Category Archives: News

Interviewing Partition Survivors

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Via 3QD, I came across an article in the Washington Post about a 10 year research project, based in Delhi but funded by the Ford Foundation, to interview thousands of survivors of the 1947 Partition.

The story begins with a powerful anecdote:

Every year in March, Bir Bahadur Singh goes to the local Sikh shrine and narrates the grim events of the long night six decades ago when 26 women in his family offered their necks to the sword for the sake of honor.

At the time, sectarian riots were raging over the partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan, and the men of Singh’s family decided it was better to kill the women than have them fall into the hands of Muslim mobs.

“None of the women protested, nobody wept,” Singh, 78, recalled as he stroked his long, flowing white beard, his voice slipping into a whisper. “All I could hear was the sound of prayer and the swing of the sword going down on their necks. My story can fill a book.” (link)

These ‘honor killings’, where women were killed by male members of their families to prevent their being raped by communal mobs, were not at all unusual. I do not know if they happened in other communities, but in the Sikh community in particular it is thought that thousands of women died this way. (I do not think anybody knows exactly how many it was.)

Thus far, the project has interviewed about 1300 people, including Bir Bahadur Singh. The project (“Reconstructing Lives: Memories of Partition”) does not appear to have a web presence, and I’m not sure whether there are any plans to digitize the tapes from the interviews, or publish raw transcripts. Hopefully, that will be in the cards at some point.

Readers, if you have grandparents (or great-grandparents?) who went through this, and who have stories they want to tell, I would urge you to interview and record what they went through while they’re still around. (Projects like the one I’m describing are only interviewing people still in India — I’m sure there are more than a few who have ended up settled abroad.)

If you’ve actually done such an interview, have you published the text of it anywhere? (If you’re interested in doing this, drop me a line.)

Why all this is important: Continue reading →

Poetry Friday: Shilling Love

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In honor of Women’s History Month, I thought I’d feature South Asian women poets on Poetry Fridays for the remainder of March. Today’s selection is “Shilling Love,” by Kenyan-Indian-American shailja.jpgspoken word artist Shailja Patel. Her work “Migritude” premiered last fall in the San Francisco Bay area to packed audiences–it uses her collection of saris, passed down by her mother (another take on Mama’s Saris!), to unfold hidden histories of women’s lives “in the bootprint of Empire, from India to East Africa.”

“Shilling Love” is the first poem from “Migritude” that I came across a couple of years ago, and it has stayed with me since.

Shilling Love
By Shailja Patel

They never said / they loved us

Those words were not / in any language / spoken by my parents I love you honey was the dribbled caramel / of Hollywood movies / Dallas / Dynasty / where hot water gushed / at the touch of gleaming taps / electricity surged / 24 hours a day / through skyscrapers banquets obscene as the Pentagon / were mere backdrops / where emotions had no consequences words / cost nothing meant nothing would never / have to be redeemed

My parents / didn’t speak / that / language

1975 / 15 Kenyan shillings to the British pound / my mother speaks battle

Storms the bastions of Nairobi’s / most exclusive prep schools / shoots our cowering / six-year old bodies like cannonballs / into the all-white classrooms / scales the ramparts of class distinction / around Loreto Convent / where the president / sends his daughter / the foreign diplomats send / their daughters / because my mother’s daughters / will / have world-class educations

She falls / regroups / falls and re-groups / in endless assaults on visa officials / who sneer behind their bulletproof windows / at US and British consulates / my mother the general / arms her daughters / to take on every citadel

1977 / 20 Kenyan shillings to the British pound / my father speaks / stoic endurance / he began at 16 the brutal apprenticeship / of a man who takes care of his own / relinquished dreams of / fighter pilot rally driver for the daily crucifixion / of wringing profit from business / my father the foot soldier, bound to an honour / deeper than any currency / you must / finish what you start you must / march until you drop you must / give your life for those / you bring into the world

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Amit Singh runs in The Real World of Virginia

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My friend Ankur tips me off to the fact that there is a macaca running for Congress in Virginia’s 8th District. Let’s meet Amit Singh:

Born and raised by immigrant parents near Richmond, Virginia, Amit lived a typical American life – birthday parties, Redskins games and the high school prom. But his parents made sure he understood that a world of opportunity was available to him if he worked hard, opportunities only available in America.

