I don’t need to tell y’all that brown people are taking over the world. Hell, desis been taking over for a minute now. One place where you would have thought this would be apparent is here in New York City, where our people are running things across the board, from academia to media to cinema to art to finance to medicine to law to activism to philanthropy to — oh, yeah, fruit vendors and taxi cab drivers (but we do not speak of these). And yet, there remains a class of benighted New Yorkers who have yet to recognize the ever-browning brownitude in which they bathe.
Who are these poor souls? Why, they’re the readers of the New York Observer: the pink-papered weekly with the highbrow preoccupations and the arch headlines and the Upper West Side noblesse oblige; the original fount of the Candace Bushnell column that begat Sex and the City; the paper that crows to advertisers that it “delivers the top of the market: a well-educated, affluent audience of highly influential consumers.” Indeed, according to the sales kit, median household income among Observer subscribers is $162,500; median net worth is $1,546,200; the average numbers are much higher.
Well, in what must be confirmation that we have finally arrived, this lofty set has been officially advised of our existence as of the current issue of the Observer, which features a series of short profiles penned by Nicholas Boston, under the (highly original!) title “India, Inc.” The reduction to India of a group that actually mixes FOBs (or whatever we’re calling them now), ABDs, 1.5s, and people of Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and even half-Dutch origin is but one of the various conflations that y’all sensitive types might bridle at but that, let’s face it, shouldn’t really matter all that much given that we all look the same.
Anyway, now that we exist, at least as some kind of highly literate brown blob, we also need a name. What would it be? Desicrats? Macacarati? No! We are… the Bollypolitans! “A Bollypolitan elite is the newest creative class to kick into New York with art, fashion, literature,” the subtitle announces. And in the first sentence we meet our leader:
In 2000, the Indian-American Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction with The Interpreter of Maladies, making her the first South Asian—and, at 33, among the youngest of any ethnicity—to be named in that category. She appeared on The Charlie Rose Show, wearing crimson, her hair gelled back into a chignon.
Charlie Rose! Crimson! Chignons! Shit, this desi thing must be for real. Indeed:
Ever since then, twenty- and thirtysomethings of South Asian descent—that would be Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan—have emerged in a very public way on New York’s cultural stage, and we’re not talkin’ Kaavya Viswanathan. Art centers have been chartered, dance ensembles formed, fashion companies founded—and many more books, both fiction and nonfiction, written and published. Herewith, some names to learn.
So, quick: If you had to pick 12 desis-you-need-to-know in the New York “creative class” (and don’t pick Cicatrix or myself, that would be too easy :P), who would you choose? You can compare your results with Mr. Boston’s incredible advanced sociological sampling analysis here. Discuss!
OK….without looking at Mr Boston’s list:
1) Jhumpa Lhumpa 2) Suphala 3) Salman Rushdie 4) Sree Srinivasan 5) Vikas Bajaj 6) Ved Mehta 7) The Desai writers (mère et fille) 8) Vijay Iyer 9) Mira Nair 10)Madhur Jaffrey 11) Mahmood Mamdani 12) Shashi Tharoor
Just looked at Boston’s list. Booo. Disappointing.
Comments on topic please.
Paging SM Intern, clean up on comment aisle 3.
Back to the topic, I can’t say that I recognized many of these names, but the term “Bollypolitan” alone shows that the editors and writers of this publication have no clue whatsoever about diasporic culture. From the article it seems like their interaction with desi folk is minimal at best and I would wager that their “research” consisted of a few Wiki searches. I have real issues with snobbery, in case it wasn’t obvious.
Reminder: Please don’t feed the trolls.
I’m a young kid who’s been working on a lot of political campaigns recently, and it should be noted that in the political world, aside from Sikhs who are known for great community organizing, most desis groups are rarely considered by elites in political decision-making. The reason being that because they are mostly affluent (highest median income of ethic groups), they are correspondingly less activist and content with the status quo. So, many political organizers ignore desis groups, except for fund-raising.
I’m not criticizing anyone, I just personally find it disappointing.
p.s. macacarati is hilarious but it’s so not cool. Desicrat is awesome.
you so street siddharta.
a little disturbing. but my man kal penn is from my town of freehold, nj. ya heard?
Well, since I didn’t make the list I figure I can let it all hang out.
Akhil Sharma in zebra striped pyjamas and pink socks! Why no picture?
There is no way I could pick 12 desis, but just wanted to say to Siddhartha, GREAT write-up! A pleasure to read.
New York is so 1998. The real creative class, the monied men, the international set, more of the world’s best restaurants, are currently located in London. New York prides itself on its diversity, but Toronto has more ethnic groups – with all the richness and complications that flow from that. It will also sink into the ocean in fifty years. To be top macaca here ain’t no thing.
Fuck New York.
Oh, MACACARATI!!!!! That’s wonderful. Yes, please. It’s just fun to say. Man.
Though I like Desicrats too.
What I really want is for the hive mind to chime in and make these lists for other American cities. LA, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, DC, Boston, Seattle, Atlanta, Austin. . . .the Bay and NY are old news. . ..
Yeah, Sid Uncle’s down.
This is going to turn into a vote for the term, and my vote lies with Macacarati as well.
I have to agree with Shazia Sikander from that list. Her work is great.
Dont forget the Diegos San Diego(a good place for 420 awaaras ) and Diego Garcia(well pakistan is included in south asia right?)
