The Ph.D is going down a weird road, last week I met with the guide, I must say I started to feel lost out there in Ph.D jungle, not much support. The Husband thinks I should give it up, as I really don't have time with a full time job and I just discovered, I am 5 weeks pregnant. That explains the tiredness of the past few weeks.

I really don't know which road to take, but clearly the priority right now is the baby. In a week or two, I will decide what course of action to take.

But in the mean time...I'll keep posting on the Indian Diaspora and its culture.

My long weekend will be spent watching Satyajit Ray movies, I was mesmerized with pain when I saw Pather Panchali.

I want to discover good Indian Film as much as I can. There is more than Bollywood.

The Ph.D for me is akin to training for a marathon. Sweat, Tears, Pain, Self-doubt, Why-the-hell, giving up a warm bed? It takes effort, discipline and giving up a large part of my other passion - fitness training. Right now I have a lot happening at the office, getting used to the new routine with the Husband is a change, so where does my Ph.D figure?


How does one attempt a Ph.D? The question bogged me down for awhile, until I received a very zen answer from an email I received from Prof. Vinoda Thota.

After all, what does it take for one to be ready to attempt this? Willingness to work a little, I suppose

It is as simple as that!

I just look forward to the INDOLINK column 'Desis in Pardes" by Francis Assisi. Because his articles are tilted towards the academic side of the dispora. His latest is

NYU’s Vivek Bald Reveals Early Desi Diaspora in New York

Perhaps the most important, relating to South Asian Americans, was that of documentary filmmaker, electronic musician, and militant activist Vivek Renjen Bald who is currently working towards a Ph.D. in American Studies at NYU. Brought up by a Punjabi mother and an Australian father, Bald grew up in Santa Cruz, California, before moving to New York in the late 80s.

Here is a guy who digs diaspora studies, he's made dcoumentaries on the diaspora,founder of a South Asian music hub. And he's doing a Ph.D on the ealry Indian American diaspora. I wish I could exchange notes with this guy.

Bald has already made a name for himself with his 1994 documentary Taxi-vala/Auto-biography, which chronicled the lives, experiences and political activism of South Asian immigrant taxi drivers in New York

More recently, Bald’s Mutiny: Asians Storm British Music (2003), documented the birth of the South Asian music movement in 90s Britain, interviewing performers and DJs who were influenced by punk and hip hop as much as they were by Punjabi bhangra and Bollywood soundtracks.

Taxi-vala/Auto-biography

Mutiny: Asians Storm British Music


VIVEK BALD is working on a Ph.D! So am I!

Like I said before, I am interested in the diasporic film of other countries as well.I recently discovered this one by Iranian-American film maker Babak Shokrian.

AMERICA SO BEAUTIFUL!

As much as an artistic accomplishent such a film certainly deserves to be shown as an educational movie be it in schools or Universities as an introduction to the Islamic Revolution and its consenquences on the Iranian and American communities.

FOR MORE CLICK

This is what a movie should be educational.


Dreams, Disco and Politics: An Interview with Babak Shokrian


Offical movie Site

For long academic communities have lived in Ivory Towers, University walls shield academicians from the practical aspects of study. But with the Internet I think all that is about to change. I find blogging a good way to create "communities of academic interest", where scholars can get to know each other and share ideas and resources including offer chances for formal publishing.

For one there is a new blog by Prof Vinoda Thota from Kakatiya University, Warangal, India - Expatriate Indian Writing in English .

She is planning to bring out a book after a recently concluded seminar on "The Expatriate Indian Writing in English" during September 22-23, 2005.

For more you may email her at vinodat46@yahoo.co.in.

Francis Assisi writes about:

As the first ever autobiography of an Indian indentured laborer, this book is important in more ways than one.

First of all, it chronicles the legacy of an Indian migrant to Surinam in his own words. Though it is estimated that over one and a half million Indians went overseas to earn a living as indentured workers in the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries to Southeast Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific islands, there are no first person accounts of those early Indian immigrants

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Well we have another diasporic film coming out of the United States.

Karma Confession & Holy directed by Manish Gupta. He also made the film, India Fish in American Waters.

'It will be a very Woody Allen kind of film covering three layers of characters, the Indians from India and in the US, the Indians born and bred in the US and the true-blue Americans', says Harish Dayani.

Apache Indian's new album "Time for Change" is to be released shortly, this is the guy who sang "Make Way for the Indian", so being Indian was cool. His reggae, hip-hop and Bhangra style set the stage for other Bhangra Boys.

The new album features one of my favorite Reggae artists, Desmond Dekker along with APache doing a version of the old time number the Israelites

Apache Indian cherished his Indian heritage and his music reflects the influence of styles like Bhangra and Bollywood film music, but it was Reggae and Dancehall that truly fascinated him.His lyrics are inspired by his personal quest to define his identity in a multicultural world where tradition definitions of religion and culture have to be re-evaluated.

What is it about reggae and bhangra that blends, it is the music of two ethnicities the Black and the Brown. Reggae and Bhangra were native to the people of the Caribbean and Punjab, India. And when these two groups migrated to the UK during the post-colonial period the fusion was bound to happen. As these two groups were marginalized from white British pop music. And like Apache's site mentions Birmingham was where Reggae and Bhangra were born, since this place also had a large immigrant population. Hip-Hop, also part of the Black music culture has fused well with the Bhangra beats.