Amit graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. While at UVA he managed the technology at the public broadcasting station serving the Charlottesville area. He also found a way to make engineering help people in need by developing software to allow doctors to use robots to care for patients in other parts of the world.

After graduation Amit moved to Arlington to work for NASA and the Department of Defense. A few years later, Amit started his own small business. He works with U.S. Intelligence Community and our soldiers on a daily basis. Throughout his career Amit has seen first hand the threats that America faces and worked to keep his country safe. [Link]

Here is his resume so that you can best judge his level of experience for yourselves. Singh is running as a Republican candidate against incumbent Democrat Jim Moran (provided Moran can win the primary first). That means that Singh’s main issues are the same as many other Republicans. Here is a sampling:

  • Lower the Corporate Tax Rate to encourage business in America
  • Punish companies who knowingly hire undocumented workers
  • Implement native country based guest worker program
  • Lift sanctions and trade with more nations
  • I am absolutely opposed to Homeland Security’s mandate for all the states to implement a bio-metric identification card for all citizens. There is no way the government can ensure our personal information is protected from highly motivated hackers and internal abuse. Instead of being more secure, citizens will be more vulnerable to identify theft and publication of personal information. The Real ID act also poses a major infringement on our privacy rights and civil liberties and I will not stand for it.

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Pascagoula: Scene of a Mutiny (updated)

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The plight of South Asian (mostly Malayalee) indentured servants workers employed by Signal International at shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi started gaining notice in more of the mainstream media late last week, and this week should see the sad story gain even greater visibility…and a stronger reaction on behalf of the workers. First, a quick background on the situation, in which these workers, among many other immigrant laborers, were brought over to help clean up the mess left behind by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita work at the shipyards (but many others to do hurricane recovery work):

About 100 Indian workers walked off their jobs at Signal International, a Pascagoula shipyard Thursday.

They talk of broken promises and shattered dreams. The Indian workers came to America for job opportunity. They now face the risk of being deported after quitting their jobs at Signal and accusing the company of illegal “human trafficking…”

“I slit my wrists to kill myself. There was no other option for me. I didn’t know what I was doing. The situation forced me to do so. I was in a horrible situation. Signal was retaliating against me for organizing my people for our rights,” he told the group of fellow workers and visiting media.

They talk of living “like pigs in a cage” in a company-run “work camp.”

“I’ve been a guest worker all my life. I’ve never seen these kinds of conditions,” said the interpreter, “We lived 24 people to a room. And for this, the company deducted $1,050 a month from our paychecks…” [Link]

This sounds more like Dubai than Pascagoula! Although ~100 workers picketed, there are actually 4-6 times that many who are stuck in the same situation but didn’t want to expose themselves in such a high profile manner, or have their families worry about them. For additional background I point you to SAJA’s coverage and also to Maitri’s blog. This ABC news article has a link to an inspiring slideshow wherein the workers are photographed ceremonially casting off their hard hats, the symbols of their servitude, as if they were shackles. In response, Signal issued this press release saying that the accusations are “baseless.” Uh huh.

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What’s Holding India Back? (in this week’s Economist)

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“The eye of the tiger” takes on new symbolism on the cover of this week’s Economist which asks the question: “What’s Holding India Back?”

Using India’s finance minister P. Chidambaram’s recent statement that the “tiger is under grave threat” as a clever segue, the Economist takes a close look at India’s “tigerish economy,” arguing that it’s 9% a year average growth is under threat “because it has failed to reform its public sector.” economist.jpg Here’s a quickie roundup of the news package to start off your week.

