This year’s Bhangra Blowout festivities ended in tragedy, as 20 year-old Ranjit Singh was fatally stabbed outside an afterparty for the event, held at the Old Post Office Pavilion in downtown Washington, D.C. The stabbing occurred around 3 a.m., almost an hour after the sold-out party ended according to police.
According to the story from the Washington Post,
after a fight broke out, a 5-foot-8 man of either Hispanic or Indian ethnicity, wearing a white shirt and braces on his teeth, pulled out a knife and fatally stabbed Ranjit Singh, 20, of Phillipsburg, N.J., police said. Two friends of Singh’s pursued the attacker until they were stabbed by him at 12th and Pennsylvania, police said. The assailant escaped in a green car, and Singh’s two friends were taken to a local hospital.
According to the Post article, and an article in the GW University newspaper the organizers capped party entrance at 1250 people, half the amount from the previous year, and had more security than required by the Old Post Office Pavilion. Partygoers also needed to pass through a metal detector because the pavilion is part of a federal complex. I am not really sure what more the organizers could have done to prevent such a tragedy.
When I was at GW, part of the reason BB was so successful was that fights and other such nonsense was checked at the door so that all could revel in the weekend. It wasn’t just about the show or the party, but about people coming together as a group, as one collective, as a sea of sepia youth. Maybe I am just being nostalgic, but we didn’t have to worry about being killed.
GWU said it would conduct a full review of Bhangra Blowout and decide if the event should be run differently, or if it should even continue to be held at all.
The bhangra music scene in England has always been afflicted with violence at its gigs and shows. Its not so bad these days, but in the past it affected it so much because venues refused to put on bhangra nights.
Anyway, that is a damn sad and tragic thing that happened. Lets hope they catch the son of a bitch.
its a sad day when two of the top stories in metro-Washington, DC are about South Asian violence. Interestingly, the news reports are not going into specifics regarding this situation. As the two articles mention, it is more about public buildings being used for private clubs/parties.
regardless, my heart and prayers go out to these four families.
sajit,
just curious at to when you were at GW, ’cause i think your nostalgia is just that. i graduated college about 6 years ago and my friends and i were actually concerned about our safety if/when we attended large college, desi parties like this.
there were always wanna-be thugs (read: “thugs” who grew up in affluent suburbs in new jersey) with something to prove, and even though this horrible event probably didn’t have anything to do with bhangra blowout, the whole weekend was always a combustible situation.
my thoughts and prayers to the singh family.
Not sure how to address this situation but i have seen progessively – lot of difference in values, attitude, style etc. between south asians 8-10 years ago and more recently (about 4 years ago). And these differences are progressively negative. What is driving the younger bunch (college and early 20s) to be like “thugs” as Rani above appropriately puts it. Are pressures on them different than a few years ago? I am a thirty something and appalled to see whats going on in the desi scene when i do venture out once in a while. The young ones among the bloggers please educate us. Thanks.
This brings up a VERY important issue that involves 1st and 2nd generation desis, but has been largely unaddressed on this board (which takes the cultural and literary highroad, which is typically a good thing). What is up with desi fights?? Is the violence just a normal outgrowth of club culture? Why does it seem to me that asian parties, black parties, hispanic parties never seem to end in a fight, but desi parties often do? Is it a result of all that “DISHOOM” in the hindi movies? An ancillary question is, why do desis never fight in mixed company?
Punjabi Boy could you elaborate on the desi violence in the UK, and compare it to here?
Thanks for opening this topic, guys. -I observed a similar party-stopping-outburst this past NYE and previously, twice last fall. I looked at my friends and cousins, who were with me, and we were all puzzled and horrified. It was definitely younger desis engaging like that, but we couldn’t tell if they were recent immigrants, 1st/2nd/10th generation…
is it a possible side-effect of being Desi AND Generation Y?
I’m totally stumped, but I’ve noticed it in NYC and Chicago both.
