But THIS is where it’s at. The SASA conference is being held this weekend in New York. BUT…if you want to go to a conference that you will truly learn from and be inspired by, why non register for the South Asian Awareness Network (SAAN) conference at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor? It will be held on the February 3rd through 6th weekend. If you are a college student in the state of Michigan then you have no excuse. If you are a student in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, or several other close states, then I just have one word for you: ROADTRIP!
SAAN’s primary function is to establish an annual South Asian conference for South Asian and non-South Asian students alike. SAAN 2006: Impact Through Interaction will be the fourth annual holding of this conference, and we hope to continue setting a precedent that all future SAAN conferences will follow.
SAAN’s broad goals include: educating participants and raising awareness about issues affecting South Asians that are often overlooked or not discussed, inspiring young South Asians to become leaders through activism, building pride, unity, and friendship among students in order to promote South Asian awareness, addressing the educational needs and rights of South Asian Americans, maintaining a network of South Asians in Michigan, the Midwest, and across the nation, sponsoring and co-sponsoring programs and events with other South Asian organizations and promoting peace, unity, and tolerance at a young age to South Asians. [Link]
So why am I endorsing THIS conference? Two reasons. First, the South Asian students at the University of Michigan have an unrivaled history of activism. Don’t just take my word for it, ask around. Where do you think the National Gandhi Day of service was started? In addition, back in 1997-1998, students at the University of Michigan began holding conferences (I helped to organize the first one) partly because they were disgusted by the emphasis on partying that conferences like SASA had embraced. These conferences were to focus on REAL activism, and interaction with equally passionate students through plenty of small group interaction. What is the second reason I am endorsing this conference? Well, because they invited me to speak 
. I am more than a little nervous though. They put me on a panel where the other speaker’s first name is “Preacher.” Who the hell is going to pay ANY attention to what I have to say when the other guy is named “Preacher?!?” Manish suggested I change my name to Abhi X so that I can compete. Here is a partial listing of the speakers (which include a few people we have blogged about) and a listing of the workshops. The panel I am on is titled: Get up, Get Out, and Get Movin’. And yes. If there is Wi-Fi access, I will be live blogging the conference for SM readers. I’d love to sit five feet in front of some of the speakers and type away every time they open their mouths. What?
You can register here for just ~$50.
Just be grateful you don’t have to share a panel with Dr. Mahalingam.
damn, I’m such a lulloo screwed up the link: http://www.saanconf.org/workshops.php
Ha. What is even more funny is that Dr. Mahalingam is on a panel about sex 🙂
nice black sheep reference!
He is not the only competition dude.
You also have – “Dean Hiram Chodosh” “Dr. Nitin Chodda”
Seems like Manish selected the panelists.
Abhi:
South Asian vs. Indian-American! Again! Must. Resist. Commenting.
Kumar
I wouldn’t put anything past him. Especially when related to puns.
Kudos Abhi that’s awsome. If I was in Michigan I’d be there. I had no idea Resham was speaking, thats a treat too bad I will miss because her film rocks.
I’m attending this conference with a group of people from my school, and I am so excited. Like, uber excited. And now I’m even more excited ’cause it’s been mentioned here. I feel like now it is truly worthy. Haha… I’m a dork. Ah well. The best thing about this conference is that it takes place in the Midwest… gives me hope. Although I don’t know if Michigan really counts… all we need is something similar down here in Ohio, and then I know we’ll be making progress.
Saan sounds great. But for those of us a little tired out by the standard “activist” South Asian Conferences, does any one know of a conference focused on radical South Asian politics? Where being “left” is only the begginning? Where change based on ideas outside the box? I’m looking for something real…something that helps those most disillusioned by the world re-find faith in the systam…. so that simple acts of charity & activism begin to mean something again?
so wait a minute here… you mean there’s a south asian “conference” going on that’s NOT scheduled to directly compete with SASA?
http://www.projectpuertorico.com
that’s right. some of the promotional dudes here in NYC are throwing a party in PR on exactly the same weekend as SASA… because they can.
so i’m confused… isn’t that how you do it?
Mr. Cheetara said:
Yeah, I nearly died of laughter when I saw their website a while back. I have respect for them though. They don’t pretend to be anything but a crazy party. I don’t think I’d fit in there because when I went to Puerto Rico I took my friends to see Arecibo even though they wanted to party (they still haven’t forgiven me).
Rukku said:
You should start something after you pick up a few ideas at the conference. It only takes one persuasive person. I look forward to meeting you there.
Perfectly natural, Abhi, first thing I would do.
God I love this blog…
I think that both OY! (Organizing Youth; San Fran) and YSS (Youth Solidarity Summer; NYC) Are both started by the same folks and are pretty left of left- though I haven’t been, this is what I hear.
As for SAAN- I LOVE them! The Central Planning Team at SAAN makes a concerted effort to make sure there are no parties associated with their name, hence avoiding the SASA crowd, and though forward thinking, they make a concerted effort to invite speakers that show a rounded out crowd (i.e. Not just left, not just right). I spoke at the SAAN in 2004 and haven’t stopped talking about how great they are- they know how to throw a decent conference that reaches to a broad crowd while being mind bending at the same time. If you are in the area, seriously, GO!
Abhi, you’ll have a blast speaking here- well, speaking with someone named the “preacher” may be a little nerve racking, but just keep internalizing the power that comes with being “Abhi X” and you’ll be fine!
I attended SAAN 2004 from Ohio, which was great! Taz pretty much summed it up, and I remember attending her panel, too. Some extreme-left people didn’t like it bc they thought it didn’t go far enough, but if it did go as far as they wanted it to I wouldn’t have gone. That being said, our year they had some pretty distinguished people from a variety of areas, the participants were all intelligent so we had deep discussions, and I was pleasantly surprised by their organization and execution of the conference. It was an excellent weekend and I remember having tons of fun both in the conference and staying with UMich people. I have only good things to say about SAAN, and I’m glad Sepia mentioned it.
Question: I think Vijay Prashad’s outfit does conferences and meetups more geared towards South Asian American left/activist types. You might look into the a “Youth Solidarity Summer”? But I think Taz would know better.
I know a couple of people who organize the SAAN Conference and it’s amazing all the work they put into it. They focus all their energy on throwing this conference and making it a hit in the midwest…while still being students. The cool thing I noticed while checking out their website was that their speakers are from all over the country – not just Michigan. Even then, they have speakers who are Michigan alum to show just how possible it is for South Asians to make an impact on the greater community. Go to SAAN if you can …. and get pumped!