An Associated Press wire report getting widespread publication today says that the Mumbai police have determined that the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence agency, planned the July train bombings and had them executed by members of Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The police were forthright about their methods:

Mumbai police Commissioner A.N. Roy said an intensive investigation that included using truth serum on suspects revealed that Pakistan’s top spy agency had “masterminded” the bombings.

Roy said Pakistan’s Directorate of Inter Services Intelligence, or ISI, began planning the attacks in March and later provided training to those who carried out the bombings in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

“The terror plot was ISI sponsored and executed by Lashkar-e-Tayyaba operatives with help from the Students Islamic Movement of India,” Roy said at a news conference to announce the completion of the investigation. (…)

Police cracked the case after tracking down a suspicious call from Mumbai to the Nepal border region, Roy said. There they picked up one of the suspects, who led them to others.

However, Roy said that many of the suspects had been trained to resist interrogation and only the use of truth serum helped tie loose ends together.

I sure hope that none of the suspects were picked up by mistake, because it must have gotten very ugly indeed in that interrogation room. As for this “truth serum,” it may ring a bell — it was one of the “methods” discussed in the first wave of pro-torture proposals immediately after September 11. Here’s what Slate’s “Explainer” feature clarified at the time:

Clearly, some of you were good little boys and girls in your youth. That means that you are conditioned to associate the words “uncle”/ “auntie” and the vernacular with respect. You can’t help it. If this was just Plain Jane, the 50 year old down the street, you might be polite and pleasant, but if somebody who calls herself Bunty Auntie starts speaking to you in your mother tongue, you snap to like a pointer.

This account comes from Sleepy’s blog “Watching the Sun” but I’ll bet you have your own auntie experiences:

One morning, while back, it was 4am and I had been asleep for fifteen minutes. I was woken up by a phone call and I was a little, I don’t know, pissed off?

Me: (barely making sense through all that incredibly righteous indignation) Hello?!
Her: Hello Beta, this is Shabnam aunty!

I usually tend to wake up very quickly when someone calls herself aunty and speaks in Hindi/Punjabi/any language my twisted little psyche associates with authority. Seriously, wouldn’t you? For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out whether I knew Shabnam aunty, but I wasn’t too surprised, my mom often makes friends who call me at random times to you know, chat. [Link]

Now me, I would have just hung up. Uncle, Auntie, I don’t care. Don’t call me at 4AM unless you’re blood of some sort, a close personal friend, or an early morning booty call [the last was added after Jeet reminded me of such things ]. But an auntie I’ve never heard of? Clearly, Sleepy is made up of sugar and spice and everything nice and I am not because she continued the conversation:

Me: Um Hi?
Her: How are you Beta?
Me: Good aunty, how are you?
Her: I’m fine beta, give the phone to mummy now.
Me: ????????? Um, aunty, mom’s at home, not here.
Her: hahahahhahahah, so cute.
Me: (o.k., seriously, wtf?! and I start talking in Hindi as well, cuz you know, maybe she’ll believe me) She’s at home, do you want her number?
Her: Enough now beta, give the phone to mummy. (All stern like, velvet glove/iron fist stuff, which ya know, doesn’t sit well with me, ever)
Me: Mummy isn’t here.
Her: Are you making fun of Shabnam Aunty Beta? That’s not very nice. (o.k., this is what she said, Beta, aap Shabnam aunty ka mazaak uda rahein hain? Bilkul theek baat nahin hai. It was like she was flirting with me )

So yeah, we went for a few more rounds and then I hung up. ON. AN. AUNTY. [Link]

The next morning, of course, Sleepy felt remorseful:

I don’t know, probably shouldn’t have hung up on her because what likely happened is that she called the right number and chewed out right number’s children for being cheeky, obnoxious heathens. And then had the kid’s mom chew them out, and the dad, and the grandma etc. etc. And then they probably got chewed out for bringing shame on the family cuz Shabnam aunty’s very fond of gossip… [Link]

Personally, I don’t get it. Maybe it was my particular family upbringing, maybe it’s because I’m a boy, maybe it’s because I’m just too much of a coconut. I understand what Sleepy is saying, and while I think of myself as being reasonably nice, the title “uncle” or “auntie” just doesn’t cut any ice with me. Will I be going to a hell that I don’t believe in, populated solely by aunties bent on making me miserable? How many of you salivate automatically when this particular bell rings?

In many third world countries, everything is for sale. Instead of paying for the services of a good lawyer if you get caught doing something wrong, you pay for the services of the judge, or better yet, of a legislator in the first place. Sure you can buy congressmen in the USA, or hire a high-powered lobbyist, but it’s a lot more expensive, and the process of getting what you want is far more contingent.

I just learned about a new twist to this phenomenon, however. Now you can buy not just secular verdicts, but religious ones as well. And dirt cheap! The term “fatwa” is commonly misunderstood because of the famous fatwa against Salman Rushdie. It actually refers to a legal judgement on a point of Islamic law:

A fatwa … is a legal pronouncement in Islam made by a mufti, a scholar capable of issuing judgments on Sharia (Islamic law). Usually a fatwa is issued at the request of an individual or a judge to settle a question where “fiqh” (Islamic jurisprudence) is unclear. [Link]

It turns out that you can buy a fatwa in India cheaply, for as little as $60 US!

India’s “cash-for-fatwas” scandal broke out last weekend when a TV channel broadcast a sting operation that showed several Indian Muslim clerics allegedly taking, or demanding, bribes in return for issuing fatwas, or religious edicts. The bribes, some of which were as low as $60, were offered by undercover reporters wearing hidden cameras over a period of six weeks. [Link]

The fatwas purchased covered a wide range of fairly mundane issues. They even managed to get two fatwas directly opposed to each other, concerning whether one could watch TV:

Among the decrees issued by the fatwas: that Muslims are not allowed to use credit cards, double beds, or camera-equipped cell phones, and should not act in films, donate their organs, or teach their children English. One cleric issued a fatwa against watching TV; another issued a fatwa in support of watching TV. [Link]

Articles like this are always saddening to read. Delhi is facing an extreme water crisis. Even middle class people are foraging from tankers, and the millions of gallons of untreated sewage emptied into the River Yamuna every year are killing it.

One of the main figures cited in the article is Sunita Narain, of the Center for Science and Environment (CSE), the same people who brought us the summer pesticide/soda controversy. I know some readers will find her a controversial figure, but I don’t think the scale of Delhi’s water problem is really in dispute. Here are some of the stats Somini Sengupta brings to our attention:

• 25 to 40 percent of the water sent into Delhi’s water pipes leaks out before it reaches its destination.
• 45 percent of Delhi’s population isn’t connected to the public sewage system, and all of their waste runs back into the Yamuna untreated.
• 2.1 million (Indian?) children die every year because of inadequate sanitation. [The article is unclear as to which children exactly are dying from sanitation related problems]
• The river water is so polluted with fecal coliform that it’s not even remotely safe for bathing, which is required for devout Hindus.
• Sewage plants have been constructed to treat waste, but have thus far have “produced little value.”

Better management might well make a difference:

Yet the most telling paradox of the city’s water crisis is that New Delhi is not entirely lacking in water. The problem is distribution, hampered by a feeble infrastructure and a lack of resources, concedes Arun Mathur, chief executive of the Jal Board.

The Jal Board estimates that consumers pay no more than 40 percent of the actual cost of water. Raising the rates is unrealistic for now, as Mr. Mathur well knows. “It would be easier to ask people to pay up more if we can make water abundantly available,” he said. A proposal to privatize water supply in some neighborhoods met with stiff opposition last year and was dropped. (link)

Privatization is, I think most people would agree, the wrong direction to go in for an essential resource like water. But the government seems to have been so thoroughly incompetent, it’s hard to see how simply pumping more money into the system will make a big difference. Government money is, like water, prone to “leak.”

For about the past year I have been enjoying the sounds of the L.A. based band Goldspot. In 2005 NPR classified their release as one of “The Best CDs You Didn’t Hear This Year.” Here in Los Angeles they actually get radio play fairly often on KCRW (unrepentant and pretentious music-snob that I am, KCRW and KEXP are the only radio stations in America that I will allow my ears to listen to). As long time SM readers know, I don’t do reviews. I will however, post about music that I dig. Here is what the L.A. Weekly had to say about them:

“The stars aligned for Goldspot recently — after years of tilling the fringes of L.A.’s play-to-your-friends club scene — with the release of their elegantly singable debut album, Tally of the Yes Men…Gorgeously oblivious to fads and fashion, Goldspot have woven their Cure/R.E.M./Smiths patchwork with threads of exotic melody lingering from main-man Siddhartha’s [Khosla] Indian upbringing. Onstage they rightly bask in the strength of their material, and Siddhartha’s a willing focal point, complete with love-it-or-hate-it affected-eccentric demeanor. And note to bands everywhere: Goldspot reign in the instrumental volume, allowing Siddhartha to examine every nuance of his Buckley/Orbison timbre.”

-LA Weekly (Paul Rogers)

From their Myspace page:

Imagine Paul Simon heading to Mumbai to record his next record and listening to the Cure on the flight and you’re getting close.

Siddhartha (founder, lead singer / songwriter of Goldspot) is quick to pay tribute to his early influences: “I grew up listening to whatever my parents had in their cassette decks - Mohd. Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh - these were great Indian playback singers from the 1940’s and 50’s. The melodies were brilliant. And then one day when I was 14, I figured out that if you flipped the switch on the stereo from ‘tape’ to ‘radio’ you could hear music with English words. That’s when I heard R.E.M.’s Green, and it was my first introduction to Western music…” [Link]

Here is the video for the catchy Time Bomb:

About 10 minutes ago, one of my co-workers strolled in with an impressive Styrofoam container, filled with something pungent.

“Hey…is that Moby Dick?”, another asked. Seven of us are on this team; we share a decently sized office which is cube-free and thus collaboration-ready.

“Nah, it’s curry.” …annnnd my ears are pricked.

“Oh, really? From where?”

“Lunch buffet…place across the street.”

At this point, my eyes slightly bulge. He’s referring to a place I went to once, an establishment which left such an awful taste in my mouth that not only did I hate my lunch, I couldn’t even enjoy complaining about it afterwards, because my then-BF scoffed, “What were you thinking? Food from restaurants named after mausoleums NEVER tastes good. Don’t you know that only gora eat there?”

“Man, I love curry. Wish I had gone there instead of Cosi.”

“Yeah, it’s great.”

At this point, I’m engulfed by weirdness. I’ve mentioned to them in the past that the restaurant in question is blech-inducing. Hmm. Did they not believe me? Wait—is there some issue with my brown credibility? I trust my Lebanese friends when they advise me about which hummus sucks like a Dyson, what gives? I shake my head to clear it, but the discordance is rotting my brain.

The room spins a bit; did I hallucinate that entire conversation with them last week? The one in which we discussed the very difference between these two eateries? No. We totally had that talk. They know I vouched for Heritage India, which is a whopping two doors away from the hole from whence this styrofoam came. I start to feel a bizarre dissonance and I calmly attempt to explore it. Perhaps I’m viewing this improperly. Despite my slight discomfort, maybe we’ve come a long way, baby, if I’m not automatically looked at every time someone utters the word “curry”. Yet oddly, I’m not thrilled. I know. Impossible to please.

This reminds me of Nike’s “Vamp like an Egyptian“-shtick. Is half-assed brown better than no brown at all? I vote “no”. Still, why do I care so much? Who appointed me Ambassador to Brownland? I watch co-worker number two dig in and I almost cringe, I can’t get over my sororal proclivities, my innate bossiness. If he likes to eat sub-par desi food, why should I give a shit? I have work to do, which I attempt to lose myself in, but then…

Although Vikram Seth has been out of the closet as bisexual for some time now, I had not been aware of his sexual orientation until he gave a lengthy interview to Outlook India on the subject. His more visible profile on the topic of his sexuality is related to his public support for the anti-Section 377 movement, the movement for the decriminalization of homosexuality in India.

The interview is fascinating, both in terms of what it reveals about Vikram Seth and in terms of what it reveals about India. My favorite part involves the interviewer grappling with the very idea of bisexuality.

I’m not sure I quite understand what bisexual means?

What do you mean you don’t understand? Supposing I have a physical attraction at some time or in a certain place to a particular woman, and another time to a particular man …I suppose if you don’t like the word, you could say I am gay and straight.

But if you can be straight, and life is so difficult as a gay, isn’t it simpler to just be straight?

Of course not. You have your feelings. You can’t just suppress or contort your feelings, either your emotional or sexual feelings. And why on earth should you, just to appease someone else’s unthought-through prejudices. [Link]

Ah yes, such a desi question. But beta, if you are attracted to vomen, then vhy do you need to be the gay? She follows that little gem up by asking “This is something that people often snigger about: has boarding school anything to do with you being gay?” which was the icing on the cliche cake.

While I cringed to read her asking these questions, I was still glad she did. Even if she knows better, I imagine these are questions that your average person on the street is thinking of, so it’s far better to give Seth a chance to respond than to leave them unsaid.

I've made a slight disappearance from the blogosphere to do some very cool things in the reality-sphere. Here in Los Angeles, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center just launched Asian Americans at the Ballot Box, a report on the voting behavior of the Asian American community.

APALC conducted the study using data from exit polls in the 2004 general election, as well as from the registrars' offices in Los Angeles and Orange counties, to draw its conclusions. The study found that, in Los Angeles County, 71 percent of registered Asian voters actually went to the polls, compared with 78 percent of registered voters in general. In Orange County, 68 percent of registered Asian voters cast ballots, while 73 percent of all registered voters did. [link]

"Asian American communities are growing dramatically and we're seeing that growth at the polls," said Stewart Kwoh, President and Executive Director of APALC. "Increasingly, candidates will have to speak to our issues if they expect to get elected." [link]

The report is fantastic, if I do say so myself. It doesn't just look at the general Asian American statistics, it breaks down the results to compare ethnic disparities within the Asian American community. Even more spectacular (and SM relevant) is page 27 of the report, which covers the Asian Indian vote from Los Angeles and Orange county.

Demographics of Indian American Voters 2004 General Election in [LA County]

• 66% Foreign- Born
• 13% 18 to 24
• 47% Female, 53% Male
• 51% Democrat, 20% Republican, 26% Decline to State
• 77% Supported Kerry, 23% Supported Bush
• 12% are Limited English Proficiency, 88% not. [report]

Additionally, we see that Asian Indian youth have a turnout rate of 62%; in other words 62% of Asian Indians who registered to vote went to the polls in 2004. This rate is just slightly higher than the county Asian American youth turnout rate of 57%. A more extensive analysis on the Asian American youth vote will be released in a few weeks on this website in a supplemental report.

A quick thumb through of the Ballot Box report also reveals the following for Asian Indians of Los Angeles County...

Saturday marked the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, a month of daytime fasting for Muslims around the world. From sunrise to sunset Muslims abstain from eating or drinking, including chewing gum or cigarettes. It's a month of self-control and self-reflection as well as a month of 'being extra nice' and staying away from all things haraam. But the nicest thing I remember from the month of Ramadan, is of course, the food.

It's customary to break the fast together at sundown with a meal called iftaar. Tables are laden with dates, fruits, nuts; the hosts prepare their most elaborate dishes, such as biryani, homemade couscous or a leg of lamb...

My mother would vie to be one of the first to host the Saturday iftaar. She would say that there is great blessing in feeding a person who is fasting. She would toil singlehandedly in our kitchen for days to prepare a meal that would feed at least 100 people. For women like my mother, an immigrant from India, a potluck was unthinkable, counter to everything she had been taught about hospitality.

Most of the people from our center were from Hyderabad, India, and the weekly meals were remarkably similar. First, we would break our fast with appetizers: samosas, channa daal, dahi bades, fruit chaat, rosewater milk, and of course the requisite date (with pits). After the sunset prayer and with a sated stomach, we would dive into the biryani, curries and kebabs. We'd top off our meal with kheer, a rice pudding-like dish, and chai.[link]

Growing up in my parents house we had a similar spread with an additional spattering of pakoras, muri, juices, and fried eggplant. When we lived in Saudi Arabia, a country of scheduled nap times and stores open from 6pm to 4am during Ramadan, the food spread was even more spectacular at iftaar time -- the small shacks would fill the streets with aromas of fresh bread, sharmas and other savories. But now, since living on my own, making an iftar feast for myself always seemed rather pointless. Not to mention that I can't really cook. Iftar this week has been dates, water, and whatever cereal is in the cupboard.

Last night while grumpily eating my cereal, I vowed to break fast with at least one 'traditional' item for the rest of Ramadan -- I have even toyed with the idea of having an iftaar potluck for my friends. Luckily there are plenty of websites out there to help me out with recipes: Iranian Iftar, Arab Iftar, and of course, Desi Iftar. Drooling yet? I am and I'm heading to the kitchen with these recipes in hand for tonight's iftar. To all that are fasting, Ramadan Mubarak!

The 13th month after Hurricane Katrina and the flood has flown by as swiftly as it came, and it is now time for your New Orleanian friend to bid adieu to the North Dakotan bunker. My final post was to be an interview with Anjali Niyogi, a young Tulane University physician who stayed behind for the storm and flood to help area first responders. Her idea has now garnered the newly-established Community Health Center a $5 million grant from the nation of Qatar.

The Community Health Center was founded last September when Tulane physician Anjali Niyogi set up a card table in the street to serve Hurricane Katrina’s first responders. Since then the center has established itself at the Covenant House [at] 611 N. Rampart Street, and served more than 7,800 patients with free adult primary care, mental health counseling, geriatric care and health education.

