Just in case you were unaware of it, Kiran Chetry, the CNN anchor, is half-Nepali, and was born in Kathmandu. 
In an interview in Nepal Monitor recently posted on our News Tab, Kiran is asked, predictably perhaps, a number of questions relating to her background. For me, her most interesting response came following a question about her “South Asian” identity:
Question: And this is about being a “South Asian.†Because you don’t really seem like a South Asian unless somebody does some research on you! There are very few South Asians actually doing major shows on cable television in the US. What does being a “South Asian†mean to you?
Kiran Chetry: I define it in a more narrow term. I feel that being half-Nepalese is my heritage, something I have always grown up being proud of and living with. It’s never been something that I dwell on a lot; I think that it’s just my life, it’s who my family is, it’s who my father is. My cousins, many of them that are my age, are here in the US, either studying or now have jobs here. And that is just a part of our culture. And I have lived straddling both.
Fair enough — much of what she said there should resonate with many SM readers. Even if your family isn’t bi-cultural, growing up in the U.S. forces you to always in some sense “straddle both” cultures. But it’s when Chetry gets to terminology beyond “helf-Nepali” (or as she says, “Nepalese”) that she starts to hedge:
But you are right, when people look at me they don’t necessarily say, “Wow, Kiran must be Asian†or “Kiran must be from Nepal.†But I think that when you get to really know me and you spend any time with my family, you see what an influence it is. Since my father is from Nepal and that is what I grew up around. It’s just me.
And there are not a lot of South Asians, if you want to put it that way, that are represented in the news. However, there are a lot more at CNN, which is interesting. We have our special correspondent Sanjay Gupta, also Betty Nguyen, who is on our air and Alina Cho, one of our American Morning correspondents. All of them are Asian, or South Asian. So I think it is wonderful to be able to see more faces of diversity. And, I am one of them, even though I may not look like I am! I think I understand what being part of the Asian culture is like, not to put everybody into one big generalization. But I definitely understand a perspective because it is part of how I grew up. (link)
She seems a bit uncomfortable with the term “South Asian,” preferring the more narrowly national “Nepali” or the more general term, “Asian.” And while she mentions Dr. Sanjay Gupta, she’s also quick to mention Alina Cho and Betty Nguyen.
While most desis I know do define “South Asian” as a subset of “Asian,” I’ve never met anyone who wanted to deemphasize (or reject) the “South” in favor of a more generalized “Asian” identity — to be defined as just Asian, and not South Asian.
What might be behind Chetry’s terminological discomfort? (Unfortunately, we kind of have to speculate here, since I don’t think Kiran Chetry has done any other interviews where she’s discussed these kinds of identity issues.)
BTW brown is very much in use in Canada as a desi signifier. Perhaps because they haven’t had to get over the Hispanic cognitive bump.
Not only that, since desis were brought there as indentured servants, I wonder if they were “called” brown by the white majority?
Much ado about nothing. “South Asian” is simply a term of convenience that often makes sense to use in many contexts, at an intellectual/logical level. But it isn’t an identity that personally resonates with people, at an emotional level. Our respective ethnic identities play that role: Pakistani, Indian, Nepali, Bangladeshi, etc.
I don’t interpret Chetry’s comments at all the way you do, and I think you’re over-analyzing them.
I’ve actually been there, and I’ve seen the movie too. 🙂
I think you meant that you could only put away idlis piously and non-aggressively. 🙂
Gruhasthu said abt hanuman junction…
Well, gruhasthu u might actually be surprised to know that there might be more than just nala who’s been to hanuman junction around here. (well, I haven’t really been there per se but transited through hanuman jn pretty regularly when I was a kid :P)
Don’t ask me why I’m guessing but are you from JHU????
Actually, I find comments like this more dismissive and disdainful than any potentially “anti-South Asian” comments. If people are still talking about it, it’s clearly something that they/we/I still grapple with, something unresolved.
It’s important to warn people of how past conversations have gone (link to, even), and request that this one not end up in those same places. But reducing the (mostly) thoughtful comments of others to the blog-equivalent of an eye-roll is patronizing and unwelcoming at best.
I just rolled them again ;P
Make it three. And I have actually been there.
Anna, nala, others I guess I should’ve used a smiley or some other symbol…my statement was meant to be the complete opposite of what you guys seem to have got of it. Obviously I don’t think all people from the four southern states are non-aggressive or pious or whatever – there’re enough idli-hating atheists amongst South Indians. I hate the moniker ‘coz people who’re NOT S.Indians tend to lump everyone together, not understanding or recognizing that these are four identities, four rich cultural heritages. And most people from the northern states call themselves Punjabi or Kashmiri or Pahadi or whatever, so I don’t see why I should dumb down my complex identity into an easily-digestible pill…
Maybe a lot of my own dislike of identifying myself as South Indian stems from the usual reaction ‘Oh, so you’re Madrasi!’. Well, as much as I like Tamil food and Rajnikant, I’m not Madrasi; I speak a different language and eat spicier food or whatever…
This is actually precisely the point you’re making, Anna, about multiple identities – the problem is that most people just latch onto the one they’re most familiar with and forget the rest. Some of us therefore fight a daily battle for the lesser-recognized parts of us.
