SAJA

SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, and SAMMA, South Asians in Media, Marketing and Entertainment Association, present the latest in their series of high-profile webcasts - via BlogTalkRadio.com - with some of the

leading South Asian names in global media, arts, entertainment, politics and much more... Meet Aasif Mandvi, one of the most recognizable South Asian names working in American entertainment today. He's a star on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and a film and stage actor. He'll discuss his new movie, "Today's Special." From the production notes: This super-feel-good foodie comedy, young Manhattan chef Samir rediscovers his heritage and his passion for life through the enchanting art of cooking Indian food. Samir (Aasif Mandvi) is a sous chef who dreams of becoming the head chef at an upscale Manhattan restaurant. When he is passed over for a promotion, he impulsively quits and intends to go to Paris and apprentice under a master French chef. His dreams must be put aside after his father has a heart attack and Samir is

forced to take over Tandoori Palace, the nearly bankrupt family restaurant in Jackson Heights. Starring and written by Aasif Mandvi. The film also stars Madhur Jaffrey, Harish Patel, Naseeruddin Shah, Jess Weixler, Kevin Corrigan, and Dean Winters.

More on the film at http://www.todaysspecial.com * Questions to [email protected]

South Asian Journalists Association presents another in its series of 75+ BlogTalkRadio webcasts...

In a bid to help journalists cover underreported issues and stories about South Asia or the South Asian Diaspora, SAJA is offering upto $20,000 in funding with its flagship SAJA Reporting Fellowships (SRF) program, now in its fifth year.

If you are interested in applying for the fellowship but have questions about what kind of stories get

funded, what the fellowship pays for, the timeline for completing the work, etc., join Sandeep Junnarkar,

SAJA's awards and fellowship chair and Jigar Mehta, SAJA president and former SRF winner, who will provide answers to these and other questions. Ria Misra and Matt O'Brien, 2009-2010 fellows, will also be on hand to answer questions about the fellowships. More on the fellowships at http://bit.ly/srf2011 * questions to sjnews at gmail.com

South Asian Journalists Association presents a conversation with key players from the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival, one of the oldest, largest and most important film festivals in the South Asian diaspora. Join SAJAer

ASEEM CHHABRA as he interviews AROON SHIVDASANI, founder of the festival; SOMI ROY, festival director; AJAY NAIDU, debut director and star of "Ashes" (he's also known for his roles in "Office Space" and the TV series, "Lateline"); APARNA SEN, director of "The Japanese Wife." They will discuss the festival, the state of South Asian-themed films and much, much more. Learn more about festival, which runs Nov. 10-14 in NYC: http://www.miaacfilmfest.org/

SAJA presents a conversation with Gurcharan Das, author of the

international bestseller "India Unbound" and the brand-new "The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma. He was previously CEO of

Proctor & Gamble India and Managing Director (Strategic Planning), P&G Worldwide before taking early retirement to become a full-time author.

Why should we be good? How should we be good? And how might we more deeply

understand the moral and ethical failings—splashed across today’s

headlines—that have not only destroyed individual lives but caused widespread

calamity as well, bringing communities, nations, and the global economy to the

brink of collapse?

In THE DIFFICULTY OF BEING GOOD, Gurcharan Das seeks answers to these questions

in an unlikely source: the 2,000 year-old Sanskrit epic, Mahabharata. A

sprawling, witty, ironic, and delightful poem, the Mahabharata is obsessed with

the elusive notion of dharma—in its most simplistic sense—doing the right

thing.

Questions to [email protected]

SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, and SAMMA, South Asians in Media, Marketing and Entertainment Association, present the latest in their series of high-profile webcasts - via BlogTalkRadio - with some of the leading South Asian names in global media, arts, entertainment, politics and much more...

Shabana_Azmi,_Davos Join us for a webcast with Shabana Azmi, one of the best-known actresses in India and the diaspora. A former member of the Rajya Sabha, India's upper house of parliament, she is a multiple national and international award winner and recently turned 60. There have been many retrospectives of her works around the world, incluidng one organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

The Bollywood icon is kicking off another national tour in New York for her latest theatrical project, Girish Karnad's "Broken Images," directed by Alyque Padamsee. The play is dubbed as a psychological thriller that brings out the various truths of the life of a celebrity writer.

