SAJAforum

From SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association

New South Asian stuff every day. Feedback, story ideas to editor Arun Venugopal of WNYC Radio: arunvenu[at]gmail.com. Opinions expressed on SAJAforum don't necessarily reflect those of SAJA or its Board. 

Hear SAJA webcast archives:

See coverage, photos and videos of SAJA's 15th Annual Convention & Career Expo: http://saja.org/convention SAJA WEBCASTS: Listen to famous authors, topic briefings and more SRI LANKA: Resources, sources, webcasts for covering the civil war ADVICE FOR JOURNALISTS: See tips for journos going to South Asia SOUTH ASIA & U.S. MAGS: See 135+ covers, old and new Sign up for our mailing lists: http://saja.org/resources/emaillists Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sajahq Download the new SAJA application on your iPhone, iPod Touch (search "SAJA" in the App Store) or BlackBerry (FREE): http://saja.polarmobile.com How you can help SAJA: Send us feedback, suggestions: saja[at]columbia.edu Become a member - just $10 a year for students, $20 for journalists, $40 for everyone else. Sign up now. Make a donation - there's a $15,000 matching program right now

MUMBAI ATTACKS: Marking the one-year anniversary with films, books, etc.

SAJAforum closely tracked the Mumbai attacks of November 2008. We posted more than 30 stories and hosted 50+ speakers/experts/witnesses in 15+ hours of BlogTalkRadio webcasts.

Now that we're approaching the first anniversary on Nov. 26, 2009, we will use this post (and the comments section) to track events and other items that are marking the anniversary.

Our first post, in August, was about a new nonprofit, Mumbai: We Got Your Back and its new book, "To India With Love: New York to Mumbai" by Waris Ahluwalia, Tina Bhojwani, & Mortimer Singer (Assouline Publishing, Nov. 2009).

Here are some new items:

• A press release about "Terror In Mumbai," an HBO documentary, co-produced by Channel 4 and narrated by Mumbaiker Fareed Zakaria (you might remember that the episode of "Fareed Zakaria GPS" on CNN four days after the attacks started featured appearances by Ratan Tata and Henry Kissinger). Airs Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009.
• A press release about "Secrets of the Dead," a PBS documentary produced by WNET and narrated by actor Liev Schreiber ("Taking Woodstock" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"). Airs Wed, Nov. 25, 2009. SAJA-NY will be hosting a screening and panel discussion with the filmmaker and others on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6-8:30 pm at Columbia Journalism School - open to the public. Details coming here soon
• On Nov. 17, we'll publish here info about a new nonprofit started by an American whose husband and daughter were killed in the attacks. Publicist: Gary Smith, gary[at]evolotuspr.com

These items are in full below - if you contact the publicists, tell 'em SAJA sent you. Please post your comments and/or other items.

BUSINESS: Foreign companies employing Americans and Providing a Lifeline

“The Selling of the American Economy: How Foreign Companies Are Remaking the American Dream” is a new book by NYT reporter Micheline Maynard. An excerpt ran in today's NYT and here are three key paras:

As scores of companies are hemorrhaging jobs, closing plants and slashing compensation, foreign employers have become a lifeline for Ms. Ryan and millions of other Americans. While they haven’t been immune from the recession, foreign-owned companies in the United States have a work force of more than 5.3 million, or some 3.5 percent of all workers, and are spread across the 50 states in sectors from manufacturing to retail and publishing. If these jobs did not exist, the nation’s unemployment rate would be above 13 percent.

Investments in the United States by big car companies like Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz have received the greatest share of attention over the past two decades. But there are also tens of thousands of Americans working for companies like the Tata Group of India, which recently reopened the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan and makes Eight O’Clock Coffee; Haier, the Chinese appliance maker, with a refrigerator plant in South Carolina and an impressive headquarters in a landmark building in Manhattan; and Nestlé, the Swiss food company, which employs hundreds to make Nesquik and Coffee-Mate in Indiana. Even Anheuser-Busch, America’s best-selling beer maker, is now owned by a Belgian company, InBev.

Foreign companies may touch a nerve in American society and may still be an object of fear and distrust among many, who view foreign investment as a threat to the American worker and way of life. But foreign investment isn’t simply about helping workers earn a weekly paycheck. Foreign companies that invest in the United States are having a significant — and largely positive — impact on not only the lives of workers, but also the health of the American economy and society as a whole.

That got me thinking there must be other companies based in India that are employing Americans. We are not talking about companies that import Indian citizens to work for U.S. subsidiaries via the H1-B program; we are talking about companies that are the Indian equivalents of the Japanese automotive plants in various U.S. regions.

If you know of any beyond the Tata Group/Pierre Hotel/Eight O'Clock Coffee sited above, please list them in the comments section below.

WEBCAST: Shashi Tharoor, India's Minister of State for External Affairs

Hit play above or click here to listen to the recording:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/10/16/Shashi-Tharoor

SAJA presents a newsmaker webcast with author and former UN Under Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor as he visits his former home, NYC, after becoming an elected member of India's parliament and Minister of State for External Affairs. Call and and ask questions as he discusses his work in the cabinet and India's place in the world. Follow him at http://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor. More on him at http://www.Tharoor.in

Friday, Oct. 16, 2009
4-4:45 pm, New York time

==> Listen live, or later to a recording:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/10/16/Shashi-Tharoor
(you can set an e-mail reminder for yourself at that link)

Or call-in to listen and/or talk to him at +1-347-324-5991.

Send your questions/comments via e-mail to saja[at]columbia.edu (subject = webcast) of via Twitter @sajahq. You can also use the chatroom that will be open at the link above to ask live questions. You can also post your questions in the comments section below.

===> As always, you are welcome to quote from anything said during the FREE, WORLDWIDE webcasts (50+) at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja

DOWNLOAD TO iTUNES: These audio webcasts are also available as downloadable MP3 files for your personal collection and on-the-go listening. If you want to subscribe to these as podcasts on iTunes, go to "Advanced" within iTunes, then select "Subscribe to podcast" and type in http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/feed and hit OK.