However, I will end my posts here with an homage to my paternal grandmother, who unexpectedly passed away last night in her Chennai home. Despite never having spent a substantial amount of time with her, I know Bhavani Patti (Grandma Bhavani) because I am her - she is the storyteller, writer, historian, people watcher and mocha-colored, Rubenesque pear-shaped woman in me. She was the inspiration for VatulNet and her death has kicked my rear into working harder on the genealogy portion of the site.

Patti’s children and grandchildren are almost everywhere in the world - India, Europe, Australia and the United States. Now, more than ever, is when we wish we could all miraculously converge in space and time to commiserate and grieve. But, time zones and logistics do not always militate in our favor. Venues like Sepia Mutiny serve to make our diaspora smaller through online discussion, debate, consensus and a forum to make like-minded (or not) friends. It was on SM that I met so many who are “my kind” but their individual selves in oh! so many beautiful and interesting ways. My kingdom for more days in the year to meet and interact with all of them in a befitting manner, at least something more than emails, cards, IMs and the occasional meetups. Multiply that feeling by a hundred and you may understand my chagrin at not having had or made the time to spend with the woman who created and raised my father, uncles and aunts. Yet, during this blink of a geological eye, I was privy to her company and advice whenever possible and grew a hearty appreciation for home and family. For that, I am grateful, and similarly thankful to have met you at all.

Gratitude to the mutineers for making like Bruce Springsteen and pulling this Courtney Cox out of the crowd and onstage, except in a lot less dorky fashion. A flying kiss to Siddhartha for helping highlight my lovely Crescent City and its current woes, which are far from over. I insist that each one of you visit here to witness the still-uncleared devastation firsthand and to act as ambassadors for the rebirth of a great American city, the cradle of its musical culture and culinary taste.

Au revoir, mes amies! Laissez les bon temps rouler encore!

Happy Navarathri, too!

The New York Times recently ran a story about a mysterious gigantic swastika in Kyrgyzstan. The swastika in question is 600 feet across, at least 60 years old, and made out of fir trees:

Legend has it that German prisoners of war, pressed into forestry duty after World War II, duped their Soviet guards and planted rows of seedlings in the shape of the emblem Hitler had chosen as his own.

More than 20 years later, the trees rose tall enough to be visible from the village beneath. Only then did the swastika appear, a time-delayed act of defiance by vanquished soldiers marooned in a corner of Stalin’s Soviet Union.

For all the tidiness of legend, however, the tale is not quite true. [Link]

The article then goes on to present various explanations for the swastika, none of which quite click. A major reason why they don’t click is that the swastika in question obviously not a Nazi swastika (based on its orientation) but a Hindu/Parsi/Buddhist/Jain one:

The mystery’s persistence is in its way surprising, given that as a Nazi swastika the symbol is imperfect, whether by design or because of uneven terrain. Hitler’s swastika was tilted 45 degrees; the formation here is almost level. Moreover, the arms do not mimic the Third Reich’s symbol, but its mirror image — a swastika in reverse. [Link]

Left facing swastikas long predate the Nazis and are common in Asia. One explanation for the swastika is that it is in some way connected to Hinduism. The swastika is known as the “Eki Naryn swastika” and is located in a town of the same name. The phrase “Ek Narayan” means “One God.”

However, we don’t know it was Hindus for sure. It could be the Chinese:

[The left facing] swastika is often found on Chinese food packaging to signify that the product is vegetarian and can be consumed by strict Buddhists. It is often sewn into the collars of Chinese children’s clothing to protect them from evil spirits. [Link] [It is a well known fact that Chinese spirits are afraid of children of dyslexic Nazis - ed]

In Taiwan, the swastika is a generic symbol for temple:

On maps in the Taipei subway system a swastika symbol is employed to indicate a temple, parallel to a cross indicating a Christian church. [Link]

Synbols on a Taipei subway map

There are times when I feel desperately ashamed of my community/communities (Desi/Punjabi/Sikh). I realize this is just one side of the story we’re hearing, and that we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but it is all too believable and makes my blood run cold.

This is the story of 27 year old Navjeet Siddhu from Southall, who committed suicide by jumping in front of a 100mph Heathrow Express train. Not only did she jump, but she jumped carrying her two children.

She suffered from depression, which began when she gave birth to a daughter rather than a son. Her condition became worse after her husband, Manjit, who left her to return to his native India, said that he would come back home only if he did not have to do any household chores. [Link]

Navjeet Siddhu and her daughter Simran died instantly. Her son, Aman Raj, died in the hospital 2 hours later. To add to the carnage, Navjeet’s mother, 56 year old Satwant Kaur Sodhi, committed suicide at the same spot six months later.

Navjeet Siddhu died back in August of 2005, but the inquest into the incident is just now being held, hence the news attention. The husband comes off as hideously callous in news stories:

The court was told how Mr Sidhu, who arrived six minutes after the incident at Southall station, walked past the bodies of his wife and five-year-old daughter, Simran, to pick up the body of his 23-month-old son, Aman Raj, and take him to hospital. [Link]

It’s possible that his actions had a rational explanation - that Aman Raj was the only one who looked like he would survive - it’s hard to tell without having his side of the story. We really shouldn’t prejudge her husband based on such flimsy evidence. However, even if this account is a media fiction, this sort of thing is far too common and that makes it easier to believe that it might have happened.

Imagine, if you will, that the following fictional conversation took place between myself (in my best Jon Lovitz voice) and a girl named “Preeti:”

Abhi: Hey Preeti.

Preeti: Whad up?

Abhi: You know we’ve been together for two whole months now. I just wanted you to know that I’m really excited about us. I think we make a good couple. You complete me. I think we are helping each other grow, both together and as individuals.

Preeti: Uh huh. That’s sweet.

Abhi: Well, since it is our two-month anniversary I thought I would get you something special.

Preeti: Cool, did you get me a brown Zune?

Abhi: No darling. Check this out though. I just had a star named after you. I wanted you to know that my love for you will shine brightly forever.

Preeti: Forever?

Abhi: Foreva-eva. Just think! Every time you look up there in the sky at the star formerly known as ZX56C92 you will think about how much I burn for you!

Okay, has anyone vomited yet? I am willing to bet that at least one reader out there has had a star named after them or named a star after someone. Admit it! We’ve all done things we are ashamed of. This is definitely not how I’d go about declaring my feelings for someone. Then again, I’m not sure I have ever developed a really good method for showing someone I care. The fictional conversation above leads me to a real conversation that took place over this past weekend.

So, where the hell is Osama bin Laden, anyway? Depends who you ask:

In a memoir that was released yesterday, “In the Line of Fire,” President Musharraf of Pakistan suggests that the leader of Al Qaeda is still in Afghanistan. “The fact that so many Saudis are in the Kunar area perhaps suggests that this is where Osama bin Laden has his hideout, but we cannot be sure,” he writes in the new book, published by Free Press.

But over the weekend, President Karzai of Afghanistan said Mr. bin Laden could be in the border region of Pakistan, but that he is definitely not in Afghanistan. “He is not in Afghanistan. I can tell you that for sure,” Mr. Karzai said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

And, where the hell is Mullah Omar, anyway? Depends who you ask:

The Afghan leader then suggested that Mr. bin Laden is in Quetta, Pakistan. The Taliban warlord, Mullah Omar, is believed to be living there.

In his memoir, General Musharraf said the idea that Mr. Omar is running an insurgency from Quetta is “ridiculous.”

With these diametrically opposed views, no surprise that it’s gotten personal:

“As soon as president Karzai understands his own country, the easier it’ll be for him,” General Musharraf said in an address to the Council for Foreign Relations think tank in New York.

Meanwhile:

Karzai has been no less testy this past week in his public comments, saying what Pakistan is doing in Afghanistan is akin to training snakes and the snakes would one day come back to bite Pakistan.

Well, tomorrow night Messrs. Karzai and Musharraf will enjoy dinner together, hosted by their great mutual friend and ally George Bush, who had this to say earlier today:

BUSH: Tomorrow, President Karzai and President Musharraf and I will have dinner. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be an interesting discussion amongst three allies, three people who are concerned about the future of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Should be interesting, indeed! No word from the White House yet on the menu, but we’re thinking there’ll be more red zinger than humble pie. Musharraf has an unfair advantage: he gets to practice his best lines tonight on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The world is truly strange.

There’s a powerful scene in “Bamboozled,” Spike Lee’s most difficult and underappreciated movie, in which the street-actor characters played by Savion Glover and Tommy Davidson, having been recruited into a scheme that involves staging a deliberately outrageous, racist pilot for a TV show, find themselves in the dressing room applying blackface. The camera lingers as the cork burns and the grease paint is prepared, and pulls back to show us the characters as they see themselves in the mirror, watching their natural brown hues turn to a shiny, oily black.

Blackface was both insult and injury. Used by white actors, it offered literal cover for the most offensive caricature; used by black actors, it represented a negation of oneself that was demanded to earn a living as a performer, and worse, the prerequisite of dehumanization in order to represent those portrayed as one’s own community, one’s own self. More than any law or repressive policy, it sent the message that black people were simply not human.

Over the weekend, I was shown a tube of grease paint of a make used back in the blackface heyday. A small, banal object, yet one invested with so much and so troubling a meaning. Well it turns out that just a couple of days earlier, the British daily The Independent ran this front-page image in honor of its “Africa issue” with half of the day’s revenues to help fight AIDS on the continent. The depiction is of Kate Moss, the decidedly non-black British fashion model and alleged onetime cocaine/heroin fiend, not only blackened but Blackened — bigger lips, thicker brows, fleshier cheeks. “NOT A FASHION STATEMENT,” the headline blares, while an inset on the sidebar promises a poster of the image inside.

Here’s a British term: BOLLOCKS! That’s also the view of Sunny from Asians in Media and Pickled Politics, our sister-from-another-mother site from across the pond, who puts it succinctly:

Could they not find a black model to represent Africa?

A particularly typical example of liberal guilt “we-feel-sorry-for-you” racism. You see they would have liked to to put a black model on the front but she just would not have sold as many copies. So they used a druggie.

It would have been better for the Indy to not even bother.

Dear Nidhi M.,

Thank you very much for sending Sepia Mutiny a story idea via our tipline three hours ago. It was so kind of you to think of us as you went about your day.

Since you have demonstrated your generosity already, I feel emboldened enough to wonder if you’d be willing to go a bit further in showing your devotion to this mutinous cause. Do you bleed Sepia? If so, would you graciously consider donating one of your eyes to me? I lost mine when I clawed them out, after watching the link you helpfully enclosed with the following succinct statement:

Nike teaming up with 24 hour fitness mixing and mucking up classical indian dances with bollywood and strange robotic aerobic moves.

Mein Gott, that’s almost poetic. You were right. And now, I am in so much pain because of it. I’d gouge away at the intern’s face, but she took one look at me and ran screaming to Rajni the lemur’s room. At least she didn’t have to watch Jamie King train three mostly wooden dancers in his “Rockstar workout” of “far-East funk”. Nor did she have to hear his priceless wisdom, which I feel I must contradict fervently after watching this entire fiasco:

There are no rules. If you’re feeling the music, you can’t go wrong.

TRUST me. You can indeed go wrong. Especially when you employ that uber-abused cliche which has appeared on browndating dot com so many times, my friends have turned it in to part of a drinking game (“OMG, he prefaced it with ‘good blend of’…DOUBLE SHOT!”).

Of course, I am referring to that bi-cultural, directional claptrap which automatically disqualified all otherwise-promising candidates from suitable debauchery; Mr. King’s spin on it didn’t prevent the gagging, not after what I saw. “East meets West on the dance floor”? Come to any random desi party and you can abuse “South” as well, i.e. “when East meets West on the dance floor, two rabidly horny underage hormones often move South in order to simulate an act which MummyPapa would spank them unconscious for, for even pondering”. Anyway. When this man who has choreographed Madge exhorts us to “just get out there and show your Bollywood style!”, I don’t think he realizes what fresh hell he is inviting the world to suffer through by doing so.

Chick Pea? Are you out there? Have you done your surgical rotation yet??? That faint, scratchy squawking you hear is Abhi, frantically paging you to the bunker’s painfully rustic OR. Go, scrub your hands already! My anesthesiologist Dr. Walker is already prepping me for surgery. As for the rest of you, just know this and remember it well— when you dance like that, you make the baby Jesus cry. Worse than that, you also piss off our Desidancer.

Blindly yours,

A N N A

:+:

(more pictures after the jump, click to enlarge them…if you dare)

So maybe this is a stretch, but surely those who hold that Vedic civilization stems from nomadic people from Central Asia will accept that we desis therefore have a vestigial family tie with Borat, the absurd, allegedly Kazakh TV reporter who’s a creation of British comic Sacha Baron Cohen. As you may know, Borat’s movie, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, opens in a few weeks, after a rapturous welcome at the Toronto Film Festival and at various sneak previews.

The Borat character is quite brilliant, as you can see on any of the video clips here. Of course, if you were Kazakh you might not feel the same way. Unfortunately, Borat had to come from somewhere, and it seems that Kazakhstan drew the short straw. I feel bad for the Kazakhs; Borat tests their patience and sense of humor, and now, with the movie about to open in the US and Europe, the Kazakh government is highly agitated about the prospect that Borat will become their country’s global image. Here’s the spokesman of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry:

“We understand that Borat is a kind of satire, but it is just a pity that Mr Cohen chose Kazakhstan as the origin of his hero,” Mr Ashykbayev told The Times. “As far as I know, he has never been to Kazakhstan, although there have been efforts on the part of some people here to invite him so that he can see what our country is really like.” …

Mr Ashykbayev said that there were no plans to ban Borat from Kazakhstan. But he added: “I hope the companies responsible for screening this movie will show some responsibility and not show it.

“It is quite insulting to the people of Kazakhstan and it may create some accusations from the public against the Government for letting such things come to our country.”

That’s from an article today in The Times, which reports that the Kazakh government is bankrolling a film of its own, Nomad:

In a class I’m teaching this fall, we’re looking at Pandita Ramabai’s book on America, which has been recently translated by Meera Kosambi as Pandita Ramabai’s American Encounter (2003). The original book was written in Marathi in 1889, and published as United Stateschi Lokasthiti ani Pravasavritta, which translates to The Peoples of the United States. It’s an intriguing book — part of the small group of “Easterner goes West” books published in the 19th century, coexisting uneasily alongside dozens of conventional, Orientalist travel narratives that describe the mystic, masalafied “East.” What Ramabai has to say about America is interesting partly for the oblique criticisms of colonialism and racism one finds at various points, and partly because of her staunch, unapologetic feminism.

Meera Kosambi has a thorough introduction to the book and to Pandita Ramabai, which is the source of most of the information in the post below. First off, the basic biography: Pandita Ramabai was born to a Brahmin family in Maharashtra in 1859. In a personal memoir she writes that her father (known as Dongre) went out on a limb and taught her Sanskrit, and also taught her to read and recite from the Puranas — considered completely off-limits to women at the time. But both of her parents died in in 1874 [approximately] because of famine, and Ramabai and her brother wandered around India until they ended up in Calcutta in 1878. They impressed the local Sanskrit experts (Calcutta, being more progressive, didn’t shun a female Sanskrit scholar), who granted Ramabai the name “Pandita,” in honor of her learning. Unfortunately, her brother died soon afterwards, and Ramabai married one of his friends, a lawyer from the Shudra caste named Bipin Behari (also known as Das Medhavi). The couple was ostracized for the cross-caste marriage, and tragically, Medhavi died just a couple of years later (in 1880), leaving Ramabai to raise their daughter Manorama, completely on her own.

On Sunday Salon.com published a very provocative article about Sen. George Allen of “Macaca” fame (thanks for the tip Subodh and “Sparky”). To those people who have been defending him, including members of the Indian American Republican Council (IARC) and some Indian American business men in Virginia, I am sure this story will be of interest:

Three former college football teammates of Sen. George Allen say that the Virginia Republican repeatedly used an inflammatory racial epithet and demonstrated racist attitudes toward blacks during the early 1970s.

“Allen said he came to Virginia because he wanted to play football in a place where ‘blacks knew their place,’” said Dr. Ken Shelton, a white radiologist in North Carolina who played tight end for the University of Virginia football team when Allen was quarterback. “He used the N-word on a regular basis back then.”

A second white teammate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared retribution from the Allen campaign, separately claimed that Allen used the word “nigger” to describe blacks. “It was so common with George when he was among his white friends. This is the terminology he used,” the teammate said.

A third white teammate contacted separately, who also spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of being attacked by the Virginia senator, said he too remembers Allen using the word “nigger,” though he said he could not recall a specific conversation in which Allen used the term. “My impression of him was that he was a racist,” the third teammate said. [Link]

Here is one more tidbit:

Shelton said he also remembers a disturbing deer hunting trip with Allen on land that was owned by the family of Billy Lanahan, a wide receiver on the team. After they had killed a deer, Shelton said he remembers Allen asking Lanahan where the local black residents lived. Shelton said Allen then drove the three of them to that neighborhood with the severed head of the deer. “He proceeded to take the doe’s head and stuff it into a mailbox,” Shelton said. [Link]

I am interested of course in what these former teammates have to say about Allen as it has bearing on the whole “macaca” incident. However, I am equally blown away by how similar this is to when former Presidential candidate John Kerry got “swift-boated” during the 2004 campaign. At that time it was some of Kerry’s former Vietnam war comrades that cast aspersions on his character from their interaction with him decades before. Here it is Allen’s former teammates on the UVA Cavaliers. Are we about to see political karma played out before our eyes? Another Presidential hopeful’s ambitions thwarted? I am going to predict so. Many macacas are known for their belief in karma after all. :)

We’ve had a few posts in the past on the growing influence of the Indian American Lobby (see 1,2,3), particularly with regards to the U.S./India nuclear deal. However, a new book set for release stateside next month takes us old school. Long before Indian Americans were lobbying for a nuclear deal with India they were lobbying for the basics, such as civil rights here and freedom for India. Indolink.com has a very informative review:

“Sikhs, Swamis, Students, and Spies: the India lobby in the United States, 1900-1946” is the title of a new book, authored by veteran South Asian scholar Dr Harold Gould, of the University of Virginia, and scheduled for release later this month by Sage Publications.