This list is so disappointing. Not sure if “Bollypolitan” made the rest totally impossible to read fair-mindedly, though 🙂
I love how “macaca” and forms of it are used so liberally on this site. I’m gonna have to start saying that more.
I know editors; they are just looking to cash in on this sudden Indian hype and are like: quick, find some brown people. My paper did something like this for Black History Month except it was “OMG Find some black people who are somewhat in the public eye and profile them.” it was awful.
Bollypolitans is not catchy, like its not the new celebutard. But can anything really top that moniker?
Wow – who is Camille #16, and was that really necessary?
Bollypolitan? oh man that list is HORRIBLE. Your post was so much fun to read though, Siddhartha. Thanks..
1) troll
2) nope. is it ever?
deleted.
.
dear petty &$#@,
“impersonating” people whom we know and respect (like camille and risible) is neither clever nor appreciated. unlike you, these commenters have spent time contributing thoughtfully to this site; that’s how it’s so glaringly obvious that they are not the ones leaving stupid potshots. cowboy up and either accept who we are and how we feel or learn to express yourself in a respectful, credible manner. you know, by using your own name, for example.
south asia,
everyone
The patronising angle of this piece is almost beyond belief (the article’s, not you, Siddharta).
I’ll start the list for Houston:
Bapsi Sidhwa Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni Soham Mehta Ratna Kumar . . ?
Now I’m drawing a blank…help?
ok…someone really needs to tell Rachel Roy not to say “Third World”.
You lead, Siddhartha! If we can’t list you and cicatrix, can we count Vinod?
I’m in favor of Macacarati. That is one arbitrary list! If they have to be NYers, I’m adding some: Vishakha Desai, who is President of The Asia Society; Sunderam Tagore, who just moved his stellar gallery from Greene or Broome to Chelsea; Kartik Kilachand, who does a lot of different things; Ravi Trehan, managing partner of the Broad Street Group hedge fund; Kent Charugundla, telecom-based Zgallery owner; Arun Bose of Bose Pacia; Amitav Ghosh is here when he’s not in Charlottesville; Asha Putli is an old timer, part of the original gang at the Factory back in Velvet Underground days and warbling away; let’s not forget Gotham Chopra; and lastly but not leastly, while Ismail Merchant may have left for the great buffet in the sky, a descendant of that gang of four is here I believe- Zia Jaffrey, whose non-fiction book, The Invisibles, of which i recall Siddhartha’s review with glee, is imho, a far more compelling read than Kiran Desai’s fiction.
Once, I meet a Desi dead ringer for Jude Law, brought up here don’t remember his name. Are we counting Anand Jon?
Hi there, SM Intern, that’s not the first time I posted…
If belonging to a “…creative class” were all it took, I would’ve put S.R.S. Varadhan on the list. He’s among the most creative New Yorkers around but, alas, he’s into neither fashion nor literature. Would coolness count in making it into the Bollypolitans’ list…? If so, it might help to know that, in my professional community, SRSV’s affiliation is codified as 1-NY-X; and he might be the only living academic who has been referred to as “The Grand Master” in a dry scholarly article (and no, not in a tribute piece). Can it get cooler than that ?
For the record number 19 is a kavya wanna be plagiarizing my moniker.
Sorry y’all, but it seems the list of macacrati with links I posted will not be seen…
Amrita – most spam filters will automatically hold posts with two or more links in them for moderation.
I think desicrat would be the most…democratic term, although it does sound like desecrate… I didn’t recognise most of the names but then again I don’t live in New York. In any case, when can we expect the requisite Macarati/Desicrat/Bollypolitan t-shirts for sale from Sepia Mutiny? If it’s cute I’ll buy one. Represent!!!
Removed. The latest wave of spammers and trolls here have resorted to particularly infantile tactics. Thanks for your patience.
Thanks, SM intern 🙂
Shimi, I’m torn. “Desicrat” sounds a bit like “autocrat,” or “technocrat” to me 🙂
yep desicrat sounds autocratic + too institutionalized
I’m all about “Macacarati” personally. But I get in trouble around here when I use the M-word.
Macacarati rules.
Desilite? Des-elite? Desi-lite?
Hard to spell, but pronounced like desi + elite.
Although macacarati is pure genuis, and fun to say.
Hey, Sugi’s awesome! Frighteningly accomplished, and I bet she’s squirming with embarrassment about how the article described her.
Sugi is frighteningly accomplished. I can’t wait to read her book – I’ve read about it in so many different places. What a cool chick!
Talk about name change identity crises…
Gotcha, SP… such linkiness was pretty self indulgent of me…it’s my favorite blog toy, where it shall remain.
Siddhartha, if I were there, say, as an intern, I’d happily get into trouble right along with you over macacarati- I think it’s that good. I like desilite, but worry that it’ll get mispronounced, and desigentsia, which is all I could think up, just doesn’t have the same contempo ring to it.
Odd to exclude the older generation of south asians (i.e., Rushdie, Ondaatje, etc.) who make those listed seem small.
Other suggestions (to varying degrees of groaning):
The Jat Set
Les Bhans Vivants
Avanti-garde (or, equally badly, Avant-ghar)
They don’t make a whole lot of sense, but then neither does the “Bolly” in “Bollypolitans.” I tried to force various words like Bhopal into a play on “Le Beau Monde,” but they resisted my bed of Procrustes. “Le Bhoj Monde,” etc. sound awful since they all bring in another consonant (or two or three) after “Bho-“. Argh.