Author Archives: Pavani

Bamboo Boys Back from Indian Homecoming

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bbshoots.JPGWhen one of the New Jersey-based Bamboo Shoots got married in Delhi this spring the rest of the band flew out to India and celebrated rock style with a five-city music tour. Concluded last month, the “Homecoming” tour brought their brand of pop/rock rhythmic dance beats to Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata. The band’s blog has pics and clips from their shows and time on the road, including a description of a near-arrest situation in Bangalore where dancing and dance-provoking music can be illegal.

Indian coverage of the tour described it as part of a broader relatively recent transition for rock bands there, from one-off concerts to nationwide tours. Drummer Shiv Puri compared touring there with the U.S.: “India is a lot like the US; it’s a huge place and here, you have to tour if you want to be known outside your home town.” (DNA India). Though many people (myself included) have come to know of the Shoots’ music through their tunes online, the tour allowed an international audience to get to know them as live performers. Continue reading →

Desi Curators of Americana

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When Anne Dodge wrote her thesis at MIT about preservation planning along Route 66 — the 2,500-mile corridor that runs through eight states from Chicago to Los Angeles — she found out that more than 30 percent of the independent motel owners along Route 66 were Indian Americans.

Her documentary project 66 Motels will combine interviews and photos of historic motels and their owners. Browsing through the photos reveals shots of vintage neon signs and some retrofabulous interiors as well as portraits of the owners at their motels. She writes that interviews will be up by this summer. Some interviews are already online.

One part of her project involves the practice of labeling motels with the “American Owned” sign. A Time Magazine piece that refers to desi motel owners along Route 66 as “curators of a nice slice of Americana” who lovingly refurbished and decorated the historic motels also covers the practice of using “American Owned” signs. Continue reading →

Ram Represents

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kesha_headshot2.jpgLast week Burlington Rep. Kesha Ram (D) completed her first session in Vermont’s legislature. At 22 she’s the youngest member of the House and a recent graduate of the University of Vermont where she was student body president. When the state legislature is in recess she teaches preschool. A Los Angeles native with a father from India and a Jewish mother, Ram is the only person of color in the House.

You may have seen MTV’s Kesha Ram Rocks The House when she ran for office last year. Her campaign sought to energize young voters, who in the 18-25 age range make up 50 percent of her district’s voters. Progressive opponents attacked her choice to run as a Democrat, arguing that it would hamper her ability to speak for her constituents.

Update: I just noticed this interview with Kesha Ram over at Wiretap Magazine, Young and Elected: Kesha Ram. Continue reading →

Comeback Kid: Hari Sevugan

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I probably shouldn’t open up with an admission of weakness on a blog ripe with zingers in the comments. But the truth is I’m not exactly the queen of snappy comebacks. I still haven’t thought of a good one for the Gandhi gauntlet — the group of skateboarders who would hang out in front of the library and taunt me, almost inexplicably, with yells of “Gandhi!” when I made my way inside to the children’s section circa 1986. (In a possible foreshadowing of Sondheim’s assassination humor, my dad suggested I call them “Kennedy.”)

profile.HariSevugan.jpgJudging by his skill in deploying memorable rapid-response retorts on behalf of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Hari Sevugan probably didn’t have that problem when he was growing up. Born in Madras, raised in Illinois and a veteran of several political campaigns including Chris Dodd’s run for president, Sevugan completed a stint in the New York City public school system with Teach For America and practiced law before moving on to politics.

In an interview with Fox News Sevugan, a Cubs fan, shares his fondness for the underdog and the story of a bet made with his middle school students that left him with Dennis Rodman-inspired blond hair. He’s not a bleach blond anymore, but these days his colorful quips as the DNC’s national spokesman attract attention. Continue reading →