The subtitle suggests that it deals with the pioneers who confronted racism and opened America to South Asians, reflecting, as Joan Jensen informs us in her earlier classic study ‘Passage from India,’ “The story of how Indian immigrant pioneers settled in a hostile land and struggled to enjoy rights equal to those of Euro-Americans.”

That’s certainly a part of the historical confrontation between desis and non-desis in North America. It should be remembered that this was a time when the process of becoming an American citizen was one from which Indians were excluded through an increasingly complex maze of laws and regulations. Indeed, Indians were the only class of people whose citizenship was revoked because they did not neatly fit into the then commonly accepted racial categories of Caucasian, Mongolian, and Negro.

This was also a time when the chief of the bureau of naturalization notified all United States attorneys to oppose actively the granting of naturalization to “Hindoos or East Indians” and to instruct clerks of courts in their districts to refuse to accept declarations of intention or to file petitions for naturalization. Attorneys were also asked to file motions for orders to cancel declarations of intention already filed by Indians.

That’s why, in 1907, when Bengali student Taraknath Das was refused an application for citizenship in San Francisco, he wrote to the attorney general: “May I ask you if the Hindus who belong to the Caucasian stock of the Human race have no legal right to become citizens of the United States, under what special law the Japanese who belong to a different stock are allowed to declare their intention to become citizens of the United States.” [Link]

By that last paragraph I can see that solidarity with other Asian Americans definitely wasn’t in vogue at the time. According to review, the book takes a very close look at the efforts made throughout North America to drum up support against the British occupation in India:

Most of the India associations had high aims and objectives. For instance, the Hindustanee association of United States, founded in Chicago in 1913, stated its aims as follows: “To further the educational interests of the Indian students, to gather or disseminate all kinds of educational information, to seek help and cooperation from people at home and in the country.” As I.M.Muthanna observes in his book ‘People of India in North America,’ “Though outwardly it posed as a cultural organization, the real aim of this association was to preach sedition against the British.”

The ‘Hindu’ Associations organized in the U.S. had the following objectives: ‘Receipt of vernacular papers from India in order to keep Hindus fully informed of the events in their country, importation of youths from India to America for their education and for preparing them for developing their nationalist outlook, and to hold weekly meetings and discus politics.’

Apart from the Ghadar weekly, some of the pamphlets that were widely circulated include New Echo, Gadar di Goonj, Gadar di Karak, Gadhar Sandesh etc. The editor Ram Chandra wrote: “The ghadar conveys the message of rebellion to the nation once a week. It is brave, outspoken, unbridled, soft-footed, and given to the use of strong language. It is a lightning, a storm and a flame of fire ..we are the harbinger of freedom…” [Link]

Amitava Kumar is currently at Vassar College, and Salman Rushdie was recently scheduled to be a guest speaker. Amitava, as an accomplished critic and essayist, was suggested by the college to introduce Rushdie, but Rushdie vetoed it [see update below]:

Salman Rushdie came to Vassar College earlier this week to deliver a lecture for the Class of 2010–but he made it clear to the organizers that he would cancel if I was involved in his visit. I had earlier been asked to introduce him, and then, well, I was disinvited. Mr Rushdie and I have never met, although I have heard him speak several times. I presume his dislike of me has to do with essays like these that I have written about him in the past. (link)

The essay Amitava links to is a long, partly sunny and partly sour critique of Rushdie, ending with a review of Shalimar the Clown. I think Amitava’s best criticism is probably the following:

The “little superstar’s” moves are actually pretty tight (he’s a little person, not a child). Rajnikanth is there, and according to some of the Youtube commentors, there is some discussion of whether he should be smoking cigarettes or not. Oh, and the hip hop/ electro track is by MC Miker G & DJ Sven (“Holiday Rap”). I have no idea what movie it is (Rajnikanth has been in hundreds)… though I suspect someone out there might know.

As luck would have it, while at the frigid ND bunker and prancing around in nothing but her tropical New Orleanian wear, your intrepid guest blogger caught a cold and was forcibly isolated from the other monkeys and community computer for a week. Eeek achoo eeek! Hey, the New Orleanian cold front of 75 degrees and 80% humidity just hit yesterday, and this macaca yearns for a mint julep on her sunny porch.

While mired in the hurricane-force sneezes and sea of wadded-up tissue paper, cable TV overcame me and I fell prey to such eye-searers as As The World Turns, Dr. Phil and America’s Next Top Model. Dear Supreme Geek Council, please do not oust me from your favor for this transgression. Your humble servant was merely … ummmm … getting to know the enemy … yeah, that’s it.

Anchal Joseph of Homestead, FL wishes to go beyond model immigrant; she wants to be a supermodel. This 19-year-old sports flawless dark skin, ass-length hair, blue-tinted contacts and a desire to show her people that dark women can walk that catwalk, too. With tears threatening to evict her fake baby blues, Ms. Anchal informed Tyra Banks, Jay Manuel (a planet in the neighboring galaxy is missing its weirdo) and J. Alexander (and I do not quote), “Where I come from, light skin and light eyes are preferable to dark skin and eyes. I want to show them that I am just as beautiful.” Fair enough. So, why the blue contacts? If you want to win on your looks, where is the need for the prop? Then again, Anchal is the only one out of 36 who doesn’t transform into a vavoom covergirl when adorned with that other crutch - lots of makeup. She looks pretty much her beautiful same. (Aside: Check out this definition for anchal)

Conversely, the only personal features I find appealing are my brown skin and black eyes. My hips could use several circumlocutions of the block and 5’4” isn’t anything to write Elle about. This isn’t to say that my extended family has risen above the inanity of Anchal’s experiences; in fact, I’ve been on the receiving end of such remarks for 12 more years than her. My dark skin has never bothered me, even when met with reproachful stares from the kuppai that populates my end of the South. To each her own pathology or just another plea for Reality-TV^TM attention?

Speaking of this past week’s TV, was it the NyQuil crooning or did a segment of Chaiyya Chaiyya open a scene of the Smith premiere?

Here in New York the UN General Assembly is in session, and even from the relative safety of my garret in Harlem, it’s impossible to avoid the Sturm und Drang as world leaders, their critics and sycophants perambulate around the city, block avenues for protests or motorcades, and pop up in the media. On Wednesday Shashi Tharoor, undersecretary-general of the UN on leave and India’s candidate for the top spot, was on WNYC commenting the speeches; his is such a mellifluous, Britishized diplomatic voice that I was lulled into paying no attention at all, so I can’t tell you what he had to say. You can listen here. All I know is that Kofi Annan’s voice is a hard act to follow, but if the criterion is cosmopolitan polish, Brother Shashi got it goin’ on.

There’s interesting stuff happening at the UN this month but you won’t hear about it: like every other conference, the UN meetings are ones where the real action — private discussions between enemies, mediation of civil wars, horse-trading of all sorts — takes place in the hallways and back rooms, not in the auditorium. So we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Hugo Chavez, the irrepressible president of Venezuela, for livening things up yesterday when he stepped to the podium and said this:

The devil is right at home. The devil — the devil, himself, is right in the house.

And the devil came here yesterday.

Yesterday, the devil came here. Right here. Right here. And it smells of sulfur still today, this table that I am now standing in front of.

Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world.

Now, I have no interest in getting into a discussion of the relative merits or flaws of Messrs. Bush and Chavez; last night I went to a show where a singer called politicians “all lyin’ sacks of shit” and, armed with my graduate training in political science, I can’t say I disagree. But as literature, as television, as performance, as art, this is really fantastic material.

This Sunday evening CBS’s 60 Minutes has what is promising to be an explosive interview with President Pervez Musharraf. Check out the tidbit they have leaked early:

President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan tells Steve Kroft that after 9/11, the U.S. threatened to bomb his country if it didn’t help America’s war on terrorism.

Kroft’s interview with the Pakistani leader, in which he also discusses his embarrassment over his country’s nuclear secrets getting into the hands of other nations, will be broadcast Sunday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Musharraf says the threat came from then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and was delivered to Musharraf’s intelligence director.

“The intelligence director told me that (Armitage) said, ‘Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age,’ ” recalls Musharraf. It was insulting, he says. “I think it was a very rude remark.” But he reacted to it in a responsible way, he tells Kroft. “One has to think and take actions in the interests of the nation, and that’s what I did…” [Link]

Geez. That Armitage seems to have a big mouth. I’m sure we all figured that Pakistan was strong-armed into turning on the Taliban (as well they should have been), but hearing that such stark language was used is almost as surprising as hearing Musharraf admit it. I’m not sure how this will go over with some in the home crowd. Musharraf also admits to his most embarrassing moment as President:

“(Tenet) took his briefcase out, passed me some papers. It was a centrifuge design with all its numbers and signatures of Pakistan. It was the most embarrassing moment,” Musharraf reveals. He learned then, he says, that not only were blueprints being given to Iran and North Korea, but the centrifuges themselves — the crucial technology needed to enrich uranium to weapons grade — were being passed to them. “(Khan) gave them centrifuge designs. He gave them centrifuge parts. He gave them centrifuges.”

Despite the fact that the military was guarding Khan’s nuclear facilities and the total amount of secret material sent from the lab was more than 18 tons, Musharraf denies anyone in the government or military had to know. [Link]

Incidentally, Mr. Musharraf is stateside right now and just attended a conference with the likes of Bill Clinton and Laura Bush.

Recently Taz wrote about a “dreamy” new he-ro on television that in reality is just an act-or. Via our News Tab I’d like you all to focus your attention instead on a real hero. The Hill profiles Mohinder Singh, “The most trusted cabbie of Capitol Hill.” He is mild-mannered, works in the shadows, and always gets the job done.

Rule #1. Never change the deal. Transportation is a precise business.

Unlike some cab drivers in Washington, Mohinder Singh is not easily riled. No matter if passengers rob him. No matter if they swear at him in a drunken stupor.

“I never fight with a customer,” he says, through a thick Indian accent. “There’s no use to fighting. If someone says, ‘You son of a bitch,’ I say ‘Thank you.’ You cannot make me mad easily…” [Link]

Bruce Banner could learn a thing or two about anger management from Mohinder.

But Singh, 56, clean-cut in a white oxford shirt and khakis, is no typical cabbie. [Link]

Of course! Would I have bothered writing a post about him if that is all he was?

In the past several years, however, Singh has hit a stride, accumulating a famous D.C. clientele that takes him to the homes of some of Washington’s political elite who include Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean (better known to Singh as “Mr. Howard,”) former Texas Gov. Ann Richards and Reps. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), Rubén Hinojosa (D-Texas), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.)…

Singh says he accumulated his clientele accidentally. One day he picked up a woman from Southeast who needed to be driven to American University. She told him how hard it was for her to get a cab. So he gave her his number, and for seven to eight months he drove her whenever she called.

“I didn’t know who she was,” he says, explaining that he later found out that she worked for the DNC. The next thing he knew, word traveled fast and Dean’s people came calling. [Link]

Let the record show that Ennis suggested that I title this post “Driving Mr. DNC.”

Early this month, we ran the first instalment of a conversation that DesiDancer and I are holding on the mixed-race experience: being half-desi in relation to desi cultures and communities, and being of mixed race in America today. In the first instalment, titled “Gettin’ Down with the Brown,” we discussed our relationship to desi-ness — the terms of our engagement with our South Asian cultural background, and the issues we’ve encountered in the process.

Today, in “Living the Mix,” we discuss the role of mixed-race identity in general, and mixed-desiness in particular, in shaping our experiences in American society. And as promised, the conversation reflects our take on the many fascinating comments and private messages that we received after the first post. And that’s where we begin:

Siddhartha: So, it’s been a couple of weeks since we posted our first Mixed Messages item. What did you think about the responses?

DesiDancer: I don’t know what I expected, but I was really pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of honest and emotional comments, both on and off-thread.

Siddhartha: So was I. There were some themes that I expected, others less so. It seemed that lots of non-mixed folks shared quite a few of the experiences and concerns.

DesiDancer: I guess the assumption I had made from our previous conversation — that feeling somewhat outside the desi community, while being “in” it — was symptomatic to being mixed. Yet I think a lot of non-mixed people echoed the same sentiment. I never really gave it much thought, but I was interested to make that discovery as the thread evolved. Things like how we’re perceived in different situations, how things like “but you don’t look Indian” can be backhanded compliments, how people mentioned feeling uncomfortable in “desi” gatherings… I realized that it’s not just a mixed issue, and I think it raised some good similarities that maybe we’ve never explored, individually or as a Mutiny.

Siddhartha: And it may have been interesting as well in reverse: i.e., that some non-mixed folks realized that they have these same issues in common with mixed people. I was really touched by the commenter who said it inspired him to get in touch with his mixed cousins whom he had previously sort of neglected.

Here’s the problem in a nutshell. If you’re a CEO of an iconic brand, do you modernize the branding of your product if it is associated with a country’s racist history? If so, how do you do this without either losing brand recognition or whitewashing the past?

The original label

To ensure Victorian consumers got the message that they were drinking the same treacly caffeine concentrate designed to fortify soldiers subduing the colonies, the kilted Gordon Highlander was shown being brought his drink by a Sikh manservant. [Link]

Of course, times change. The sun went down on the British empire, dusky Britons moved in and took over the cornershops. They weren’t quite as fond of this label as Victorian customers were.

So, in the 1980s, a compromise was reached:

In the 1980s, the label was moved to the back and later the Sikh bearer’s tray was removed but he remained standing. [Link]

This new label was a bit bizarre. It had the Sikh servant with his fist up, like he was about to punch the Scottish officer in his face.

The newest label

Of course, this didn’t last either. Brown people being uppity like they are, they wanted yet more:

Recently, several Asian shopkeepers threatened to stop putting the liquid coffee and chicory concentrate on their shelves unless the label was changed. After such threats and pressure from race equality groups, the manufacturers have had the scene radically redrawn to show the two men sitting side by side. [Link]

So the label was finally changed to the anachronistic image of the officer and his batman sitting down for coffee together. While this might be a useful image for today’s multicultral UK, it’s absurd to imagine that it might have happened back in the day.

Atul Gawande and Shahzia Sikander are among the 25 recipients of this year’s MacArthur Foundation grants, announced yesterday. The MacArthurs, widely known as “genius grants,” give the winners $500,000 over five years, with no strings attached. You don’t apply for a MacArthur; it just turns up. It’s really a beautiful thing.

Two other things of beauty: First, the fact that the MacArthur committee makes brilliant choices that reflect a whole range of human endeavor, and isn’t afraid to reward young “geniuses” — many recipients are in their 30s. And second, the style of the foundation’s epigrammatic citations, which are concise and finely crafted:

Atul Gawande: Surgeon/Author applying a critical eye and fresh perspective to modern surgical practice, articulating its realities, complexities, and challenges, in the interest of improving outcomes and saving lives.

Shahzia Sikander: Painter merging the traditional South Asian art of miniature painting with contemporary forms and styles to create visually compelling, resonant works on multiple scales and in a dazzling array of media.

The full list of winners is here. Gawande, 40, is a surgeon, an innovator in surgery ethics and technique, a staff writer for the New Yorker, and a columnist for the New England Journal of Medicine. Oh, and he’s also the author of the best-seller Complications, which Amardeep blogged about here. Sikander, 37, is a New York-based painter who trained in the art of miniatures at the National College of Art in Lahore and re-imagines the form in work that extends into digital media. Congratulations to the full crop of this year’s Geniuses and massive props to Atul and Shahzia!

With democratization in Nepal comes secularization. Nepal has been a Hindu monarchy for close to 250 years:

Since it was unified by King Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1768, Nepal has been ruled by a Hindu dynasty. Its kings have bound themselves into a litany of Hindu rituals. [Link]

This man has no connection to the protests, I just liked his photo.

the army - hitherto ruled by top Hindu castes - will now be “inclusive and national” in character. [Link]

Official broadcasts will have to be more even handed between faiths:

the state broadcaster gives … [Buddhism] 10 minutes a week compared with three-and-a-half hours for Hinduism. [Link]

And more non-Hindu houses of worship will be built:

Pastor KB Rokaya heads a church which meets in a private flat because churches are not allowed to register with the authorities. [Link]

However, not everybody is pleased with these changes. The head of Shiv Sena Nepal said, at a recent rally:

“Nepal is a Hindu country,” he says. “It is the playground of God and a very holy country. If Nepal is not a Hindu kingdom then there is no Nepal. We are entering into a holy war,” [Link]

One of the demonstrators at this rally promises worse:

“In secularism it will be very difficult for … [religious minorities]. The churches will be destroyed, the mosques will be destroyed. The people who are very much [of a] religious mind, they will spontaneously blow up these churches and mosques. The fight between the religious communities… is not going to stop. It has been ignited…” [Link]

At this point, it is too early to tell if this is the usual windbaggery by people resistant to change. There have only been a few dozen protestors at these rallies thus far. The question is whether his movement will pick up steam or lose wind or further mix metaphors as time goes on.

Here at Sepia Mutiny, we often get into long debates in the comment thread of Indian-American versus the South Asian American. With elections right around the corner and all the focus on 'issue based politicizing,' the conversations often revolve around people who identify as Indian-American tend to care more about South Asian foreign policy and less about their lives here in America as an 'American' first, and vice versa for people that identify as South Asian American.