And that’s why, as I’d said earlier, I understand Kiran Chetry’s subtle side-stepping of ‘South Asian’ for Nepali. At some level, she might be rooting for her own identity, her country’s place in the sun!
Tamasha, you know that I respect you very much and that is why I’m especially sorry that my statement came off that way to someone as thoughtful as you. I want to rectify this now, so that no one assumes that I was rolling my eyes or patronizing anyone, because your interpretation of my reaction might give people the wrong impression.
If you had been the target of several hundred abusive, disgustingly pornographic “comment attacks” because of this one labeling issue, perhaps you’d understand that what I felt was anxiety and not disdain. What you saw as dismissive, I felt as trepidation.
You’re right, it’s important to link, to educate and to review what has already been painfully explored…it’s also important to acknowledge that doing those seemingly harmless things may result in more moderating, bruised feelings and negativity, because sadly, this one issue inspires a certain, virulent subset of trolls more than any other. I’m not saying we should never discuss it, I am saying that I reserve the right to feel grim when we do.
Oh man…. that was funny.
You very well might just be the first ever human to have used love/hate for idli as an adjective to the term “atheist” 😛
Idli’s are seriously overrated though.
For the reason I and so many others are not South Asian, look no further than the classic. Naheed Islam, “In the Belly of the Multicultural Beast I am Named South Asian.”
This piece remains the staple of the anti-South Asian position for many.
Idli’s are seriously overrated though.
Now, that’s some serious trolling. Let’s get it on!
Or, it could be a very, very clever attempt to bring forth unity among folks south of Vindhyas in defense of that most sacred entity ‘Idli’. (I almost destroyed said unity before it got started by using the phrase ‘South Indians’…glad I caught myself…phew).
voiceinthehead @ 108: Make it three. And I have actually been there.
Umm…that’s four (Nala, Random, you, and me). Have you forgotten to count yourself, Paramanandayya gari Sishya? Sorry, couldn’t resist making that classic Gult joke 🙂
random @ 105: Don’t ask me why I’m guessing but are you from JHU????
JHU? Johns Hopkins?? No…I’m more of a midwestern/southwestern pursuasion.
it seems to me that she is not even familiar with the term ‘south asian.’ like some other commenters, i also only came to know of the term south asian in college, and then only because the desi population was huge. and i see the merits of its use in some situations – mainly when discussing issues that effect desis as a group – political, social etc. but from that same perspective, i think the larger ‘asian’ is appropriate in other contexts involving the same issues, which is what chetry was alluding to in her south asian-asian reference – i.e. i think she finds the issue of diversity to be important when dealing with all asians, not just south asians. perhaps she has never been in a situation where ‘south asian’ was used as extensively as it has been for some of us; or perhaps she opted out of it – i knew plenty of desis at college who were more comfortable in the asian-pacific groups than in the south asian one. she clearly has a sense of her ethnicity vis-a-vis nepal – i don’t know why she should have to make the connection to south asian before she makes the connection to asian or others when discussing diversity. it was rather interesting to see how she rejected the identity given to her by the interviewer.
there are also times when south asian is not even appropriate. after all, it is a term created by the US government, not something we came up with ourselves, so i think that has some relevance regarding its appropriate context. i might use it more in terms of how the US gis acting towards people of south asian origin as a group within the US, but i think it loses a great deal of relevance when discussing certain issues (social, cultural, political) regarding the situations in these particular south asian countries.
yes, i find this rather irksome as well. esp. when ‘south indian’ is replaced with ‘madrasi’ (and that, too, mispronounced)! unfortunately, i find myself using that term often, if only for the very fact that my family culture is such a mish-mosh of tamil and telugu that i sometimes opt for the easier, and often more appropriate, south indian. but i do get annoyed when my (desi) friends of over ten years still confuse the two cultures or think we speak tamil at home when we speak telugu. seriously, is it really so hard to add the concept of four different languages from four separate states to one’s desi vocabulary, when you already know of several more? well, at least i have the idlis and dosas to console me (as well as the kurmas and pulusus) through these distressful moments 🙂
I don’t feel like it’s a big deal she did not stick to addressing the South Asian thing. She did not deny her half Nepali background.
On another topic, I have no problem with the term South Indian.
I must be one of the few South Indians who think Idlis are meh. If i am starving, I will eat them, but I could care less about them.