RECENT SAJA AUTHOR/LITERARY WEBCASTS:

DIWALI: White House Celebrates Diwali - photos & video

Earlier this afternoon, President Barack Obama lighted the official White House diya (lamp) to mark the celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights this weekend. A local Hindu priest from Maryland recited the mantra as Obama lighted the lamp.

The president also signed the executive order re-establishing the President's Advisory Commission and White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders, a program which he hoped would improve the health, education, and economic status of AAPI communities.

[NOTE: The ceremony marked the first-time that Diwali was observed in The White House itself. The Bush Administration traditionally celebrated Diwali in the Indian Treaty Room in the Old Executive Office Building, next to the main White House. And, yes, that's a different kind of Indian.]

"I think it's fitting that we begin this work in the week leading up to the holiday of Diwali, the festival of lights, when members of some of the world's greatest faiths celebrate the triumph of good over evil," Obama said.

While this is a time of rejoicing, it's also a time for reflection, when we remember those who are less fortunate and renew our commitment to reach out to those in need.

While the significance of the holiday for each faith varies, all of them mark it by gathering with family members to pray and decorate the house and enjoy delicious food and sweet treats.  And in that spirit of celebration and contemplation, I am happy to light the White House Diya, and wish you all a Happy Diwali, and a Saal Mubarak.

Photos from the event are below:

President Obama lights the lamp to mark the celebration of Diwali.

President Obama addresses the audience before signing the AAPI executive order.

Penn Masala, the Hindi a capella group from UPenn, performed the song "Aicha" from their new album.

Kal Penn, who was appointed as the Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, helped putt the event together.

A Hindu priest from the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Maryland chanted the mantra as President Obama lighted the diya during the event.

Please post your comments below.

NONPROFITS: Sakhi Celebrates 20th Anniversary

This report on the 20th anniversary celebrations of  Sakhi for South Asian Women was written by new SAJAforum contributors Maia Efrem & Jehangir Irani, with photos by Irani.

Jehangir Irani is a former pilot in the U.S. Air Force.  He served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He’s now a broadcast student at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism - ji2168[at]columbia.edu

