[UPDATE: Listen to audio interviews with SAJA's new leaders]
These are photos of two of SAJA's friendliest, most popular members. Sandeep Junnarkar, CUNY journalism professor, doing some teaching in the photo on the left, and V.V. "Sugi" Ganeshananthan, reading from her soon-to-be released novel, "Love Marriage," on the right. Just this week, these two were elected president and VP, respectively, of SAJA (both photos, and the ones below, are by Preston Merchant). From the press release:
NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 29, 2008 -- SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, announced its slate of officers for 2008 today. The group serves more than 1,000 journalists and others interested in South Asia and South Asians across the U.S. and Canada.
Sandeep Junnarkar, a new media professor at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism and one of the country's leading experts on online journalism, was elected president. V.V. Ganeshananthan, known as Sugi, a writer and author, was elected vice president.
SAJAforum asked each of them five questions. Their answers are below. Journalists/bloggers looking to contact them can find their contact info in the press release and are also welcome to quote from this post.
Among the questions we asked:
- What is the state of the SAJA union?
- Can you outline some of your big plans for the year?
- Why are minority journalism groups like SAJA still relevant?
- We presume you will spend part of your time convincing South Asian parents to let their kids become journalists. Pretend I am a skeptical parent of a teenager with journo dreams. Convince me that she needn't become a doctor or hedge-fund manager.
And, perhaps most important of all, we asked Sugi about her confusing names: "Your website is Vasugi.com; your byline is V.V. Ganeshananthan; you go by Sugi. We're confused." Find out what she said below.
Post your comments below.
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SANDEEP JUNNARKAR, SAJA's New President
[pronounced "SUN-deep joo-NAR-kar"; read his background in the press release and in his SAJA profile]
SAJAforum: Congrats, Sandeep. What is the state of the SAJA union?
A:
Thanks! I think SAJA is poised to grow in new directions while also
continuing to build upon the great programs that were established in
recent years by the previous leadership. There are certain areas,
however,
that can be strengthened, including making SAJA more inclusive of the
ethnic press and giving all members a greater sense of what the
organization can do for their careers. I want to thank Deepti Hajela
and Vikas Bajaj, our most recent president and VP, for all their work
on SAJA. I am delighted Deepti is staying on the board.
A: My plan, in broad strokes, is to create more benefits for SAJA members; to raise funds to bolster SAJA's programs; and from behind-the-scenes, make the organization run more efficiently. So for creating more benefits for SAJA members, I want ALL our members—not just those in NY and DC--to regularly experience how their SAJA membership can benefit them in terms of making them better journalists, more aware of issues facing South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora, and help them make wise career moves.
In terms of fundraising, I have the benefit of not working for any particular news organization. Journalists hate to ask for money. We worry there is some conflict of interest somewhere. In my case, as a professor (as long as I don't ask my students) it is just easier to go asking companies and organizations for money for SAJA.
And finally behind the scenes, SAJA is an organization run by
volunteers. None of us get paid and we spend lots of hours working for
SAJA. This is in addition to our day jobs. I want to work with the other
board members, as well as with SAJA members, to keep focused on what we want to accomplish and with collegiality.
A: The news industry is faced with many, many challenges…but there are also opportunities. Being part of different networks and association will help journalists stay competitive in the field—and being part of a minority journalism organization helps us meet specific challenges of being under-represented in the field.
The merits of SAJA, specifically, are that the organization has
continued to create programs to help train professional journalists
with workshops and interesting panels—at a time when newsrooms are
cutting
training programs. We offer scholarships to students to help nurture
the next generation of South Asian journalists. We also have an unusual
program that gives fellowships to journalists to report in-depth pieces
on topics that mainstream media is no longer covering because of
cutbacks.
SAJAforum: How are things going at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism?
A:
Things are going very well. I am really happy to be at a school whose
founding mission is to help increase the participation of minority
groups in journalism. This year, the school agreed to provide a $7,500
scholarship to a SAJA student member who applies to and is admitted to
the program. Steve Shepard, the dean, agreed to provide the same amount
to the other minority journalism association—NABJ, NAHJ, AAJA and NAJA.
A: Luckily I have parents who saw the merits of a journalism career and were very supportive. But not everyone of South Asian heritage aspiring to be journalist is so lucky. I would tell a reluctant parent that journalism is at a stage where ***because**** of the challenges facing the industry, there are great new opportunities to shape the field. It is at times like this that being part of innovation can lead to a rewarding career—both materially and in terms of having a sense of purpose.
o o o o o
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR V.V. "Sugi" GANESHANANTHAN, SAJA's New Vice President
[pronounced "SOO-ghee [not SOO-jee] gun-ay-SHAN-an-than"; read her background in the press release
and her website]
SAJAforum: Congrats, Sugi. What is the state of the SAJA union?
A:
SAJA's reached a moment of change, with a new president, vice
president, and secretary. I'm hoping to contribute by helping to
diversify programming. We're a *South Asian* organization, and our
potential to become even stronger was really evident with the recent
crisis in Pakistan, as our diverse membership and board was able to
respond quickly with information and events.
SAJAforum: In many groups and countries, the VP's job isn't heavy lifting. How is it different at SAJA?
A:
At SAJA, the vice president is responsible for SAJA's main event: the
convention. I'm looking forward to working on it this year! Last year,
I ran the print programming for the convention, and I've been a
convention volunteer in the past. Of course, I know I'll also get to
draw on the experience of former VP Vikas Bajaj, and board member Kiran
Khalid, who also worked on the convention last year. We're looking to
bring in exciting speakers and run informative panels and workshops so
that this year, you'll once again leave the convention having added to
your portfolio of skills and knowledge and can put what you've learned
right to work. And, of course, you'll meet lots of friends, new and old.
SAJAforum: You have a big new book coming out. Tell us about it.
A: I'm
really excited for publication of my first novel, Love Marriage, which
I began when I was a sophomore in college, eight years ago. It's about
people in Sri Lanka, and also the Sri Lankan diaspora, and how life
both inside and outside the country has been affected by the ethnic
conflict that's been going on for 25 years. My parents were both born
in Sri Lanka; I was born in the United States. Coverage of Sri Lanka is
really important to me. The story follows the daughter of two Sri
Lankan Tamil parents who goes to Toronto to meet her uncle, who has
emerged after years of fighting for the LTTE. It's a story about how he
got there, and the different choices people have made on both sides of
her family, and ultimately, it's about her choice. You can read more
about it at www.vasugi.com.
SAJAforum: What's your non-SAJA life going to be like? What else are you working on?
A: I'm
active as a freelance journalist, and have recently been blogging for
Sepia Mutiny. I'm also resuming work on my second book, which is also
set in Sri Lanka, and which I started as a graduate student at the Iowa
Writers' Workshop.
SAJAforum: You work a lot with high
schoolers and other young folks on their writing. What are your top
tips for those who want to be better writers?
A: Of course, if
you want to be a good writer, read. Read your own writing aloud to
yourself—it takes patience but there's no substitute. And always strive
for clarity first.
SAJAforum: A bonus question - Your website is Vasugi.com; your byline is V.V. Ganeshananthan; you go by Sugi. We're confused.
A:
Sugi has been my nickname since I was a kid; hard to get people who've
known me to stop calling me that. If you want to call me V.V., go right
ahead! As for www.vasugi.com, www.sugi.com wasn't available when I
built my website—Sugi is a popular name in Japan, and the domain was
taken.
V.V. Ganeshananthan came about because of my former boss, James Fallows of The Atlantic Monthly. Jim suggested it when I wrote my first piece for The Atlantic, and I thought it made sense. The double first initial is a great South Asian tradition, and, of course, I have quite a long name.
You can read an essay I wrote about my name here.
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