Dosas rule. Speaking of dosas, are there any restaurants that make green dosas(pesarattu)?
i think im going to go with “gunga-din-american”
I felt that way about them until I left home. 🙂 Once I was 3,000 miles away, after one semester, I realized how much I missed them…and idiappam…and kozhukatta…and regular appam…all of which were made from scratch. In some cases (elayappam), wrapped and steamed in banana leaves from the trees in our backyard. Sigh. My mummy is amazing.
“there are not a lot of South Asians, if you want to put it that way, that are represented in the news” What a crock! This woman gives herself too much credit. The first that I am aware of is Uma Pemmaraju in the late 80s, in Boston and later on Fox or CNN. Does anyone know of an earlier S.Asian newsreader?
Asha Blake = late 80s, too.
Oooh, I forgot about that Gultland treasure: Upma-pesarattu, MLA Pesarattu, ….Mmmm Pesarattu!
In Chicago/Devon, both Tiffin and Udupi Palace serve passable versions.
She did not deny her half Nepali background.
How exactly is she supposed to flat out deny it? ‘uhh, my father’s not really from nepal. he’s from cleveland but thought this name would be cool to have, so he changed it’
Although, she did surely downplay it:
“It’s never been something that I dwell on a lot; I think that it’s just my life, it’s who my family is, it’s who my father is.”
She’s obviously distancing herself from it, the undertones of that statement is, “Stop asking me about it, I dont care about it”
Which is all understandable, given her presence in Fox News, and now a more mainstream netw’k. But anyone in the media/public eye has to tout the ‘cuz I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free” line.
I still think we’re overanalyzing what she said. And it is quite possible that CNN in fact has her positioned to the ‘Asian’ demographic, not just in the US but worldwide. The interesting thing about both her and Betty Nguyen is that while they do have ‘Asian’ ancestry, the other half of them is ‘white’. In this way, a limited number of on-air personalities can simultaneously hit more than one demographic.
And if I might say so, depending on how Betty Nguyen is made up and how the lighting plays on her on any given day, she can look ‘completely Asian’ or ‘completely white’ as well, and that is probably true of Kiran Chetry. (And Zain Verjee and others as well). And when you think about it, the earliest ‘black’ anchorwomen were often ‘more than half’ white. Still, it is to CNN’s credit that it breaks the New York-based network mould at least a little in terms of bringing on people like these. On the other hand, its market base is worldwide, so it has to be more ‘forward looking’ in these things….
Chevalier, Interesting! are you from kakinada aaa? 🙂
make it four.
Hey, get your own line, thats mine or is it the case of “great minds think alike” 😉
It’s annoying to see people protesting the “madrasi” appellation repeatedly. For your information, it’s a historically valid appellation. All the people in South India were governed as part of the British “Madras” province, hence the term ‘Madrasi’.
Yes, it is no longer a valid appellation and younger people do refer to identities based on the new state like Andhraite, Tamil, etc. But the term ‘madrasi’ is not derogatory, or a simplified identity for all “South Indians” but has basis in history, and is used by older people.
For your information, it’s a historically valid appellation. All the people in South India were governed as part of the British “Madras” province, hence the term ‘Madrasi’
who gives a sh*t what the history is? it’s how the word has transformed thats important.
The word nggr comes from the french negre, or noir (black, as in film noir..) it historically just meant ‘black’
The word (oh my god can I say it??, I’ll say it softly) redneck comes from people having to work outdoors (in the US) and the sun turning their necks red. It was just a descriptive term, historically
I dont know much about madrasi actually, but the fact that you’re attempting to defend it’s continued usage, and also intuit the reality of the people the word describes (i dont know if you are one yourself), leads me to believe that whatever it historically meant is not what it means now.
Wrong.
all of southern india was not under madras presidency by a long shot. much of it was under bombay presidency, mysore state, hyderabad, travancore,ect..the best way to get people to stop incorrectly refering to u as a madrasi is to start calling anyone vaguely from nw india a marwadi…works everytime
Harbeer, neither etymology is wrong — both are considered acceptable “backstories” for how “redneck” originated as a term. I think it’s safe to say that in the U.S. its meaning is linked to HMF’s definition.
HMF, the word hasn’t transformed in any way. People have just forgotten what it referred to earlier: a person for the Madras province. That the Madras Province has been split up into individual NEW states that map directly on ethnicities is something that’s taking a while to seep into general consciousness, especially people who’re generally not geographically educated in India, is all! Ex-Madrasis doth protesteth much too much, in my opinion.
rar, have knowledge
muchany? The Bombay presidency was way up north, fyi – think Western Maharashtra and Gujarat. You’re confusing it with the Mysore- and other provinces. Here’s a map for your edification: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Madras_Prov_1859.gifAnd the version from 1909: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Madras_Prov_South_1909.jpg
Madras didn’t encompass all of South India by a long shot? I don’t think so.
