Author Archives: Abhi

About Abhi

Abhi lives in Los Angeles and works to put things into space.

Frank “The Bruiser” Pallone goes after Power 99

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I should start by admitting that Congressman Pallone really isn’t known by the nickname “The Bruiser,” but I just thought it fit him. In any case, the Desi friendly Pallone brings some welcome muscle in the fight against the DJs at Philadelphia’s Power 99. New Kerala reports:

US Congressman and India Caucus co-founder Frank Pallone has formally requested a Federal Communications Commission probe into “offensive and racist” threats made on a radio programme in Philadelphia during a conversation with a call centre operator in India.

The New Jersey representative expressed support for a claim filed by the NRIs in the US, and demanded “immediate action” against the incident on December 15 when two radio hosts at WUSL-FM Power 99 phoned a corporate call centre in India and threatened to “choke” the call centre operator.

In a letter to FCC chairman Michael Powell, Pallone said the incident undermined bilateral relations to “perpetuate racism and hate” against a community that has “strengthened the backbone” of the US.

“I am appalled by this confrontation that took place on the radio and, moreover, I am particularly disturbed that a woman from India was the unfortunate victim,” the New Jersey Congressman wrote.

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The Legend of the Clairvoyant Ape

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Very recently someone asked me where we, the bloggers of Sepia Mutiny, find all our news stories from. How are we so on top of things? I told him that it was a trade secret but that it involved a few dozen well-trained chimpanzees sitting in front of computers in a basement in North Dakota, twenty-four hours a day. If PETA ever found out… You think that’s farfetched? Well, more about that in a moment.

The New York Times reviewed a book this past Sunday titled, THE RISE OF THE INDIAN ROPE TRICK: How a Spectacular Hoax Became History.

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When John Elbert Wilkie died in 1934, he was remembered for his 14 years as a controversial director of the Secret Service, during which he acquired a reputation for forgery and skullduggery, and for masterly manipulation of the press. But not a single obituary cited his greatest contribution to the world: Wilkie was the inventor of the legendary Indian Rope Trick. Not the actual feat, of course; it does not and never did exist. In 1890, Wilkie, a young reporter for The Chicago Tribune, fabricated the legend that the world has embraced from that day to this as an ancient feat of Indian street magic.

How did a silly newspaper hoax become a lasting icon of mystery? The answer, Peter Lamont tells us in his wry and thoughtful ”Rise of the Indian Rope Trick,” is that Wilkie’s article appeared at the perfect moment to feed the needs and prejudices of modern Western culture. India was the jewel of the British Empire, and to justify colonial rule, the British had convinced themselves the conquered were superstitious savages who needed white men’s guidance in the form of exploitation, conversion and death. The prime symbol of Indian benightedness was the fakir, whose childish tricks — as the British imagined — frightened his ignorant countrymen but could never fool a Westerner.

When you’re certain you cannot be fooled, you become easy to fool. Indian street magicians have a repertory of earthy, violent tricks designed for performance outdoors — very different from polite Victorian parlor and stage magic. So when well-fed British conquerors saw a starving fakir do a trick they couldn’t fathom, they reasoned thus: We know the natives are too primitive to fool us; therefore, what we are witnessing must be genuine magic.

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New Bollywood songs screw parental authority

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The Christian Science Monitor focuses attention on a growing epidemic in Indian society: kids no longer listen to their parents. The cause? Perhaps it is the glorification of parental disrespect and all the “following your heart” crap embedded within today’s Bollywood songs, as compared to those of yesteryear that kept it real (Mera Juta Hai Japani).

Indians have as many words for “love” as the Inuit have for “snow.” Songwriters choose from the many subtle variations: pyar (affection), mohabbat (love, in Urdu), prem (love, in Hindi), ishq (passion), or even junoon (obsession).

These sweet nothings are timeless, but the lyrics surrounding them have changed dramatically. In the 1950s, boys and girls would pine for each other, but accept their parents’ or society’s better judgment. Today’s lover lives and dies by his or her own mistakes or inner faults – immaturity, pride, poor dress sense – and the modern concept of love is spreading at the speed of sound to cities and villages, on radios and music videos, and into the minds of the humming masses.

The result, cultural watchers and filmmakers say, is a country teetering between its traditional rules and the giddy individualism of the West, with profound effects on India’s urban youth.

“This is the first generation that believes that tomorrow will be better than yesterday,” says Santosh Desai, president of the advertising firm, McCann Erickson, in New Delhi. “There’s this sense that the world is opening up with the lifting of constraints. There is an unspecific optimism, and one part of it is economic, but the other part is the lifting of mental barriers.”

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Bay Area Unites!