Maia Efrem, 24, is a writer for the Russian Jewish Institute.  She is a master’s student at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism - me2383[at]columbia.edu

~~~

Clad in a gold and burgundy churidar kurta, filmmaker Mira Nair (right) took center stage in Manhattan's Prince George Ballroom, promising, "...only dinner. Appetizers included and excellent conversation," to one lucky bidder.  She jokingly added, "and maybe, depending on how tantalizing the conversation is, it can go places."  Nair, who agreed to be auctioned off for a charity fundraiser, was one of almost three hundred people in attendance on Friday, Oct. 2, at Sakhi for South Asian Women's 20th anniversary gala. Minutes later, Sotheby's auctioneer Maarten ten Holder went to work, generating a winning bid of $5,000 for the dinner date with Nair. [Nair's new movie, “Amelia,” starring Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, and Ewan McGregor, opens on October 23.]

Sakhi, meaning "woman friend" in several South Asian languages, is a non-profit organization, founded 20 years ago by five South Asian women.  Its modest roots trace back to no particular location, rather various apartments in New York, where volunteers fielded phone calls from women in distress.  "Our call volume has tripled over the last 7 years," said executive director Purvi Shah.  "I think our community based approach is successful and our community trusts us as a resource," she added.

DJ Rekha, a pioneer in New York's "Basement Bhangra" scene, provided the soundtrack to the night's festivities.  Years ago, Rekha was one of three women participating in Sakhi's first internship program.  "Through the years I've done many events with Sakhi,"she said.  "In fact, it was one of my jobs as an intern.  I did their first fundraising event; I organized it."

The evening began with a reception at the World Monument Funds Gallery, adjacent to the ballroom.  Inside, traditional South Asian hors d'oeuvres (think samosas and shrimp patya), catered by acclaimed restaurant Devi, awaited arriving guests.  The food complemented Rekha's music, which provided a chill, laid back vibe for guests to peruse the items in the auction.  Artist Gazala Chinwalla donated one of her paintings for auction.  Having two relatives who were victims of domestic abuse motivated her to do it.  Sakhi's supportive network also helped both of her family members end their abusive relationships.  "Even in these tough economic times, it is inspiring to see the community make protecting our women a priority," said Roopa Unnikrishnan, a former board chair of Sakhi and a NY-based executive. "It is great to see that the 20th anniversary brought out our existing supporters as well as a whole new generation of people who believe in the cause."

MUSIC: Jay Sean hits #1 on the Billboard 100

This is an unusual post for two reasons:

1. I am going to do some self-plagiarizing and re-use a lot of content I used in a previous post.
2. And much more importantly, it's about a South Asian who's hit the top of the U.S. music charts.

Jay Sean, a 28-year-old British singer/rapper/hip-hopper, whose real name is Kamaljit Singh Jhooti, has moved up one spot to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (the listing of the most popular songs in the US, as measured by radio play, sales and online streaming).

His infectious song, called "Down" (featuring a big name in the world of hip-hop, Lil Wayne), is #1 on the chart that was released today. He replaced the Black-eyed Peas and is ahead of other major mainstream names, such as Miley Cyrus at #2 and Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West at #3.

[That's Jay Sean at the Aug. 2009 India Day parade in NYC, photographed by another Jay, photojournalist Jay Mandal/On Assignment: jay[at]jaymandal.com if you want the high-rez version.]

The numbers in gray next to the #1 are last week's position (2); weeks on the Hot 100 (14); peak position (1). The song is also #1 on the Pop Songs and Radio Songs charts and #3 on Digital Songs and #6 on Ringtones and #4 on the Canadian Hot 100.

Asked by SAJAforum for a comment, SAJAer Nusrat Durrani, head of MTV World and an influential music executive, wrote: "Jay Sean hitting number 1 on the Billboard charts is great news and it was inevitable. He a class act and can compare with the very best global talent. MTV has been supporting him for many years. We are thrilled for Jay and MTV Iggy recently spoke to him at the Video Music Awards."

You can watch the Jay Sean video on YouTube, read about him on his official site; and read his Wikipedia entry.

Some more background on the song's achievements, from Billboard:

AWARDS: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan shares chemistry Nobel + list of other South Asian winners

UPDATE, 9/7/2009, 2:52 pm ET: *** A SAJA member tells us that a journalist colleague who spoke to Ramakrishnan confirms he is a U.S. citizen.

UPDATE: 9/7/2009, 11 am ET: There was some confusion about Ramakrishnan's citizenship. The NYT says he's a U.S. citizen, as does Wikipedia. But as the screengrabs below, the Nobel folks say he's British. They also changed his photo thrice (going live with no photo at first - all the pix below). Use the comments section or sree[at]sree.net.

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, a Cambridge professor who is a US citizen who was born in Tamil Nadu, India, wins the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Thomas Steitz, an American citizen at Yale and Ada E. Yonathan, of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot. From the Yale press release: All three used a technology called X-ray crystallography to map the position for each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of atoms that make up the ribosome. The knowledge of the ribosome has created targets for a new generation of antibiotics. The instruction manual for the creation of proteins is DNA, but the ribosome is the machine which takes information transcribed onto messenger RNA and turns it into proteins. Read details at NobelPrize.org. More here throughout the day.

COVERAGE: Sify | NYT

The Nobel Lectures in Chemistry will be held on Tuesday, 8 December 2009, at the Aula Magna, Stockholm University. The lectures will be published on this site after that.

Here is the latest screengrab from NobelPrize.org (scroll down to see the previous two versions):

From the SAJA Stylebook for Covering South Asia and the Diaspora:

Several people associated with South Asia have won Nobel Prizes. In chronological order: Ronald Ross (Medicine, 1902); Rudyard Kipling (Literature, 1907); Rabindranath Tagore (Literature, 1913); Sir C.V. Raman (Physics, 1930); Har Gobind Khorana (Medicine, 1968); Abdus Salam (Physics, 1979); Mother Teresa (Peace, 1979); Subramanyan Chandrasekhar (Physics, 1983); Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama (Peace, 1989); Amartya Sen (Economics, 1998); V.S. Naipaul (Literature, 2001); Dr. Mohammed Yunus (Peace, 2006); Rajendra K. Pachauri received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (which he leads), sharing it with Al Gore. Interestingly, Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace Prize. Reuters reported in early 1998 that the reason for not selecting the leader of India's struggle for independence was Norway's friendship with Britain after World War II. Hundreds of documents in a basement safe at the Nobel Institute in Oslo, made available to Reuters after a 50-year secrecy rule, showed that Gandhi was nominated but did not win in 1937, 1947 and 1948. Historians say the five-man jury in the 1930s and '40s was pro-British and had a patronizing attitude to candidates from the developing world. "If I were to guess, one factor which made it difficult to give the prize to Gandhi was the very strong pro-British orientation in Norway 's foreign policy," said Geir Lundestad, director of the Nobel Institute.

