Good morning my fellow sabasearchers, over the weekend I was doing some reading when I came upon an article:

Kumari Mayawati, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state, has emerged as the most important low-caste politician in India’s history, and she is asserting herself as a rainbow coalition leader, a woman whom all Indians can trust to be their prime minister one day.

I think that is great news, the next Hilary Clinton for India no doubt, and here is the most interesting point - she is unmarried. Her forward thinking has lead to her campaigning for an eight lane superhighway (a 600-mile, $7.5 billion highway stretching across the state) as well as better policing and private investment as a means to ease poverty. Some of her rivals might say that she is ostentatious and corrupt and would strike deals with anyone who will advance her political ambitions. Sounds like she is ready to come to the big leagues.

Others would summarize her as this; “She is an original,” said Ajoy Bose, author of a largely sympathetic political biography of Mayawati published recently by Penguin Books India. “She is someone who is obviously going to play a major role in our lives.”

Well we are a few weeks away from the final voting and I can’t wait to see the outcome. Read the article and see what else she has done to help the development of India.

Read the full article here

TATA, India’s largest car manufacturer, has done it again!  First with the World’s Cheapest Car, and now with the world’s first AIR fueled car.  Our bets are on TATA for coming up with the world’s first flying car….but i guess that will be a blog post for later.

TATA is being credited with delivering the first AIR fueled automobile, titled the MINICAT, for mass production, which will hit the US in or by 2010.  The MINICAT should be hitting the streets of India in late 2009, and should run about $8100 USD, or 3.5 Lakh rupees, which is not bad considering the price of gas we pay these days!

Here are some of the specs on the car:

• tubular chassis that is glued not welded and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed air
• There are no keys - just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket
• Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car
• The car has a top speed of 105 kmph
• Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air (which should cost about 2 bucks! …that is unless the price of air goes up…)

So do you think this car will make it to the US, and if it does, will it be as popular as we think?  Let us know your thoughts. 

Imagine this: You are holding the winning ticket to a $65 million lottery jackpot, and you LOSE it! This is exactly what happened to a man in New York. But luckily for him, he had a receipt from the convenience store that showed he was the winner. He had to wait one full year to see if anyone with the real ticket claimed the prize before his receipt could be used for the prize. And fortunately for him, no one found the lost ticket. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Bhattacharjee printed a receipt, handed it to Martinez and urged him to go to the Lottery office in lower Manhattan to claim his winnings as soon as possible. Martinez headed home but accidentally tossed the ticket in the trash.

I don’t know about you, but if I had a winning ticket like that, it would never leave my sight. Whether I sleep with it under my pillow or staple it to my forehead, that ticket and I would be one!

Read the full story

Yet another case of ignorance and stupidity was reported within the South Asian community this week. 

Chaudry Rashad

Sandeela Kanwal, a victim of her own father’s wrath, was killed by her father, Chaudry Rashad, because she refused to continue the marriage with her arranged husband, whom she hadn’t seen for several months.  Reporters refer to Chadry’s actions an “honor killing”, but we can’t comprehend how any honor can be upheld with these types of actions.

Here is an excerpt from the ABC news article, posted online:

A Georgia father (Chaurdry Rashad) of Pakistani descent allegedly strangled his 25-year-old daughter because she wanted to get out of an arranged marriage to a man she had not seen in months, according to police in Clayton County, Ga.

The Clayton County Medical Examiner confirmed that Kanwal died of strangulation. Police recovered an iron by the young woman’s bedroom doorway and a necklace on a family room table that may have been used in the killing, according to a Clayton County police report.

Authorities allege that Rashid killed his daughter because he feared that her resistance to a recently arranged marriage would disgrace the Pakistani-American family.

This is sure to spark lots of controversy within our community.  Now days, arranaged marriages are on the downtrend and divorce is on the uptrend.  Generation X South Asians are developing into a western culture, and the traditional South Asian views are becoming almost non-existent for many South Asian youth within the US and UK. 

Why is it so hard for first generation immigrants (as well as native South Asians) to understand that times are changing and that arranged marriages are not as successful or feasible as before?  We do understand that the stats show that arranged marriages are highly effective, but it can also be argued that there is no “honor” in forcing an arranged marriage.  We are living in a free world, and as an adult, the choice should come from the individual, not the parents.

