last year’s all-women South Asian panel at Parramasala spelled out serious #diversitygoals, and in 2018 Nautanki Theatre delivered once again. The organisation hosted another panel event in the heart of Western Sydney last week, and this time various topics were examined through the lens of the younger generation. “How South Asians are shaping the next…
2017 has certainly been a year like no other. Spending my first full year at Yahoo7, I’ve had a tonne of adventures, locally and abroad, and something tells me 2018 is only going to be bigger. Here are some of the highlights. I’ll catch you in 2018. GRAMMYS I jetted off to Los Angeles during…
SO.MUCH.FASHION After tying the knot in Italy earlier this month, actress Anushka Sharma and cricketer beau Virat Kohli brought their wedding celebrations back home this week. Their India reception was held at Mumbai’s St. Regis, and unsurprisingly, it was a star-studded affair with the who’s who of Bollywood attending the big night. Anushka dazzled in custom-made Sabyasachi…
As we approach Christmas and the end of 2017, it’s a time for reflection, being with loved ones, and planning what we’d like to achieve in 2018. This year I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing motivational speaker and social media sensation Jay Shetty, who was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2017…
He’s starred in 510 films including Bollywood blockbusters and Hollywood hits, but no screen performance compares to Anupam Kher’s stage presence during a live theatrical production. The 62-year-old veteran Indian actor, who appeared at the AACTA Awards in Sydney this week, has brought his popular play Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha to Australia. Taking to the…
A group of young South Asian-Americans are making their mark in the entertainment industry, with a new show bringing a fresh dose of diversity to the scene. Code Switched is a comedy drama about five South Asian-Americans in Chicago, juggling their careers, romance and family pressures, while hoping to strike that balance between their cultural…
It’s one of the most anticipated events in the fashion calendar, and this year the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show held in Shanghai, China, managed to set the bar even higher in terms of designs, performers, and diversity in its models. While last year only 30% of the models strutting the runway were people of colour,…
I Am Starstruck 