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The organization “Bay Area Unites” will be holding a large Tsunami fundraiser on Feb 20th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. Over 10,000 people are expected to attend:

The event will benefit the victims of the tsunami in seven of the hardest hit countries: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, the Maldives, Malaysia and Somalia. The organizing group, called “Bay Area Unites” (www.BayAreaUnites.org), is a coalition of several business, civic, cultural and religious organizations. The Cities of San Jose, Milpitas Morgan Hill and Fremont are also co-sponsoring the event.

“The Bay Area is a true melting pot of cultures from around the world, many from countries devastated by the tsunami,” said Vish Mishra, convener of the event.

“Local groups are banding together to create an unprecedented event that will bring several thousand people together to continue the relief and rehabilitation efforts for the victims of the recent Tsunami disaster,” said Mishra, Senior Venture Partner, Clearstone Venture Partners and a Director of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs).

There is an All-star line up featuring Deepak Chopra and an appearance, via videocon, by former President Bill Clinton. But that is not all:

-Interfaith vigil led by Dr. Deepak Chopra
-Personalized video message from Bill Clinton
-Music by Grammy-nominated singer Lisa Loeb
-Children’s programs, music and entertainment
-Celebrities to call for pledges, including philanthropist Dr. Malini Alles
-Performance by critical acclaimed choreographer, Danica Sena
-Masters of the double violin, performance by Shankar and Gingger
-New perspectives on the songs Bob Dylan by ‘Mostly Dylan’
-Balinese performance by Gamelan Sekar Jaya
-Fusing pop and rock performance by Tina Sugandh

Holy crap! Lisa Loeb? Will the Nine Stories be there also? Roadtrip!

If you’d like to volunteer, and maybe get the chance to meet Lisa Loeb (“I missed you, stay”) then you can visit the Bay Area Unites volunteer page. Continue reading →

Hindus and Muslims find common ground

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Who says Hindus and Muslims disagree about the fundamentals of culture and religion? In certain instances they CAN be in agreement. What better day than Valentine’s Day to showcase said agreement. Or should I call it “Prostitution Day?” From NDTV.com:

Shiv Sainiks continue to play spoilsports on Valentine’s Day.

The Delhi unit of the Sena has planned to hold a protest march near the Delhi University area, and have decided to call it ‘Prostitution Day’, because of what they see as a poisoning influence of western society.

“Valentine’s day is turning the youth away from our true culture and traditions. Growing commercialisation by certain vested interests is further leading them up the wrong path,” said Delhi Shiv Sena chief Jai Bhagwan Goel.

The government in Saudi Arabia has similar sentiments as reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Each year shortly before Feb. 14, the country’s religious police mobilize, heading out to hunt for – and confiscate – red roses, red teddy bears and any signs of a heart.

In a country where Valentine’s Day is banned, ordinary Saudis find they must skirt the law to spoil their sweethearts.

The Valentine’s Day holiday celebrating love and lovers is banned in Saudi Arabia, where religious authorities call it a Christian celebration that true Muslims should shun.

The only good part about this is that forgetful men, who are bad boyfriends, have a legitimate excuse to show up without flowers. “Look honey what do you want from me? The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice would have arrested my ass.”

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Do you know what you are funding? -part II

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Shortly after the Tsunami I posted an entry giving readers a “heads up” that they should research the organizations that they donate money to. Not all organizations are what they seem at the surface, and money sometimes flows in misguided ways. Just as an example I linked to Campaign to Stop Funding Hate website. I unintentionally but wrongfully implied that the accusations made on that website against certain aid groups were legitimate. Judging by the numerous and lengthy comments left by readers (including the spokesman for CSFH) this is a subject more controversial than I had imagined. Earlier this week the U.K. Charity commission absolved one of the relief organizations that the Campaign to Stop Funding hate had singled out. As reported in the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

The leader of a Duluth-based relief organization says he feels vindicated by a British government report clearing the group’s sister charity of wrongdoing in India.

The U.K. Charity Commission concluded that 2.3 million British pounds raised by Sewa International — Sewa International USA’s affiliate in the United Kingdom — indeed went to help rebuild six Indian villages devastated by a 2001 earthquake in Gujarat state.

Hate group watchdogs had accused Sewa International of using the donations to support Hindu nationalists they say foment violence against Christians, Muslims and other minorities in India. There are no such accusations against the recently created Sewa International USA, but the watchdogs had issued warnings against any group affiliated with Sewa International following India’s latest natural disaster, the Indian Ocean tsunamis.

The Campaign to Stop Funding Hate (who according to Seva “are largely made up of Communist intellectuals bent on disrupting the activities of Hindu groups”) isn’t convinced however:

The two hate-group watchdogs — a U.S.-based network of activists called the Campaign to Stop Funding Hate and the British group Awaaz-South Asia Watch — said the report was flawed. They noted that India denied visas to British investigators, making it impossible for them to check for themselves how the funds were actually used. The charity commission’s conclusions were based partly on a report by 30 donors who witnessed the reconstruction work and new schools as part of a visit arranged by Sewa International.

