Author Archives: Taz

About Taz

Taz is an activist, organizer and writer based in California. She is the founder of South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY), curates MutinousMindState.tumblr.com and blogs at TazzyStar.blogspot.com. Follow her at twitter.com/tazzystar

Girls, Girls, Girls

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I’ve always been one of those girls that scoured mainstream beauty/fashion mags to see if there was a desi face within the pages. Of course, I was constantly disappointed. While thumbing through Jane Magazine’s April issue (print edition only) this weekend, I surprisingly found two. These two women were profiled in a list of “30 under 30,” basically, 30 cool women under the age of 30…

Miss Congeniality

Kashish Chopra, 22 – Washington D.C. Real Estate Agent; openly gay; Miss Congeniality at the 2003 Miss India pageant. “People would tell me how they were born gay but didn’t know how to come to terms with their personal or cultural identity. But they shouldn’t be afraid of it, because they are not alone.” (p104)

Alpana Singh, 29 – Chicago. Youngest female master sommelier in the country (and one of only 16 in the world). “It’s like, you can see Scarlett Johansson having wine, whereas Tara Reed is doing shots of tequila. Do you want to be Scarlett or Tara?” (p121)

She Likes Her Wine

It got me to thinking…just two? I know there’s more. Most of the people I come across in doing South Asian American work are dynamic women, all moving to break down barriers…Who would I additionally add if it was a list of “Desi Women Under 30”? Continue reading →

Temping as a Mutiny-Wallah

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Ancestry from a non-India South Asian country? Check, Bangladesh. Woman? Check. Muslim? Check. Gay? Umm, no… but I could be if you want me to be… Cheeky? Check.

Much like that guy on FX that tries out something new for thirty days, these next thirty are devoted to you. You want me to go undercover and get an interview with Sunny Leone, I’ll do it. You want me to sneak stealthily into Abhi’s office and let a bee loose in it, and video his reaction, done. Figure out how to tap into the secret direct line in the ND office that pages Razib-the-Atheist so easily, I’m on it. And just like that other atheist, figure out a creative eBay auctions, such as, say, hours of Vinod in a dress, to funnel traffic to SM- well, I’m so there. Looking for a suitable boy/girl? I’ll match you up. Are you tired of all the Sheetal Sheth pictures and covers of Indian Maxim? Is the post on the hotness of the Bangladeshi blue eyed workers simply not enough? For you, I will fill my posts with as many John Abraham photos as possible. You got questions, I got answers. And if I don’t, I’ll sneak around under the official auspices of Sepia Mutiny Temporary Super Star and get them for you.

Who am I? I’m simply a coffee-colored geeky nerd. Nerding out to be a full on geek- with Desi-American issues being the core of what I work on. In all seriousness, it’s good to see a site that is creating a real community online, connecting and networking desis everywhere. I’m honored to join the roll to the right for the next 30 days, and hope to give it the justice it deserves. And now, let the real mutiny begin…?

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