So the real question I see is as 'Americans', whether South Asian or Indian/Bangladeshi/Pakistani/Sri Lankan - American, are our issues domestically really that different? Should we be asking 'what issues are desis interested in' when we really should be asking 'what issues affect the the desi community?'

Let me present you the information, and you make the educated judgement for yourself...The following numbers are based on the national demographics profile recently released by key APIA research organizations.

• Education: We know the model minority sterotypes -- desis are 'supposed' to be the most educated. The truth is 23% of Bangladeshis have less than a high school degree, higher than national average of 20%. Pakistani (19%), Asian Indian (15%), and Sri Lankan (14%). On the other hand, as far as college education is concerned, 61% of Asian Indians have a bachelors or advanced degree, 42% of Pakistanis and 45% of Bangladeshis.

• Poverty: One doesn't think that poverty affects the desi community -- looking simply at the median household income we see that it is higher than the national and higher than non-Hispanic whites at $45,576 for Pakistanis, $52,392 for Sri Lankans, and $61,322 for Asian Indians. Bangladeshis we see fall the lowest at $37,074. When delving further we see that 15% of Bangladeshis and Asian Indians have 3 or more workers per family. Pakistani at 14%, Sri Lankan at 12% -- the national number is 12%. But when comparing these numbers to the percentage of people below poverty level we see that all South Asians have a higher percentage than whites (8%): Bangladeshi 23%, Pakistani 18%, Sri Lankan 10%, and Asian Indian 10%. Seeing such 'high' numbers of poverty in our community, it's sad to see that public assistance for this community is far less: 4% of Bangladeshi, 2% Pakistani, 2% Asian Indian and 1% Sri Lankan.

• Housing: Though nationally, 66% of Americans own homes, and 72% of whites own homes, the numbers for South Asian Americans is less than this. 25% of Bangladeshis, 40% of Pakistanis, 47% of Asian Indians, and 50% of Sri Lankans. Unfortunately, the overcrowded housing issue is far worse -- 6% nationally live in over crowded housing, 2% of Whites, where as 43% of Bangladeshis, 31% of Pakistani, 21% of Sri Lankans, and 18% of Asian Indians.

Two things are going to happen here that you never imagined you would see coming from me. One has already happened. Yes, I did in fact quote Crazytown in the title of this post. The second? I am writing a post about Fashion! Let me transport you fabulous readers to Fashion Week in London. In particular, I want to focus your attention on the hottest Indian designer in town: Manish Arora. Here is a snippet (with pictures) from last year’s Fashion Week:

As the special guest of the British Fashion Council, Delhi-based designer Manish Arora was undoubtedly under some pressure to make his mark on London Fashion Week. Although on of India’s best loved designers - his shows are nigh impossible to squeeze into - over here he’s the new boy and performing to an audience which is undoubtedly harder to please.

He seemed to pull it off. Although more costume than fashion, he gave us a spectacle that won’t be easy to forget. Models, who looked like they’d spent too much time at the village fete face-painting stall, came out in frou frou skirts buoyed by layers of coloured netting. Indian motifs and imagers covered the surface of bright fabrics, vying for position with gold embroidery, tassles and metallic discs. [Link]

So how would Manish top the buzz he created last year? How would he make his gorgeous models memorable to all the buyers? One word. Butterflies.

Damn girl. Your butt-is-err-fly!

Growing up in Southern California, and I'm sure Chick Pea will concur, one often grows up with an unnatural obsession with certain Disneyland rides. For me, it was always the Pirates of the Caribbean which has subsequently fostered an unnatural obsession with all things skull and crossbones. This is why it should come as no surprise that, me mateys, tis is International Talk Like Pirate Day!

At first an inside joke between two friends, the holiday gained exposure when Baur and Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to the American syndicated humor columnist Dave Barry in 2002. Barry liked the idea and promoted the day. There have been reports that this holiday was being celebrated in the New Zealand town of Wainuiomata at least as early as 2000, after local media reported the existence of Talk Like A Pirate Day. [wiki]

Ahoy, me hearty! Today, feel liberated to say, "Avast!" and "Arrr!" and "That's the finest pirate booty I've ever laid eyes on." Go on, wear your eye patch and drink some grog at the local (desi-owned) pirate bar. Rent the Depp-makes-pirates-sexy movie of the moment, Pirates of the Caribbean, and sing along with a "Yo, ho!"

All this pirate talk made me wonder, arrrrre there South Asian pirates? Arre, matey, there arrrre...

The Mogul's trade fleets went into the Red Sea and Persian Gulf with fabrics, ivory, and spices; attack of Mogul ship they returned with the abundant gold and silver of exchange...Topping the list were the abundant prizes of the various East Indian Company ventures, which carried off luxurious silks, ivory, jewels, and proceeds from import.

With deterioration of effective naval patrol or protection, the pickings were ripe from Cochin and Calcutta in the South, through the Portuguese trade port of Goa, to Bombay and Surat farther north. Bombay became the focal point of a most successful family-run pirate enterprise as the Angria clan gained control of the surrounding area. They established their main fortress of Vijayadurg (Severndroog) as one of several island bases south of Bombay. [link]

The most infamous pirate of the Indian Ocean was Kanhoji Angre, died in 1792.

Kanhoji initially started by attacking merchant ships of the British East India Company and slowly gained notoriety and power. When Maratha Chattrapati Shahu ascended the leadership of the Maratha kingdom, he appointed Balaji Viswanath Bhatt as his Senakarta ('Commander'), and negotiated an agreement with Angre around 1707. This was partly to appease Angre who supported the other ruler who claimed the Maratha throne, Tarabai...Kanhoji Angre stands alone in the Indian list of early freedom fighters as the one person who stood undefeated and inflicted many casualties on colonial powers. [wiki]

Arrrrr. Now that's what I call a real mutiny. A true Sepia Mutineer to the corrrre. For more desi pirate stories, thar be 20th - century John Boysie Singh, and Gurkha repelling pirates last year. But with all this talk of accents, I wonder what a desi-accented pirate talk sounds like. Arrrr-ay?

Without LonelyGirl15 to satiate our YouTube obsession anymore, the viral video land has been somewhat quiet. That is until The Avon Lady hit the inter-waves (thanks, MadGuru).

That's right kiddies, starring in this insanity of a rap opera video with a dinosaur Avon lady is our very own Kal Penn (as well as Superman Brandon Routh as the cop). There is a perfectly good explanation why the video is trying to be the next 'Lazy Sunday'-- because it is housed out of the same group of filmmakers of said SNL fame, The Lonely Island.

The Lonely Island is a group of filmmakers, founded in 2001 by Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg... The Lonely Island has created numerous comedic films, shorts, parody songs, and music videos. They have made three full-length pilots, all of which have been rejected...The site also includes a blog from Chester Tam, often referred to as Chez. The blog, titled "Chez Chat", gives humorous summaries of the site's updates. [wiki]

Watch, comment, enjoy. As for me, Chez's you tube videos and podcasts are my new inter-addiction. I cannot wait for Part II and some more Kal Penn in speaking roles.

I’ve been getting lots of tips today about the early Sikh art exhibit opening today at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York. There is a surprisingly effusive review of the exhibit by Holland Cotter up at the New York Times:

But what about Sikhism itself? Few Westerners have even basic information.

How many people are aware that it was conceived as a universalist, open-door religion?

Or that its view of society was radically egalitarian? Or that its holy book, the Adi Granth, far from being a catalog of sectarian dos and don’ts, is a bouquet of poetic songs, blending the fragrances of Hindu ragas, Muslim hymns and Punjabi folk tunes into a music of spiritual astonishment?

This is precisely the information delivered by the small and absolutely beautiful show titled “I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion” at the Rubin Museum of Art in Chelsea.(link)

All very admirable and correct. The only thing I find a little odd is that the review is less an evaluation of the art in the exhibit than it is a summary of the basic points about Sikhism covered. For Cotter, the art is more a vehicle for acquiring knowledge than beautiful in its own right. Not a great tragedy, perhaps; in fact, even this short article is pretty informative. But still, it might have been interesting to hear more about how or whether this art fits into the broader picture of religious art in the Indian subcontinent during this historical period. (Call me an academic geek, but the question crossed my mind.)

The other slightly odd moment is this:

The painting is paired in the show with the workshop drawing, produced by a master artist, that served as its model. The contrast is striking. In the drawing the prince, far from being restrained, practically levitates from his saddle with ardor and leans toward Nanak as if drawn to a magnet. Mardana plays and sings with fervor of a contemporary bhangra star. It is in the drawing, rather than in the painting, that the Nanak Effect, so evident in poems and songs, comes through. (link)

Bhangra, huh? Not quite, Cotter-saab. Bhangra is secular, festive, and pro-intoxication. Nothing at all to do with Bhai Mardana. This is a forgivable slip; Holland Cotter is a dedicated art critic, and as far as I can tell this is the first time he’s ever written on Sikh-related art.

Incidentally, the Rubin Museum is doing an extensive array of programs to coincide with this show, including Sikh-related film screenings (organized through the Spinning Wheel Film Festival folks) as well as lectures.

Who said desi accents weren't sexy? One in particular will keep me glued to the TV every Monday night, starting next Monday on the NBC sci-fi drama Heroes.

Desi-licious

The most heated debate [by critics] centers on "Heroes," NBC's bold new drama about everyday people who discover they have extraordinary powers (one can teleport, another can fly, a third is impervious to bodily injury) and ultimately band together to fight evil. (Think "X-Men" meets "Lost.") Our panelists are deeply divided on this show -- they either love it or seem to be disillusioned with the genre. [link]

Looks like with this show, NBC will be finally be able to tap into the 'sci-fi drama for Gen X' market that had been previously cornered by the soon to be defunct WB. As for my new television crush with the delicious desi accent -- it is Sendhil Ramamurthy, who plays the Indian geneticist turned New York cabbie Mohinder Suresh.

A tenured genetics professor at the the University of Madras. His father Chandra was also a professor until he disappeared from India and the accredited academic world years ago after raving about a "global event' that would change mankind. He thought his answers would be in New York... Chandra was murdered. Mohinder moves to New York to find out why his father was killed. [link]

Boys, you can have your Lakshmi-the-cooking-show-host because us girls will have Ramamurthy-the-geneticist- professor-who-will-solve-the-mystery. The Heroes site has delicious videos online to be sure to get you addicted well in advances of the Sept. 25th premiere. If you are a fan of the intrigue that was behind Lost (first season), or a comic book geek for superhuman abilities, then this show is sure to be your cup of chai. Join me in my new Monday night obsession, as I'm sure other female mutineers across the nation will be sure to do, in a swoon worthy weekly television event.

The writer Vikram Seth, along with a group of activists, recently signed an open letter directed to the Government of India and the Delhi High Court, asking it to repeal Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This is the section that prohibits sexual relations between men as well as other “unnatural” acts. Amartya Sen has put out a follow-up open letter with dozens of prominent Indian intellectuals and celebrities signing on.

Human Rights Watch put out a report in 2002 criticizing the law because it weakens efforts to mobilize against AIDS. In the NYT Somini Sengupta mentions that the government’s own National AIDS Control Agency has stated that the law hampers AIDS prevention and treatment programs.

The key actor in all this a group called the Naz Foundation India Trust, which sued the government in 2004 to request the repeal of the law. The case was initially refused by the Delhi Court, but the Indian Supreme Court required the Delhi Court to examine the case on its merits. The next hearing is scheduled for October 4. The recent agitations seem to be oriented to influencing the outcome of these particular hearings.

For reference, here is the text of the 1861 law:

Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Explanation- Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section. (link)

This is a very bad, outmoded law. It is, for one thing, euphemistic to the point of absurdity. Who exactly defines what is “against the order of nature”? I believe the earlier versions of the Penal Code didn’t include the “explanation,” so one obvious question is whether it includes, to be quite direct, everything but the heterosexual missionary position. (The term “sodomy” once included oral sex as well as masturbation; it is still only euphemistically defined as “any sex act that does not lead to procreation”.)

More generally, the law has many deleterious effects that its critics have explored. Let’s have a look at some of these arguments, as well as the government’s response to them so far.

The rumors are true kids, and we have pictures to prove it (need to join as member to view pix). To quote Vinod, last night was "the BEST Sepia Mutiny Meetup EVER!"

GujuDude and his macaca

The quick run down- the place was hip, the people that came were cool, the drama kept at a minimum and the party was a great success. It started at happy hour time, and went late into the wee morning as 15 of us broke bread together at The Pantry at 1am. As you can see from the pictures, everyone was smiling and having a great time. Big ups to all the mutinous (I'd guess we had a posse of 50 throughout the night) that came: Abhi, Vinod, Sumit, Karthik, Rumi, Builder, Vinod (x2), Hanish, GujuDude (+1), Prashant, Lata, Payal, Ravi the lurker, Amar, Gaurav, Pawan, Sharat, Sachin, Rajan, Lavanya, Arun, Deep, Shivani, 1 /26, Satish, Thomas Kurma, Shruti, Dimpal, Vivek, Anu, Ami, Mad Guru, - and all those others that didn't sign in!

What exactly happened that made it so kick ass?

Though it started at 7pm, people were naturally on IST time. As people joined the mutiny, they had a sepia rakhi tied to their wrist to let them know they were now a 'part of the mutiny.' People slowly filtered in, and folks hesitantly approached our table of brown folks. We then loosened folks up (or was it the alcohol?) with an icebreaker. The icebreaker was to a list SM handles that people had to match with real names and on the flip the Sepia Mutiny Trivia (after the jump). First to answer all corrrectly was GujuDude and his prize, as you can see from the picture, was a toy macaca.

I was happily watching The Princess Bride for about the 1000th time on Bravo (“That’s right. When I was your age, television was called books.”), and I saw the name “Padma Lakshmi” flash across the screen. A little Googling later, and it appears that Padma Lakshmi, model, occasional actress, cookbook author, and oh yeah, Mrs. Salman Rushdie, has a new gig — possibly her most high-profile one yet.

She’s hosting the second season of Bravo’s Top Chef, a cooking reality show:

Known as the first Indian supermodel, actress and award-winning writer Padma Lakshmi joins the second season as host of “Top Chef,” introducing the challenges to the contestants and sitting at the judges’ table each week. Lakshmi is currently working on her second cookbook for Miramax Books due in Spring 2007, a culinary endeavor of over 150 recipes from around the world and intriguing personal memoirs. This is a follow up to her successful first cookbook, “Easy Exotic,” for which she won the International Versailles Event for best cookbook by a first time writer. Lakshmi hosted “Padma’s Passport” on The Food Network, cooking diverse and low-fat cuisine based on her best selling book, “Easy Exotic.” Lakshmi also hosted the documentary series “Planet Food” for The Food Network and worldwide Discovery Channel, in which she journeyed the world for exotic cuisine. (link)

Ok, she’s not really the first Indian supermodel — though maybe she’s the best-known in the American TV landscape. (But who was the “first” Indian supermodel?) I suppose one could make a comment about the phrase, “easy exotic,” but we’ll try and rise above that. Between “Planet Food” and “Padma’s Passport,” I prefer the latter title, though I think what she really needs to do is start her own video podcast: the Podmacast.

Once again, it’s taken a desi to raise the bar of achievement in one of the major fields of human endeavor. The winner of the first-ever Worldwide Web Games competition for casual gamers is Kavitha Yalavarthi of Odessa, Texas. She wins a prize of one million dollars! The dude standing next to her in the photo is her fiancé, who probably isn’t too unhappy with this development.

“Casual games?” you ask. Well, I had to look it up too. It turns out that this is a term of art in the business:

The term casual game is used to refer to a category of electronic or computer games targeted at a mass audience. Casual games usually have a few simple rules and an engaging game design, making it easy for a new player to begin playing the game in just minutes. They require no long-term time commitment or special skills to play, and there are comparatively low production and distribution costs for the producer.

The three Casual Games at which Kavitha outlasted the competition, narrowly defeating non-desi Amy Demerath of Green Bay, Wisconsin — geek girls from football towns, in a way it all makes sense — were Zuma, Bejeweled 2, and Solitaire.

Solitaire.

That’s right. All those hours you spent delaying the start of a research paper, or doodling at the computer during an incredibly boring conference call, could have netted you one million clams, had only you practised with Kavitha’s intensity. She didn’t even let her honors studies at UT-Austin get in the way of refining her game. And because this is a desi story, after all, her parents helped push her to achieve:

Yalavarthi, an aspiring law student and honors graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, got her start playing casual games by challenging her mother to friendly competitions online. She plans to use her winnings to purchase her first home with her new fiance, who accompanied her to the competition.

Shortly after winning the million-dollar prize, Yalavarthi woke her parents with a late-night call to break the news. “Mom, Dad, you know those casual games that I play online?” Yalavarthi asked. “Well, they’re not so casual anymore. I just won the $1 million grand prize.”

Kavitha’s victory will be shown on the Game Show Network on December 6th. No story yet in the Times of India, but just you wait…

Back in the day, I had an Italian co-worker who had the oh-so-Italian name “Enzo” coupled with the deadly, oh-so-Italian accent. The amazing thing about Enzo was that it didn’t matter one bit what was actually coming out of his mouth - the ladies in the office always had the same swooning reaction, “oh Enzo, say ‘operating system’ again. It sounds so sexy.”

Blech.

Despite having a pretty American accent myself (with an occasional touch of TX), I knew enough about how the world worked to know that one day, just once, I’d love to hear women swoon at the Indian accent. And on that day, my proverbial ship would finally come in and perhaps a few perceived ethnic slights would be righted. But, as Russell Peters once quipped, the primary thing the Indian accent is good for is cutting the tension.“The primary thing the Indian accent is good for is cutting the tension.”