If you have comments to share, please post them below.

These are screengrabs of the Nobel site, in chronological order:

WEBCAST: Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn on "Half the Sky"

Thank you for all who caught the live show - we have folks from around the world. You can catch the recording by hitting the play button on clicking on the link.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/10/07/Nicholas-Kristof-Sheryl-WuDunn
(you can set an e-mail reminder for yourself at that link)
Or call-in to listen and/or talk to them at +1-347-324-5991.

~ ~ ~

SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, celebrating SAJA@15, its 15th Anniversary Year - in cooperation with the Asian American Journalists Association (NY chapter), the Arab & Middle East Journalists Association and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism - presents...

a special webcast with NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF & SHERYL WuDUNN, authors of the widely-acclaimed "Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" (and as seen on the cover of the New York Times Magazine, "Colbert Report," "Oprah," the NYT Bestsellers list). More about them and their book at http://halftheskymovement.org [Folllow Kristof on Twitter: @nytimeskristof]

"If you have always wondered whether you can change the world, read this book.  Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn have written a brilliant call to arms that describes one of the transcendent injustices in the world today - the brutal treatment of women. The authors vividly describe a terrible reality about the world we live in but they also provide light and hope that we can, in fact, change it." - Fareed Zakaria, author, The
Post-American World and host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS."

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009
Noon-1 pm ET
(see local time around the world: http://snurl.com/s86n1)

Listen live, or later to a recording:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/10/07/Nicholas-Kristof-Sheryl-WuDunn
(you can set an e-mail reminder for yourself at that link)
Or call-in to listen and/or talk to them at +1-347-324-5991.

Send your questions/comments via e-mail to saja[at]columbia.edu (subject = webcast) of via Twitter @sajahq. You can also use the chatroom that will be open at the link above to ask live questions. You can also post your questions in the comments section below.

MODERATOR: Vibhuti Patel, contributing editor, Newsweek International and arts writer.

ABOUT THE BOOK, from Amazon: From two of our most fiercely moral voices, a passionate call to arms against our era's most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world. With Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn as our guides, we undertake an odyssey through Africa and Asia to meet the extraordinary women struggling there, among

MUSIC: Jay Sean hits #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart

UPDATE: THE FOLLOWING WEEK, JAY SEAN HIT #1.
SEE THE DETAILS.

An e-mail I received this evening had a subject line that was partially cut-off by my e-mail reader:

I thought this was about a musical milestone I had been meaning to blog about but hadn't got around to.Turns out the full headline was "India's rare achievement in rocket technology." [And if you don't know about Ram Narayanan's famous mailing list, read all about it in this SAJAforum piece by Arun Venugopal from three years ago, "ACTIVISM: Ram Narayanan, Bilateral Booster."]

But the note did remind me that we should note here the musical milestone I was thinking of: a solo South Asian act hits #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (the listing of the most popular songs in the US, as measured by radio play, sales and online streaming).

Jay Sean, a 28-year-old British singer/rapper/hip-hopper, whose real name is Kamaljit Singh Jhooti, has lit up the charts with an infectious song called "Down" (featuring a big name in the world of hip-hop, Lil Wayne). As of the week of Oct. 10, the song has been on the chart for 13 weeks (including six in the top 10).

The numbers in gray are last week's position (3); weeks on the Hot 100 (13); peak position (2).

There have been other acts with South Asian connections that have made it to the top of the U.S. charts: Norah Jones; M.I.A., Freddie Mercury, the late lead singer of Queen; Tony Kanal, bassist for No Doubt; Cliff Richard, who was born in Lucknow, India; Engelbert Humperdinck, who was born in Madras, India; Kim Thayil's band, Soundgarden, hit #30 on the Hot 100 with "Blackhole Sun," but was #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart for seven weeks. (anyone else I missed?)

You can watch the Jay Sean video on YouTube, read about him on his official site; and read his Wikipedia entry.

Post your comments below.

VIDEO: Parag Khanna's TED talk on the future of countries

Parag Khanna, one of Esquire's 75 most influential people in the 21st Century, shared his thoughts on the future of countries at TED, the legendary smarty-pants conference.

Description of the topic:

Many people think the lines on the map no longer matter, but Parag Khanna says they do. Using maps of the past and present, he explains the root causes of border conflicts worldwide and proposes simple yet cunning solutions for each.

His official TED bio. Post your comments below.

OBIT: Prakash Parekh, veteran publisher, passes away

Prakash Parekh, publisher and editor of NY-based Gujarat Times has passed away. He leaves a legacy of influence that shaped the Indian-American press and the Indian-American community, including several charities. We are collecting comments below - please post your thoughts.

From the obit published in News India Times:

Pakash Parekh, editor and publisher of Gujarat Times, died of heart failure at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, Oct. 1. He was 65. He was suffering from ill health for over a year and had undergone a heart transplant surgery in May.

He was born Dec. 20 in Amravati, Maharashtra, and completed his B.Sc. from Nagpur University. He received his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, and joined Kirloskar Consulting in Pune in 1967.

Parekh came to the United States in 1970 to pursue an MBA from Columbia University. After graduating, he began his career in marketing.

He later attended the New York Law School and, after graduating, began private practice.

Parekh served as the editor and president of News India Times and Desi Talk from 1998 to 2002.

He joined the company again under the ownership of Gopal Raju as marketing director for News India Times, Desi Talk, Gujarat Times and Sher-ePunjab in 2004.

A well-known figure in the Indian-American community, Parekh served on the board of directors of various organizations and served as president of the Indian American Cultural Association of Westchester, Indian Cultural Society of New Jersey and Federation of Indian Associations (FIA).

He also served as a legal adviser to several cultural, religious, business and political organizations like JAINA, Vaishnav Temple of New York, BAPS, Indian Dental Association and the Indian American Center for Political Awareness. He was also an active member of the Gujarati Samaj and the Maharashtra Mandal and participated in dramas and cultural shows.

He is survived by his wife Sudha, son Neil, daughter-inlaw Pamela, daughter Amy and son-in-law Rajiv Mehta.

The funeral will be held Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Edwards Dowdle Funeral Home in Dobbs Ferry, New York, followed by a cremation at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale.