The lead story “India’s Civil Service: Battling the babu raj” takes a critical look at India’s hardworking “armies of clerks” (IAS officers), concluding that “India’s malfunctioning public sector (and civil service adminstration) is India’s biggest obstacle to growth”:

Indeed, all India’s administration is inefficient. According to the Congress-led government’s own estimate, most development spending fails to reach its intended recipients. Instead it is sponged up, or siphoned off, by a vast, tumorous bureaucracy.

This is not new news. Rajiv Gandhi,, as Prime Minister of India, once lamented helplessly that out of every rupee spent for development only 17 per cent actually reached the poor. But the following explanation about the ineffective reforms of India’s bureaucracy from author of an IAS history, Sanjoy Bagchi, certainly caught my attention:

“Overwhelmed by the constant feed of adulatory ambrosia, the maturing entrant tends to lose his head and balance. The diffident youngster of early idealistic years, in course of time, is transformed into an arrogant senior fond of throwing his weight around; he becomes a conceited prig.”

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Shhhhhhhhhhhh

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Today is New Years for Hindus in Bali, a day they observe with total silence, fasting and meditation. The quiet is enforced by a traditional militia called the Pecalang who are the only ones allowed out and about:

Westerners open the New Year in revelry, however, in contrast, the Balinese open their New Year in silence. This is called Nyepi Day, the Balinese day of Silence, which falls on the day following the dark moon of the spring equinox, and opens a new year of the Saka Hindu era which began in 78 A.D. [Link]

Observed from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning, Nyepi is a day reserved for self-reflection and as such, anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are: no lighting fires (and lights must be kept low); no working; no entertainment or pleasure; no traveling; and for some, no talking or eating at all. The effect of these prohibitions is that Bali’s usually bustling streets and roads are empty, there is little or no noise from TVs and radios, and few signs of activity are seen even inside homes. [Link]

The silence is total, even amongst non-Hindus who observe it out of “respect.” Tourists are warned to make sure they walk their dogs before the quiet peroid starts so that they don’t cause offense:

Even tourists are not exempt; although free to do as they wish inside their hotels, no one is allowed onto the beaches or streets, and the only airport in Bali remains closed for the entire day. The only exceptions granted are for emergency vehicles carrying those with life-threatening conditions and women about to give birth. [Link]

Honestly, a new year that starts with total silence sounds kind of nice for a change …

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Guest Blogger: Sandhya

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This morning, I was sleeping late in my hammock in the bunker when Rajni came in and tried to wake me up. I slept through her first and second attempts. Finally she got so annoyed with me that she swung the hammock upside down, sending me crashing rudely to the hard concrete floor. “Silly bugger!” Said she, “Sandhya will be here in 30 minutes and the guest room is still a mess from the party you threw last night and … what are we going to do with Sandhya’s herd of elephants?”

Well, that got me off the floor in a hurry. You see, Sandhya is a friend from the days before this blog, heck, since the days before blogging in general. She’s one of those old fashioned writers who writes for publication on dead trees as well as live electrons, and the bunker was an absolute and total disaster. I’d like to report that I have it all cleaned up now, but that would be a lie. Instead, we have what I hope will be comfortable enough temporary accomodations for our newest guest blogger.

One other thing about Sandhya – she’s the most diasporic desi I know. You see, while my parents came from the motherland to here, Sandhya is a third generation African who grew up between three continents. Holy Gogol Ganguly! But I’ll let her tell you her own stories rather than stealing her thunder.

I hope you make Sandhya feel welcome.