The lesson? Enzo’s Italian accent evoked the exotic beauty, power and grace of a Ferrari the same way DesiTalk brought forth the rugged manliness of Apu.

So, the following commercial didn’t really move my meter much. TV Junkie that I am, I’ve usually got the boob tube on in the background while working. And, as a result, I probably get more than my fair share of 30second pop culture. So like many of you, I’ve come across a series of TV commercials for L’Oreal Cosmetics starring none other than our own Aishwarya Rai…

Here we go again:

They have funny accents, occasionally dress in strange outfits, and some wear turbans and grow beards, yet Indians have been able to overcome stereotypes to become the U.S.’s most successful immigrant group.

Another season, another self-congratulatory article about desis as a model minority. At least this piece — by “BusinessWeek.com columnist and accomplished businessman” Vivek Wadhwa — drops the M-bomb from the outset. It’s titled “Are Indians the Model Immigrants?” and after the self-exoticizing intro (funny accents! strange outfits! turbans!), goes through the usual recital of achievements: median household income, hotel ownership, doctors and academics (sans supporting data), Indra Nooyi. All of which leads to this burning question:

Census data show that 81.8% of Indian immigrants arrived in the U.S. after 1980. They received no special treatment or support and faced the same discrimination and hardship that any immigrant group does. Yet, they learned to thrive in American society. Why are Indians such a model immigrant group?

I’ll let you read the article to find out the incredibly profound answers, which Wadhwa offers “in the absence of scientific research” (i.e., by pulling out of his butt) and “as an Indian immigrant” who has “had the chance to live the American dream.” You’ll learn, for instance, that such uniquely Indian traits as education, family values, humility, and “determination to overcome obstacles” account for the community’s great fortune. But let’s jump to Wadhwa’s 12th and final explanation:

12. Integration and acceptance. The Pew Global Attitudes Project, which conducts worldwide public opinion surveys, has shown that Indians predominantly hold favorable opinions of the U.S. When Indians immigrate to the U.S, they usually come to share the American dream and work hard to integrate.

Indians have achieved more overall business success in less time in the U.S. than any other recent immigrant group. They have shown what can be achieved by integrating themselves into U.S. society and taking advantage of all the opportunities the country offers.

Again, this last claim (more success in less time) is devoid of any supporting data, let alone its assumptions about the meaning of “success,” but hey, fuzzy math is only one of the characteristics of the “model minority” argument, which also trots out sociological traits that are somehow supposed to be specific to the group in question, and doggedly avoids any contrary evidence. But what makes the argument noxious isn’t so much the grab-my-nuts boosterism or even the total disregard for socio-economic difference within the community in question (dirty laundry for us to hash out in places like this blog), but the implied statements about other immigrant or ethnic groups, which, if they are not as “successful” as Indians are, must therefore be inherently lacking in the bootstraps department. After all, Indians “received no special treatment” and “faced the same discrimination and hardship that any immigrant group does,” yet “they learned to thrive in American society.”

Those who wish to engage these assertions on the issues might start with the fact that selective immigration policies aimed to brain-drain skilled professionals into the US is very much “special treatment” from the get-go. I’m sure that claim about Indians having faced the same discrimination as “any immigrant group” could use a little data-driven scrutiny too.

Still, Wadhwa has done us all a favor, by deploying the “model minority” argument in such candid fashion. We know these views are prevalent in some sections of the community; now we have a complete statement of the case and its underlying logic. You be the judge. All I can say is: Macaca, Please!

Has everyone heard about the Indian government’s new plan to help erase the scourge that is the ages-old caste system? If I may offer my humble opinion…I think it is sheer brilliance. Check it:

THE Indian Government is offering 50,000 rupees (£580) to higher-caste people who marry spouses from the lowest castes in its latest controversial effort to dismantle the ancient Hindu social hierarchy…

The proposed bonus is a small fortune in a country where average annual income per capita is £280, and where official corruption is rampant. [Link]

This new incentive is making me consider taking a trip to India to find my bride. Let’s face reality. I have a lot of factors working against my search for a bride/girlfriend here in the U.S., and frankly, they are making my life miserable.

1. I am not getting any younger
2. I have a mountain of debt from my undergraduate years
3. My parents insist “it is time”
4. I blog

I do have one HUGE advantage working for me however. I am Brahmin. Why not use it? I am sure there are quite a few lower-caste girls with “good features” that will do just fine. If it helps pay down my college debt then I am not going to complain about it one bit. Besides, I hear that lower-caste girls aren’t nearly as uppity and are FAR more reasonable. Just listen:

Meira Kumar, the Social Justice Minister, who is from a lower caste, defended the plan yesterday before meeting officials from the 28 Indian states to persuade them to approve it.

“Yes, I know this is not the only way to end the caste discrimination, but one has to start somewhere,” she said. “All proposals have initial hiccups. That does not mean that we give them up.” Ever since independence in 1947, Indian governments have tried in vain to break down the complex caste system, which divides society into hereditary hierarchical groups. [Link]

There is one additional advantage that I possess which makes this plan especially appealing to me. I’m Guju:

But the amount differs from state to state - in Gujarat a couple gets the full $1,100 (50,000 rupees) - whereas in West Bengal state the amount is $45. [Link]

Ha Ha! Sucks to be an upper-caste West Bengali.

Tim Russert, the host of NBC’s Meet the Press, has been doing a great job of late on Sunday mornings. My TiVo is always set for 8a.m. Did any of you catch his interview last Sunday with The Prince of Dar… Vice President Dick Cheney? Here are some choice quotes for those who don’t have the time to watch the entire episode which is still linked to NBC’s website (it is a great hour of Must See TV):

MR. RUSSERT: Pakistan has now a peace pact with the terrorists in the area where we think bin Laden is, creating what Richard Clarke, the former White House adviser on terrorism, calls a “sanctuary.” And reports from the RAND Corporation that the Pakistan CIA, the ISI, are in…

VICE PRES. CHENEY: ISID.

MR. RUSSERT: Yeah, are in cahoots with the Taliban. So if the Pakistanis aren’t willing to seek bin Laden, and have a peace pact with the terrorists, where are we?

VICE PRES. CHENEY: I don’t buy the premature question, Tim. I, I think it’s wrong and I think the sources you’ve quoted are wrong. The fact is we’ve captured and killed more al-Qaeda in Pakistan than any place else in the world in the last five years. President Musharraf has been a great ally. There was, prior to 9/11, a close relationship between the Pakistan intelligence services and the Taliban. Pakistan was one of only three nations that recognized, diplomatically recognized the government of Afghanistan at that particular time. But the fact is Musharraf has put his neck on the line in order to be effective in going after the extremist elements including al-Qaeda and including the Taliban in Pakistan. There have been three attempts on his life, two of those by al-Qaeda over the course of the last three years. This is a man who has demonstrated great courage under very difficult political circumstances and has been a great ally for the United States.

So there’s no question in that area along the Afghan/Pakistan border is something of a no man’s land, it has been for centuries. It’s extraordinarily rough territory. People there who move back and forth across the border, they were smuggling goods before there was concern about, about terrorism. But we need to continue to work the problem. Musharraf just visited Karzai in, in Kabul this past week, they’re both going to be here during the course of the U.N. General Assembly meetings over the course of the next few weeks. We worked that area very hard, and the Paks have been great allies in that effort. [Link]

This Sunday Russert will be hosting a live debate between Virginia’s Senate candidates: Senator George “Macaca” Allen (R) vs. former Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb (D). Russert is the master of using damaging quotes in the middle of his grilling and so you better believe that he will go after Allen and his use of the term “Macaca.” He may also ask a question or two about this “Ethnic Rally” that Allen recently held. You have to listen to this introduction:

The Macaca who is speaking on stage explains to the audience that if Allen were a cricket player he would dominate the Indians, and if he were a Bollywood actor he would be cast as a “God.” Rrrrright. Now I don’t mind so much that I don’t watch Bollywood.

The Public Policy Institute of California released a survey today that is making all sorts of headlines. The survey sheds light on voting trends in the most populous state in the Union. Given the coming demographic shifts within the U.S., it is fair to wonder if these results apply to the rest of the nation as well. From the San Francisco Chronicle:

The growing diversity of California’s population isn’t showing up in the voting booth, where people who are richer, older and whiter than their nonvoting neighbors are making the decisions that will shape the state’s future, a new study shows.

Further, the plans and priorities of the Californians most likely to vote and those of the nearly 50 percent of adults who don’t participate in elections are as different as their bank accounts and racial backgrounds, said Mark Baldassare, a pollster who conducted the study released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California.

“About 15 percent of adult people make the decisions, and that 15 percent doesn’t look much like California overall,” he said. “And that’s even more problematic here because so much public policy is made at the ballot box via initiatives…” [Link]

What these results seem to indicate is that if a larger portion of the population simply registered to vote and showed up on election day, you could throw conventional wisdom out the window. Want an example?

Take the issue of taxes, for example. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Republican allies in the Legislature argue incessantly that Californians are adamantly opposed to new or increased taxes.

A poll last May showed that when likely voters were asked whether they would prefer higher taxes and more services or lower taxes and fewer state services, they split on the issue — 49 percent favored more services, and 44 percent called for lower taxes.

But Californians not registered to vote have far different views. More than two-thirds of those residents welcomed higher taxes and more services, while less than 30 percent called for less government.

“The size and role of government is hugely determined by the shape of the likely voter electorate today,” Baldassare said. [Link]

This was going to be a post about the dreaded E word (“exotic,” in case you’ve erased it from your memory) and its usage on me the other day, accompanied by excessive and unwelcome flirtation. However, recalling the incident renders me ill and sorely tempted to post the guy’s name and contact information here - bad move.

Instead, I’ll celebrate the language percolated down from my ancestors - Tamil, and its offerings to English - and linguistics in general. No, I don’t mean Tam-glish, with terms like shamachu-fy¹ or “An’one see my pie?”² but actual English words that originate in Tamil like catamaran and orange. Tamil Contributions To The English Language contains a list of terms derived from Tamil. The crux of this post is not glorifying Tamil, as the list seems to (“the great antiquity of the Tamil civilization”), but to celebrate the transmutation of language, all languages, when in contact with another. Our ancestors got around a lot more than the current understanding of history allows for and this is evident in language. While physical proof of such contact has been absent, destroyed or undiscovered, how we communicate via our vocal chords is the living evidence of cultural evolution.

For instance, the Italian word for key is chiavi, also the Tamil word for the same item (chaavi - Hindi, llave - Spanish, taste - German, tecla chave - Portuguese, clef - French, nøkkel - Norwegian, sleutel - Dutch). There is one of two possibilities for this coincidence - that the word was coined in one place and carried to another, or that the same word was invented separately in two different places to describe the same thing. Given that a significant majority of the world speaks Indo-European languages, I vote for the former theory.

Language is fascinating, as are dialect, accent and semantics. I feel honored to live in a part of the United States where so many collide. The ethnic geography of Brooklyn on the Bayou is so intricate that navigating it requires the knowledge of several Romance languages and a few African ones, too. In the end, you get used to the speak and the fact that we’re all in the same pot of gumbo no matter where we originated.

¹ Shamachu-fy: To cook. I’d love to go out, but have to shamachu-fy for relatives arriving tomorrow.
² An’one see my pie?: Has anyone seen my bag?

Crickey. There sure are a lot of desis down under.

Indians have emerged as the fastest-growing group of migrants entering Australia. They are now the third-largest immigrant group behind the British and New Zealanders. The Indians bring with them the expertise that Australia's booming economy desperately needs, amid a chronic skills shortage. [link]

In fact, 10% of new settlers to Australia are of Indian origin. Though, last we checked, the Desi-American community is growing, I hardly think the growth is comparable.

"The word has got out that Australia's looking for well-educated migrants with good English, and Indians fit that. So the question is whether those who want to leave India want to come to Australia or the United States or Britain or Canada," said [former government advisor] Henderson...Trade unions have complained that importing so many foreign workers does not address the root causes of Australia's skills shortage.

Social isolation and discrimination at work can pose problems. But for most newcomers the migration experience is a positive one. [link]

One of the interesting things that I hear about South/Asians in Australia are the high number of Asian-Australians that are in elected office. The reason for such interest in civic engagement? A large part would have to be in that in Australia, they have mandatory voting -- including fines if you don't vote.

Voter Registration is mandatory for all citizens 18 years of age or above. An individual has 8 weeks after turning 18 to register. Similarly, if a change of address causes an individual to move to another electorate (Electoral Division) they are legally obliged to notify the Electoral Commission within 8 weeks...The one registration covers Federal, State and Local voter registration. In Australia it is a legal offence to fail to vote (or at the very least, attend a polling station and have one's name crossed off the roll) at any Federal or State election, punishable by a fine. [link]

When you have mandatory voting, issues around disenfranchisement no longer revolve around registration and getting to the polls, but around other issues. Though the article states the reason for the large immigrant influx desi population is to fill skill shortage spots, I would imagine that another large reason is due to the ease with which desis get involved into the fabric of civic life. I've never been though, so if we have any South Asian Australian readers, I'd love to hear about your experience. With both mandatory voting and an influx of desis in Australia, potentially, desis will be a politicized population to reckon with down under in the near future. Is mandatory voting America's solution?

The individual pictured here is Kimveer Gill, who walked into Dawson College in Montreal yesterday, dressed in black from head to toe and carrying what witnesses described as a “huge machine gun,” and opened fire, killing an 18-year-old woman and critically injuring at least five other people. Gill died in the incident, shot either by police or by himself. Gill, who left a wealth of information about himself at his page on vampirefreaks.com (username: fatality666) was 25 and desi:

Gill, who is known to other users on the website as Fatality666, describes himself as Indian, 6-foot-one, who was born in Montreal on July 9, 1981.

Gill wasn’t just your typical deranged guy with violent fantasies. He was obsessed with guns and knives and posted numerous photos of himself armed online. He enjoyed a videogame based on the Columbine massacre. His “personality quiz” on the site matched him with Adolf Hitler, Satanism, the Angel of Death, werewolves, and other morbid connections. He boasted of his whisky drinking. And so on:

“I think I have an obbsetion (sic) with guns … muahahaha,” is the inscription below another picture of Gill aiming the barrel of the gun at the camera.

“Anger and hatred simmers within me,” said another caption below a head shot of Gill grimacing.

The site also has lengthly lists of likes and dislikes. On the “likes” list are: first-person-shooter video games, “Super Psycho Maniacs roaming the streets freely,” massacres, trenchcoats, destruction and “crushing my enemies skulls.”

He also shows a penchant for semi-automatic handguns, combat shotguns, sawed-off shotguns, assault rifles and myriad other weapons.

He dislikes: “The world and everything in it.”

“But to be more specific,” he continues, he hates jocks, preps, country music, Hip Hop, “all those who oppose my rule.”

Gill seems to harbour particular disdain for authority, including police, “all the government on Earth,” “bible-thumping know-it-alls” and God.

The desi angle in this story is, as they say, developing: We know nothing about Gill’s life story yet. But he was desi, and we report the good and the bad here. We’ve also talked about desi goths, though this guy was clearly mentally ill, not a “normal” goth. This story also reminds us of how much evidence of psychopathic or violent intentions resides in plain sight on the Internet. You could look at this guy’s web postings as cries of pain that weren’t heard by anyone other than a small echo chamber of people with similar inclinations. Lots of trees fall in this forest every day; few are heard.

Kimveer Gill put up an image of a tombstone and epitaph on his web page: “Lived fast died young. Left a mangled corpse.” Well, he left two — his own and that of an innocent young woman, with five more struggling to survive.

Chick Pea mentioned recently that there is a new film opening on Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, who is infamous amongst desis for summarily ejecting Uganda’s 50,000 Asians in 1972. Most of the Ugandan desis got out, and many came to thrive in places like England and Canada. We saw this discussed in Mississippi Masala, and it’s referenced in the writings of M.G. Vassanji. Unfortunately, the 300,000 Africans (most of them fellow Ugandans) who died as a result of Idi Amin’s various military campaigns and programs of internal ethnic cleansing did not have the same second chance. This is a man who caused untold suffering, and who led his country down a truly catastrophic path.

A new film on Amin, called The Last King of Scotland (in reference to one of Amin’s more fanciful titles for himself), starring Forrest Whitaker, recently premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and seems to be generating a fair amount of buzz. The Washington Post reviews the film, and while it’s too early to really get the film’s slant, it’s a little bit worrisome to me that the director is quoted in the article saying how he really wanted to show Idi Amin as a “complex” character, and his actions as partly justifiable:

“A lot of the things he tried to do were very popular,” said Macdonald, highlighting even the expulsion of the Asian business leaders as something that had resonated with Ugandans who became shopkeepers and business owners for the first time.

The Asians, expelled in 1972, had formed the backbone of the Ugandan economy before Amin came to power.

“Amin made Ugandans feel proud to be African, and proud to be Ugandan. He was someone who tried to get rid of the colonial inferiority complex,” Macdonald said. (link)

That last sentence should be a reminder to people that it’s just as easy to commit injustices in the name of fighting colonialism as it is to do so the other way around. I should also note that it’s distressing to hear the director of the film speaking so appreciatively of a truly brutal dictator. (On the other hand, perhaps he’s simply trying to make the film sound non-depressing for the media.)

There’s a big article in the New York Times today about diabetes in India (thanks, Gitanjali and Builder). It’s impressive partly because of some surprising statistics given about the spread of both obesity and diabetes in India, and because of some touching individual interviews that illustrate some of the particular difficulties faced by Indians dealing with the disease.