“One has to question where the Charity Commission is getting its information from,” said Ra Ravishankar, a spokesman for the Campaign to Stop Funding Hate.

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If I had a thousand words

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Indian photographer Arko Datta has won the prestigious 2004 World Press Photo Award for his picture of this Indian woman genuflecting in absolute sorrow at the death of a relative killed in the Asian tsunami. The Voice of America reports:

The picture, taken by Reuters photographer Arko Datta, shows a woman lying on sandy ground with her hands turned toward the sky. The hand of a dead relative is visible nearby.

The photo, taken in Cuddalore in India’s Tamil Nadu state two days after the December 26 tsunami, was one of nearly 70,000 pictures submitted by professional photographers from 123 countries.

One of the judges, Kathy Ryan from The New York Times called the image graphic, historic and starkly emotional.

Mr. Datta will receive the distinguished award, along with nearly $13,000, in a special ceremony in Amsterdam in April.

I am drawn to the edge of the picture but dare not seek to uncover what lies beyond. It is as if the left edge represents the divide between this world and the next. From our vantage point it seems we have been thrust upon the scene to either speak some words of comfort to this woman or administer last rights to the dead.

But know that by whom this entire body is pervaded, is indestructible. No one is able to cause the destruction of the imperishable soul. –Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2 verse 17

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Thong-Tha-Thong-Thong-Thong

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You guys have heard a similar story before I’m sure, but this stuff never gets old. GG2.net reports:

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An American online store selling womens` undergarments featuring images of Hindu Gods and religious icons has angered members of the community who have demanded their immediate withdrawal from the website.

In an ad for womens` thongs, Cafe-Press.com has on display hundred per cent cotton `Hindu God Shiva classic thong` priced at USD 12.99 with the religious deity`s face, another called `iGod Shiva Classic thong` for USD 15 makes a statement “Namaste it loud. Your`re Hindu and you`re proud.”

The `Om Classic Thong` priced at USD 8.99 explains “Om or rather aum is a sacred Hindu symbol that represents the absolute.”

Leading the protest for the products withdrawal is the American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD), the largest Hindu anti-defamation group in North America comprising several Hindu organisations.

But all is well that ends well:

The protests had borne fruit with CafePress withdrawing the product line from its site.

Oh yeah? Then what is this?

I just don’t get my panties in a bunch over stuff like this though. There were other items however that did get my attention. Continue reading →

The NYPD’s dirty laundry

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Lisa Hazamoon Cahill, an Indian American who was formerly one of New York’s finest, is pissed and humiliated. The New York Daily News explains why:

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One of the NYPD’s few Indian officers charges she was treated like a maid by her sergeant, who allegedly ordered her to wash and iron his shirts at Police Headquarters.

“He forced me to … I’m so embarrassed, so ashamed,” Lisa Hazamoon Cahill, 33, told the Daily News in an exclusive interview. “I couldn’t refuse. He wasn’t asking me, he was telling me.

“Maybe he thought because I was Indian, he thought I was submissive,” she added.

Cahill’s explosive allegation is contained in an employment discrimination lawsuit filed Jan. 28 in Manhattan Federal Court, charging a pattern of disturbing conduct by supervisors in the 1 Police Plaza security unit.

What’s up with the New York City government employees hating on Indians?

She said she once loved her job. She proudly recalled being commended in 2001 by then-Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik for stopping a knife-wielding stalker from getting into Police Headquarters.

She appeared in a recruiting video and occasionally represented the NYPD at events attended by the Indian community.

The Brooklyn-reared Cahill, who is of Punjabi descent, said she knew of only one other female cop of Indian origin in the 36,000-member force. Cahill said she was the only cop in the security unit with certification from the U.S. Marshals Service in X-ray screening for weapons and explosives.

Holy crap. Is anyone else scared by that last sentence? Homeland Security??? Continue reading →

The FBI wants YOU!

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Frequent Sepia Mutiny tipster Deepa M., alerts us to something we had completely overlooked. I had an excuse since I was forced to miss the Superbowl but how come none of you all mentioned anything? Deepa writes,

Did you see the FBI recruitment ad that aired right before the SuperBowl? It starred a guy I’ve known since 7th grade, Sunjit Randhawa.

Tight. I’m digging the ad. Its, dare I say, surreal. What? You liberal types not digging the FBI? Then try the FFFBI. USA Today reports:

In the wake of the recent Asian tsunami disaster, the need for children to learn about other countries is obvious. FFFBI (www.fffbi.com), a Web site that helps youngsters learn more about India, Japan and Australia, is a great place to start.

Once connected to the site, kids join the ranks of the FFFBI — the Fin, Fur and Feather Bureau of Investigation — a spoof FBI agency run by a group of “ill-equipped animal agents” who are dispatched to countries about which they know “less than squat.” The FFFBI needs kids’ help for its missions.

I think its fairly obvious which one of these two will end up recruiting me.

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