Some Desi-Oriented Blogs to Check Out

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After you’ve been blogging for awhile, it gets easy to ignore new blogs — you get kind of wrapped up in the little circle of blogs you read every day. But while it’s completely understandable, it’s really too bad one tends to get “settled” in one’s reading, since the circle of good blogging is always growing steadily, and new writers are always coming out of the woodwork, trying to find readers.

There is a great deal of really intelligent, moving writing out there, not to mention good music and video links — and humor. So here are links to about half-a-dozen blogs I’ve been reading recently. In the comments, please feel free to link to other blogs that you think highly of that other people may not know about. And if there’s a particular post on the blog you would recommend, give the link to that too.

First, the return of Teju Cole: Modal Minority. Teju is a New York-based African brother who knows Indian culture quite well. And he’s a damn good writer. Here are a few rockstar lines describing his experience listening to a fusion jazz CD called Sangam:

To start with, there was the sound of the tabla, on which was soon layered an expertly played drum kit. This went on for a while, until some kind of saxophone came in, a modal sound, somewhere between late Coltrane and South Indian carnatic reed music (it turned out to be a tarogato, a Hungarian folk instrument), in a rapid and airy melody. The sax wove around, making clear references both to the jazz tradition and to the Eastern folk influences. The whole time it was underpinned by the seamless and joyous interconnection of the tabla and the drum set. (link)

Read the whole thing.

Second, Raza Rumi. Raza Rumi is a Pakistani writer who focuses on South Asian art and literature from sort of a Sufi perspective. Check out this great post on the Bhakti poet Kabir (who was born a Muslim, was influenced by Hinduism, and later became one of the non-Sikh poets whose works is included in the holy Sikh scripture).I think a lot of readers already know about Mixed Media Watch, since there are often links to their posts in comments to Sepia Mutiny posts. Mixed Media Watch are focused on following the way American culture represents interracial/inter-ethnic couples, and people of biracial or multiracial heritage. Very active blog.

How many African-American women are there in Nashville, Tennessee who are ardent Bollywood fanatics? Well, there can’t be many, but there’s at least one, and her name is T-Hype. And she knows her stuff.

Brooklyn Masala. Only in Brooklyn do you meet guys who read biographies of Dostoevsky and Sartre, who are also prone to say goofy things like, “I’ll just send her a coconut. Every Hindu loves a good coconut, eh?” Say what? (Don’t worry, it’s a joke.)

Tamasha has posted links to dozens of Desi-oriented events in New York on our Events tab, which is a huge ‘seva’, both to us and, I’m sure, to the organizers of those events. (But does she really go to all those events?) Anyway, her blog is fun; check out this post on a Himalayan art exhibit at the Rubin Museum.

Since I often get accused of ignoring South Indian culture, check out Prasad’s blog. Lots of cool YouTube links to South Indian (Telegu Telugu?) movie clips. The Hindi clip at this post is the only one where I understood the language, and I’m glad I did — some brilliant musical comedy. (Though it helps if you know the difference between Himesh Reshammiya and Hemant Kumar Mukherjee…)

And for the techies, check out Ravneet Grewal’s Emergintex, a blog dedicated to Emerging Technologies. Ravneet seems to be pretty on the ball — lots of links to Beta versions of new software, and startups I’d never heard of.

Again, please make further recommendations, and remember to say a little about why you find a particular blog to be interesting. A link to a particular/favorite post would be welcome as well.

28 thoughts on “Some Desi-Oriented Blogs to Check Out”

  1. Thanks a lot for introducing the blogs. “Teju is a New York-based African brother who knows Indian culture quite well. And he’s a damn good writer.” No doubt about that. he is surely a very good writer.

  3. Since I’ve raved about MMW for several years, I’ll stick to this: T-Hype is fantastic, I’m really glad to see SM giving her shout-outs! Plus NashVegas is dear to me, so I’m always out to support a fellow Nashvillian…

  4. Wow, a Sepia Shout Out! Thanks.

    I don’t go to all of those events (umm I am supposed to be writing my thesis – not a blog), but I wish I could… I am, however, often amazed at how many desi-connections there are in the arts, especially for those of us lucky enough to live in the center of the universe. I’m hoping it’s not a fad (“Your culture is, like, so spiritual and cool.”) and I think the more we attend these “functions” the faster they will become a permanent part of our social landscape (is that even a thing?).