I would recommend people go read the article, but here’s a summary of some of the stats I found notable:

• There are probably about 35 million people in India with Type 2 Diabetes (adult Diabetes) now. In a few years, there could be as many as 75 million. The current rate is 6 percent of adults have the disease, but that number is higher in Indian cities (in Chennai, Kleinfield reports, 16 percent of adults have Diabetes).
  
• Even middle-class Indians tend to remain uninsured, so Diabetes can be a financially crippling disease.
  
• Indians are genetically predisposed to contract Type 2 Diabetes, and they tend to get it 10 years before people in other parts of the world get it. (Which means, the danger is also high for NRIs; apparently this has already been observed with the earlier generation of immigrants)
  
• One of the biggest dangers in India in particular is that Diabetes, which leads to loss of sensation in the legs, often results in infections that can end in leg amputations. Since so many people go barefoot in India (even occasionally: as in, when visiting temples), the risk of foot and leg infections is much higher than in the west.
  
• In the world as a whole, there are now more people who are overweight than undernourished.
  

Any thoughts on this article, or recommendations for other things to read that will educate people on the danger of diabetes in the Indian subcontinent? I did find the tone a little irritating at some moments (“Diabetes — the dark side of India’s success”), but the research and the personal interviews were very informative.

Add one part AC and one part Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Mix well, plagiarize liberally, and try not to try too hard. And voila…

Note on characters: Deepak and Varun are two nondescript desi guys in New Jersey, in their late 20s.

Varun: Chandramukhi Baba says, ‘These days unnecessary things are our only necessities.’
Deepak: I thought that was Oscar Wilde.
Varun: The British steal all our best lines. Anyway, he is referring to the transient nature of material possessions, and encouraging their immediate acquisition in the interest of achieving inner peace. I think it makes a lot of sense, actually.
Deepak: All that religious talk gives me a headache. So, anyway, what happened last night?
Varun: With Smiti? Yaar… what can I say? (smiling, smug)
Deepak: Really? Man, you seem to have really hit the jackpot with this ApniShaadi thing.
Varun: I know. A different kuri every week! Too bad you gave up the game, married guy. This internet thing is fantastic.
Deepak: I don’t miss it. I actually don’t think I could be happier. Incidentally, how do you work it?
Varun: How do I work what?
Deepak: I mean, the desi scene in New Jersey isn’t that big. Aren’t you worried you’re going to run into some girl from the Bridgewater mandir on one of these dates?
Varun: Oh — different names. On the internet I’m Arjun.
Deepak: Arjun, huh? Nice. And the picture?
Varun: It’s called Photoshop, dude. Arjun has a big nose and puffy cheeks…
Deepak: And no zits, presumably? Don’t the girls notice that?
Varun: No, definitely no zits. And they don’t say anything, ‘cause all their pics are doctored too.
Deepak: I like my system better.
Varun: I know, it’s crazy. You must be the only guy to have met the girl of his dreams on an arranged marriage date in some remote village in central Punjab…
Deepak: Word — but you know, it was time to pull the plug. I was tired of the bars, the soul-killing NETIP scene, the websites… I was even tired of having to fork over $100 a week just to get my hair done by some puffed up dude who calls himself a “stylist.”
Varun: Hey, I like Jorge. As Chandramukhi says, ‘Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.’ What’s $100 if you end up with hair as good as mine? (runs hand through hair) But don’t forget the most important thing: you were tired of your mom calling every five minutes…
Deepak: …With the email of some random desi girl studying dentistry in Iowa, yeah, that too. But really, it was just time to roll the dice, and say, ‘it’s going to just be this one girl, no more waffling.’
Varun: You don’t miss being single? The thrill of the chase?
Deepak: Let me put it this way: my sex life has never been better. What about you? Don’t you get tired of lying to all these girls?
Varun: Lying, who’s lying? As Chandramukhi says, ‘Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.’ Actually I sometimes think I’m more myself when I’m Arjun. I’m so bored with just being Varun.
Deepak: Wait, isn’t that Oscar Wilde again?
Varun: What’s with all the Oscar Wilde? And hey, is your cousin sister coming over tonight?
Deepak: Gayatri? You still have the hots for Gayatri?

To be continued, possibly. (Along these lines)

Today is Election Day in many states across the nation, the primary elections to be exact. Though there are a few of desis running for office across the nation, there are FOUR running for office in Maryland (Thanks, IALI).

Kumar Barve (District 17) [WaPo Review] Age:43

First elected in 1990, and re-elected three times--in 1994,1998, and 2002, Delegate Kumar P. Barve, age 43, is the Majority Leader in Maryland's state legislature and is the longest-serving elected official of Indian origin. He represents a district with a population of 110,000 in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Barve's grandfather, Shankar L. Gokhale, was the President of Holkar College in Indore, India. Gokhale immigrated to the United States in 1911. Barve's mother, Neera, was born in Schenectady, New York. His father, Prabhakar Barve, came to the U.S. in 1957 after studying architecture at the Hammersmith School of Building in London, England. Kumar P. Barve is the first person of Indian origin to be elected as a state legislator in United States history. [link]

Nina Basu (District 13) [WaPo Review] Age: 25

Basu, a financial analyst [and law student] who is waging her first campaign for state office, lists her top priorities as funding education, mass transit and public safety. Basu, who has served on the Long Reach Village Board since 2003, said her priorities - like those of the other candidates - require money to come to fruition. Seeking that money would be her primary role as a delegate, she said. [link]

Shukoor Ahmed (District 23A) [WaPo Review] Age:44

Ahmed moved to the United States from India at the age of 25 with, he said, only $500. He earned a bachelor's degree in computer science and a master's degree in public policy from American University and, in 2000, started his own company. He has had the political bug since he was young, Ahmed said, and worked on the Democratic presidential campaigns of Joe Lieberman and Bill Bradley. Ahmed said his passion is to "use technology to improve (government) services to citizens" - an area in which most legislators lack expertise, he noted. [link]

Saqib Ali (District 39) [WaPo Review] Age: 31

You might remember Ali from last month, and the story of the anti-islam demonstrator in his front yard.

Like Barve, he was recently endorsed by the Washington Post which stated "[p]olitical newcomer Saqib Ali has shown good command of issues and would bring new vigor to this district's delegation." He has also been endorsed by the Montgomery County Education Association. A software engineer, he has lived in Montgomery County since 1991 when he moved there to attend college. Ali has out raised all candidates. As the Post observes "challenger Saqib Ali has raised $63,000 for his campaign to be the Democratic nominee for the state House. That's twice as much as the three incumbents in the district have raised, combined, in the past year. [link]

It's great to see four desis running for office in Maryland. I've had to opportunity to meet with Barve in the past and I would have to say that it was his pioneering that paved the road for desis to run for political office the Maryland today. Good luck to the candidates and if you live in Maryland, don't forget to vote!

There are a great many serious issues I want to write about this week but my time is scarce and I will leave it to the other bloggers to tackle them. Instead, I offer you terrific news out of New York from this past weekend. As most of you probably heard, Indian tennis player Leander Paes and his doubles partner Martin Damm (a Czech) won the U.S. Open Tournament.

Leander Paes won his first Men’s doubles title at a grand slam in five years by wresting the US Open crown with Martin Damm of the Czech Republic here on Saturday.

Paes and Damm scored a shock 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-3 victory over second seeds Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden and Max Mirnyi of Belarus in the final at the Flushing Meadows. Paes, 33, last registered a grand slam triumph in 2001 at the French Open with Mahesh Bhupathi, with whom he also won the French Open and the Wimbledon in 1999.

This is also Damm’s first ever major title. Paes has also won three mixed doubles titles in grand slams. Paes and Damm pocketed $400,000 as winner’s prize money. The lengthy opening set was a power struggle that stayed on serve to force a tiebreak. [Link]

Paes’ previous Grand Slam victory came at Wimbledon in 2003 where he won the mixed doubles championship partnering with tennis goddess Martina Navratilova. As you can see from the pictures below, when you got love for your teammate(s) you are nearly impossible to beat. Congrats to Paes and Damm!

“I can’t quit you.”

Much like the rest, I too have been spending a significant amount of time reflecting on 9/11 today. Ironically, today marks the 100 year anniversary to the day that Mahatma Gandhi launched the nonviolent resistance movement, or the "Satyagraha."

The date was September 11th, 1906. Speaking before 3,000 Indians gathered at a theater in Johannesburg, Gandhi organized a strategy of nonviolent resistance to oppose racist policies in South Africa. Satyagraha was born and since then, it has been adopted by many around the world to resist social injustice and oppression.

Gandhi used it in India to win independence from the British. The Reverend Martin Luther King used it in the United States to oppose segregation and Nelson Mandela used it in South Africa to end apartheid. [link]

Democracy Now! recently did a fabulous interview of Arun Gandhi, Gandhi's grandson and co-founder of the MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in Memphis, TN. He talks about that day, but it's interesting to see how applicable the words are to today's resistance.

[P]eople were wondering, how can we resist with the state so powerful, and we don't have any weapons, you know, because every time, even today, when somebody talks about resistance, everybody thinks in terms of weapons and war and fighting. And that's when grandfather explained to them that we don't need any weapons of mass destruction. We have the ability to respond to this nonviolently and with self-suffering. And that's what he encouraged the people to do. And they came out into the streets with love for the enemy. You know, grandfather didn't tolerate any hate for the enemy or any anger for the enemy. He said nonviolence has to be complete nonviolence. We have to have love and respect for the enemy, and that is the only way we can overcome them. And that's what he showed in his work.

And I am amazed that the prime minister of South Africa, General J.C. Smuts, later on he admitted that grandfather was the greatest. He called him a saint, and he said, "It was my misfortune that I had to be against him," you know. And it was that kind of feeling of reverence and awe that he inspired even in his opponents. And I think that's what we have to remember and try to make it a part of our lives, because violence is destroying us. You know, we're seeing violence growing every day in our streets, in our homes, in our towns, in our cities, in the world itself. Everywhere we turn, we see violence and hate and prejudice and anger and all of these negative emotions that are destroying humanity. And we have to wake up and take note of this and try to change our course, so that we can create a world of peace and harmony where future generations can live happily together.[link]

In many ways, I feel the parallels of these two landmark events on 9/11 is not just ironic, but symbolic. Five years ago to the day, we lost what privilege we had as the 'model minority.' The xenophobic attitude towards desis felt in the post-9/11 backlash are somewhat parallel to those felt by desis in South Africa during Gandhi's time. Different magnitudes of hate, but similar all the same.

I am a native New Yorker, both born and bred. I emerged into this world in St. Vincent’s Hospital, the same hospital whose emergency room treated 844 patients (a record for a NYC ER) in the aftermath of the attacks.

My relationship with the Towers goes way back. My high school prom was actually held at Windows on the World, although I didn’t attend. My reasons for not going didn’t quite fit the typical desi geek narrative. In a high school where most people went stag, there were actually four women who wanted to go with me, the apex of my high school popularity! Nor did my parents forbid me from going. However they wanted me back by midnight (they were concerned for my safety) and wouldn’t budge. Given that the prom was going to cost around $200 (just for the tux and ticket, no limo, and this was a lot of money back then!), I demurred.

Still, while I may not have had memories of my prom at the Towers, I have plenty of others. Every time some relative or friend would come through town, I would be dispatched to show them the sights. I didn’t go up to the top that often - I was too jaded and too thrifty for that. Instead, I would wait below, in the plaza between the buildings. There I could lie on my back, look up at the hulking masses that stretched far into the sky and contemplate my own insignificance, wallowing in adolescent angst.

The Towers were like Niagara Falls, a must see destination for uncles and aunties. There was always a sari squeezing into the elevator, excited to go up to the top of what may not have been the tallest building in the world, but which was at least the tallest building at the center of the world.

Five years ago last night, I was on an American Airlines plane between San Francisco and Boston. I think I was on the penultimate journey of AA Flight 11, the plane that was hijacked the next morning and was the first to hit the WTC, although I was too shocked to check my ticket stub to make sure. [AA 11 was an LA bound flight, my flight was LA to SF to Boston].

I remember waiting for the flight at SFO very vividly. It was delayed, so I sat patiently, nursing a novel. There were three wisacres in the padded reception seats facing mine, and they decided to pass the time by making remarks about how I was a terrorist, as if I was somehow deaf or couldn’t comprehend what they were saying. I lowered my book long enough to glare at them, and then went back to my reading.

That was in the good old days, back before such behavior was criminalized, back before I learned to shuffle, shuck and jive, to grin broadly like an idiot and look at my feet, back before passengers counted the number of times you went to the bathroom to pee. It was a long time ago.

I took a cab back to my place and fell into a deep dreamless sleep. Because we had arrived late, I decided to sleep in the next morning and was awoken not by my alarm clock but by my father, calling on the land line (back when I had roomates and no cell phone).

“Beta, turn on the TV,” he said.
I did. And I saw. But I did not yet comprehend.

I stayed in the living room all morning, watching events unfold on television, and talking to my father in NYC. I was lucky, I never had any trouble getting through. I didn’t realize then how much everything would change. How much, even five years later, things would not be the same as they were just 24 hours before.

On Monday evening the BBC Radio Five Live’s program “Pods and Blogs” has invited me on the air to discuss the five-year anniversary of the attacks which took place on September 11th, 2001 in NYC, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania. Anyone interested can listen here at 9p.m. EST/6p.m. PST ( I will probably be on ~20 minutes into the program).

The truth is that I don’t yet know what I am going to talk about or what profound statement I can possibly make in my minute of air time. There is just so much that has occurred in these past five years that to draw any kind of grand conclusion or offer a sagacious reflection seems impossible. From a federal government facility I watched (like many of you) my federal government and its citizens get attacked on that day. Later I learned that a friend had perished in New York. If I had to condense all of my thoughts five years later down to a single word it would be…”disappointment.”

On September 11th, 2001 I believe that our nation was handed, hidden beneath the shock, the sadness, and the loss, an opportunity to lead. Our generation was given a chance to become the greatest generation. In the 1940s, faced with the threat of a fascist and racist power bent on world domination, the United States and its men and women rose up to defend much of that world, not only through our arms but through our thoughts and ideas. Our allies admired us because of our spirit and our tenacity. They admired us for our can-doism and they admired us for our morality. That admiration lasted through the Cold War and past the end of communism. On September 11th we showed everyone why America was, decades later, still worthy of that admiration:

A California man identified as Tom Burnett reportedly called his wife and told her that somebody on the plane [United 93] had been stabbed.

”We’re all going to die, but three of us are going to do something,” he told her. “I love you honey…” [Link]

You can wade through all of these interview files for additional reminders of how Americans responded when called upon to lead. Even the President got it right at first:

I can hear you, the rest of the world can hear you and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon. [Link]

However, shortly after is where my disappointment begins. Five years later can it be said that anyone (even our closest allies) really “hears us?” Can it be said that America is admired for how it responded in the years following the attacks? Does anyone feel safer? I am disappointed because we have not honored the memories of those who perished by living up to the examples that they set for us. Sacrifice and inner strength and not blind fury or angry words were the weapons that Americans used on that day.

In her op-ed piece about the five-year anniversary, Peggy Noonan admires the concise last words uttered by many that died that day and notes that “crisis is a great editor.” If that is true then it is a shame that these days we seem to waste so much time with empty rhetoric and actions which divert our nation ever farther from our chance at greatness.

Reservations have been made. Guest list has been compiled. Goodie bags are in the works. Ms. Pac Man practice games polished. We are prepared for the sequel...

Now, the Golden Gopher isn't your typical bar, and as a non-drinker, it is my favorite Los Angeles bar for two reasons. The best jukebox in town, and they have tabletop Ms. Pac Man scattered throughout.

With that being said, we ask for everyone who is 'up for it' to bring rolls of quarters in their pockets for the first ever Mutinous Ms. Pac Man Challenge! Abhi claims he's the best, I claim to be better, and we both challenge the L.A. mutiny to a death match of Ms Pac Man.

There’s an ambitious exhibit of Asian American art at the Asia Society in New York, called “One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now.” The New York Times has a detailed review. Among the 21 artists whose works are being exhibited, at least two are desi, Saira Wasim and Chitra Ganesh.

Saira Wasim, who is from Lahore, trained in painting classical Mughal miniatures before moving to the U.S. recently. She was part of the “Karkhana” group that had its own show in New York not too long ago (see Manish’s post from last year). She does these great collage-like miniatures that often parody either political figures or scenes of cross-cultural misunderstanding.

Among the images of Wasim’s I’ve come across on the internet, my favorite so far is “Buzkashi” (Goat-grabbing), pictured above (click on the image to see the full picture). Here is how Wasim characterizes the painting on her website:

So this painting depicts ‘One Man’s show’ of Military Dictator of Pakistan, Perverz Musharaff sitting on a presidency throne and his imperialism is shown with four arms like Hindu god Shiv.

The basic constitutional structure of the country evolving around his regime; army generals are celebrating ‘martial law’ by dancing and wearing Hawaiian sandals.

The world’s seventh nuclear state in spite of her national debt over forty billion dollars and spending on defense budget over 3.5 billion dollars a year. Here goat is symbolized as innocent public. (link)

Wow. I’m surprised there hasn’t been an outcry about her work yet (maybe there has been one, and I missed it).

Did someone call for more hotties? Well, this desi hottie is at the center of a brewing diplomatic incident. You see, Mariyah Moten entered a beauty pageant on China’s Hainan Island — which is becoming a sort of tacky Asian Costa del Sol — representing Pakistan, but clad in the most un-Islamic attire that you see in the picture to the right. Not only that, but Mariyah isn’t even a Pakistani citizen to begin with. She’s a naturalized US citizen. So basically this semi-naked American chick is giving Pakistan a bad — or at least, unclad — name at a third-rate beauty pageant in some Chinese seaside town. All this courtesy of the Daily Mail (via a kind tipster on the News tab):

“We have asked our missions in Washington and Beijing to investigate this because it is against our policy, culture and religion,” senior Culture Ministry official Abdul Hafeez Chaudhry said. …

Moten, a student of hotel management at the University of Houston, was born and brought up in the Pakistani city of Karachi.