Do you think it is “dishonorable” to break an arranged marriage?  How can we better handle these situations within our community?

All we gotta say is…what the hell is wrong with these Desis?!!!  They have some loose bolts up there or something…

CNN just reported that Varsha Sabhnani, 46, was convicted with her husband in December on a 12-count federal indictment for forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude and harboring aliens.  This is just one episode of desis gone wild…

Here is an excerpt from the latest CNN.com article:

A millionaire who inflicted years of abuse on two Indonesian housekeepers held as virtual slaves in her Long Island mansion was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison.

Varsha Sabhnani, 46, was convicted on a 12-count federal indictment.

Varsha Sabhnani, 46, was convicted with her husband in December on a 12-count federal indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude and harboring aliens.

The trial provided a glimpse into a growing U.S. problem of domestic workers exploited in slave-like conditions.

The victims testified that they were beaten with brooms and umbrellas, slashed with knives, and forced to climb stairs and take freezing showers as punishment. One victim was forced to eat dozens of chili peppers and then was forced to eat her own vomit when she couldn’t keep the peppers down, prosecutors said.

Read full article

Earlier this week, another crazy Desi, Chiman Rai, 68, was prosecuted for masterminding the killing his African American Daughter in law.  Here is an excerpt from that article from ABC.com:

Atlanta jurors have found an India-born businessman guilty of masterminding the murder of his black daughter-in-law because he feared the mixed marriage would smear the caste-conscious family’s name.

Donna Lowry Reid, front left, stepmother of Sparkle Rai, sits at the Atlanta trial with her husband and the victim’s father, Bennet Reid Jr. In the inset is Chiman Rai, who is accused of hiring a hit man to kill his black daughter-in- law.

(AP PHotos )

Chiman Rai, 68, was convicted on seven charges, including felony murder and burglary. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty.

Read full article.

Our hearts go out to the victims of these heartless acts.  We hope that the proper justice is found and delivered in both of these cases.

17 girls at Gloucester High School in Gloucester, VA are expecting babies. Many are blaming the movie “Juno” and ‘Knocked Up” for this. This is crazy! Who is to blame and what can be done to stop this?

Below an article pulled for www.time.com.

As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies — more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno and Knocked Up for glamorizing young unwed mothers. But Principal Joseph Sullivan knows at least part of the reason there’s been such a spike in teen pregnancies in this Massachusetts fishing town. School officials started looking into the matter as early as October, after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, “some girls seemed more upset when they weren’t pregnant than when they were,” Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. “We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy,” the principal says, shaking his head.
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That’s right, if you’re a South Asian living in the United States, chances are that you are being TARGETED…

We all know that the South Asian market is an untapped GOLDMINE, but the recent SAMMA conference confirmed that more and more big companies are hunting down South Asians as targets for their newest marketing campaigns.  This shouldn’t come as a surprise as the South Asian population is steadily increasing, as well as provides a huge portion of the country’s buying power (compared to other ethnic groups of our size).

A recent article published on mediaweek.com outlines some of the reasons why YOU are now a target of their (the company’s) mass-media marketing campaigns:

“…within the past two years, the advertising has begun to come from outside the South-Asian marketing community. Companies like Lowe Worldwide, the Home Depot, The New York Times Magazine, Mercedes Benz, Volvo and Delta Airlines are all advertising to this audience.”

One of the fastest growing immigrant groups in the U.S., Indian Americans, who represent 89 percent of the Desi population, increased from 815,000 in 1990 to nearly 1.7 million in 2000, a 106 percent rise, per the Census Bureau. Even so, that population makes up less than 1 percent of the total U.S. population versus the Latino communities, which made up 12.5 percent in 2000. Both figures have no doubt since risen.

“The South-Asian and especially the Indian-American numbers will show another marked increase in the 2010 census. And even though they represent just a fraction of the Latino population, South Asians have disposable income in the area of $90 billion,” says Shah, whose estimate is based on the $76 billion figure the market research firm Cultural Access Group arrived at in its 2005 report. “What the South Asians lack in size, they make up for with purchasing power.”

Read full article.
 