    Represent.

  9. I also read t-hype fairly regularly. Glad to see she’s getting a shout-out. Here are my other desi-related blogs:

    Bethlovesbollywood — written by a Caucasian woman in Urbana who’s on some serious bollycrack, watches at least four b’wood movies a week, and also finds the time to write about all of them.
    Angryasianman — has some fair coverage of s. asian issues, particularly that of desis in hollywood Subcontinentalbreakfast — travel blog of early 20s – something white American guy in India, already mentioned on the news-tab Kaijushakedown — asian film blog that includes some coverage of b’wood

    Sometimes i also like to read muslimwakeup, which is by and for progressive muslims — the desi angle isn’t explicit, but still, I think it’s relevant and worth checking out.

  11. Oh bliss, Teju’s back! A heads up from the Ill One a few months ago got me hooked on Mr. Cole’s sublime Nigeria travelogues. The disappearance of that blog was a dark day indeed. Why Teju? WHYYYYY?

    Looking forward to checking out the rest of Professor Amardeep’s Summer Reading List as well!

  12. Oh bliss, Teju’s back!

    Yes, nice to have T-Cole back [wink wink nudge nudge 🙂 ]. Your old blog seems to have been taken over by a certain “404 Not Found”. I also like t-hype’s blog… even just the idea of it perhaps.

  13. Thanks for the good words, Mutineers. Wow, you do encourage a brother. This blog will be quite different from the narrative one I did in January, as it’s focused more on reviews, but I hope it’ll be interesting to some of you anyway.

    Ashvin, I see I’ve found a fellow Python devotee. “Say no more, say no more!”

  14. Wow guys. Thanks for the love! I just call ’em like I see em. ;0)

    DesiDancer, do what you can to bring a class down here to Music City and I promise you’ll have at least 5 students! (Sorry, my crew is kinda small.)

    Thanks Amardeep for pointing out Mixed Media watch! Sweet site.

  15. Amardeep,

    Could you tell me who might uttered these words in the past…

    “Crap, I always spell it wrong. (I was actually corrected on the spelling once before! You’d think I would have learned it)

    I think I should tattoo the word “Telugu” to my nose, just so I don’t forget it.”

    I am willing to pay for the tattooing, at this point : ))

  19. Yes, nice to have T-Cole back [wink wink nudge nudge 🙂 ]

    I thought there was no Teju but Teju, though as of late I have suspected that he merely walks among us in other incarnations. Like a Mutinous Vishnu. Like a sagacious but merry, occasionally meshugah, messiah. And it was good. Aum mani padme aum.

    In which case play on, brotherman. The Word is being received (despite God being dead and such).

  20. Thanks for the link to Prasad’s blog, Amardeep! The telugu videos are quite cool, I assure you! (um, I am a telugu..)

  21. Whoa – I totally missed this post. Thanks for the mention Amardeep.

    Reg misspell of TelUgu :), I am thinking of starting a petition to Andhra govt to change the change to telEgu, just so that I dont need to correct people. Apart from the Andhra natives, almost all the other cultures get it wrong (inclusive of other 3 SI states). Or just revert back to calling the language by its original name, Telungu – would that be easier to remember? :))

  22. Prasad:

    almost all the other cultures get it wrong (inclusive of other 3 SI states)

    No, Tamilians don’t get it wrong. Tamilians say Telungu'. Sometimes, following Subramania Bharati, they even saySundara Telungu’.

  24. PGW:

    You are correct to an extent, but there are a few occasions when my tamizhian friends got it wrong too, but I rarely correct them on face. Thanks for the link too, that was quite informative. Thanks.

  28. Ashvin, I see I’ve found a fellow Python devotee. “Say no more, say no more!”

    I am a TOTAL Monty Python fan.

    (are you embarrased easily? grunties. wankle rotary engine.)