Mr Chaudhry said Pakistan - which does not hold beauty contests - might take the issue up with China, depending on the result of the investigation.

He also said the government might withdraw from Moten special privileges offered to people of Pakistani descent such as visa-free travel to Pakistan.

Well. This story clearly called for further investigation, and Sepia Mutiny can now report that the beauty pageant was, in fact, Miss Bikini Universe, and it was the first time that Pakistan was represented in that hallowed competition. She was entered by an organization called Miss Pakistan World, which holds beauty pageants for women of Pakistani origin from its base in Canada. Miss Pakistan World is quite a full fledged operation with, it might be noted, corporate sponsors in both North America and in Pakistan.

Now that we’ve been here awhile and are convinced the new bunker is secure, we’re growing weary of the drab interior and long for the good old days of gilded ceilings, flowing sequins and all around palatial excess… while all this may well have existed only in my head, it’s time nonetheless to start decorating this joint and make things bling a little.

The current Sepia Mutiny interface has certainly served us well, but the truth is that it is also showing signs of age and we’re past due for a bit of an overhaul, in particular to allow for future expansion and improved usability. Don’t worry, we’re not going all MySpace on you guys, and we’re not about to bombard you with annoying pop-ups and classmates.com flash banners encouraging you to stalk your high school sweetheart. We will still be the Mutiny you love, just a little bit nicer and all dressed up.

So, if you are a bad-ass graphic designer, you drop shadows in your sleep, you hallucinate in alpha channels, and you can spare a few cycles to help us with our upcoming efforts, please email us (minus the caps) with samples of your work or a pointer to your portfolio. In particular, we are looking for someone who excels in clean and measured web design, and someone with logo and branding experience (this could be the same person). Please note that we are not seeking programming or technical help at this time. Once we gauge response, I will follow-up on the specifics of what we need and how best to get things rolling.

We can’t offer much in return for your efforts, other than a link to your website and the collective thanks of all the Mutineers, though if you do a really good job, maybe we’ll throw in a couple of monkeys macacas and a night with the intern… and believe me, that’s nothing to scoff at.

Someone want to let me in on the secret that is South Carolina? It was the only state of the union that, until recently, has a capital forgotten on almost every geography bee and prompted one to think of secession and stars-and-bars. Suddenly, everyone from my boss to a close friend is interested in purchasing property there, and this patch of Southern Appalachia is turning into quite the desi magnet. Not only has a doctor friend set up shop in Columbia, but has invited my very eager brother to do so as well.

I considered it all a coincidence until the discovery that famous geophysicist, Pradeep Talwani, is a professor at the University of South Carolina and director of the South Carolina Seismic Network, and Vijay Vulava has joined the faculty of the College of Charleston as an environmental geochemist. Hmmmm … the thot plickens.

Hark, what light through yonder passport photo breaks? Move over, Michael Manga - there’s a new sexy desi geologist in town. Unfortunately, like Michael, Vijay is married. His wife, Sirisha Vadlamudi, is an electrical engineer who specializes in virtual and augmented reality (sound familiar?).

Not to be excluded from the running is UTIG’s Abhijit Gangopadhyay.

While you investigate the South Carolina riddle, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more kannu-candy at the upcoming SEG conference in New Orleans.

As ANNA notes in the previous post (we seem to have been writing at the same time) explosions earlier today targeted ceremonies being held in a Muslim cemetery in the city of Malegaon in Maharashtra state. The reported death toll has risen to 37, with 200 injured. The exact details including the number of blasts are still unclear:

At last count, the local police said there seemed to have been three blasts at the Bada Kabristan cemetery where thousands of Muslim devotees had gathered to observe “Shabbe Baraat” when the dead are remembered. Another blast was reported from elsewhere. Ten deaths had been confirmed, about 100 people were injured.

The blasts outside Nurani Masjid in this textile town triggered a stampede with devotes rushing, falling over each other, the injured and the dead to reach safety.

On Shabbe Baraat, thousands of faqirs (alms seekers) gather in Malegaon. The crowds at the prayers were made up largely of the faqirs when the blasts occurred. Some reports suggested the blasts occurred in the belongings of one such alms seeker.

The city is under curfew and the central and state governments appear to have reacted quite quickly dispatching troops to avert communal violence. Political parties including the BJP and Congress have of course condemned the action. (Not clear yet if the Shiv Sena/RSS have been heard from: in view of their popularity in Maharashtra, a strong condemnation could help ensure things don’t spread; if anyone knows about this or any other pertinent developments for that matter, send a link and I’ll update the post.)

There’s not much to say about this incident until more information comes out, but I noticed that reports referred to Malegaon’s history of communal violence, so I thought I’d look for a little background to help us get some context. Here’s what I found out:

…which is about 160 miles northeast of Bombay. Via the news tab (Thanks, Chickpea and kaur):

Two bombs struck in the crowded streets of the western Indian city of Malegaon as Muslim worshippers were returning from Friday afternoon prayers, killing 30 people and wounding 56 in what a top official called “a terrorist act.”[yahoo]

Authorities quickly clamped a curfew on Malegaon, said D.K. Shankaran, a top Maharashtra state official. The city has a long history of religious violence between Muslims and Hindus.[yahoo]

The bomb may have been lashed to a bicycle which was recovered at the scene. The BBC has more:

One of the first journalists to reach the scene of the blasts in Malegaon, Vaishali Balajiwale, told the BBC that the explosion inside the town’s main burial ground for Muslims happened on a day when Muslims pray for their dead.[Beeb]

One eyewitness told her: “There was a big noise when the prayers were on. And then people began running helter skelter for their lives.”[Beeb]

The BBC went on to report that outraged people threw stones at the police after the bombing, which only further stokes my fears of retaliatory violence in an area already affected by tension between Hindus and Muslims. Anti-riot forces are being deployed.

India’s Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has strongly condemned the blasts.[BBC]

He has appealed for peace and communal harmony and has urged police to remain calm.[BBC]

Malegaon, known for its weavers, is a city where Muslims are the majority.

Developing…

There’s an article (thanks, Neale) in the Chronicle of Higher Education that follows the experience of a group of Indian graduate students who come to U.S. universities to do graduate work in engineering schools. This particular case study deals with NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina, a town I got to know pretty well from my days at Duke.

Because support for foreign students isn’t part of NC State’s “land grant” mandate, the university gives very little support to these students, most of whom are entering the U.S. for the first time at RDU airport. As a result the students themselves organize an extensive support organization called Maitri, which provides online support to the students before they come, arranges airport pick-ups, and even shares housing temporarily until proper dorm or apartment housing is available. But what struck me was the orientation volunteer arranged by the university:

Last they went to the Office of International Services for a brief informational session delivered by a blond, ruddy-cheeked volunteer, whose first announcement was to make clear that she was not being paid to do what she was doing. “I’m doing this because I love you,” she emphasized. “I don’t know you, but I love you.”

She commenced going over a printed schedule for the coming week. “On Friday, August 18, will be orientation. You. Must. Be. There,” she said slowly, closing off the final consonants. “I want you to take your pen and underline that.”

Then she drew the students’ attention to a flier for the yard sale that was soon to be held by the International Bible Study group. The same group, she pointed out, was also sponsoring a free tour of Raleigh. Among the other fliers in the packet the newcomers had received at the door were one for an “International Student Welcome Dinner” held by the Baptist Student Union International Ministry and one for a $50 bus trip to Washington, D.C., hosted by Providence College Ministry.

Mr. Bustle, director of the Office of International Services, says that he appreciates the help from religious groups —- so long as they sign an agreement not to proselytize —- because “as a state institution, it’s not always politically correct to be spending N.C. State dollars on international students.” (link)

Is it just me, or is this not really an acceptable explanation for why the university is providing no support whatsoever for new international graduate students? These students contribute a lot to the research reputations of the universities where they study, so it’s not just a matter of “spending N.C. State dollars on international students,” as if NC State doesn’t benefit. It’s also ironic that the organizations that step in to fill the gap are Christian groups. Yeah, they’re not proselytizing, but I’m pretty sure that religious groups providing vital services to students isn’t in NC State’s mandate either.

Technophobic Geek recently overheard the following at his middle eastern drum circle:

Instructor: So I was playing the tablas at this very fancy and HUGE Indian wedding last weekend. It was really quite fascinating. I haven’t seen a wedding this big in a while.
Other guy: How many people?
Instructor: At least 400, maybe 500 people. It was a really traditional wedding. Not only in terms of the ceremony, but it was also an (with dramatic pause) arranged wedding.
Everyone else: (awestruck) Wow!
Instructor: In fact, it was so arranged that the bride did not smile at all through the entire wedding, not one time.
Other guy: Was she at least over 18, I mean, she wasn’t like 12 or something, right?
Instructor: No, not at all, she was in her early 20s, at least that’s what they said.
(Everyone heaves a palpable sigh of relief). (link)

Our technophobic friend says he was rendered speechless by this (“I had no idea where to even start bridging this cultural chasm…”), so let’s help him out. The first thing he could say is that it’s striking that arranged marriage is still such a stigmatized practice in the U.S. — especially amongst “laid back dudes” in one’s social circle. Come on guys, get over it: learn something about the culture of the people who invented the tabla you’ve learned to play.

Second, it’s not necessarily the case that it was an actual, no-prior-meeting, arranged marriage (actually pretty rare these days in the diaspora). Any help from websites and/or parents is often construed as “arranging” by people outside the loop, when in fact “assisting” might be a more accurate way to describe it.

As for why the bride wasn’t smiling: uncomfortable outfit? Awkward hair? Cultural expectation?

Excuse me? Hi. Are you registered to vote? No? Well it's easy. Here, let me register you right now. All you have to do is click on that picture. Right there on the right, see? Easy. Oh, I see that you are hesitating. You don't think that the South Asian American vote has any power in America because last you checked there were only 2 million desis? You didn't hear?

[B]y 2010 Indian-Americans will reach the 4.5 million mark, while South Asians will cross the 5.5 million mark. In other words Desis are expected to constitute 1.5 % of the total American population of 2010.

If one is to extrapolate from these latest U.S. Census figures, the Asian Indian population in America is expected to reveal its steepest rise ever during the 2010 census...The Census also ranked Asian Indians as the third largest Asian American group after Chinese Americans and Filipino Americans. Indian Americans also had the largest percentage increase of the six major Asian groups in the U.S. [link]

No kidding, right? I double checked those numbers at work too. Legit. What, you still don't believe that we can have a collective political voice if that 5.5 million is spread across the nation? Well how about this...?

Top Metropolitan Areas of South Asian Americans [link]

1. NYC (sa pop =251,121)
2. Chicago (sa pop=132,811)
3. Washington DC tri-state area (sa pop=90,705)
4. Los Angeles/Long Beach (sa pop=73,489)
5. Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ (sa pop=71,116)

Top Counties of High Concentrations of South Asian Americans [link]

1. Sutter, CA (sa pop=7,914 percent=10.03)
2. Middlesex, NJ (sa pop=61,485 percent=8.2)
3. Queens, NY (sa pop=164,636 percent=7.84)
4. Fort Bend, TX (sa pop=16,941 percent=4.78)
5. Santa Clara,CA (sa pop=73,840 percent=4.39)

You see, if we can increase desi voter registration, as well as voter turnout across the nation and especially in these areas, we can increase the potential political voice of the South Asian American Vote. Voting Bloc? I'm not sure about that yet -- as is often mentioned we are dealing with a diverse community with many issues, plus, I don't feel that we are at the point of a voting bloc yet because of lack of that power. But we can do everything to build that power for our community; by votes, by running for office, by organizing. By building this potential political power, when we do unite on issues that affect our South Asian community as a whole, we will have the power to influence change.

File this one under “ballsy:”

A York College student who was stopped by police after leaving Kennedy Airport was charged with impersonating a federal agent, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Stephan M. Kishore’s masquerade came to an end after a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officer stopped his minivan Monday afternoon on an expressway near John F. Kennedy International Airport for changing lanes without signaling, prosecutors said.

The officer said he noticed a large police decal on a rear door of the minivan and red and blue strobe lights on the dashboard. There also were two U.S. Department of Homeland Security parking placards on the dashboard, prosecutors said.

Kishore, who is from Trinidad but lives in the Bronx, then showed the officer a phony Homeland Security ID card and shield, prosecutors said. When asked if he was a police officer, Kishore replied, “Yes, and I’m on duty,” they said.

However, the officer became suspicious when he read on the back of the shield: “CopShop.com, Collectible Badge, Not For Official Use.” CopShop, based in Umatilla, Fla., calls itself the online mall for cops, selling sheriff’s office badges, state trooper patches, collectible pins and law enforcement apparel. [Link]

I think that the main problem here was that Kishore showed weakness when pulled over. If it was me and a real cop pulled me over I’d be like, “No, let me see yo’ I.D. b*tch.” Things then turned much worse for the enterprising young Kishore who was just trying to live out the dream. It is hard becoming a brown cop in a white man’s world after all.

Kishore, 20, was arraigned Tuesday night in Queens Criminal Court on charges of criminal impersonation, forgery and criminal possession of a weapon, a forged instrument and forgery devices, District Attorney Richard Brown said.

“The defendant’s alleged conduct in this era of heightened security was both dangerous and reprehensible because it exploited the public’s trust in the police and placed both his life and those of actual police officers in possible jeopardy,” Brown said in a statement.

Kishore, a student at York College in Queens, was being held Wednesday on $50,000 bail. His next court date is Sept. 5. He could face up to seven years in prison if convicted. [Link]

By now many readers will have read the admirable article by Laurie Goodstein in the New York Times about the declining numbers of the otherwise highly successful, globalized Parsi community. The main problem seems to be the core community’s reluctance to accept intermarriage of any kind because of a blood-based definition of what makes a Parsi a Parsi, though there are other factors (such as low birth rates, high levels of professionalization, and diasporic scattering).

Of course, there’s an obvious historical connection here that Laurie Goodstein doesn’t make, which has to do with the role of the Parsis before Indian independence. A new blogger called Strange Loops has a well-phrased response:

While I think the article gets most of the nuances and issues facing this very small, but historically significant, community correct, a few further points bear some exposition. First, the Parsi community pre-1947 (and to a lesser extent, afterwards) was undeniably Anglophilic in bent. Exceptions abound of course, including Dadabhai Naoroji, who became the first Indian MP in the British Parliament in 1892, and a father figure to a generation of Indian nationalists. The Anglophilic inclinations of many Parsis were encouraged by the British from early on for pragmatic and ideological reasons. The British sought to cultivate an indigenous elite with a vested interest in the preservation of Empire, and further saw Parsis as more ‘white’ … and thus culturally closer to Europeans. Indeed, the British often referred to Parsis as the ‘Jews of India’ (a somewhat ironic statement given the rich history of several Indian Jewish communities). All this made the transition to an Independent India an awkward and stilted affair for many (but by no means all) Parsis in Bombay and elsewhere. (link)

Perhaps the reluctance by more conservative Parsis to accept intermarriage has to do with exactly the kind of internalized racial thinking the blogger (who is not a Parsi him/herself) is talking about. Personally, I’m rooting for the Parsis; I hope the faction that favors allowing people who’ve intermarried to remain in the community prevails.

For more on Parsi-related news, check out Arzan Wadia’s excellent Parsi Khabar blog.

The apparent suicide of Moses “Moss” Khumalo in West Rand, South Africa comes as a shock to the global jazz community. 26 years old at his death, the saxophonist was a star on the rise, having performed at venerable New Orleans venues such as Snug Harbor (with Irvin Mayfield) and The Red Room while only 21. In fact, it was in this city that he was discovered as a potential jazz great.

Given the New Orleans proclivity for rearing some of the world’s best musicians, this is yet another loss for its rich musical history at an already bad time. As Mark Clague, assistant professor of musicology at U. Michigan says, “Born at the confluence of Latin, Caribbean, African and European peoples, the music of New Orleans thrives on such a diverse human resource. Today, [its] musicians are scattered. Diaspora is a disaster for New Orleans music.”

Here are just two directories of our displaced or affected music community, all the way from the locally-popular to world-famous greats like Irma Thomas and Henry Butler. Thanks to efforts like Habitat for Humanity’s Musicians’ Village and other grassroots work, New Orleans musicians like Fredy Omar are able to return home.

Though I’ve known about Dean Mahomet for a long time (and Ennis did a post on him last year), it wasn’t until recently that I actually read through the free online version of edition of The Travels of Dean Mahomet, for a class I’m teaching. For people who haven’t heard of him, Dean Mahomet is the first Indian writer to have published a book in English, The Travels of Dean Mahomet (1794). Having moved first to Cork, Ireland, and then London and finally Brighton, Mahomet opened first the first Indian restaurant in England, The Hindoostanee Coffee House, and then started a profitable business doing “shampoo baths” at the shore resort town of Brighton. He married an Anglo-Irish woman, and was treated with respect by English and Anglo-Irish society around him.

The following is a bit of a dry academic/history type of post. I’m not so much interested in celebrating Dean Mahomet as a “hero” (I don’t think he necessarily is one), nor would it mean much to condemn him as some kind of race-traitor. Rather, the goal is simply to think about how we might understand his rather unique book, The Travels of Dean Mahomet, in historical context. What can be learned from it?

