Preston Merchant

Aryian Singh: A Normal Man in a Not So Normal World

My British friend Aryian Singh, writer and aspiring filmmaker, was the subject of a nice profile by my American friend Amitava Kumar, first published in The Caravan in Delhi.  The original title of the piece is "A Normal Man in a Not So Normal World."  It was reposted on Sepia Mutiny under the title "Not All Indian Emigres Are Engineers."  I took the pictures.

 

 

Aryian Singh

The Royal Pavilion at Brighton

The seaside residence for monarchs George IV, William IV, and Victoria, the Royal Pavilion at Brighton was designed by John Nash between 1815 and 1822 in a fantastic Indo-Saracenic style.  The pavilion also served as a hospital for Indian soldiers wounded in the First World War.

 

 

 

Shree Sanatan Hindu Mandir, Wembley, United Kingdom

Ealing Road, Wembley, UK

SAYA! Talent Showcase

SAYA! (South Asian Youth Action) held its annual year-end talent show last weekend in Elmhurst, Queens, featuring poetry, bhangra, break-dancing, theater, photography, and video.

See more photos.

Reena Patel: "Working the Nightshift" Launch Party

Geographer and American Foreign Service officer Reena Patel held a party at the Roger Smith Hotel in Manhattan to launch her book "Working the Night Shift: Women in India's Call Center Industry."

The book explores the economic and social issues of Indian women working in this new and untraditional environment that challenges long-held assumptions about their personal and social mobility. 

See more photos. Buy the book.

A.R. Rahman at the Asia Society

Academy Award-winning Bollywood maestro A.R. Rahman spoke yesterday at the Asia Society in New York, in a forum hosted by Desi Hits!, SAMMA (South Asians in Media, Marketing and Entertainment) and SAJA (South Asian Journalists Association).

 

Anjula Acharia Bath of Desi Hits! with A.R. Rahman 

More photos are here.

Vaisakhi in Southall 2010

Pictures from the celebration of Vaiskakhi, the Sikh new year and harvest festival in Southall, the neighborhood in greater London, which is home to a large Punjabi community.

You can also see them on Sepia Mutiny.

Brooklyn Sitar Festival 2010

Sleep Out for the Homeless Sikhs of Southall

My piece about a sleep out to raise money for the homeless Sikhs of Southall is up at Sepia Mutiny.

Salil Tripathi -- "Offense: The Hindu Case"

Journalist and human-rights advocate Salil Tripathi read from his new book "Offense: The Hindu Case" at a private home in Connecticut.  Alan Murray, deputy managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, moderated the discussion.

 
Salil Tripathi (center left) with Alan Murray (center right)

Udayan Tripathi, Salil Tripathi, and Alan Murray

Salil Tripathi