I have actually never been to a desi party where there hasn’t been a fight. I have also never been to a desi party where I haven’t gotten groped, pushed or disrespected. i think i’ve been to three or four desi parties between college and now.
any insight as to why this happens would be enlightening but either way, i’m still not attending.
my observations:
it’s cooler (and easier) to assert your brown-ness these days than it was 6-10 years ago. perhaps this, along with the fact that there are huge numbers of desis at schools like rutgers, maryland, gw, penn, nyu, etc., makes for a fiery mix?
i was (always have been) a big dork and went to a pretty dorky east coast school at which people were most interested in scoring high on their mcats. however, even there i noticed a number of “desis gone wild” ’cause this was their first time out of the house, away from the watchful eye of their strict parents. are parents more conservative today than 6-10 years ago, and therefore, more kids are acting out (in violent ways)?
priya, ditto. that’s why i don’t go to desi events. (however, in nyc, i do like basement bhangra and bollywood disco and desilicious. the first two attract, i think, an older crowd. the latter is a queer party with fab bollywood music. i got there with my lady friends.)
Didn’t something a lot like this happen last year, too?
I don’t think the “Gen Y” kids are being raised especially differently. What’s changed is their peer-group. In highschool, my peer group was liberal, socially conscious, and somewhat politically aware, if not politically active yet.
But most kids in school feel disenfranchised, to say the least. Hip-hop culture has been adopted somehow as desi culture, and there’s a strong undercurrent of materialism in it (which is pretty much in alignment with desi material perceptions in youth, though adults would probably beg to differ). And then there’s this oddly conservative streak in kids, too–inherited from their Bush-fearing WASP neighbors, I posit.
For more brown-on-brown violence, see:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2289-2005Mar25.html
I wonder if it’s because he had to drive a Geo Prizm. That’d piss me off mightily, too.
DesiOne
The violence at bhangra shows is not as bad as it used to be, but back in the 1990’s it would be regular for there to be fights between Indians (mostly Sikhs) and Pakistanis at bhangra gigs. Then you just get stupid idiots who have had too much to drink and have a fight over some girl. Too much testosterone, too much alcohol, too many desis in one place at one time.
I dont want to give a wrong impression. Its not the norm. But it used to be alot worse, and it still happens sometimes. Not so much at student gigs, as regular nightclubs.
It’s heartbreaking when I pause to think about it. I remember being young and filled with rage over all sorts of things. I also remember feeling alternately angry, depressed, enlightened, brilliant, miserable, retarded, humiliated, magnificent, accomplished, and held-back, all the time, in weird conflicting permutations.
I wish you could give teenagers free-reign in a nerf-filled world. That’s what they need: the ability to be an adult, and be considered an adult, to feel like they’re getting somewhere and accomplishing something.
You don’t kill people if you feel empowered or like you have other alternatives or outlets for channeling your rage, huh?
rani:
i went to GW with Sajit (he was an undergrad there when i was in grad school) and i remember attending bhangra blowout in 2000 and 2001. i didn’t feel any more “unsafe” that weekend than i would at any desi party. combustible? sure. did the police break up the over-crowded sidewalk full of sad brown people who didn’t get in the club for the afterparty? yup.
but it was funny to watch the police yell at kids over and over again and then finally have to herd them away by DRIVING on the sidewalk. my friends and i dissolved in giggles and then went to georgetown for some marjan.
even the mayor (live on the news a few moments ago) said that GW/SAS did all they could and had more security than was required. if anything, events like this had MORE guards than your garden-variety desi party at seedy-club-X.
the news also mentioned something else that hasn’t been brought up here; there was a similar stabbing outside of yet another public/gov’t-building being used for a party just a month ago over on U street. and no, desis were not involved there. we’re not the only ones who act stupid when there’s alcohol, ego and lord knows what else involved.
the only times i remember not wanting to attend an event were when they were held somewhere like DC’s 2K9, which was located in a rather sketchy spot.
i agree with a previous commenter about how younger brown people seem far dumber about violence and acting a fool than we did. i’m all of 30 but i feel no connection to the 21-year old hooligans who leer at me, call me “ma” excessively when they are attempting to “holla” and then, a few hours later, try and pummel each other until their a-shirts/tank tops are filthy. the girls are only marginally better, each one trying to outdo each other in raunch. and this critique, coming from ME, one of the “worst” girls who went to my college. i’m no pollyanna-ish angel, but good lord. stop acting like utter retards who have no respect for yourselves or the rest of us.
