Monthly Archives: July 2010

Bravo, Murali!

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On the last day of his last test match, Sri Lankan bowler Muttiah Muralitharan picked up his 800th test wicket, an unprecedented feat.

Of course, he’s been so far ahead of the field for so long that unprecedented doesn’t mean much, but it’s a nice round number to end the brilliant career of one of the most fun players to watch in cricket, whether he was batting or bowling.

Murali began the match against India (the first of a three-test series in Sri Lanka) on 792. Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 520 put the pressure on India, and Muralitharan only needed 17 overs to pick up 5 wickets. India was forced to follow on and drew out their second innings. Muralitharan required a staggering 44.4 overs for his final 3 wickets. Sri Lanka’s openers went on to seal the deal, easing Sri Lanka to a comfortable 10-wicket win. Here’s the scorecard.

Please share your favorite Murali memories below.

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Desi-spotting by decade

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If you spotted a desi in America in…

…the 1960s: Well, you probably did not spot all that many but did some jumping around with a few “yahoos” thrown in if you did.

…the 1970s: You became their best friend and quite possibly moved in with them for at least a few months.

…the 1980s: “Mom. Dad. Look another Indian/Desi person.” Followed by a big smile.

…the 1990s: (more discreetly) “Mom. Dad. Look another Indian/Desi person.” Followed by an attempt to hide a smile.

…the 2000s: Dude, there is a desi person on that television show! No way! We have to watch.

…this decade: Dude, there is yet another desi person on television (yawn)…but without an “obviously desi” name:

Principal Figgins of Glee

Jai Wilcox of Covert Affairs (whose father apparently led the National Clandestine Service. Right. Must be adopted).

Tom Haverford of Parks and Rec (and yes I know his real name is Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani )

Jonathan of 30 Rock

Additional examples? Future predictions?

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Aisee Taisee Out of Nowhere

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This gem was buried in my twitter feed right before bedtime and was too good not to share immediately. Found, of course, through the tweet worthy Manish.

With a west coast sound and a music video on my favorite skating beach, I’m super surprised I haven’t heard of this cat before. Turns out his home base is the Bay Area and he went to SF State, which figures with Bay-ish lyrics like those. His name is Mandeep Sethi, and the above track was produced by Sikh Knowledge. I am diggin’ how in a world of hip-hop pseudonyms, Mandeep Sethi is keeping it real with his name. He’s keeping it real in other ways too.

Representing San Francisco Universal Zulu Nation as well as the global Hip-Hop scene, Mandeep Sethi is a young yet seasoned emcee/DJ from that has shown and proven his ability to rhyme and freestyle with the best. An Afrika Bambaataa appointed member of Zulu Nation, Mandeep was raised by the 5 elements of hip-hop: emceeing, djing, breakdancing, graffiti, and KNOWLEDGE. For Sethi, the microphone represents a catalyst of change, rhyming about social consciousness as well as cultural awarenesss while remaining true to the undefinable essence of hip hop’s versatility. [vivalahiphop]

Follow his twitter @mandeepsethi to get some of that knowledge. Check out the rest of his music too – you can download his latest digital EP The World’s Gone Mad for free (or for a donation.)

<a href="http://mandeepsethi.bandcamp.com/album/the-worlds-gone-mad">Illusion [produced by Povan Beats] by Mandeep Sethi</a>

Here’s an Ultrabrown post on Mandeep. Good find, Vij. I feel like I’m hella late to the game and need to catch up. All the rest of you, what do you think? Continue reading →

Not That Kind of Brown

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Way to set yourself apart from the pack, Uncle-ji.