So what does all this mean?  Well, for one, it means that you will probably see more South Asians in television ads and definitely see more South Asians on the front lines of these marketing campaigns.  Marketing analysts are beginning to study the culture of our communities and even our buying behaviors, as seen below:

“They like to be connected. Family is a big thing. It’s not unusual for people to shop for a car as a family.” 

According to the above, you’ll probably be greeted by a man named Santoshkumarnarayanan the next time you walk into a Lexus dealership!  As long as “Santosh” still lets me negotiate…i’m cool with it!

Although Saheli is doing what’s right here (and we fully commend them for taking the steps necessary to educate the Boston Police), there are some things within this article that really struck us as odd as it relates to the South Asian community and its women. 

First, the background of this topic:  the Nonprofit Group Saheli has been funded by the US Justice Department to help the Boston Police Department understand the cultures and norms of the South Asian community.  Specifically, this Women’s group is educating the Boston Police on how to handle South Asian domestic violence situations.

Within the article, published by the Boston Globe, a Saheli member hints that Indian men do not understand that abusing their wives is illegal in the United States.  Read the excerpt below:

According to Meena Sonea Hewett, a Saheli member who led the training, domestic violence was outlawed in India only three years ago - but enforcement remains weak. Many Indian men in the United States may not understand that they could be arrested for abusing their wives, she told the officers.

I don’t care where you’re from, but isn’t beating your wife unacceptable no matter where you are?  Maybe we’re missing something here. 

Secondly, what really astonished us was the fact that the article mentioned that Indian women do not want the men arrested because they fear being divorced.  Therefore, when a police officer arrives at a domestic violence situation, Saheli recommends that the wives are not taken away from their husband or the husband be not put in jail. 

Because some immigrant wives depend on their marriage for their legal status in the United States, presenters encouraged police to consider options other than arrest when responding to domestic violence in Indian households.

“The South Asian women don’t want to come out of the relationship. They don’t want divorce. They want the abuse to stop,” Shah said at the training session.

An alternative to arrest is a “no-abuse order,” that works like a threat by letting a man know police will be more involved if the abuse does not stop.

This strategy came as a bit of a surprise for Lieutenant Gregory Skehan.

Yes, Lieutenant, surprising isn’t it?.  Read full article.

Some say this article by the Boston globe shows a step in the right direction in the empowerment of South Asian women.  Others say that this is just another example that shows how backwards our culture is in regards to women.  What do you say?

For more information on Saheli, please visit the Saheli Website.  The SABAsearch Blog Staff would like to honor them for all of their hard work and efforts to help the South Asian women of our community.

Recently, the Big B started his own blog, which has grown to be a VERY popular site for many desis and non South Asians around the world who idolize the movie star.  Amitabh Bachchan’s blog, titled BIGBlog, captures his daily journal entries to his fans as he tours all around the world. 

Here is a caption from one of his recent blog posts:

Just returned from the opening night of Cannes Film Festival. Aishwarya was already here, Abhishek joined in from Miami and together with Jaya we went to the Festival.

 It is a big festival, many interesting films and people gather every year and it is sad to see no Indian representation. But just to witness the dignity and respect they give to artist and technitions is quite amazing. The management , the dress code and protocol, all so methodical and artistically managed.

Opening film was, ‘Blindness’. An amazing story, but philosophical in nature.

The blog is supposed to capture the real Amitabh Bachchan through his candid blog entries.  Fans of the Big B are pleasured by his daily blog posts, even if he types a few lines just to say hello.  On one of his blog posts, we noticed he had over 1000 comments from various fans and followers.  There are, however, many fans who get upset when he doesn’t respond…come on people, don’t get mad at the Big B!  We’re lucky enough Amitabh is taking the time out of his busy schedule to even learn how to use his blog!

So who do you think is the next Bollywood star to join the blogsphere?  Maybe Lil’ B and Ash?  We’ll keep you posted if they do!

(Photo from The New York Times)

Yes you heard right folks, it is just a matter of time before we Americans have the honor of welcoming our very first African American president. Here is a quote from the future president:

Tonight, we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another; a journey that will bring a new and better day to America…Because of you, tonight I can stand here and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States of America.

This is a new era, where the minorities of this great country will make the difference as we
look further into the future. Congratulations to Obama for a well fought victory!