I think to beign with desis are belligerent, especially towards each other. Add to that – yearning for macho-hood (probably because they never had a chance to show some b4 growing up here). So there u have it a bunch of desis, dressed, acting, and speaking like ‘thugsters’, hitting the desi party scene, trying to one up each other. Now why wouldnt you have a fight?
Somebody needs to tell these guys to audition for The Contender !
anna, agreed: “i didn’t feel any more ‘unsafe’ that weekend than i would at any desi party.”
all i was saying is that bb wasn’t all that safe years ago and i think sajit’s nostalgia is just that… nostalgia. it was never “about people coming together as a group, as one collective, as a sea of sepia youth.” (i wish it was, but it was about alcohol, hooking up, materialism, etc.)
and thanks for bringing up that you feel no connection to young desis today. i grew up in new jersey and often go back home to visit my parents and often compare my experiences to those of the 16-21 set these days. it’s sad and frustrating…
Lets not judge on this one event but on broader social change going on with the young desi crowd. Maybe its a reaction to something “american” like hip-hop? To be like rap stars? Worse identity crisis than would be suggested by the term “abcd”? I went to Toronto last summer and attended a huge desi party with my wife (was kind of apprehensive). But to my surprise, even though folks were partying hard, there was no uncouth behaviour that you see in the urban cities on this side of the border. Even in India with all the brown people you can find, this sort of thing is relatively rare (check out the clubs in Mumbai – best in the business. Me from there but no bias)
I agree with Anna that there does not seem to be a diff. between attitude of desi men and women these days. Looks like the ladies (obviously not all gals)actually enjoy/are attracted to gangsta behaviour. Whatever happened to desi values!! SO two cheers to Rani and Priti who would not put up with it. Maybe that will send a msg. to the bags of testosterone
Anna wrote: A N N A wrote: my friends and i dissolved in giggles and then went to georgetown for some marjan.
mmmmmmmarjan….yuss…aka prince of georgetown…aka vaguely middle eastern/indian cuisine…good stuff on a late nite…ahh nostalgia is so kind to you gtown…bangkok bistro…billiards…prospect… wisconsin bustling on a friday night…i n a drunken stupor….wanna be bk in college, rt nooow…srry for this nostalgia trip post on such a sad story’s thread..but memories were triggered. Take care all and keep the brown-on-brown violence down.
Let’s face it, we’re older now, and a certain disconnect almost certainly emerges between generations, explainable or not.
Youngsters in general, not just desis, are more violent these days because, IMHO, they are being raised without a sense of accountability and/or self-respect. This is an American phenomenon.
Only recently, a 30 year old me walked into a Tulane Univ. meat-market bar on a Friday night, took one look at all the freshmen marketing their meat in their pre-packaged thug outfits, and actually uttered the words, “Kids these days.” Never thought I’d encounter the day.
Sadly, I recall another death just after last year’s Bhangra Blowout. Something about a desi teenager from out of town disappearing and turning up dead on or near the railroad tracks @ Union Station.
Maitri- I with you. I might get a lot of crap for saying this, but it’s Monday and the weather sucks, so I’m up for some fun…
I think Gen Y, overall, has a rotten attitude… a weird sense of “life owes me this because” yet they don’t seem to have the same social consciousness or ambition that us Gen X/30-ish crowd have.
Ex: My youngest sister finished her undergrad last May and wallowed around for 6 months while my DAD scrambled to help her find a job. she didn’t send a resume or get off her ass, I can’t say… but it’s a marked difference between that generation and ours. She smarts off to him, cusses at him… it seems most of that Gen are like this, sadly.
With that My-Shit-Don’t-Stink attitude comes a general disrespect for people and so the outbursts, fights, violence etc comes with it. But this is the same set that idolizes 50-cent and J-Lo. Idolize George Stephanopolous you little morons!
Further, I think parents, of late, have developed this pathetic “i want to be my kid’s friend” idea that just damn doesn’t work. Kids need boundaries. Kids need to be taught right from wrong. Kids don’t need to get their way or feel equal in the house. That’s what adulthood is for. -Do parents need to be as strict as my Dad was? Probably not, but the fact of the matter is I’ve never started a club fight. I know that my bra is not a “club top”, and I can give the same respect I hope the world might show me means that he did a damn good job.
nothing that one swift thappard wouldn’t straighten out…
When I attended BB in the late 90s it was the same. I was only a senior in college and already I felt the division between myself and Gen Y wannabe thug desis standing in line with me (guys and girls). Its pretty tragic, but to be fair every generation says that about the next. In my opinon its the spread of what I like to label as “Crunk” culture (Crazy and drunk) not hip-hop that is responsible. “Real” Hip-hop culture, which wasn’t about materialism, is long dead.
