SAJAforum

BOOKS: Salman Ahmad's "Rock & Roll Jihad" + webcast

Watch a recording of a live SAJA Twitcam video of Salman Ahmad's talk with Daljit Dhaliwal of PBS WorldFocus. Watch him sing by at the 58-minute mark. The event, as part of Islam Awareness Week, took place at Columbia Journalism School and was co-sponsored by ASMA & MSA on Wednesday, Feb. 17. 2010 (you can grab an embed code at the link above).

==> Listen to a recording of a SAJA/SAMMA webcast with Salman Ahmad on Jan. 28, 2010, which was also simulcast on Radio Pakistan:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2010/01/28/music-salman-ahmad-muslim-rock-star-on-a-rock-roll-jihad

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Every author likes to think his or her book is one of a kind, but Salman Ahmad's truly is - and not just because it is the first South Asian book to feature a foreward by Melissa Etheridge, Grammy-winning American singer.

"Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star's Revolution," is by Ahmad, the lead singer of Pakistan's most famous living musician (the late, great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan used to hold that title) and has the lofty goals of affecting changing  in Pakistan, the Muslim world  and in West. From the Simon & Schuster website:

WEBCAST: Jay Sean, chart-topping singer/songwriter/producer

Listen to the recording: hit the play button above! - - -

SAMMA, South Asians in Media, Marketing and Entertainment and SAJA, South Asian Journalists Association, present the latest in their series of high-profile webcasts with some of the leading South Asian achievers in global media and entertainment...

A conversation with UK-born Jay Sean, chart-topping singer/songwriter/producer and first solo male artist of Indian origin to top the Billboard Top 100 at #1 with "Down" (featuring Lil Wayne).  Along with Jay Sean's management and partners, Jeremy Skaller and Anjula Acharia-Bath, CEO/co-founder, Desi Hits!

You can watch the "Down" video on YouTube; read about him in the SAJAforum post on his hitting #1; read his official site; and read his Wikipedia entry. (PHOTO: Jay Mandal/On Assignment).

Friday, Jan. 15, 2010
Noon-1 pm, New York time
5-6 pm, London time (where he's calling in from)
See local time around the world: http://timeanddate.com/s/1j40

==> Listen live, or later to a recording:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2010/01/15/music-jay-sean-who-hit-1-on-the-billboard-charts-w
(you can set an e-mail reminder for yourself at that link)

Or call-in to listen and/or talk to him at +1-347-324-5991.

Send your questions/comments via e-mail to saja[at]columbia.edu (subject = webcast) of via Twitter  @sajahq. You can also use the chatroom that will be open at the link above to ask live questions. You can also post your questions in the comments section below.

===> As always, you are welcome to quote from anything said during the FREE, WORLDWIDE webcasts (50+) at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja

DOWNLOAD TO iTUNES: These audio webcasts are also available as downloadable MP3 files for your personal collection and on-the-go listening. If you want to subscribe to these as podcasts on iTunes, go to "Advanced" within iTunes, then select "Subscribe to podcast" and type in http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/feed and hit OK.

RECENT SAJA MUSIC WEBCASTS:

• A.R. Rahman, music maestro
  http://www.sajaforum.org/2008/12/webcast-ar-rahman.html
• George Mathew, classical music conductor and philanthropist
  http://www.sajaforum.org/2008/12/music-george-mathew-.html

WEBCAST: Ram Gopal Varma, a leading Bollywood director

[COMING Friday, Jan. 15 (noon EST), SAMMA/SAJA webcast with Jay Sean, who hit #1 on the Billboard charts with "Down" - WEBCAST LINK: http://bit.ly/sajammajay]

SAMMA, South Asians in Media, Marketing and Entertainment and SAJA, South Asian Journalists Association, present the latest in their series of high-profile webcasts with some of the leading South Asian achievers in global media and entertainment...

A conversation with Ram Gopal Varma, director of "Rann," a fast-paced drama set in the world of media in today's India; starring Amitabh Bachchan, Paresh Rawal and Ritesh Deshmukh.