Source

Houston’s very own Sunil T has been the ONLY individual from North America selected to participate in Star One’s Great Indian Laughter Challenge.  Sunil T, Founder and Host of Music Masala Radio, is one of the 20 contestants chosen from applicants from all over the world.

Indoamerican News was the first to cover the story.  Here is an excerpt from the article posted online:

Sunil T will be adding an international dimension to the humor show dominated so far by the talent in the subcontinent. His selection was based on the comedy routines he submitted last month.

Sunil left Monday for Mumbai to take part in a 10-day camp and shootings scheduled to begin May 25. He is optimistic that he will do well.

“I was not trained in India, I was trained in Houston,” he said. “Everything I have learnt and have, I owe it to the city.”
Sunil said that he came to Houston to study engineering and make a living. It was in Houston that he took the mike for the first time. “My abilities in this field have kind of grown with the city. When I came to the city, I was quite new to all this.”

 

Read more

The SABAsearch Blog staff would like to congratulate Sunil T once again for his dedication to entertainment and comedy in the South Asian community.  Sunil T has built a true character for himself by hosting the Music Masala Radio show, producing the hit comedy Dude, Where’s the Party?, and hosting the famous party boats known as the Masala Cruises. 

Please join us in wishing Sunil T all the best for this upcoming competition! 

There have been many rumors since the beginning of the year that McCain was looking at Bobby Jindal as a potential VP candidate if nominated as the republican presidential hopeful.  That rumor got much more serious over the weekend as Jindal was invited to Mccain’s ranch in Arizona along with other business leaders and politicians.

Jindal denied any talks he may have had with Mccain regarding that topic, but did mention that they were able to discuss many “topics” of interest behind closed doors.  When also asked about declining an offer to be VP, Jindal responded “You don’t turn down the pretty girl from prom before she asks…”

Analysts say that Jindal is still very much a potential running mate for Mccain as he provides the minority touch that the Mccain camp so badly needs to compete with Obama.

The following is a video report of Jindal’s trip to Arizona from Hardball:

So do you think Jindal will win the slot for VP?  Pandits are saying that Jindal offers the popular face among the republicans with his conservative views and striking personality.   Jindal, coming from a South Asian background, is a devout catholic, and also offers experience in a tax program that Mccain looks to install.

If he wins the VP, how does this impact the South Asian community? 

Ready, set, comment…

We would like to congratulate Akshay Rajagopal for winning the National Geographic Bee!!!

Akshay’s correct answer capped a two-day event in which he got every question right. A sixth-grader at Lux Middle School in Lincoln, Neb., he won a $25,000 scholarship.

Read the full article here

This morning, one of our readers posted an update article related to an article we posted a few weeks ago.  We have received an overwhelming flurry of comments, and we thank everybody for their thoughts and opinions.

Below, we have pasted an article that was published on May 20, 2008 by Austin American Statesman, as well as posted by one of our blog readers:

Re: AMERICAN AMERICAN STATESMAN article on the front page
Tuesday, May 20, 2008

HAYS COUNTY

Arrested Hindu guru allowed to leave country
Follower puts up $10 million to guarantee Saraswati’s return.
By Eric Dexheimer

Prakashanand Saraswati, the Hindu guru arrested and charged three weeks ago with groping two underage girls, is being permitted to leave the country after an Austin follower agreed to put up $10 million as a guarantee that the swami would return. Legal experts called the arrangement — and the size of it — unusual.

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Ever think about studying abroad?  Paris, Rome, and even India are very popular places for students to experience life outside the United States.  What if I told you that the Middle East is now also an option?

Two of the biggest schools in Texas have agreed to create a new university in the Middle East.  Texas A&M University already has an engineering school in Qatar, and now they have joined with the University of Texas to create a university in Saudi Arabia.  This region has raised a lot of money due to the high demand of oil and is reinvesting that money into developing the area.  They have already built upon their infrastructure (buildings, highways, etc) and now want to create better educational opportunities.  Hopefully these efforts will open doors for students in the Middle East as well as students in the US who want to learn more about this region.  We applaud these universities for taking initiative to provide better education to different parts of the world.  Hopefully this will continue and we will see new schools in other countries as well.

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