In the school massacre in Minnesota last week it became apparent by reading the Native American teenage shooter’s writings what his motivation may have been. Coupled with his other problems, including a father who committed suicide and a mom who was brain damaged after a car accident, the young man hated what he saw happening to the Native American culture on his reservation. Paraphrasing his words he felt that black culture (as narrowly represented by rap music) was taking over and he couldn’t go anywhere without someone blasting rap music and acting like a thug. This was his motivation for joining a Nazi group (which of course makes no sense). I think what we are seeing here is the need for second gen Asians (Desi, Chinese, Korean, etc.) to assert that they are not weak model minorities to be picked on or not taken seriously (RESPECT). Associating with the tougher, predominantly African American “Crunk” culture is the easiest way to shroud oneself in the mystique of toughness. The RESPECT that was once demanded only by gang bangers from the REAL HOOD is now being sought by Asian minorities in the idyllic suburbian hood. You can’t call them ABCD’s. They are simply ABC. However, the worst part is that just as real gangs end up killing their own peoples, that is what you are seeing played out here. It reminds me of that classic speech that Fishburne’s character gave his son in Boyz in the Hood.
I’m appaled and saddened, but sadly, not shocked. Even as a gen Y’r, all this violent behavior has me questioning what is going on.
This is not an American phenomenon. I’m from Kenya and increasingly boys carry hockey sticks and golf clubs with them in their cars when they go out(they haven’t graduated to knives or guns yet, but aren’t too far off). According to friends, the same is true in South Africa and Tanzania. My friends in Vancuver won’t go to desi parties either.
Maybe desi guys act up in desi settings because everywhere else they’re struggling with being the model minority, or they feel they would get whooped. In a desi setting they feel they have an even playing (fighting) ground????
Whatever it is, I personally don’t like being disrespected, either by a bunch of drunk boy-thug-wannabes or a bunch of hootchies who have no respect for themselves, let alone anyone else. I went to a desi party once as a freshman, and decided I would never go down that path again. I’ve slipped and ended up going a few times, and I’ve regretted it every time.
My heart goes out to him and his family but you guys need to know that it could of happend ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, WITH ANYONE. Violence is everywhere. That’s reality. So what if they were desi? Desis now are everywhere and doing everything GOOD and BAD.
This is horrible but I am not surprised. I used to go to bhangra blowout in the late 90s in it was only a matter of time before something like this was going to happen. I remember there were people (including some of the wannabe thugs who were med-school bound from my alma mater) who went there almost solely for the purposes of starting trouble. I used to wager that the only reason that after-party did not have more violence was because of the amount of security.
As to the root causes: I guess anytime you mix alcohol with a bunch of highly sexually repressed people who find the only space possible to act out their thug fantasies, people are at risk.
In TX there is the OCP (“Out of Control Punjabis”), a gang of affluent suburban youth who attend every bhangra event solely to act a foo. If someone’s throwing a bhangra event, they will be there.
Also, desi wannabe thugs start random fights with black guys who happen to be at the parties- by beating up a black guy, the desi guy has proven he’s “hard.” So I think alot of this is self affirmation for desi dudes who want to be aggressive.
Parents spend their time at work more and more, wanting to provide for their family and pad the investment/retirement accounts. Their children take a backseat in this process, which then induces guilt in the parent. Thus, parents overcompensate by trying to be their kids’ friends and, more importantly, throwing money at them. I have observed so many parents (of any given culture) hand money and stuff to their kids with an If-I-Give-You-This-Will-You-Go-Away-And-Not-Whine-For-A-While? look on their faces?
Maybe this next generation will find responsibility again, even through their materialistic veneer.
My parents spanked me, which caused a lot of resentment. But my mom always followed up her thappards with “I love you, but I’m your mom and not here to win any popularity contests.” Go, mom!
Another question – Is the behaviour of the youth corelated to class? Are the middle class kids more prone to all this thuggery than their richer or poorer counterparts?