Saturday, October 3: 2pm to 4pm (Visitation at the Funeral Home)
6 pm to 9pm (Visitation at the Funeral Home)

Sunday, October 4:
9am to 11am (Visitation at the Funeral Home)

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be sent to one of the following charities: Share & Care Foundation, the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross in Westchester County.

Please post your comments below - we will share them with his family.

EVENTS: Sample South Asian events in NYC

SAJA's e-mail inbox is constantly filled with all kinds of South Asian events. It's impossible for us to keep up with them all, but I thought we'd share some of them here so you could get a sense of the range of things that are going on. Mira Nair, Salman Rushdie, Jhumpa Lahiri, DJ Rekha, Asif Mandvi, Madhur Jaffrey, are just some of the names to note below.

JOB: Islamabad correspondent, Washington Post

Earlier this month, we posted a job for Pakistani bureau chief of Reuters. Now, an equally intriguing posting from the Washington Post. 

DON'T FORGET: Tips for American journalists going to South Asia for the first time.

Islamabad Correspondent

Foreign is seeking an Islamabad correspondent for a tour of at least one year, beginning Feb. 1. The post includes primary responsibility for Pakistan, a nuclear power facing enormous challenges from inside and outside its borders. It would include some shared responsibility for Afghanistan, working closely with our correspondent in Kabul. We're looking for a strong writer, energetic reporter and big thinker eager to dive deeply into the confusion and chaos of a region that ranks at the top of Washington's most urgent concerns. The job would require a candidate willing to be based in Pakistan, rather than to make periodic rotations.

We ask that any applicant give full consideration to the security risks inherent in reporting from Pakistan and Afghanistan. There is a strong internal candidate, but we're eager to hear from others; we're interested in talking to anyone interested in this or any other foreign post. Those interested should contact Douglas Jehl at jehld[at]washpost.com by Monday, October 5.

Comments welcome.

SAJA-NY EVENT: Meet Newsmakers Jairam Ramesh & Rajendra Pachauri

SAJA-NY and Vermilion Restaurant in association with the The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) present a conversation with two influential figures in the world of environment and climate change...

 

MEET NEWSMAKERS Mr Jairam Ramesh and Dr. Rajendra Pachauri

 

Jairam Ramesh, India's environment minister (former minister of state for commerce and industry)
- he will play a crucial role in the outcome of Copenhagen climate change conference in December as India's stance as a fast-growing economy will impact not only the positions of the United States, but also that of developing countries

 

Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri
- received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (which he leads)
- in July 2009 became director of the Yale Climate and Energy Institute
- Director General of TERI

Monday, Sept. 21, 2009
6-7:30 p.m.
Vermilion Restaurant
480 Lexington Ave @46th St (just blocks from Grand Central Terminal and UN HQ)

This will be an informal opportunity to meet Dr. Pachauri and Minister Ramesh; they will make some remarks and do a Q&A.

Free and open to the public. Cash bar.

 

RSVP required - fill in the form at http://bit.ly/sajarsvp

 

Feel free to send questions in advance to saja@columbia.edu

 

For background on India's role in climate change negotiations, follow these links:

http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=2091

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090911/sc_afp/indiadenmarkenvironmentclimatewarmingun

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/world/asia/20diplo.html

http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=876

 

- - -

Our hosts: Vermilion (NYC & Chicago) - contemporary Indian Latin cuisine - lauded by FT, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, WSJ. www.thevermilionrestaurant.com

 

JOB: Reuters Pakistan bureau chief

We don't usually post jobs on this blog. Instead, we share job openings with only our paid SAJA members (sign up here for membership; just $20 for journalists). But this sounds like a terrific international opportunity for the right journalist. Positions like this rarely get advertised outside the news organization. Please share with folks anywhere in the world who might be interested. Feel free to post your comments below.

Earlier on SAJAforum: Tips for American journalists going to South Asia for the first time.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Bureau Chief, Pakistan
Reference code: #PAK1994

Reuters is looking for a top-notch journalist and manager to become bureau
chief in Pakistan, covering one of the world’s most exciting news stories.

These are tumultuous times for Pakistan as the government grapples with militants who control swathes of territory along the border with Afghanistan. The Obama administration has put "AfPak" at the heart of its foreign policy agenda, but many would argue that the bigger problem of the two is nuclear-armed Pakistan, not Afghanistan.

The Pakistan bureau chief must be able to anchor a diverse, multimedia news
file, leading from the front with excellent reporting, writing and analytical skills of her/his own. She/he must ensure that Reuters routinely breaks news and sets the agenda on the key security and political stories for our media and financial clients.

DESI SPOTTING: Vinod Khosla, green VC

Vinod Khosla, no stranger to the business spotlight (former Forbes #1 American venture capitalist), is back in it this week.

From the NYT:

Vinod Khosla, the prominent venture capitalist who has been investing hundreds of millions of his own dollars in green technology companies for the last several years, will now invest other people’s money, too.
 
Vinod Khosla says most clean-tech companies need only a few million dollars to prove that their technology works. Khosla Ventures, the firm he founded in 2004 after leaving Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, is announcing on Tuesday that it has raised $1.1 billion in two funds that will invest in green technology and information technology start-ups.

This is the largest amount raised by a venture capital firm since 2007 and the largest first-time fund raised since 1999, according to the National Venture Capital Association.

Learn more about him and Khosla Ventures at KhoslaVentures.com.

He is also of two people with India connections on the Vanity Fair 100 list, its "New Establishment 2009" - the top 100 Information Age powers and power brokers:

78. Vinod Khosla

Khosla Ventures
LAST YEAR: 92.
STAGE OF GLOBAL CONQUEST: Since launching Khosla Ventures in 2004, the Sand Hill Road venture capitalist has invested an estimated $500 million of his $1.1 billion personal fortune into 70-plus tech start-ups, most of them immersed in the development of alternative fuel and energy sources. Among them: Calera (war on dirty coal and new materials), Kior (war on oil), and Soraa (high-efficiency L.E.D. lighting). Together with Richard Branson’s Virgin Green Fund, Khosla invested in Gevo, which looks to produce isobutanol from agricultural residues.
EXECUTIVE TIC: Khosla, 54, is known to scribble on his office wall to illustrate his eco-ambitions.
RECESSION-DEFYING MOVE: At a time when nearly every industry is looking for government handouts, Khosla has remained a staunch advocate for keeping the clean-energy market free of subsidies.
LABEL-DEFYING MOVE: Khosla said hybrid vehicles are not an effective solution to reducing carbon emissions.
QUOTE: After being sued by an imprisoned serial litigant, he remarked, “Well, there is at least one thing I have in common with Britney Spears and Perez Hilton now.”