Vijay Kumar.jpg

Just in case it wasn’t clear from the billboard, Vijay Kumar may be brown, but he’s not one of those other kinds of brown people. Don’t get confused, Tennesseans. He’s just like you. But not me.

vijay kumar 2.gif Vijay Kumar is one of eleven Republican Congressional candidates running for office in Nashville, TN (5th District). The primary elections are coming up soon, August 5th. From his site:

Vijay was born in 1954 in Hyderabad, India, to a conservative middle class family…. In 1979, Vijay emigrated to the United States because he felt uplifted by the values and possibilities inherent in the American way of life. In 1983, Vijay married Robin Minix, a native of Bowling Green, Kentucky. In keeping with his conservative family values, Vijay and Robin have been married for twenty-seven years. The Kumar family attends Bellevue Community Church in Nashville, Tennessee.[kumarforcongress]

So he’s an immigrant, he married a local, and he converted. Ok, fine, just like almost every other candidate we’ve blogged about here. But the kicker is just how much the “Islamization of America” is a part of his campaign. He talks about “Universal Jihad” “The Islamist Challenge” and “Sharia Law” on his site. He states he doesn’t believe there is an “Indian-Pakistani problem… just a universal jihadist problem.” He further expounds by basically saying that being Muslim and being American are inherently antithetical and for the sake of the American Constitution we need to get rid of people that follow the Quran. You can’t make this kind of political messaging narrative up. He says some other hateful anti-Muslim rhetoric on his site, but I don’t want to give him more blog space here on Sepia Mutiny than I have to. But you get my point. Continue reading →

It’s That Time Again: 2010 Candidate Profiles

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voting_booth.gif In three months, the nation will be heading to the polls to vote on congressional, gubernatorial, and local candidates. For the first time, we will have the chance to vote for more South Asian American candidates than we have ever had before. No longer will it just be Dalip Singh Saund and Bobby Jindal that have roamed the Congressional halls, there is a good chance that there will be another Desi to join the ranks. I like to call it the Obama-effect; all of a sudden there are younger, more diverse faces that are taking the electoral chance and running for office.

We’ve always blogged about candidates during election season here at Sepia Mutiny. But this year, in the vein of creating voter guides, we’d like to the candidate profiles on each candidate using the same criteria for each candidate. The 2010 Candidate Profile will have questions that we submit to all of the candidates and we will blog their response. Hopefully, we will also be able to get the candidates to respond to questions posted in the comment thread.

These are the candidates that I know that are potentially going to be on the ballots on November 2, 2010.

It’s a long list, but I’d like to know if there are there other candidates that we are missing. Is there anyone running for a local race, such as city council, county or state races? Anyone else we should keep on our radar? Link to them in the comments.

Also, do you have a particular question you would like for us to ask all the candidates? Write it up in the comments and we will take it into consideration as well. Continue reading →

Sepia Meets Sumi: Sri Lankan-Born Candidate for Office in Ann Arbor, MI

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So, I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Recently, I’ve been walking around town and seeing signs that say

SUMI KAILASAPATHY

To Google or not to Google? Like that was the question. 🙂 These signs are encouraging A2 residents to vote for a Democratic candidate for First Ward, Ann Arbor City Council. (The primary election is August 3, and since the Democratic candidates here are heavily favored in the general election, the primary is crucial.) This particular candidate grew up in Sri Lanka, came to the U.S. 19 years ago, and has been living in Ann Arbor for 13 years.

Imagine how verklempt I was to discover this.

In Jaffna, Sumi was a student activist, and was involved with Poorani, a women’s organization. She’s now a CPA; she previously taught at Eastern Michigan University. I contacted her and asked if she’d chat with the Mutiny about her background and candidacy. She agreed, and so here, in four parts, her filmed conversation with me. Continue reading →

Saxophones and Seduction

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One of my favorite film songs of all time is “Roop Tera Mastana” from the 1969 Hindi film [Aradhana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aradhana_(1969_film). The song appears just before a dashing young Air Force pilot, Arun (Rajesh Khanna), spends his first night with his new bride, Vandana (Sharmila Tagore, with her bouffant and perfect liquid eyeliner ). Arun and Vandana have just been married by a priest in a small temple because Arun has to leave to fight, and they’re in a rush to get married before he leaves. Unfortunately now it’s raining, and they’ve been drenched, so they huddle together in a rustic wooden cabin for warmth. Because they’re married, their isolation shouldn’t be a problem. But they’ve jumped the gun by getting married without their families’ presence. And now they’re getting closer and closer, to the point of no return…

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Rani Taj beats the hell out of “Rude Boy”

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Three of you sent me this video, so I get the feeling that you want SM to post about it. 🙂 If only I hadn’t spent my entire Friday in meetings…you Left-coasters could’ve enjoyed an all-natural jolt from something besides your morning coffee. Better late than never, I always say. Type. Whatever.

