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ON THE COVER:

NADIA JAGESSAR (PAGE 24). PHOTO CREDIT: @NATZPHOTOGALLERY CLOTHING BY: AARA BY SANA @AARABYSANA FOUNDER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

SEEMA KUMAR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

SAJID MOINUDDIN

DESIGN

HB DESIGN

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR ROHINI KAPUR

EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE

AHAD SANWARI

WRITERS

ABHIJIT MASIH MELANIE FOURIE

NUPUR BHATNAGAR

CATE REYNOLDS

PREETAM KAUSHIK

FARZANA SURI

BRAND PARTNERSHIPS, DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGY

ANJALI MANIAM

SEEMA™ ISSUE 11 | NOVEMBER 2022

EMPOWERING SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN GLOBALLY SEEMA KUMAR, FOUNDER COPYRIGHT © 2021 SEEMA, JAYARAM, LLC SEEMA.COM PUBLISHED AT P.O. BOX 814, PENNINGTON, NJ 08534 SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES: INFO@SEEMA.COM OR SEEMA.COM/ARTICLE/CONTACT-US TO SUBSCRIBE WRITE TO: SUBSCRIBE@SEEMA.COM SPONSORSHIPS, PARTNERSHIPS, ADVERTISING, NEWSLETTER AND EVENT INQUIRES: INFO@SEEMA.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ADVERTISING EMAIL: ADVERTISE@SEEMA.COM

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SEEMA KUMAR, FOUNDER

An Ode to the Spirit of Giving

November is all about giving — and Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year.

As a family, we have been hosting Thanksgiving for a long time. Each year, I look forward to this holiday more than any other. The chrysanthe-mums are out, the leaves are morphing to yellow and orange, the weath-er is cool, and the clock is turned back. During all these changes, what brings us joy is the company of friends and family in a warm home, eating comfort foods and sharing stories.

I recall my first Thanksgiving as a new immigrant, and the warmth of American families welcoming us to their homes, and going out of their way to make a few meatless dishes to accommodate vegetarians. I was always grateful for their hospitality, for the wonderful meal we shared to-gether and the tradition of giving thanks.

As a family of our own, we hosted Thanksgiving at our house, inviting stu-dents whose kin were far away and had no family gathering to join. The pleasure of hosting the students is a feeling like no other. So the tradition began, and we continue with it.

For Thanksgiving, I don’t cater the food like I usually do. For this holiday I find satisfaction in cooking a meal at home — complete with the effort,

PHOTO CREDIT: SHRAVYA KAG the attention to detail, and the tradition of cooking foods that we all love — the turkey, and many meatless options. And although the weather brings cravings for satisfying fat-laden, carb-heavy meals, I always try to make the Thanksgiving meal healthy. In that spirit, in this issue we bring you a delectable meatless Thanksgiving menu that even a meat lover will ap-preciate. We also show you how to make Thanksgiving healthy. And we have some recommendations for tableware that will make your board both functional and unique!

What good would a Thanksgiving issue be if we didn’t bring you inspiring stories of women who are breaking barriers, challenging stigma, and making the world a better place?

Speaking of stigma, why is it that women above the age of 35 are stigma-tized for being single? Is “spinster” a bad word? And what is wrong if you prefer to be single and cherish your liberty than the company of a spouse who you dislike or who dislikes you? We examine the stigma of being sin-gle in a few ways, including through the eyes of our cover star, Nadia Ja-gessar, a key character in “Indian Matchmaking” who discovers that regardless of beauty, accomplishment, or purpose, being a single South Asian woman can stigmatize you. She has some good advice for South asian women. We also bring you the disquieting facts surrounding human trafficking and one women who is trying to make a difference!

Finally we offer you a glimpse into 5 trailblazing women to watch for in the upcoming November elections! Check them out — and be inspired to be change agents. We hope you enjoy this issue. Happy Thanksgiving.