YEAR AHEAD: ↗

He's just above Stephen Colbert at #79 and Rush Limbaugh at #80. This was his second appearance on the list, up from #92 last year.

The other person to note:

97. Anil Ambani

Reliance Entertainment
LAST YEAR: 67.
STAGE OF GLOBAL CONQUEST: Ambani was the biggest loser when Forbes published its annual wealth ranking in March: his fortune fell by $32 billion, to $10 billion. But that still left him with plenty of cash to close a Bollywood-meets-Hollywood deal with Steven Spielberg to make a $500 million investment in DreamWorks (along with the rights to distribute its films in India).
BAD BLOOD: Anil, 50, and his billionaire brother, Mukesh, (they grew up in a communal building in a distressed neighborhood) foolishly hurt their image by perpetuating a long public feud: they frequently sued each other but rarely talked. In one of their biggest battles, Mumbai’s high court ordered Mukesh’s company to make good on a deal from 2005 (when they split up their late father’s empire) to sell natural gas to Anil’s company for 17 years at a price 44 percent lower than that set by the government. That could mean billions of dollars’ worth of savings for Anil and losses for Mukesh, who appealed to India’s Supreme Court.
EPISODE OF UNSURPASSED INTRIGUE: Police arrested two men for allegedly sabotaging Ambani’s Bell 412 helicopter by pouring pebbles and soil into the gearbox while it was parked at a Mumbai airport. Police believed it wasn’t an attempt to murder Ambani but rather a case of a maintenance company’s workers taking revenge on management. The technician who reported the tampering was found dead the following week on railroad tracks in Mumbai, raising speculation: accident, suicide, or murder because of his snitching?
LATEST ACT OF DO-GOODERY: Ambani opened a 730-bed hospital in Mumbai.
YEAR AHEAD: →

The CEOs of Goldman Sachs, Apple and Bezos are 1, 2 and 3 on the list.

Post your comments below.

LANKA: CPJ press freedom award to go to J.S. Tissainayagam, imprisoned journalist

The Committee to Protect Journalists International Press Freedom Award is the most influential and important prize in the world of press freedom. This year, a journalist in Sri Lanka (who was sentenced on Monday) is being recognized with the award. Excerpt from the press release:

The Committee to Protect Journalists announced today that it will honor imprisoned Sri Lankan journalist J.S. Tissainayagam with a 2009 International Press Freedom Award. Tissainayagam, sentenced today to 20 years in prison on specious charges of violating anti-terror laws, is one of five journalists who will be honored by CPJ at a ceremony in November. The full slate of awardees, selected by CPJ’s Board of Directors this summer, will be formally announced in September.

A Colombo High Court sentenced Tissainayagam to 20 years of hard labor in the first conviction of a journalist under the country’s harsh anti-terror laws. Tissainayagam, known as Tissa, suffers from poor health and said his confession to the charge was extracted under threat of torture, according to his lawyers.

“We are announcing this award today to highlight the depth of outrage at this unjust sentence,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “Its harshness and the retroactive nature of the charges reflect vindictiveness and intolerance. We are calling today for Tissainayagam’s release—an appeal we plan to repeat at our awards ceremony, when the world’s leading journalists gather to demand press freedom for all of our colleagues.”

Full press release below. Post your comments, please.

Contact: Madeline Earp
Telephone: (212) 465-1004 ex 115
http://www.cpj.org
e-mail: mearp[at]cpj.org

CPJ award will go to Sri Lankan journalist sentenced to prison

PRESS FREEDOM: Pakistani Urdu daily, Asaap, closed due to "extreme military pressure"

From Reporters Without Borders:

RWB - REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS

08/25/2009

http://www.rsf.org/Extreme-military-pressure-forces.html

PAKISTAN - “Extreme military pressure” forces closure of daily

Reporters Without Borders said today it was shocked by the closure of Pakistani Urdu-languge daily Asaap. after it came under “tremendous pressure” from the government and the security forces which were controlling its offices both inside and out.

 

Editor, Abid Mir, speaking on the telephone from Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan told the worldwide press freedom organisation that he had “published the last edition on August 18” as a result of the intimidiation.

 

“We are shocked by the control and intrusions on the part of the security forces that obstruct the running of the newspaper and constitute a violation of press freedom. The government is adding to the gang-related and Taliban threats with an unacceptable crackdown on journalists. We urge the Pakistani authorities to get this harassment by the security forces stopped and to allow journalists to carry on their work normally”, Reporters Without Borders said.

 

The editor described the Quetta offices as being under the "control of paramilitary security forces and intelligence personnel” for the past two weeks. Around dozens of soldiers from the paramiltary Frontier Corps were deployed inside and outside the offices to check on visitors and staff. 

OPINION: Swapan Dasgupta & Tunku Varadarajan on NRIs

UPDATE: Link below to an essay on NRIs in OutlookIndia.com by Tunku Varadarajan.

The term NRI, in India and among Indians abroad, means non-resident Indian. At first, it was a bureaucratic designation for Indians who went abroad to work and who might or might not return to their homeland at some point (in most cases, it was "might not"). Nowadays the term is applied, somewhat lazily, to Indians of all kinds who live abroad, including, incorrectly, to second-generation Indian-Americans.

Here's a blog post by well-known India-based columnist Swapan Dasgupta, who says the NRI has "fallen from grace":

The average NRI’s fall from grace in India has been precipitate. The vacuous condescension that marked earlier attitudes has been replaced by desperation to find some accommodation somewhere. The big NRI players have no problem — they have seen their social worth in the West keep pace with India’s soaring reputation as a rising power. But the small fish whose tie and a twang once enabled him to lord over his less fortunate brethren in India has seen envy replaced with disinterest.

To the NRI confronted with a precarious descent into obscurity, there is only a small solace: interventions on the net. Taking advantage of a more connected world, the professional NRI (who knows no other identity) has stepped up his battles to cast India in his own confused image. No Indian website is free from the voluminous but pernicious comments of the know-all, ultra-nationalist NRI banging away on the computer in splendid isolation. From being India’s would-be benefactors, the meddlesome NRI has become an intellectual nuisance, derailing civil discourse with his paranoia and pseudo-superiority. It’s time he was royally ignored.

Dasgupta, former senior editor of publications such as India Today, Times of India, etc, is a one-time NRI himself (he studied and lived in the UK for a while).

Since so many readers of SAJAforum are NRIs or former NRIs, it would be interesting to hear your responses to his piece.

UPDATE: Tunku Varadarajan, opinions editor at Forbes.com, has written a piece about NRIs as well, in the current edition of OutlookIndia.com:

The Hick, Finally At Home
Those ‘backward’ days are over. The emancipation of the Indian emigrant is complete. For New India is now a Big Deal.