I personally like this fusion music - and a large part of the world does as well. Rishi Rich, Bally Sagoo, Panjabi MC....

Some of you interested in BOllywoood Films might find this Article interesting, it talks about the Ngombis and their love for Bollywood film.

Since their time in Sierra Leone, the Ngombis have been devotees of the "Bollywood" culture spawned by the prolific Indian film industry based in the city of Mumbai, formerly Bombay.

Cultural notions of what's appropriate are part of what makes Bollywood films so adept at bridging geographic barriers, according to Jigna Desai, author of the book "Beyond Bollywood: The Cultural Politics of South Asian Diasporic Film." "For a lot of people, culture is not about where you are," she explains in a phone interview. "It's about what values you have."

And, adds Desai, these values are distinct from those of western films. "They're about being modern in a particular way, but still holding on to whatever traditions appeal to you," she says. "They're about holding on to a notion of ethnicity or difference or culture that they distinguish from the west."

Differences aside, it's Bollywood's ability to transcend national boundaries that has kept Ibrahim coming back for more. She explains, "Even if you don't know the language, when you see the stars, you can understand what they're talking about."

If you gave me a dream job, it would be to travel all over the world where the Indian Diaspora is and chronicle all the cultural artistry. Till this morning I didn't know about Tan Singing - The tan singing style is unique to the Indian community in Suriname and Guyana.From the little I know it is a predominantly East Indian Hindu neo-classical singing style

The internet do not show up much on Tan Singing. But I guess this is a sister genre of Chutney music.

If your interested in a CD: Caribbean Voyage: East Indian Music In The West Indies CD


More articles:

East Indian Music in the West Indies
From Caroni Gyal To Calcutta Woman A History Of East Indian Chutney Music In The Caribbean

To the greatest friend I have – I know it is the disappointment that makes our heart a little heavy. The disappointment means a lot of things to me; it could mean my Ph.D isn’t good enough for the committee, it could mean somebody was better than me in their proposal or in the presentation at the interview. And honestly at this moment, I don’t want to care. I don’t want to rationalize or give detailed excuses why I didn’t get through.


Losing out on something is never fun but having tried and lost several times before through out the course of my life, it is easier to handle. Especially when losing in the first place is something beyond my control. And the Fulbright was never a part of the Ph.D plan, it just happened along the way. The Ph.D must go on!


Yes I wanted to show you the “Grand Canyon”, the “Las Vegas Show girls” it is hard for me right now to see my dreams blur away, but I have to understand that these dreams were only the periphery of my Ph.D dream. But being combative and steely as I am, I will continue to seek new dreams Grander than the Grand Canyon and lovelier that the Las Vegas Showgirls. Thank God you understand and appreciate my small and big dreams.


Last night you got up in your sleep and said “Mountain Over Mountain”, it could have been just a dream, but it kept haunting me all day. We will keep climbing mountains and tumbling down a few like Jack and Jill. But it will always be “Mountain over Mountain”. Were you dreaming of the Grand Canyon?


Why did I have to embark on the Ph.D journey, why did I have to do this, why do I want to study something obscure like diasporic film. Who would be interested in my Ph.D? I question all my intentions at this time. But the doubts only further my resolve to complete my thesis.


Before I end, I must say I have also enjoyed being interviewed by a stately, intellectual committee. They cared to assess me and my work. Anyhow thank you for being hyper about the Fulbright interview and cutting all the news articles and downloads, thank you for climbing mountain over mountain with a sometimes tiresome girl.

My one year in Hong Kong introduced me to the Indian diaspora in Hong Kong, mostly Sindhi business families. Most of them owners of the large hotels and industries. You find them in the swankiest night clubs, driving in luxuary cars and since its Hong Kong, you find them living in big mansions, the ultimate rich man's test, since Hong Kong real estate is super expensive.

Being a student there I always wanted to meet some Indians there, but these were not in my league. They are rich n famous, not to mention Hong Kongs most beautiful people.

So it bought back memories when I read this article on the very media shy Harilela family- 110-member strong NRI family residing in Hong Kong mansion

There are so many movies made on the Indian diaspora, that it is difficult to know them all. Take the case of Brides Wanted, I hadn't even heard of this movie until recenlty.Brides Wanted – based upon the effects of neo-socio- cultural transformations that are taking place in the social structure of NRI Diaspora.

Directed by Girish Acharya, a young graduate of the New York Film Academy, the film tells the story of an elderly NRI couple looking for a perfect bride for their grandson Aakash (Anuj Swahney). Their search takes them through some comical experiences making them realize that times have changed considerably in India. The result is that they end up finalizing not one but seven prospective brides for their grandson.

Now getting a hold of this picture is going to be a task.

Dear Friends, I didn't qualify for the Fulbright Fellowship, which is a bummmer. But then the Ph.D goes on. It would have been good to go for the Fulbright, I would have completed my Ph.D, but alas!

I just happened to read this " Mission Impossible: Doing a Part Time PhD,
(or Getting 200% out of 20%) – Is it Really Worth it?".

More later!