I was confused by the video until about 15 seconds in; that’s when the performer suddenly transforms Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” from a song I rolled my eyes at to a joint which made me sit up straighter in my office chair. Do your thang, gurl, do your thang:

None of you knew who this fierce female was, so I scrolled through 281 YouTube comments— never, EVER doubt my fortitude or devotion to the Mutiny– and saw a name which I googled for a bit. I discovered this:

My name is Rani Taj. I am the first professional British-Kashmiri female dholi, trained by the Dhol Blasters and Azaad dhol where I am a senior player. I also dance with the Bhangra Blasters and love playing the dhol, especially at public events.

That’s from her criminally under-loved Facebook fan page. Really, world? Only three of you “like” Miss Taj? Forget desis needing to support Manoj Shymalan no matter what pap he may proffer, y’all need to fan the Queen of percussion. Yes, I said “y’all”. I already did. While it’s still public, toggle through her profile pics on Facebook; she channels David Bowie while in Desi clothes. All that flavor and she’s got the beat? Got damn, Batman.* Continue reading →

I’ll Have a Pint of Your Finest

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What do Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona and Indian cricket master Sachin Tendulkar have in common, besides being gods?

They’ve both sold themselves.

In 2009 – at around the same time that Tendulkar was uncomfortable with fans touching his feet – Kraken Opus announced that their next project would feature Diego Maradona:

The first 100 copies of the latter book will contain a sample of Maradona’s blood and his hair. Inside there is a depiction of his DNA. “Not only are we telling you the story of your god; we’re taking you inside the icon,” Mr Fowler said (The Sunday Times).

This year it’s Sachin’s turn.

Luxury publisher Kraken Opus mixed in a pint of Mr. Tendulkar’s blood with paper pulp to create the signature page for a book celebrating the renowned batsman’s career. The 10 limited-edition copies, which comes out in February, cost $75,000 each and have already sold out (Wall Street Journal).

As revolting as I find the idea of a publishing house “telling you the story of your god,” I can’t say I have much sympathy for the ten people who spend 75k on it either. But I suppose that’s just an example of how disposable income can exaggerate the deification of celebrities.

As I read this, I couldn’t help thinking about how appropriate such a venture would have been for M.G. Ramachandran, Tamil film star-turned-politician who has been similarly deified, and whose speeches and addresses began, “En Rathathin Rathame,” or “blood of my blood.” Perhaps the introduction to his Opus would have begun, “En Rathathin Rathame, itho en ratham!”

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Guest DJ: DJ Drrrty Poonjabi

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After 6 years isolated in our North Dakota headquarters, the mutineers have been getting mighty restless. Music is the one thing that soothes most of us, especially the SM Intern who keeps the longest hours and is always threatening to quit. It is therefore time that we allow a DJ into the bunker to set up some turntables in the corner. And so, I am pleased to introduce you to DJ Drrrty Poonjabi.

DP has been a lurker on our site since 2005 and a fairly regular poster from ’06-’08. He’s been a music junkie since his preteens. A drummer, producer, DJ, record collector, micro-microphilanthropist, and Time’s Person of the Year 2006. That’s what his resume said but I haven’t vetted it completely yet. Some of you may have been following his Twitter feed already or have visited his blog.

DP plans to do here on SM what a good DJ does. He will bring new musical experiences to your ears and provide you with some badly needed cool cred to impress your friends with. He also, I have learned, likes to make Gurinder Chadha jokes, which everyone can appreciate.

Please join me in saying, “hey DJ, play that record.”

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