On an unrelated subject – I learned from Asha, DC (women against domestic violence NOT to be confused with Asha for education), that there was more domestic violence in richer households (e.g. in Potomac/Mclean areas) than in more modest desi households
It was very sad to hear the news that a kid lost his life because he went to a party. These retarded lil indian super thugs always feel like they have to prove that they are big and mighty to their fellow people. And these herbs only do this when they are with a group of people to defend them. And on top of that they need a bottle of liq. to bring out the courage. We come from a culture which proved to the world that violence is not the answer. If you still feel like there is a lot of violence try fighting someone from another race. But no these lil hoolegan superstars will only pick on their own kind. Stop putting on the mask of a super thug to prove nothing. Because by the end of the night when u get sobber you still the puny indian that you always were…. Put that energy to putting a smile on your parents face who wasted a life for your dumb self.
Prayers to Singh’s family.
Bhangra Blowout is not what it used to be. I’ve attended all the prvious 11 but didn’t attend this one. Why? Strictly because of the South Asian Society of GW. During last year’s blowout they made fun of Sikhs by joking about the 5 ks. Bhangra is folk dance of Sikhs, how can someone stoop so low and make fun of a religion? If you are hosting an event, least they can do is learn something about it. Or, as I think, they don’t care about anything but to pocket money from the name “bhangra.” And then they didn’t pay the winning teams. I know almost every member from team Rutgers (last year’s champ) and they didn’t get paid till like two months ago. That was after they threatned to take them to court. The runner-up and third place still didn’t get paid. Previous years GW would get about 25+ try out teams for 10-12 spots. This year they got 13 teams for 12 spots. I’ve written emails to various members of the South Asian Society and didn’t get a single response back. All this makes me wonder aobut the money they collect for charity. Where is that money going? GW should investigate about the Bhangra Blowout because I’m sure they wouldn’t want to be associated with any scams that are being pulled by South Asian Society.
One of my friends insists that the only desis you ever see fighting are ugly ones. And really short ones. It is an interesting theory, and since I’ve started keeping track, preliminary statistics suggest this to be true. The theory is that a long night of rejection builds up a lot of resentment and aggression in need of an outlet.
Editorial in today’s Washington Post.
WHY IS THE FEDERAL government competing with local private businesses in operating a nightclub serving alcoholic beverages? That question should occupy the minds of the White House, the General Services Administration and the congressional committees that oversee GSA in light of the fatal stabbing that took place outside the Old Post Office Pavilion at 11th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW about 3 a.m. on Easter Sunday. For Bush administration officials who may not have been aware of it, the Old Post Office Pavilion, owned by the U.S. government, was being operated as an after-party nightspot.
D.C. police are investigating the stabbing, which left 20-year-old Ranjit Singh of New Jersey fatally injured. Apparently a fight started outside the building that resulted in the slaying and in injuries to two of Mr. Singh’s friends. The cause of the fight was unknown as of yesterday morning. The dance party sponsored by George Washington University had, according to university spokeswoman Tracy Schario, more than 35 security guards for 1,200 people. Alcohol was served to attendees 21 and older. Whether the university will continue to sponsor the event, known as the Bhangra Blowout and now in its 12th year, is a matter for university officials to decide. Likewise, the job of bringing to justice the perpetrator of the stabbing is in the hands of law enforcement. The question of leasing federal government office buildings to promoters to be used for late-night events, however, is one that the Bush administration must address.
Obviously, the issue is not as open and shut as it may appear. There are other federal buildings downtown that are used in the evenings for festive events with private sponsors; the Smithsonian Institution is one. The Downtown Cluster of Congregations has urged GSA to prohibit leasing the Old Post Office Pavilion “and other federal buildings” for “nightclub type events.” But what kind of event serving alcoholic beverages on government premises is acceptable, and when and where? Sunday’s incident raises that question.
Here’s the link to that editorial, called ‘Club Uncle Sam.’
yes, government buildings should only be accessible to richy-rich white people, not to the teeming brown horde. What a joke.
When I first heard about the tragedy at this year’s Bhangra Blowout afterparty, I can’t say that I was at all surprised. I was the Executive Director of Bhangra Blowout ’99, and attended the event from ’96-’01. Over the last five years, I’ve seen this event deteriorate, and what it has become today is not what the founders of the event envisioned when they came up with the idea. In my own efforts to contact members of the SAS board to inquire about the event, I have received rather abrupt emails or, more often, no response at all.