Varma is a leading Indian film director, screenwriter and producer and a voice of the new Indian popular cinmena. Varma has directed, written and produced films across multiple genres— psychological thrillers, underworld gang warfare, politician-criminal nexus, and musicals —and in a number of languages, including Telugu and Hindi. His biggest movies include "Rangeela" (1995); "Company" (2002) and "Satya" (1998). Join us for what promises to be a lively discussion about Bollywood, cinema and the changes happening in the world of Indian arts and beyond. Follow him on Twitter: @RGVZoomin

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010
10-10:30 am, New York time
8:30-9 pm, Mumbai time
See local time around the world: http://timeanddate.com/s/1j41

==> Listen live, or later to a recording:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2010/01/14/films-ram-gopal-varma-bollywood-filmmaker
(you can set an e-mail reminder for yourself at that link)

Or call-in to listen and/or talk to him at +1-347-324-5991.

Send your questions/comments via e-mail to saja[at]columbia.edu (subject = webcast) of via Twitter  @sajahq. You can also use the chatroom that will be open at the link above to ask live questions. You can also post your questions in the comments section below.

===> As always, you are welcome to quote from anything said during the FREE, WORLDWIDE webcasts (50+) at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja

DOWNLOAD TO iTUNES: These audio webcasts are also available as downloadable MP3 files for your personal collection and on-the-go listening. If you want to subscribe to these as podcasts on iTunes, go to "Advanced" within iTunes, then select "Subscribe to podcast" and type in http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/feed and hit OK.

RECENT SAJA MOVIE WEBCASTS:

MUSIC: Vijay Iyer's "Historicity" most acclaimed jazz album of the year + webcast

LISTEN TO SAJA-SAMMA WEBCAST WITH VIJAY IYER:

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010
9 am-10 am, New York time
See local time around the world: http://timeanddate.com/s/1k3f

==> Listen live, or later to a recording:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2010/02/09/music-vijay-iyer
(you can set an e-mail reminder for yourself at that link)

Or call-in to listen and/or talk to him at +1-347-324-5991.

Send your questions/comments via e-mail to saja[at]columbia.edu (subject = webcast) of via Twitter @sajahq. You can also use the chatroom that will be open at the link above to ask live questions. You can also post your questions in the comments section below.

2009: The year British-Indian R&B artist Jay Sean topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts with "Down" and the year Indian-American jazz musician Vijay Iyer and his Vijay Iyer Trio's "Historicity" album was the most honored jazz album of the year. The latest accolade: He topped the fourth annual Village Voice Jazz Critics' Poll. From the VV article by Francis Davis:

MUMBAI ATTACKS: PBS documentary "Secrets of the Dead" airs at Columbia University

[MUMBAI ATTACKS FULL COVERAGE: SAJAforum closely tracked the Mumbai attacks of November 2008. We posted more than 30 stories (see full and press coverage of our coverage) and hosted 50+ speakers/experts/witnesses in 15+ hours of BlogTalkRadio webcasts.]

 

(from left) Director Victoria Pitt, executive producer Jared Lipworth, foreign policy analyst Mira Kamdar and Al-Jazeera English journalist Todd Baer in a post-screening round table discussion. Photo by Miranda Lin.

On Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, Australian filmmaker Victoria Pitt, debuted her latest documentary at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.  An audience of approximately 80 people sipped chai, helped themselves to kathi rolls and gathered to watch.  “Mumbai Massacre” is the title of her episode for WNET-13’s “Secrets of the Dead,” a PBS documentary series which uses forensic science and modern technology to examine iconic moments in history.

The title sequence opens with images reminiscent of a Marilyn Manson video.  The first words spoken echo a recurring theme throughout the episode: "You never know what a human being is made of, until they're placed in stress."  Layered over ambient sound and accompanied by a haunting piano melody, survivors of that fateful day in November 2008 when terrorists rampaged through Mumbai testify to the thoughts that raced through their heads. But instead of sounding jumbled and random, their narrative seamlessly flows into a living stream of consciousness that surrounded the attacks.

MUMBAI ATTACKS: First Anniversary Film & Panel at Columbia Journalism

As you know, SAJAforum closely tracked the Mumbai attacks of November 2008. We posted more than 30 stories (see full and press coverage of our coverage) and hosted 50+ speakers/experts/witnesses in 15+ hours of BlogTalkRadio webcasts.

This year we are tracking events and other ways in which the anniversary is being commemorated. One of those events is hosted by SAJA-NY and described below.