There’s now a Hindi-language version of Sesame Street being broadcast on Indian TV, called Galli Galli Sim Sim. It’s filmed in Delhi, and it appears to be the second twenty-seventh adaptation of the Sesame Street idea . And no, I don’t know what the heck Laura Bush is doing there.

After the jump, you’ll find a Youtube link with a clip that I think you’ll enjoy. But first, an introduction to the “muppet” characters on Galli Galli Sim Sim:

*Boombah, a hedonistic lion who believes he is descended from one of India’s historic royal families. Coincidentally, Boombah bares a resemblance to Goleo VI from the 2006 Fifa World Cup, a puppet constructed by The Jim Henson Company.
* Chamki, a schoolgirl dressed in the uniform of an Indian government school
* Googly, Chamki’s best friend, named after the cricket delivery and with a cricket ball-like nose
* Aanchoo, a storyteller who is transported to other places when she sneezes (link)

Any show with a hedonistic lion is all right with me. I also like both “Googly” and “Aanchoo” as character names. Though I don’t think they’ve got anything yet to compete with the name “Snuffleupagus”.

“The Namesake” had its world debut on Saturday, at the Telluride film festival [Thanks Gautham]. We first blogged about the movie almost two years ago [We also blogged the casting call, but got no couch privileges]. The trailers [Quicktime, Real, WMP] for the movie look excellent, so I’ve been wriggling with anticipation just waiting for its release.

For those of you just tuning in, this is a film based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s first book novel, directed by Mira Nair, and starring Kal Penn, thus making it a desi-American trifecta. The tagline is for the movie is “Two worlds. One journey,” a phrase so wonderful that it is destined to replace “blend of East and West” in matrimonial ads. Since Kal Penn even gets a blond girlfriend, I’m sure that at least one of the mutineers will go watch the movie for that reason alone.

I have no doubt that this movie will do well with the artsy-fartsy non-brown American crowd. Mira Nair is skillful at pushing the line of prurient exoticism just far enough to maximize general interest in the movie, while never selling out.

However, this is a movie that will do well in the states but flop “back home” in India. India loves movies like Krrish, and despite annual announcements of a new Bollywood realism, I doubt that Indian audiences will take to The Namesake. “Why is the boy [Kal Penn] not dancing?”

We can get a glimpse of what the popular response to the film is likely to be from the reactions to it while a scene was being shot at the Taj Mahal. Even though the movie stars Tabu and Irfan Khan, one person stopped a journalist (confusing him with Mira Nair) to inquire:

“Are you the director Mira Nair? Why don’t you cast (Bollywood star) Shah Rukh Khan in your film?” [Link]

Another onlooker asked:

“Why is the boy [Kal Penn] not dancing?” [Link]

That’s right - a realistic portrayal of life in two countries, and people wonder why nobody is dancing. I think that pretty much sums up how Indian audiences will feel about the film. No song, no dance, no interest.

SM Profilee - Lt (now Captain) Neil Prakash is now a radio star. Sort of. PunditReview has a recording of a tribute to Neil carried on talk radio detailing the actions which earned him a Silver Star in Iraq. A few excerpts of which are quoted -

One thing you’ve gotta know about Neil - he runs to the sound of gunfire…. There were hundreds of men firing at his small platoon of 4 tanks… They tried to approach the tank and drop hand grenades into the hatches..

The battle raged on for about an hour… all in all, Lt Neil Prakash’s platoon were hit by 23 IED’s and over 20 RPG’s. Prakash’s tank alone … took 4-8 direct RPG’s. Neil personally killed 8 machine gun and RPG teams and the platoon had 25 confirmed kills with an estimated 60 additional insurgents

For his valor on Jun 24, 1st LT Neil Prakash was awarded the Silver Star…. He was also later awarded a Bronze Star [for a different engagement]”

Now some will sneer about the Americanized pronounciation of brother Neil’s name - “Neil Prack-ish”. Others about the patriotic/romantic music in the background while his tribute is read. And still others will sneer about Neil’s engagement overall in the business of the Iraq war. Not me.

But hopefully, regardless of how you feel, we can take a moment to commend an individual who’s risked far more for an abstract cause than many of us who sit comfortably in our air-conditioned offices.

Neil was first covered in Sepia Mutiny’s youth back in November 2004 and that initial coverage was, in part, responsible for leading Neil to join the ranks of milbloggers. Neil recorded his exploits in a wonderful narrative style on his own blog - Armor Geddon - and a few posts have been expanded into a recently published compendium book written by milbloggers - The Blog of War.

Bravo.

Previous SM Coverage of Neil’s Silver Star. Neil’s blog entry on the eve of his foray into Fallujah.

While looking through some press photographs I have come to learn of a Hindu diety of whom I was previously unaware. Behold Biswakarma, the Hindu god of architecture and machinery:

Biswakarma, or Vishkarma, was the architect of Dwarka, the city that was built for Lord Krishna. Today he is commemorated all over India, and particularly in the industrial cities, by those who work with tools and factory machinery. [Link]

He seems to be somewhat of an equivalent to the Roman God Vulcan (or the Greek God Hephaestus).

What caught my attention however was the freaky-ass picture you see below. It is of an artist getting things ready for the Biswakarma Puja on September 17th. I’ve actually had a few nightmares that looked something like this.

I would HATE to be in this room when they turn off the lights

People worship the implements with which they earn their daily bread and artisans clean their tools and repaint old machines. Shop floors and factories are decorated for the occasion, loud speakers blare out music and the image of Biswakarma and his faithful elephant can be seen everywhere.

Biswakarma is the divine architect of the whole universe, regarded as the supreme worker and the personification of the creative power that holds heaven and earth together. He has four hands, carrying a water-pot, a book, a noose and craftsman’s tools. All the divine weapons such as chariots that are traditionally possessed by the gods are his creation. [Link]

Yes, you guessed it. As professional bloggers we will be worshiping our computers and will have our monkeys re-paint the bunker on September 17th.

Edison, NJ just can't seem to get out of the news. Seems that filmi starlet Bipasha Basu was recently harrassed there this month by a couple of the organizers at Indian Business Association. And as any woman of my disposition a like-minded desi woman that doesn't take crap lying down anymore, she made sure that she was not silenced.

Girl Powered Bipasha Basu

Bollywood star Bipasha Basu has publicly accused two organisers of an India Day parade at Edison Township, New Jersey, of harassing her physically and mentally. The movie star was scheduled to lead the parade -- organised by the Indian Business Association -- on Sunday, August 13, through Oak Tree Road, a centre of Indian businesses, as Grand Marshall.

Before the parade... Bipasha appeared on stage. "I wanted to attend the parade, but I could not," she said, adding that she was harassed physically and mentally in the car by two people who were taking her to the parade. [link]

Girlfriend was angry, and partial footage of Basu on stage enraged into a girl power frenzy almost brought a tear to my eye. (The entire tirade was shown on Asian Variety Show this weekend, but I couldn't find it online). Though the IBA said they were going to do an investigation, they are also doing what every good American does. Suing her.

Officials said the IBA, which instituted an inquiry into the allegations, will sue Basu for an undisclosed amount for violating the contract and making such an allegation. Though officials were not willing to talk till the inquiry was over, sources said it could sue her for $5 million. The legal action is expected to be initiated in a New Jersey court. [link]

[Bipasha] claimed she had received some bruises, which were photographed... [link]

Bipasha has not made a formal complaint to the organisers, he said. The alleged incident could cause a criminal investigation, but she has not lodged any complaint with the police either.[link]

So IBA, your volunteer organizers pick up this woman, they don't 'molest' her but she does get bruises from the incident, and your step is to sue her for breach of contract? Seriously? Too bad Basu doesn't blog anymore, I'd love to hear what she has to say.

Edison as we know, has the fifth largest desi population, and the most significant concentration of desis in the U.S. With police brutality and now this incident, the desi community of Edison has their community organizing work cut out for them.

(Note: I swiped the title(s) of my post from Shortpurge and Amit)

In Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Sanjay Dutt has a visitation from “Bapu,” and afterwards starts trying live in a more Gandhian way. The film is technically the sequel to the superhit from 2003, Munna Bhai, M.B.B.S., but wisely goes off on a completely different direction from the first film (you don’t need to have seen Munna 1 to enjoy this). The “dadagiri” is the same (just wanted an excuse to use the word “dadagiri”), as is the “everyman triumphs against heartless bureaucracy” theme, but the story and the shape of the two films couldn’t be more different.

One of my favorite bits: at one point, Munna is getting smacked around by a security guard employed by his nemesis, the heartless builder Lucky Singh. After getting slapped once, he gamely turns the other cheek. After getting slapped twice, he gives the guy a big, “baap re baap” punch in the gut, which knocks the guy across the street. Munna’s sheepish explanation: “Bapu never said what to do after they’ve hit both of your cheeks.”

Now that’s the kind of Gandhianism I like. And indeed, this is the kind of Bollywood I like. (Manish, who is pretty choosy with regards to Bollywood, also liked it; in fact, we went to see it largely on his recommendation). The humor is sweet, the songs are energetic and relatively “traditional,” and everything is actually in good taste for once. Moreover, the Mahatma Gandhi part of the plot is the excuse for an admirable, relatively non-dogmatic social message. At the theater where I saw it last night, in Doylestown, PA, the audience all came out looking well-pleased.

Datelined Charlieville, Trinidad and Tobago, a fascinating article by Josh Meyer in the Los Angeles Times today about the worldwide hunt, fruitless so far, for Adnan Gulshair Muhammad el-Shukrijumah, 31, US citizen, computer technician by trade, jihadist by avocation, and (strongly) suspected top-level operative of the al-Qaeda version 2.0 that many experts believe is currently forming.

Charlieville, a rural Muslim community in T & T, is where Shukrijumah spent the week of the September 11 attacks, and where the FBI went looking for him 18 months later, by which time he was of course long gone. Why T & T? Not entirely clear, but Shukrijumah is originally Guyanese (and thus very likely partly or mostly desi) and the two countries have numerous cultural affinities that include supporting each other’s music, football teams, cricket stars, and now perhaps more sinister affinities among groups with nefarious intent.

Known by various aliases, including “The South American,” Shukrijumah has quite a reputation and the skills and credentials to move with relative ease:

Whereas Al Qaeda’s core followers are young, poor and relatively uneducated, Shukrijumah has attended college and is comfortable with technology. He’s also a naturalized U.S. citizen whose appearance would allow him to pass as Latino, Indian or Middle Eastern and who speaks English with no discernible accent, officials say. …

When asked which operative was most likely to launch a U.S.-based attack, many captives mentioned one particular figure with an almost mythical reputation as a ruthless militant. His nom de guerre was Jaffar al Tayyar, a reference to an Islamic hero who had fought beside the prophet Muhammad.

But his identity, too, was a mystery.

The pieces began to come together in early March when [Khalid Shaikh] Mohammed was captured in Pakistan and his computers, phones and other electronic gear were seized.

The evidence confirmed that Mohammed had been sending “Westernized” Al Qaeda soldiers on missions into the U.S. and other countries.

And when Mohammed was shown a photograph of Shukrijumah, he identified him as Tayyar, U.S. counter-terrorism officials said.

By then, U.S. authorities were concluding that Shukrijumah was also the shadowy South American, an apparent reference to his time spent in Trinidad and nearby Guyana.

To their dismay, they realized that one of Al Qaeda’s best-trained operatives had been lurking — and perhaps plotting — in the United States since long before the Sept. 11 attacks.

The first time I saw the poster, I had just walked out of work and saw the ridiculousness of it all on the bus stop kiosk. "Great." I muttered to myself. "Another frat boy comedy." Than I looked a little closer and saw that the main face dead center in the sea of beer was in fact (un)typical and desi. "Great..."

Seriously? A desi in a frat boy comedy around beer competition? Why, it's almost like a desi in a frat boy comedy around marijuana! The desi in this movie, Jay Chandrasekhar, is who I'm talking about and it looks like he is doing it all; starring, directing, writing and producing for Beerfest. We've seen Chandrasekhar's directing before with the movies The Dukes of Hazard and Super Troopers.

I wasn't planning on watching it but that will not stop me from reviewing the movie for you.

When their great grandmother asks them to return their grandfather's ashes to the old country, Jan (Paul Soter) and Todd (Erik Stolhanske) Wolfhouse jump at the opportunity. It doesn't hurt that the trip would take them to Germany during Oktoberfest... What Jan and Todd find is a secret competition in which all of the world's greatest beer gamers and beer drinkers compete for glory: Beerfest. [link]

Director Jay Chandrasekhar (who also stars as Barry, the hustler) has plenty of good ideas to bounce into his cinematic glass but, at several points, they become too much. What seems like a "Saturday Night Live" skits winds up as "Long Day's Journey into Night."...Easily, "Beerfest" is an acquired taste. If you're not into this kind of comedy, you won't find the film intoxicating. If you are, drink up [link]

Beerfest is a movie that is funny when it goes for outrageous and farcical, but tedious when it displays the originality of a Kevin Federline rap. [link]

Ouch, a Federline diss. Read more reviews of catch-phrase critics here, watch a red carpet interview with Jay here, and Manish at Ultrabrown compiles some more reviews here. But in all my searching, I haven't read any other desi perspectives on this movie on the blogrolls. Mutineers, have you seen the movie? What do you think? And of course, is it really a step forward for desis in Hollywood if instead of being typecasted as terrorists and silent head henchmen, we have a role like the one on Beerfest?

Last night, I held a meetup of my own at Enoteca Viansa (yes, Kingsley darling, you can totally say it…it’s not like it’s Malayalam or something difficult). Fortunately for me, a few of my closest wessside friends indulged my greedy desire for their Thursday evening— if it wasn’t clear to them before, I now heart Salil/Jay/SJM, MP, Kingsley and of course, mutineer Vinod even more. Viansa makes my favorite non-cab red ever, so I’ve always wanted to check out their somewhat random Napa-esque tasting room in the city; a refined time was had by all and at no point were the words “sodomy”, “that skank who cheated on you”, “dry hump” or “back channel communication” uttered, though there was some mention of “the futility experiment”, which was M’s kind way of characterizing my prospects for reproductive success. We poured some out for my forlorn alleles and then called it a night. Don’t fret, I wasn’t two-timing you…it was a pre-meetup before tomorrow’s hotness, if you will.

Speaking of 20+ hours from now, we will not be swirling or checking out the legs on anything other than shorts/miniskirt-clad mutineers— we’re meeting at Greco, which is good for espresso, not dolcettos.

Just down the street from that obnoxious Pimps of Rome spot, Greco has Razib’s AND my seal of approval. Do explore it for yourselves, so that we may fatten the Sepia Flickr group and make merry in North Beach on a Saturday afternoon. See you at 4pm, you back-channel-loving perverts (I can totally say that, because Salil, Vinod and I are going to be there).

NB: Not to spook or guilt you or anything, but this may be a certain mutineer’s last appearance at a meetup… :o

When: Saturday, September 4pm
Who: You
Where: 423 Columbus Ave

Two Fox News Reporters were recently forced to convert to Islam as part of negotiating their release from Palestinian captors (the other part of the package was a monetary ransom paid in American dollars, said to be in the six figures). In the video they made of the event, the captors made the bizarre claim that the conversions weren’t under duress. Yeah, right. (Interesting Slate.com essay on this here)

That surreal spectacle led to an interesting column in the Wall Street Journal by David Aikman, where he mentions India in conjunction:

Under the sheltering wing of the First Amendment and a core civic belief that religious faith is a private matter and a private choice, religious Americans have overwhelmingly made the selection of their private faith as normal as choosing a breakfast cereal. Sometimes the selection seems to be as inconsequential as well… .

In the Hindu and Islamic worlds, the conscious choice by someone of a new religious conviction is very serious business. There are family pressures to overcome, community prejudices and, often enough, threats of violence if a conversion is actually made. Even in India, where there is a strong legal tradition since British times of religious freedom, advocates of Hindutva (“Hinduness”) do everything possible to prevent people defecting from Hinduism to join other faiths. In much of the Islamic world it is technically a capital offense under Sharia, or Muslim religious law, to change one’s faith. But even if it weren’t, the prevailing response to a suggestion to alter one’s religion would be: “Why would I want to?” (link)

For many of us this site is a place where we can explore the desi experience, not just as it plays out in news or culture, but also on a personal level. As a community we are coherent but not cohesive, united by a diasporic experience but keen to its many variations. What it means to be desi is still very much under negotiation, which is good: it means that we haven’t congealed, nor been taken over by ideological disputes or anointed leaders. This, combined with tools like the Internet which previous diasporas did not enjoy, has helped to keep the conversation open, generally productive, and most important of all, conducive to sharing personal experience.

For some of us, the idea of being desi comes with self-questioning built in, because we are of mixed race and ethnicity, products of unions where one partner was desi, the other not. I know there are a lot of people who read this site who belong to this group, and many more who are having, or are likely to have, mixed children. Among the regulars here who identify as both mixed and desi, the most outspoken in the past year have been DesiDancer and myself in the U.S. as well as Bong Breaker in the U.K.

Recently DesiDancer (portrayed here as a young macaca) and I began a conversation that aims to explore the experience of being a mixed desi in America today. It is also a blog experiment: A different format than usual, and a new way of engaging the many people here who have been so generous and thoughtful in sharing their stories. We are corresponding by IM and editing the transcripts for coherence and pace. And by making it a series, we can absorb your responses to each instalment as we prepare the next.

Today, in “Gettin’ Down with the Brown,” we talk about how we came to identify as desi when we had the choice of not doing so. Later we’ll discuss the ways we — and others — live, deploy, engage our “desi” and “mixed” identities in the world today. Whether you are mixed yourself, or the (potential) parent of mixed kids, or neither, your responses will help shape the discussion. (You may also share thoughts in confidence with either of us.)

So, here goes: