Time for another installment in our "The Week in Bylines" series (see earlier editions). Every Sunday
night, we publish a collection of interesting/unusual bylines stories by South
Asian journalists in the U.S./Canadian media. Even though it's about
bylines, we also highlight work on TV and radio (in front of, and behind, the camera/mic). This is not meant to be a
definitive, exhaustive collection. Instead, the idea is to show you the
range of work that SAJAers are doing. Send us items you'd like us to
consider, including your own: saja[at]columbia.edu (if we miss it one
week, we will add it the next).
The Week in Bylines, Feb. 17, 2008:
- SHARMEEN OBAID-CHINOY, filmmaker and long-time SAJA member, made a six-minute video about President Musharraf of Pakistan for NYTimes.com (credits also include Adam B. Ellick and Salman Masood).
Voices on Musharraf - Feb. 16: President Musharraf's approval rating is at an all-time low in advance of Monday's parliamentary elections. - SAMIR PATEL, an associate editor at Archaeology magazine, has a six-page feature about "Queen Anne's Revenge," the flagship of one of the most notorious pirates of them all.
Blackbeard Surfaces - March/April 2008: For the piece, Patel went diving with the team on the wreck as they raised one of his cannons from the sea floor. He also took the pictures. Click on the image below to see the first spread. The link is only to an abstract of the piece; to read the full story, you will have to get it at a newsstand near you.
- RAJU CHEBIUM who covers the Congressional delegation of New Jersey for
Gannett's six newspapers in that state and also writes about transportation issues nationally, has had some election articles worth noting.
Flush with Cash, Congressmen Look to Future, Higher Offices - Feb. 8: A look at the fortunes of NJ Congressmen, Rep. Frank J. Pallone, Jr., and Rep. Rob Andrews.
Demystifying the Presidential Nomination Process - Jan. 16: A useful story on the presidential primary process in a Q&A format.
- JAYASHREE BAJORIA, a staff writer at CFR.org, the site of the
Council on Foreign Relations, and a new SAJA member, wrote three pieces
of interest to South Asia watchers.
US-Pakistan Relations - Feb. 15: An interactive timeline that looks at the complicated relationship between the two relations over a 60-year period.
A Crucial Vote in Pakistan - Feb. 15: An analysis that lays out what's at stakes in the Feb. 18 elections and beyond.
Pakistan's New Generation of Terrorists - Feb. 5: A backgrounder that explains the various militant groups that operate in and out of Pakistani soil. - ADITI BALAKRISHNA, a Harvard undergrad, writes about a trend affecting Harvard's future.
Students Defect from Sciences - The Crimson, Feb. 7: As Harvard prepares to stake its future - and at least $1 billion of its funds - on the sciences, undergraduates are fleeing the discipline in
large numbers, opting instead for concentrations in the social sciences and the humanities. - RAKHEE MIRCHANDANI, a reporter for the New York Post, blogged NY's Fashion Week last week.
The Haute List: Scroll down to see all her postings. Here's how she's described: "Raakhee Mirchandani digs gold lame, Gwen Stefani, Bollywood, hairspray, Chanel and vegans." - ANISH MAJUMDAR, did a major cover package for Little India about the December murders of two Indian PhD students at Louisiana State University.
Murder and Mourning in Baton Rouge - Feb. 2008: Little India visits the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge after the media lights have dimmed." - ALIYAH SHAHID, an American reporter working at New Delhi-based Mint, a new business daily, writes about changes affecting rag pickers in India.
Privatization Makes a Mess for Rag Pickers: The push for privatization in waste management has forced rag pickers to choose between losing their jobs and joining the companies that have
landed government contracts. - AMAR BAKSHI, the 23-year-old who's spent almost a year traveling the world and writing for Post Global, the site hosted by David Ignatius and Fareed Zakaria on WashingtonPost.com.
How the World Sees America: He's close to wrapping up the blog; he is in Mexico for the next month, and then will return to the U.S. Be sure to see SAJAforum's Q&A with Bakshi back in July 2007. - HITHA PRABHAKAR was one of the writers on a major cover story for People magazine.
Britney Spears Interrupted - Feb. 8: "As the singer struggles with life in a psych ward, her parents accuse her pal Sam Lutfi of cruelty and abuse" - SAHELY MUKERJI, an editor at the Virginia-based Glass magazine, wrote about a new building code in India.
Energy Code Implemented in India looks at the ramifications of the Energy Conservation Building Code. - REENA NINAN,
a Fox News correspondent based in Israel, had an exclusive report about
the growth of the al Qaeda threat in North Africa. You can see the video here (clicking on the player below will not work).