When I was at GW, Bhangra Blowout was about bringing South Asian youth together to celebrate the many wonderful aspects of our rich culture. It was also about giving back to our community, and creating scholarship opportunities to highlight those South Asians at GW who demonstrated a commitment to making our world better. I’m not sure when the focus turned to solely making money (and for what?), without regard for what is right and what is respectable. I wonder if the South Asian Society Scholarship that many of us worked hard to establish even exists anymore, and on what grounds it is awarded…
Has anyone read Dr. Vijay Mehta’s website, http://www.vijaymehta.com? He was invited to last year’s Bhangra Blowout to speak to youth about joining the National Bone Marrow Registry, and the way that he was treated when he arrived in D.C. is appalling. Although I was not a part of last year’s events, I felt the need to send him an apology for the way that last year’s SAS board acted, and to assure him that things were not always this way. Apparently, not much has changed, and it is becoming an embarrassment to admit that I was ever associated with Bhangra Blowout. I can only console myself by remembering that this is not how things were, and this is not how things were meant to be.
I was no angel in my days at GW, but I definitely can say that I was not like the kids that are there now. Of course, this is not to say that the current generation of South Asian college students are all hooligans, but let’s face it…What the hell happened in the last 5 years to make them this way? I find myself more and more disgusted with the stories I hear about them, and I can honestly say that we were not that bad when we were that age. We were not raised to act out in such rage, violence, and pure stupidity. Where is this behavior coming from (and please don’t say TV!)?
I’m glad that GW is investigating the events surrounding this year’s tragedy. However, knowing what I do about the administration there, I wouldn’t be surprised if they continue the event under tighter rule by the university. Let’s face it…Bhangra Blowout puts GW in the spotlight and is a huge cash cow for the university. However, they will have to find a way to fight off the negative publicity that has resulted this year, and I believe that it was long overdue. Maybe we are all better off not having the event anymore, seeing how it no longer serves it’s purpose. As my mother used to tell us when we were young, “If you don’t know how to act in public, then you don’t deserve to go.”
honestly, after the tragedy at BB, me and my friends have decided to skip Best of the Best, in NYC this weekend.
sidebar it’s not just Gen Y… I had a nasty run in with some drunk horny Uncles that wanted to fight, at New Year’s…
My 19 year old little sister and her friends got maced by cops last weekend after one of her thug wannabe buddies taunted a cop. They all seem to be very proud of this.
I am 22 so I am not sure if I am one of the younger ppl on here. I think the richer kids are actually more prone to this ghetto behavior since they have the means to buy the “status symbol” type objects such as nice cars, rims, drugs, clothes, jewelry, etc. I knew these Guju guys whose parents were well-to-do hotel owners living in a very nice neighborhood. These guys literally crashed a new car every weekend and had parties in their parents’ hotel rooms every night. They had all been to military school on several occasions. I feel sorry for their poor parents who probably had no idea how to deal with this ghetto behavior. Parents can only do so much; if the kid is out of control he’s out of control.
My dad is an engineering manager at a large company (I guess that would make us “upper-middle class”) and my mom stays at home. I would say they have done a good job raising us. Yet my little sister constantly does things behind their back (binge drinking, clubbing with fake IDs since age 16, pot, etc.) She even went as far as to shoplift a $5 bracelet at the nearby posh mall in front of her ghetto wannabe buddies to prove she was “down”. Later, she even bragged about going to court to remove the charge from her now “criminal” record. This ghetto behavior seems to be a way of gaining status as a non-dork in the middle/upper class desi community where the good betas are going to med school, getting perfect SAT scores, pleasing their parents, etc.
hi i am shoaib the got killed right front of me that night after bhngra party me and my doctor friend tried to save him but we couldnt our prayers for his family and for him thankxx shoaib nawaz (baltimore md) awan565@yahoo.com
If anyone knows something that may help the police, it is our responsibility as a community to make sure that Sinhg’s killer is brought to justice, and to show that our community does not condone such behaviour.