FILM SCREENING & PANEL: On Tuesday, Nov. 17, SAJA-NY, in partnership with THIRTEEN, presents a screening and panel discussion about the Mumbai attacks and the first anniversary. You'll get a chance to watch "Mumbai Massacre," a PBS film that airs on TV for the first time on Wed, Nov. 25.

Timeline: 6-6:30 - samosas & chai; 6:30-7:30 - film; 7:30-8:30 panel discussion.

On this page, using Cover It Live, we are collecting questions and comments via Twitter and the comments box below. If you Twitter, please use the #sajahq hashtag.

WEBCAST: Shashi Tharoor, India's Minister of State for External Affairs

Hit play above or click here to listen to the recording:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/10/16/Shashi-Tharoor

SAJA presents a newsmaker webcast with author and former UN Under Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor as he visits his former home, NYC, after becoming an elected member of India's parliament and Minister of State for External Affairs. Call and and ask questions as he discusses his work in the cabinet and India's place in the world. Follow him at http://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor. More on him at http://www.Tharoor.in

Friday, Oct. 16, 2009
4-4:45 pm, New York time

==> Listen live, or later to a recording:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/10/16/Shashi-Tharoor
(you can set an e-mail reminder for yourself at that link)

Or call-in to listen and/or talk to him at +1-347-324-5991.

Send your questions/comments via e-mail to saja[at]columbia.edu (subject = webcast) of via Twitter @sajahq. You can also use the chatroom that will be open at the link above to ask live questions. You can also post your questions in the comments section below.

===> As always, you are welcome to quote from anything said during the FREE, WORLDWIDE webcasts (50+) at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja

DOWNLOAD TO iTUNES: These audio webcasts are also available as downloadable MP3 files for your personal collection and on-the-go listening. If you want to subscribe to these as podcasts on iTunes, go to "Advanced" within iTunes, then select "Subscribe to podcast" and type in http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/feed and hit OK.

RECENT SAJA AUTHOR/LITERARY WEBCASTS:

WEBCAST: Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn on "Half the Sky"

Thank you for all who caught the live show - we have folks from around the world. You can catch the recording by hitting the play button on clicking on the link.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/10/07/Nicholas-Kristof-Sheryl-WuDunn
(you can set an e-mail reminder for yourself at that link)
Or call-in to listen and/or talk to them at +1-347-324-5991.

~ ~ ~

SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, celebrating SAJA@15, its 15th Anniversary Year - in cooperation with the Asian American Journalists Association (NY chapter), the Arab & Middle East Journalists Association and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism - presents...

a special webcast with NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF & SHERYL WuDUNN, authors of the widely-acclaimed "Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" (and as seen on the cover of the New York Times Magazine, "Colbert Report," "Oprah," the NYT Bestsellers list). More about them and their book at http://halftheskymovement.org [Folllow Kristof on Twitter: @nytimeskristof]

"If you have always wondered whether you can change the world, read this book.  Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn have written a brilliant call to arms that describes one of the transcendent injustices in the world today - the brutal treatment of women. The authors vividly describe a terrible reality about the world we live in but they also provide light and hope that we can, in fact, change it." - Fareed Zakaria, author, The
Post-American World and host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS."

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009
Noon-1 pm ET
(see local time around the world: http://snurl.com/s86n1)

Listen live, or later to a recording:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/10/07/Nicholas-Kristof-Sheryl-WuDunn
(you can set an e-mail reminder for yourself at that link)
Or call-in to listen and/or talk to them at +1-347-324-5991.

Send your questions/comments via e-mail to saja[at]columbia.edu (subject = webcast) of via Twitter @sajahq. You can also use the chatroom that will be open at the link above to ask live questions. You can also post your questions in the comments section below.

MODERATOR: Vibhuti Patel, contributing editor, Newsweek International and arts writer.

ABOUT THE BOOK, from Amazon: From two of our most fiercely moral voices, a passionate call to arms against our era's most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world. With Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn as our guides, we undertake an odyssey through Africa and Asia to meet the extraordinary women struggling there, among

SAJA-NY EVENT: Meet Newsmakers Jairam Ramesh & Rajendra Pachauri

SAJA-NY and Vermilion Restaurant in association with the The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) present a conversation with two influential figures in the world of environment and climate change...