I don’t think anyone here talked about ‘madrasi’ being derogatory. It’s just a question of not wanting to be mislabled. A closer to adopted home example of this is Guatemalans and Columbians riling against being called Mexicans.
You haven’t met my Naanamma (grandma) or heard her go on about this topic. She will trash your theory like yesterday’s newspaper.
All you people who are protesting the term: Stop being such madrasis.
Yes, let’s call people using the geographically-correct terms, but keep our prejudices in place 🙂 /sarc.
arjun, exactly, there are huge portions of karnataka and andhra pradesh not even on the map!
The term Madrasi may not have had racist connotations in the past today, but it sure does today. The people who use it are the same people who in a mixed/white audience will go to great lengths to explain how they are the progenitors of everything great and noble in Indian culture and how unrefined & black (gasp !) the “Madrasi” is.
I see what you mean. It is annoying when other desis repeatedly ask me, ‘Where in India are you from again?’ It’s like, how many times do I have to tell you, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, you f**cker?!?! Next time, I’m gonna stuff them full of Hyderabadai biriyani and some Andhra mango pickle. Then they won’t forget. 🙂
As for the term ‘madrasi’ – it’s really surprising to me how many 1st gens I meet don’t know that Hyderabad is in Andhra Pradesh! Umm, IT revolution, anyone?? And my parents have even met people who didn’t know where Hyderabad was- so they just say ‘Madras’ for shorthand. This kind of ignorance is astounding.
And actually, an Indian independence figure died trying not be called a ‘madrasi’.
LouieCypher, would replacing “Madrasi” with “South Indian” in your post above make any difference? That’s my point. Let’s not miss the forest for the trees.
umm… yes. Because there is more to Karnataka/Andhra Pradesh/Kerala/Tamil Nadu than ‘Madras’!
Gruhasthu, lots of people died to fight for the creation of their respective states. It’s not exclusive to Madrasis. That does not mean people using older names are being ‘racist’ or disrespectful. Whether they’re using a geographical appellation to express prejudice about a group of people is what’s important, not the precise term they use to group those people. The term is changing to Tamil or South Indian or whathaveyou but the prejudice will remain.
And let’s not think there aren’t South Indians that aren’t similarly prejudiced. Prejudice is part of human nature all over, and protesting the use of historical names isn’t going to change it.
This entire discussion is akin to Mumbaikars protesting being called Bombayites or whatever. Irrelevant! What’s relevant is what you express using that group label.
BTW, I love ‘madrasi’ food smacking lips, yum.
are you blind? population and cultural centers of both modern karnataka (mysore state) and kerala (travancore) were not part of the british empire. it is what your map as well. but you wouldn’t know about those madrasis, would you?
or maybe, you arjun want to be british. or mughal? or lodi? or ghazni? afghan? persian? they all ruled you—not just ruled, enslaved you as well “historically”. which master do you want to be known by? madrasi is a disgusting abuse, defense of it is as ridiculous as the statement above.
note—i don’t mean to offend anyone (other than arjun) by the statement above. i am making a statement
… as patently ridiculous as his as an example.
sm intern, i got cut off before i finished the comment—could you finish it for me? thanks!
The people who use it are the same people who in a mixed/white audience will go to great lengths to explain how they are the progenitors of everything great and noble in Indian culture and how unrefined & black (gasp !) the “Madrasi” is.
Very true.
the best way to get people to stop incorrectly refering to u as a madrasi is to start calling anyone vaguely from nw india a marwadi
Try bihari. That works much better 🙂
This is an interesting piece of sillyness that I haven’t much come across so far. I want to be clear that it is not from this angle that I protest the term ‘Madrasi’. I would actually love to run into some of those dumbasses and drop some Lemurian awesomeness on them.
bytewords, unfortunately for you, I’m not offended, just amused, heh.
My opinion stands: ‘Madrasi’ is NOT disgusting abuse. It is just an out-of-date term to group people from a geographical region in India. Yawn, carry on being offended and outraged..
Yes, calling me “Bihari” or “Marwadi” or whatever wouldn’t offend me in the least. The person doing it wouldn’t be offending me; he/she would simply be incorrect. And he/she can go on being incorrect for all I care.
re: 149 similarly, myself and others from parts of penninsular india that were never part of the erstwhile madras presidency, such as bangalore, hyderabad, cochin, and thiruvanthapuram (incidentally, ALL the state capitols and major metropolises other than Chennai) would take note of being incorrectly identified as “madrasi”. after denying that categorization, if someone were to persist in using it, they would be losing some credibility as a respectful person. and yes, for the most part i won’t give a damn if this is a passing ignorant comment. but i think in this forum some of us trying to form an understanding between parties that may want to take interest in each other sincerely.