SAJA

Discussing the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) Special Report: on A Marred Victory and a Defeat Pregnant With Foreboding... SAJA features a rare interview with a member of University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), Dr. K. Sritharan. UTHR(J) has just issued a special report focusing on the last two months of the war in Sri Lanka—and in particular, its ramifications for civilians.

South Asian Journalists Association presents the third in a series of webcasts about Sri Lanka. The war in Sri Lanka has drawn to a close in terms of military operations—but serious humanitarian and political questions remain. Will there be a return to armed conflict, or is it really over? How will the issues of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people be addressed? How will the human rights situation be addressed? As the international community and Sri Lankan government officials talk about a political solution, what process is likely to take hold? How far will that solution go? What will be the relationship between rehabilitation, reconstruction, development and the political process? What are the possibilities of a transitional process to provide democratic space? How can demilitarization and democracy move forward in Sri Lanka? What role will the powerful Tamil diaspora play? Featuring: Ahilan Kadirgamar, spokesperson for the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum; Alan Keenan, senior analyst of the International Crisis Group; Jayampathy Wickramaratne, constitutional lawyer.

Moderator: V.V. Ganeshananthan, former SAJA vice president and author of "Love Marriage," a novel set in Sri Lanka and the diaspora.

Discuss the work of Satyajit Ray, one of the most influential directors of all time, with Richard Pena, one of the leading film scholars of our time. From the legendary Apu trilogy — Ray’s groundbreaking debut saga that influences filmmakers to this day — he is widely considered India’s greatest filmmaker. Pena, who is the Program Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, will talk about Ray and the program Pena has curated, April 15-30 at the Walter Reader Theater, "First Light: Satyajit Ray from the Apu Trilogy to the Calcutta Trilogy." MODERATOR: Aseem Chhabra, SAJA board member and entertainment writer

SAJA presents a conversation with Lydia Polgreen, one of three new correspondents who will be based in India for The New York Times (the others are Vikas Bajaj, former NY-based business reporter, already in Mumbai; and Jim Yardley, current NYT Beijing bureau chief, moving this summer to New Delhi). Polgreen, the NYT's award-winning West Africa correspondent, will talk about how she's preparing for South Asia and will take your comments, suggestions and questions. Please post your thoughts/suggestions at http://www.sajaforum.org/2009/03/webcast-lydia-polgreen-new-nyt-new-delhi-correspondent.html or e-mail [email protected]

SAJA presents a conversation with Minal Hajratwala, author of "Leaving India: My Family's Journey from Five Villages to Five Continents" - a wonderful nonfiction book you won't want to miss. Here's what Alice Walker (The Color Purple) had to say: "It is what I imagine India itself to be like: incomparable, sprawling, rich, surprising, very old and wise and forever capable of recreating itself, no matter where pieces of it land."

Send your questions to saja[at]columbia.edu - and see more on the book at http://bit.ly/minal

SAJA presents a webcast on Wednesday about contemporary South Asian poetry, from the Diaspora and around the world. Join acclaimed poets and editors Ravi Shankar, Pireeni Sundaralingam, Patrick Rosal, Carolyne Wright, Kazim Ali and literary agent Sarah Jane Freymann to discuss the conception and shaping of the

extraordinary anthology, "Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from Asia, the Middle East and Beyond." Hailed by Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer as "a beautiful achievement for world literature," two of the co-editors will discuss the project with their agent and a contributor. The

collection includes poets from 61 different countries writing in over 40 different languages and include poets such as Vikram Seth, Taslima Nasrin, Michael Ondaatje, Meena Alexander, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Jeet Thayil. Please join us with your questions and comments.

As soon as the Best Picture Oscar is announced, join SAJA (South Asian Journalists Assn) and SAMMA (South Asians in Media and Marketing Assn) on BlogTalkRadio for a live webcast about "Slumdog Millionaire." Film experts, journalists and others will discuss the phenomenon that the movie has become and why - no matter how it does at the Oscars - it will be a movie talked about for a long time. Call in and e-mail saja[at]columbia.edu with your thoughts. SEE OUR AMAZING LIST OF SPEAKERS! http://bit.ly/slumdogoscar

SAJA presents a conversation with one of the most popular South Asian writers in America. Dr. Abraham Verghese, author of "My Own Country" and "The Tennis Partner" has a brand-new novel, "Cutting for Stone." A testimonial: “Abraham Verghese has always written with grace, precision and feeling [but] he’s topped himself with Cutting for Stone. A vastly entertaining and enlightening book.” — Tracy Kidder

SAJA presents a live interview with Green Bay Packers linebacker Brandon Chillar, the only player of South Asian descent in the NFL (his father, Ram Chillar, was born in India). He'll talk about his career, life in the NFL and much more. His agent, Jim Ivler of Sportstars Inc, will be on the show as well. Ivler represents two dozen NFL players, including Liberian-born Tamba Hali of the Kansas City Chiefs (whom Ivler reunited with his mother after 12 years of being separated because of the strife in Liberia) and Robbie Gould of the Chicago Bears (the highest-paid place kicker in history).

‘Slumdog Millionaire’

Director Danny Boyle

You’ve seen the flick. Now hear the man who brought this unlikely achievement to the silver screen.

Today at 12 p.m. ET, Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle drops in on SAJA to discuss the film that has the whole world talking. And crying. And laughing. And cheering.

Earlier this month, the feel-good movie of the year chewed up the Golden Globes competition, snagging four statuettes. It has also been nominated for 10 Academy Awards. Among those nominations is a Best Director nod to Danny, a British native whose previous lensing achievements include Trainspotting and The Beach.

After Slumdog’s original U.S. distributor, Warner Independent Pictures, was shut down last spring, the studio suggested (can you imagine?) sending it straight to DVD. Fortunately, Fox Searchlight stepped in three months later. Soon after that, Slumdog won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Post questions and comments at http://bit.ly/boyle