 

MEET NEWSMAKERS Mr Jairam Ramesh and Dr. Rajendra Pachauri

 

Jairam Ramesh, India's environment minister (former minister of state for commerce and industry)
- he will play a crucial role in the outcome of Copenhagen climate change conference in December as India's stance as a fast-growing economy will impact not only the positions of the United States, but also that of developing countries

 

Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri
- received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (which he leads)
- in July 2009 became director of the Yale Climate and Energy Institute
- Director General of TERI

Monday, Sept. 21, 2009
6-7:30 p.m.
Vermilion Restaurant
480 Lexington Ave @46th St (just blocks from Grand Central Terminal and UN HQ)

This will be an informal opportunity to meet Dr. Pachauri and Minister Ramesh; they will make some remarks and do a Q&A.

Free and open to the public. Cash bar.

 

RSVP required - fill in the form at http://bit.ly/sajarsvp

 

Feel free to send questions in advance to saja@columbia.edu

 

For background on India's role in climate change negotiations, follow these links:

http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=2091

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090911/sc_afp/indiadenmarkenvironmentclimatewarmingun

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/world/asia/20diplo.html

http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=876

 

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Our hosts: Vermilion (NYC & Chicago) - contemporary Indian Latin cuisine - lauded by FT, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, WSJ. www.thevermilionrestaurant.com

 

AWARDS: SAJA 2009 Award Winners + Winners' Webcast

On Tuesday, July 21, 2009, SAJA presents a webcast with some of the winners of 2009 SAJA Journalism Awards (full list of winners and finalists below).

Hosted by Jigar Mehta, SAJA awards chair and New York Times video producer, the webcast will feature the following speakers:

• Stewart Bell, National Post, winner, winner of outstanding piece or series covering the conflict in Sri Lanka, "Inside Sri Lanka: An Island of Blood" (six-part series)
• Jonathan Foreman, National Review, winner of outstanding editorial/commentary on South Asia, or South Asians in North America: The Real Bhutto: Against the Mythmaking
• Anand Giridharadhas, The New York Times, winner of outstanding business story about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: Indian to the Core, and an Oligarch
• Kris Hundley, St. Petersburg Times, winner of the Daniel Pearl Award for outstanding reporting about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: Testing Grounds: Our medicine at what cost
• Sandip Roy, NPR, winner of outstanding arts, culture, or travel story about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: A Nod to Arranged Marriage this Wedding Season

These journalists will discuss their work and share ideas and advice for producing excellent journalism.

Listen live, or later, to a recording:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/07/21/SAJA-Award-Winners

Call-in number to listen by phone or to ask live questions: +1-347-324-5991
Or e-mail your questions in advance: saja[at]columbia.edu (subject line = webcast)

See full list of winners and finalists below.

Kris Hundley of St. Pete Times and David Montero of Frontline/WORLD win the 2009 SAJA Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting on South Asia. NYT, Washington Post, NPR, AP Among Prize Winners as SAJA Celebrates 15th Anniversary.

NEW YORK (July 16, 2009) -- The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) and SAJA Group Inc. are pleased to announce the winners of the annual SAJA Journalism Awards. The winners and finalists, from media outlets big and small, were recognized at a gala dinner at Columbia University on Saturday, July 11. The awards were part of SAJA's 15th Anniversary Convention & Career Expo, which was headlined by religion scholar and author Dr. Reza Aslan and CUNY journalism professor and blogger Jeff Jarvis and attended by more than 500 journalists and guests from across the U.S. and Canada.

[Coverage, photos and videos from the convention are available at SAJAforum.org/convention.]

"The judges had an incredibly difficult time narrowing down the entries and selecting the winners," said Jigar Mehta, SAJA Awards Chair and a video producer at The New York Times. "The quality and range of the winners and finalists reflect the level of attention that media organizations are paying to South Asia and to the South Asian diaspora."

Among the prizes is the annual Daniel Pearl Award, named after the Wall Street Journal reporter kidnapped and killed in Pakistan in 2002. This year's winners are Kris Hundley of the St. Petersburg Times and David Montero of Frontline/WORLD . In addition to the categories that have been awarded for several years, SAJA instituted two one-time categories to reflect major events of the past year: the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 2008 and the end of the decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka. This year, SAJA received more than 220 entries in 10 categories. Winners were selected by 40 judges who generously volunteered their time.