On a live webcast this Monday, the award winning actress, who has worked in over 140 films

and theater plays, will discuss her career as well as her dedication to the Indian village of

Mijwan. Her father, the well-known Urdu poet the late Kafi Azmi, began building this village

that was once frozen in time. Today, it has a computer center and a sewing center among other

developments that uplifts the life of its habitants - thanks mainly to the efforts of Azmi and her friends.

Interviewing her will be SAJA's Aseem Chhabra, freelance entertainment writer; and SAMMA's Pooja Kumar, award-winning Hollywood & Bollywood actress ("Bollywood Hero," "Flavors," "Anjaana Anjaani", "Law & Order") - and will be taking your questions live.

Join SAJA president Jigar Mehta, VP Anusha Shrivastava and other board members for a quick, informative webcast detailing how the SAJA Board works, the election process and why you should consider running for office.

SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, presents a discussion on writing about Pakistan with some of the folks involved in the special Pakistan issue of Granta, the legendary British magazine. Speakers include JOHN FREEMAN, editor of Granta; and writers NADEEM ASLAM and Declan Walsh (co-hosts: Hani Yousuf and Sree Sreenivasan). About the issue: "Pakistan is a nation in crisis. It is also a nation at the forefront of a literary renaissance. Granta 112: Pakistan seizes this moment to present politically subversive and nostalgic perspectives and hard-hitting reportage on one of the most discussed nations today. Granta 112 brings to life Pakistan's landscape and culture in fiction, reportage, memoir, travelogue, poetry and, in a special collaboration with the arts organisation Green Cardamom, contemporary art. Like the magazine's issues on India and Australia, Granta 112 is a critical watershed. It is also a celebration of the corona of talent writing in

Sindhi, Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto and in English from within Pakistan which has burst onto the English-language publishing world. More on Granta at Granta.com

SAJA presents a webcast with Sunil Gulati, president of U.S. Soccer, chairman of the U.S. effort to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup and the most influential South Asian in American sports. Fresh from Team USA's run at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, he'll discuss the state of the sport, his career and more. He'll be interviewed by Deepti Hajela, Associated Press newswoman and former SAJA president and and SAMMA's Vijay Setlur, sports marketing instructor and former media manager for FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2007 Toronto.

SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, presents the latest in its 15th anniversary series of high-profile webcasts - via BlogTalkRadio - with some of the leading South Asian names in global media, arts, entertainment, politics and much more...

Listen to a recording of a SAJA webcast with RAJ MATHAI, one of America's first South Asian sportscasters. Listen to the Bay Area's NBC sports director discuss his journey, the state of sports and much more. Hear the different challenges and obstacles Raj had to overcome in making his name as a minority and especially as a South Asian in a very difficult field of journalism.

Two-time Emmy award winning Raj Mathai currently serves as the sports director for the NBC affiliate in the Bay Area, "NBC11." Mathai anchors the nightly sportscasts there and also hosts the weekly top-rated "Sports Sunday" program that attracts the Bay Area's highest-profile sports figures. Raj can also be seen on the network level as an occasional sideline reporter for NBC Sports during their Olympic coverage including the recent winter games from Vancouver. In 2004, he was honored by the Associated Press for Outstanding Sports Segment. He's also been awarded regional Emmys for Outstanding Sports Program in 1998 and 2002. Before working in the Bay Area, he worked for NBC stations in Fresno, San Diego, and in Yuma, Arizona. Prior to his career in television, Raj served as a public relations assistant for the NFL's San Diego Chargers.

Hosting this segment is SOVY AZHATH, SAJA board member and a producer for MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show,

SAJA, the South Asian journalists Association, presents a conversation with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, whose latest novel is "One Amazing Thing." See major praise for it below. She'll be interviewed by journalist and SAJAer LAVINA MELWANI.

Jhumpa Lahiri, author of "Namesake" and "Interpreter of Maladies," winner of the Pulitzer Prize: “One Amazing Thing collapses the walls dividing characters and cultures; what endures is a chorus of voices in one single room.” Comments or questions to [email protected]