EXCERPT: In these ways—micro and macro—the Indian immigrant abroad no longer feels protective of, or patronising towards, the Hick at Home. This liberation has had intriguing consequences: it has allowed the unburdened immigrant to integrate himself more fully into the political life of his adoptive country (something Indian immigrants have been notoriously poor at doing). And in doing so, they have become—paradoxically—more effective in the service of their country of origin. Witness the role played by Indian-Americans in the lobbying for the recent US nuclear deal with India. American lawmakers (and an American president) paid them careful heed not because they were Indian, but because they were Americans who were pulling for India because the deal was good for America.

And it was the new India, in effect, that allowed them to be American—not mimic men, nor people in limbo, nor members merely of a “diaspora”. That is independence, truly defined, for the Indian immigrant abroad.

Please post your comments below.

GUEST POST: Professor Ravi Shankar's unlawful arrest

It's not often, thankfully, that a SAJA friend and host of one of our webcasts gets arrested by the New York Police Department. Here's a guest post by Prof. Ravi Shankar, who teaches English at Central Connecticut State University, and hosted a SAJA webcast in March 2009 South Asian poetry.

Nearly a month ago in midtown Manhattan, I was detained and then arrested by
the NYPD on an erroneous warrant, an encounter with explicit racial overtones. My experience is described in fuller detail here:
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-commentaryshankar0802.artaug02,0,1479.story
and I speak about it on radio here:
http://www.wtic.com/Mornings-with-Ray-Archive/3848567

My very perception of time changed when I spent nearly 36 hours locked up
unjustly.

That this happened in an environment still buzzing with what happened with
Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and in the aftermath of institutional
policies like those in the Patriot Act that target those of Asian and Arab
descent is less revealing than the fact that my experience is not uncommon.
An unscientific survey of the nearly 99% of the people I met in Central
Booking found them to be Hispanic, Asian or African-American, many of them
incarcerated for charges such as loitering, trespassing or open container. A
much more scientific study was done by the Rand Corporation
http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR534/ and it found that 89% of
all traffic stops by the NYPD in 2006 were of non-whites. Nearly 90%! In the
Big Apple. It's mind boggling.

I've even read conspiracy theorists postulate that this movement is to get
all brown and black people "in the system," have their identities and
fingerprints fixed for cross-index. Perhaps that's reaching, but it's clear
that on top of being shabby police work, racial profiling also violates the
4th Amendment which states authorities require probable cause prior to a
search and the 14th Amendment which ensures equal protection for everyone
regardless of race. I'm not prone to political agitation generally but in
this case, I feel compelled to advocate on behalf of all those whom I met
that weekend who have no platform and because I don't want Obama's election
and the idea of a post-racial America to obscure what's happening right in
front of our eyes.

Let me know what you think. And what you think I should do.

Ravi Shankar
Associate Professor, Central Connecticut State University
Editor of Drunkenboat.com, Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry
from Asia, the Middle East & Beyond (W.W. Norton & Co., 2008)

Please post your comments below.

MUMBAI ATTACKS: U.S.-based efforts to mark the anniversary

November 2009 will be the first anniversary of the 2008 Mumbai attacks and SAJA will be tracking U.S.-based efforts to mark the anniversary. Here's the first item we have come across.

Actually, it's two efforts in one. The first part is a website and nonprofit called WGYB, Mumbai: We Got Your Back:

The terrorist attacks on Mumbai in late November 2008 inspired Mortimer Singer, Waris Ahluwalia, and Tina Bhojwani to create an organization (WGYB!) that will highlight the wonders and beauty of communities like India that have been negatively affectedby traumatic events.

The second part is a book, "To India With Love: New York to Mumbai" by Waris Ahluwalia, Tina Bhojwani, & Mortimer Singer (Assouline Publishing, Nov. 2009).

Ask people who have been there, and they’ll all tell you India is like no other place in the world, a land that stirs every one of the five senses and stays in your heart forever. It is this India that brought together three friends, Waris Ahluwalia, Mortimer Singer and Tina Bhojwani to raise funds, spirits, and awareness for the victims of the attacks in Mumbai in November, 2008.

The editors set out to create a scrapbook–collecting personal photos, stories, and memories from people who, like themselves, love India. The contributors include Wes Anderson, Adrien Brody, Francesco Clemente, Anthony Edwards, Jeanine Lobell, Natalie Portman, Yves Carcelle, Jean Touitou, Owen Wilson, Laura Wilson, Cynthia Rowley, James Ivory, Matthew Williamson, Rachel Roy, Tory Burch, Padma Lakshmi, Shobhaa De, Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani. This book declares to Mumbai and the whole country that we are all thinking of them and support them: hence To India, with Love: New York to Mumbai. Profits from the sales of the book will go to support families affected by the attacks. This book can truly make a difference, by opening eyes to the wonders of India and by once again letting the pen—or a camera—dominate the sword. 

About the Authors:
Born in India and raised in New York, Waris Ahluwalia creates jewels for the House of Waris and hopes to share with the world the impact India has on his heart and soul.

Tina Bhojwani is a New York-based fashion executive specializing in international business development. She is currently the senior vice president for Theory LLC.

Mortimer Singer is senior vice president of Marvin Traub Associates, wherehe has focused on, among other projects, advising Indian retailers on bringing Western brands to India.

More information at the links above. Press contact for the book: kelly[at]assouline.com; press contact for the nonprofit: msinger[at]marvintraub.com.

Post your comments below.

TV: Daljit Dhaliwal to anchor PBS show "Worldfocus"

On Aug. 31, British-born TV journalist Daljit Dhaliwal will become the new anchor of "Worldfocus," the national PBS nightly newscast about international issues. She will continue to anchor her other PBS weekly show, "Foreign Exchange with Daljit Dhaliwal." From the press release:

"This is a wonderful opportunity," said Dhaliwal.  "In a very short-time Worldfocus has become the program to watch for in-depth international news stories showcasing a diverse group of voices through a diverse group of guests. I'm excited to play a more central role in anchoring this newscast as it grows both on-air and online with a more interactive website coming soon. I look forward to working with the entire Worldfocus team."

The full press release is below. Post your comments, please. Photo on right is by Preston Merchant and is from her appearance at the 2006 SAJA Convention (report below).

EARLIER ON SAJAforum:

• Daljit Dhaliwal anchors "Global Watch" Special on PBS
• SAJA Convention Q&A with Daljit Dhaliwal: On "Wide Angle" and More

Aug. 17, 2009 Press release:

Press Contacts:
Kellie Castruita Specter, specter[at]wnet.org,
Roberta Lee, leer[at]wnet.org

Worldfocus, public television's international newscast, changes anchor lineup

               Martin Savidge Returns To Field Reporting; Will Serve As Fill-In Anchor
               Daljit Dhaliwal To Take On Regular Anchor Duties