Continue reading →

Salmagundi

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In this edition:

1) I buzz the hive mind, about Jackson Heights
2) a cool event in DC next Friday, for a good cause
3) mentions of a NY meetup

::

I get a lot of different requests from you mutineers, and though I am usually not able to write back, I try to help whenever I can. I’ve also noticed that sometimes, I have a few things I’d like to bring up, but they don’t seem worthy of an entire post– asking what days might be good for a New York meetup, for example. So, every so often, I’m going to put up a post called Salmagundi [I like the word so much, it used to be an entire category on the right sidebar of my personal blog :)] and it will contain a few utterly unrelated but mutinous things. Either that, or I’ll use SM’s newly-created Twitter account to ask questions like the one below:

Dear Anna
I was wondering if you knew when Jackson Heights would be closed if they close at all? We are planning on coming to NYC for 2 days as my husband needs a visa. So I thought we would go to Jackson Heights when somebody mentioned that they were not sure but it may be closed on either Monday or Tuesday.

That’s a question from one of our faithful readers. I want to help, because next week is spring break and that’s when they want to go, but I don’t know the answer! I went to Jackson Heights a few times when I lived in NYC, but I never did anything useful, like pay attention. I usually bought pista kulfi on the street (blew my mind, every time…I could do this in America? Don’t hate, I grew up somewhere 98% pale), looked for Hema Malini DeeWeDees and then got back on the subway. So, what’s up Jackson Heights-area mutineers? When, if ever, does brown-town shut down?

::

Next chunk of stew-y goodness: A special event, NEXT WEEK (thanks, Kenyandesi) at the historic Bohemian Caverns in DC (now home to SubDrift), starring Cheb i Sabbah, someone I tend to associate with home (yay urrea).

Legendary DJ, producer and global electronica icon Cheb i Sabbah returns to DC for the first time in many years with his special blend of outernational beats and lush organic soundscapes at electroganic 001 on march 14 @ bohemian caverns!
Joining him on the decks will be one of San Francisco’s best DJs, Janaka Selekta, as well as DC’s own v:shal kanwar, mr. darko and julez.
Proceeds to benefit local women’s shelters through Race Against Domestic Violence…

Continue reading →

The Beginning of the End: Groundviews

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Sanjana.jpg

This is my last day with the Mutiny, so I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth and fire off a few posts, Abhi-style.

I promised to blog about Groundviews. On Friday, I met with Sanjana Hattotuwa, the site’s editor, who was in New York on other business. We talked about the site and the situation in Sri Lanka. I’m excited to share that conversation with you here. I’ll do it in a few parts—we talked for quite a long time.

First, a little background: Groundviews is a citizen journalism site about what’s happening in Sri Lanka. It started in the fall of 2006. It’s perhaps the best use of citizen journalism I’ve ever seen—I think it’s a brilliant way to get around media censorship in that country. As I’ve become increasingly saddened by the progression of the conflict there, I’ve also been heartened to see the spectrum of people participating in Groundviews. Continue reading →

Hotness, thy Name is Thara

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What do you get when you combine a half-Black, half-Irish Mom with a Guyanese-Indian Dad? A lovely Pinay woman named Thara, with an even lovelier voice, that’s what. 😉

Blogger Cherez (thanks!) helpfully left a tip on our News Tab which inspired much googling and listening after my very late dinner. I had no expectations as I surfed and contemplated a possible post, but then I was pleasantly surprised by what I heard; this girl can sing. In fact, she can sing well enough that I’ve finally listened* to a Jay Sean joint! The duo collaborated on the single “Murder”.

The second time I hit play on the video above, for Thara’s “Jump on”, I focused on her voice vs. the video. I did that for two reasons:

1) The video doesn’t do the song justice

2) She really does look like one of those Sigma Omicron Pi princesses who inspired all the boys (Filipino or not) to go to MGA Kapatid meetings at Davis.

Hence my “pinay” joke. 🙂 I know. She’s a quarter white, a quarter black and half-brown, but to me, she looks Asian. In fact, the first time I watched “Jump on”, I nearly jumped, because I swear I used to race this girl (and her white, ’92 GSR) to the last covered parking space across from Freeborn Hall at Davis, every other day. Couldn’t be Thara, though…she was six back in 1993. 😉

If Thara, whose full name is Thara Natalie Prashad, looks familiar, here’s why: Continue reading →