The DC police department offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any homicide committed in Washington, D.C. Anyone with information about the stabbing can (and should) call the Metropolitan Police Department at 202-727-9099.
i was at the blowout party when all of this stupid fighting happened. it was just a bunch of commotion followed by someone being chased by a group of people, and someone on the floor bleeding to death. i am truly disturbed at how indians are killing indians. i really don’t like this mess, i love being desi but feel ashamed after all this mess.
You know what I had to see this first hand and it was more then sad!! It made me so angry seeing these “kids” lying there bleeding and made me wonder are our people relay that dumb and heartless??. Yo; Earth to GUYS; Punjabi guys especially, FIGHTING DOES NOT MAKE YOU A BIGGER MAN, the contrary it makes you a pathetic looser!! I feel for Singhs parents, they sent their child out to have fun and this is what they get in return, where ever they are I want to send my regards to them for their lose. As much as I love Bhangra Blowout and their after party I hope they never have it again; I would much rather give up fun over a life.
If any member of the South Asian Society at George Washington University has any type of humanity and worth for a humans life they would protest against Bhangra Blowouts After Parties even the show if they have to. Does any one else second that opinion?? If so lets make it happen. Mind you I love Bhangra Blowout and it’s parites probably more than the next person but I am more than willing to give it up to save A life!!
Me Agree sh|t needs to stop bhangra blowout has nothing to do with punjabi culture or even bhangra what they do on stage is hip hop acrobatics and the crowd and organizers dont have anything to do with punjab and its culture so basicly in the name of sikhs/punjab/punjabi people are making money causing deaths harrasment etc … if GW really wants to promote bhangra try something better and not follow the 12 year old templete someone invented…
what ever happened wasn’t right but it did but what people are talking shit about his friends is not right it wasn’t there fault so they need stop f*** blaming it on them and hope that other two get better
m, I don’t see that anybody here was blaming anything on Mr. Singh’s friends. If anything, we feel deeply for their loss and cannot begin to imagine the horrors and sadness they have lived through and live with every day.
I’m very happy to see so many people realy getting into doing the right thing, but I feel like it’s not enough for us to just chat on this chalk bored and expect for something to happen. What can we do to get GW to make things better? If we are serious about it how can we get them to understand that not having the after parties or show is the best thing to do? I totaly agree with singh, Punjabi culture is about a lot of things but killing and hurting one anohter is not a part of it and if it is as shown at these so called “punjabi” events (bhangra blowout) then maybe it should just end at once!! Oh yes no one is talking about anyone in a negative sence we are just conserned and hope it wont happen again, I know we all feel bad for the victims friends, family and the victim himself.
i’m “conserned” about the comments on this “bored” as well. did they stop teaching spelling in schools? their/they’re/there is one thing, but holy butter chicken, batman. 😉
this “chalk bored” allows people to vent and dialogue, and that is something productive to a degree. it’s also appropriate and to be expected. you see, the comments on many blogs are “where it’s at”, so to speak. this blog is no different.
if you feel empowered, no one is stopping you from changing the world. however, the thing is, people have the right to have good intentions in this comment section and nothing more. other people have the right to start a revolution. the system works.
“chalk bored”s like this helped inspire action against other outrageous events, remember that and feel free to lead accordingly. that goes for you or anyone else who’s got some ideas. 🙂
Hi, I truly feel for Singh’s family and friends. I agree with “M” Ranjit’s friends or Ranjit himself for that matter didn’t want this to happen they are living with this pain every day their life. I am glad to see that not everyone on this site is saying sht about what happened unlike another site i did see where all these american people were saying so much sht about why its in the papers,oh they shouldnt have been out at 2am drinking,and so much other crap but no one realized on that site that a life was lost. I did write my input on that site…i will write the site name once i get it….but i want to say thanks on behalf of ranjit’s friends for all the sympathy….and its nothing to do with being young or anything they went there to have fun they go every year but nothing like this has happened. rest asure the bhangra blowout wont be the same for them or anyone else….may god punish the guy that took an innocent life!!
I made a site for Ranjit Singh….please visit the site and pay your respects…i am still working on it…its only 1 day work that i have compiled but almost done. any suggestions would be good you can post it on the forum since i dont have email access from work yet thanks
sorry the site address is:
http://www.freehomepages.com/ranjeet
or
http://devoted.to/ranjit
thanks