Two new Desi cities added to the Craigs List family (they added Bangalore last year): Delhi and Mumbai.
Enjoy. Continue reading
Category Archives: Short
Kollektiv…Coming to DC and Nationwide
Kollektiv, my favorite party night is bringing the Asian Massive sound to DC and nationwide in the next few weeks, touching down in DC for it’s third installment @ Bossa Lounge (2463 18th St. NW in Adams Morgan) on Friday, May 27th. Taking place monthly in six cities nationwide, Kollektiv brings together the asian electronic stylings of some of the key players bringing the Asian noise: Karsh Kale (Six Degrees Records), Zakhm (Mutiny), DK aka bollygirlNYC (Avaaz/Gen-Om) and Dimmsummer (Ethnotechno). They will be joined on paint and canvas by DC’s own V:shal Kanwar (Imperfections). Continue reading
Who’s your daddy?
Apparently these guys are –
Two tribes living on India’s Andaman islands may be direct descendents of the earliest modern humans who moved out of Africa 70,000 years ago, scientists reported last week. …The Great Andamanese and Onge tribes have remained isolated in the Andaman and Nicobar islands for tens of thousands of years. This helped the scientists to search for signs of origin that erase quickly when populations intermix. …They found the Onge and Great Andamanese — both Negrito tribes — resembled the African population more closely than east Asians or the mainland Indian population of today…These tribes still survive as hunter-gatherer communities using primitive tools and living in the jungle.
And, of course, an obligatory “blame it on the Brits” angle –
Their populations have also decreased steadily with about 20 Great Andamanese and 98 Onge surviving today. It is believed that before British colonizers reached the islands in the mid-18th century, the Great Andamanese population numbered over 5,000.
Get that dirt off your…lungs
India’s most polluted city is full of talk AND action:
Authorities in the Indian city of Calcutta have ordered all vehicles manufactured before 1990 off the roads unless they convert to green fuel…by the end of the year.
“9,587 taxis, 7,464 buses, 6,784 auto rickshaws, 1,164 minibuses and nearly 30,000 goods vehicles” could be affected. Why a ban?
A recent study by the Calcutta-based Chittaranjan Cancer Research Institute and Calcutta University indicated that close to 50% of the city’s residents suffer from major respiratory disorders.
Cases of lung cancer are also increasing throughout the city because of the high level of air pollution.
Bank shot
Hear, hear! The first Los Angeles Carrom Open is hereby called to order (via Hollywood Masala):
First Prize $501, Entry Fee: $5 Per Person
11335 East 183rd Street
Cerritos, CA 90703
(562) 865-9892
All preliminary rounds will Start at 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 4, 2005
Quarterfinals, Semi finals and Finals will be on Sunday, June 5, 2005
A striking idea. I have a feeling that ‘Big Middle Finger’ Nooyi and her super-slippery talcum powder have this one in the pocket.
“He bowled left-arm orthodox spin with great accuracy…”
From my much-beloved section on Wikipedia which highlights new articles:
Did you know…Palwankar Baloo was a Dalit (also called Untouchables) who helped break down the Indian caste system with his prowess at cricket?
Another fave line, apposite for this day of good-natured one-upmanship about regional pride:
A Hindu club in Poona challenged the Europeans to a cricket match, creating a dilemma over whether or not to include the obviously talented Baloo in their side. The Brahmins in the Hindu side were against it, but some Telugu members argued for his inclusion…
w00t progressive Southies! 😉 Continue reading
Random desi actor sighting
In the romantic comedy Fever Pitch, a Red Sox fanatic named Mr. Sehgal runs a deli and supplies cold cuts for the other fans. Older and bespectacled, he’s treated well and gets one onomatopoetic line, which he still flubs endearingly in an uncle-like way. He doesn’t seem like a professional actor, but Jimmy Fallon gets his name right.
Fever Pitch has the same problem as Kingdom of Heaven — when did they stop casting men and start casting boys? Pretty though they may be, they can’t carry a movie. But Drew’s leaner Barrymore profile is shaping up like Renee Russo, and she still casts charm like few others. The movie’s flat, with no romantic chemistry between the leads. But it’s surprisingly sweet, probably because Mr. About a Boy wrote the book on which it’s based.
The Red Sox may have won last year, but the Yanks just pinched Manchester United. It’s a feat just as improbable, and probably more relevant to Hornby’s memoir about soccer.
Other commencement speeches
SM reader Manoj directed us to Conan O’Brien’s 2000 Harvard Commencement Speech. There are two desi references right up front. First Paragraph:
I’d like to announce up front that I have one goal this afternoon: to be half as funny as tomorrow’s Commencement Speaker, Moral Philosopher and Economist, Amartya Sen. Must get more laughs than seminal wage/price theoretician.
Second Paragraph:
I especially miss Harvard Square – it’s so unique. No where else in the world will you find a man with a turban wearing a Red Sox jacket and working in a lesbian bookstore. Hey, I’m just glad my dad’s working.
Irshad Manji @ The Huffington Post
Irshad Manji published an interesting discussion on the sanctity of the Quran in response to the “Newsweek Lied, People Died” brouhaha for the uber-left Huffington Post –
Last week, I was interviewed by CNN International about the Quran desecration report – and in particular about the riots in Jalalabad. I said that if the allegations were proven true, then we’re dealing with a gratuitous provocation of Muslims. I stand by that answer. But TV doesn’t give you the space that a blog does, so now’s the time to say something else: Why riot violently over the mistreatment of a Quran? It’s not as if one’s basic human rights have been transgressed…
I always thought the “Satanic Verses” were just a clever booktitle –
…For centuries, Islamic philosophers have been telling the story of the “Satanic Verses.” These are verses that the Prophet Muhammad reportedly accepted as authentic entries into the Quran. Later, he realized that these passages deify heathen idols rather than God Himself. So he belatedly rejected the verses, blaming them on a trick played by Satan…
Previous SM coverage of Manji… Continue reading
But was he mindful of how it tasted?
Abuse of trust— it’s not just for Catholics anymore:
A Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka has tried to commit suicide after he was jailed for raping a nine-year-old girl.
Bellana Pannaloka Thero, of the Sri Vimalarama temple in Nugegoda, near Colombo, drank a substance from his pocket shortly after sentencing.
…Monks play a highly influential role in Sri Lanka, whose 19m population is about 70% Buddhist.
The 42-year old insecticide-guzzling perv is in critical condition after his cowardly attempt to avoid spending 20 years in prison. Continue reading