NEW YORK, August 17, 2009 - Worldfocus, public television's weeknightly international newscast, will make adjustments to its nightly anchor lineup.  Martin Savidge, who has anchored Worldfocus since its debut, will become a special correspondent in the field.  Daljit Dhaliwal, who has been a contributing correspondent and occasional substitute for Savidge, will become anchor.  The changes will begin August 31, 2009.  Worldfocus is produced by Creative News Group for WNET.ORG.

"Martin Savidge has been restless to get out in the field," said Marc Rosenwasser, Executive Producer of Worldfocus. "We're pleased to be able to add his experience and insight to our field reporting team while having Daljit Dhaliwal play a larger role at the anchor desk. However, we are relying on Martin to take some turns in the anchor chair," Rosenwasser added.

"I've been delighted to be the steady nightly anchor for Worldfocus during its inaugural year," said Savidge.  "It's been a pleasure to help launch this important news franchise from the anchor desk in New York.  But every night, as correspondents file their stories from the far-flung reaches of the globe, I find myself a bit envious.  I'm eager to get back out there where the news is made."

"This is a wonderful opportunity," said Dhaliwal.  "In a very short-time Worldfocus has become the program to watch for in-depth international news stories showcasing a diverse group of voices through a diverse group of guests. I'm excited to play a more central role in anchoring this newscast as it grows both on-air and online with a more interactive website coming soon. I look forward to working with the entire Worldfocus team."

DESI SPOTTING: An etiquette question from New Delhi

I know the web has brought the world closer together, but this is pretty funny. Someone in Delhi decided to turn to the New York Times etiquette columnist Philip Galanes, and his Social Q's column for what has got to be one of the more  unusual questions about socially correct behavior. Here's the question:

I have a guest bedroom. If nobody is using the bed, must I change the sheets every week? I feel awkward when neighbors visit and see the same sheets two weeks in a row. - Anonymous, New Delhi, India

We'll get to Galanes's answer in a minute, but let's consider the question with some other questions. Has anyone else anywhere else ever had this problem? And how exactly do the neighbors see the sheets in the guest room? Is the only way to visit the living room through this guest room?

The official answer to the original question:

Hang on a second while I check the manual on optimal sheet-changing practices. Ah, yes — here it is: The best time frame for changing sheets on unused beds is anywhere between 40 years and the death of the homeowner.

Leave your clean sheets alone. It’s kinder to the environment. You can freshen them, if necessary, when an overnight guest turns up. And in my experience, neighbors are much too busy keeping up their own appearances to worry much about yours.

Am so glad he treated the question with the light touch and sarcasm it deserves.

AWARDS: Mazhar Abbas of Pakistan wins Missouri Honor Medal

Mazhar Abbas, a veteran Pakistani journalist has won a major prize from the Missouri School of Journalism. From "Seven to Receive the Prestigious Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism":

Columbia, Mo. (Aug. 4, 2009) -- Six prominent media leaders and a pioneering online publication will receive one of the profession's highest honors, the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism, from the Missouri School of Journalism.

The 2009 medalists, who will be honored on Tuesday, Oct. 20, on the University of Missouri campus, are:

• Mazhar Abbas, defender of press freedom, Pakistan
• Rance Crain, president of Crain Communications Inc.; editor-in-chief of Advertising Age, Crain's Chicago Business and Crain's New York Business
• Doug Crews, executive director, Missouri Press Association
• Bill Eppridge, photojournalist
• Rod Gelatt, professor emeritus, Missouri School of Journalism
• Deborah Howell, editor and ombudsman
• Slate, a daily online magazine

Medalists will present master classes on topics related to their areas of expertise to Missouri School of Journalism students and other guests during the day of Oct. 20. That evening, the medalists will be recognized at an awards banquet at the Donald W. Reynolds Alumni Center on the MU campus.

Medalists are selected by the faculty of the School on the basis of lifetime or superior achievement in journalism. The Missouri School of Journalism has awarded the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism annually since 1930. More than 425 distinguished journalists, advertising and public relations practitioners, business people, institutions and media organizations from around the world have received this prestigious award.

Excerpt from the description of the winners:

Mazhar Abbas Defender of Press Freedom, Pakistan
Mazhar Abbas is a fearless fighter for press freedom in Pakistan. During his 27-year career as an award-winning journalist, he has endured repeated threats as a result of his tireless work to win and protect an independent voice for citizens. Abbas' indefatigable devotion to the democratic principles of journalism has resulted in more than 2,000 front-page stories on political, social and human rights issues. These have been published in The Star, the leading English-language evening newspaper from Pakistan's economic hub, Karachi, and a member of The DAWN Media Group, the country's largest network of English-language newspapers. He provides analysis of events and policies for other major English-language print and electronic news outlets, including a weekly talk show called "Do-Tok," meaning straight forward in Urdu. Abbas previously hosted other news commentary programs on Pakistan's leading news portal, ARY One World (now ARY News), and one called "Spotlight" for the private channel Hum. He has conducted exclusive interviews with some of the country's most controversial and prominent military and government figures. Abbas was one of only five journalists to receive the coveted 2007 International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists. He currently serves as the deputy director of news and reporting for ARY One World. Abbas is active in Pakistan's journalists' unions, serving for four years as secretary-general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists. He also has been elected to several union positions including three terms as secretary of the Karachi Press Club. Abbas is a frequent speaker on the topics of journalism and freedom of expression on television talk shows as well as at universities and colleges.

Post your comments below.

REQUEST: Sources of aging-in-India series

If you know folks who can help Sandip with any aspects of his research, please contact him.

From: Sandip Roy:

I am traveling to India to do a series of stories looking at the issues of aging in India on a reporting fellowship from SAJA at the end of August.

The premise of my series is what is it like to be old in a country that’s overwhelmingly young? In 2001 41.05% of India qualified as youth. The predominance of youth is supposed to last till 2050 giving India an economic advantage over China.

But what is it like to grow old in India now, in a country that’s gambling its rise on its youth?

Issues I wish to look at are the fraying social net, retirement communities, NRIs coming back to retire, elder advocacy organizations.

I am trying to establish some contacts with NRIs who have chosen to go back to India to retire and would be willing to talk about their experiences there. If you know someone who has done that would love to hear from you.

Thanks, Sandip Roy
sandiproy[at]hotmail.com