SAJA | South Asian Journalists Association News

SAJA March 2026 Newsletter: Jobs, fellowships and events!

Indira Somani — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:10:52 GMT

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SAJA March 2026 Newsletter: Jobs, fellowships and events!

PREVIEW:

Happy March, SAJA members!

Eid Mubarak and Happy Holi!

SAJA 2026 Scholarship Applications are now open!

Every year, SAJA provides funding for student journalists to help support journalism education. In 2026, SAJA has committed to distributing $30,000 in scholarship funds to six students.
Deadline: By April 17, 2026, 11:59pmEST, send a SINGLE PDF document with “SAJA Scholarship” in the subject line to Mihir Zaveri, SAJA board member, mihir.a.zaveri@gmail.com.
For more details click here!

SAJA Sponsors two members
Executive Leadership Program

READ MORE OF THE NEWSLETTER HERE: SAJA March 2026 Newsletter: Jobs, fellowships and events!

SAJA February Newsletter: Jobs, fellowships and events!

Esha Ray — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:32:44 GMT

February 23, 2026 — Ramadan Mubarak from SAJA to everyone who celebrates!

We are excited to start off this year with so many festivities and opportunities to gather together.

We are devastated to hear about the layoffs at The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The New York Daily News, as well as other newsrooms across the country. We support and stand with anyone affected by the cuts, and we especially want to offer a helping hand to the dozens of South Asian journalists and SAJA members who lost their jobs.

If you missed our last announcement: SAJA is offering complimentary membership to those whose employment has been terminated. Please complete this form so we can assist you.

Below are some of the latest events, job listings and listservs, fellowships and shout outs to put on your radar!

Events

SAJA members in the Chicago area, be sure to register for our Iftar in celebration of Ramadan! All are welcome, but seats are limited.
When: Thursday, February 26, 5:15pm to 7:30pm
Where: Bereket Turkish, 333 S. Franklin St., Chicago

For our members in NYC, The New York Press Club is hosting a FREE February networking event.
When: Tuesday, February 24, 6 to 8 PM.
Where: The Beltane, 10 East 16 St., between 5 Ave. and Union Square
Admission: Free. Guests will cover the cost of their own drinks and food orders.

More events to keep track of:

Feb 24: IRE has a virtual gathering. More info.
Feb 25: CPJ has an in-person event. More info.
February 28: AAJA-LA’s Lunar New Year Dinner. Get tickets!
March 5-6: The Institute for Independent Journalists 2026 Freelance Journalism Conference (Online). Register here
March 5-8: IRE & NICAR Annual Conference in Indianapolis. More info.
March 23-25: Digiday Publishing Summit. Book passes.

March 30-April 1: ONA26 Annual Conference in Chicago. Registration open.

Job listings

WHYY News FM, Editor
The Atlantic, Staff Writer
The Tarbell Center, Program Director
NBCUniversal, Digital Content Producer, NBC4 & Telemundo 52 Los Angeles
Southern California News Group, Audience Engagement Producer; Reporter
New Hampshire Public Radio, Audience Engagement Producer; Public Radio Summer Internship

Take a look at SAJA’s Job Board page for more listings!

Check out some job listservs

West Coast Media Jobs: A curated list of California & Pacific Northwest journalism jobs delivered to your inbox.

Mandy Hofmockel: A newsletter for journalists who want to keep tabs on the industry and job market.

Inside the Newsroom: The largest curated journalism jobs board in the world:

Scholarships, fellowships and awards

NYC Students!

2026 Deadline Club Scholarships (deadline 3/9)

California-based opportunities

KALW, Beat Reporting Fellowship (applications reviewal starts Feb 24)
LA Times, 2026-2027 Fellowships (Deadline: March 1)
UC Berkeley, 2026 California Local News Fellowship (Deadline: March 5)

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SAJA wants to spotlight your work!

We want to highlight all the amazing work our members are doing. Do you have work you’d like featured in our newsletter?

Submit your work here.

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Announcements

National Conference to Address Restoring Trust in Journalism

An urgent national conference to address restoring trust in American journalism is to be held at the University of Mississippi in mid-April. The event, titled “How the News Media Can Regain Public Trust,” will be hosted by the Jordan Center for Journalism Advocacy and Innovation, located at the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media in Oxford. Discussion will focus on solutions to the credibility crisis facing journalism at a time when false information is flourishing, accountability is withering and reporters find themselves under attack from political leaders, including the president of the United States and others across the ideological spectrum. Registration for the event, which will be free for journalists, academics, civic leaders and students will go online in early March. For more information, contact Steven Herman at the Jordan Center: StevenH@OleMiss.edu, 202-643-0510.

Documentary Filmmaker

For the first time in history, a South Asian American has been nominated for two Oscar awards in the same year. Geeta Gandbhir has been nominated in the Documentary Feature Category for the film The Perfect Neighbor on Netflix and in the Documentary Short Category for The Devil is Busy on HBO Max. If you are interested in writing a story on Geeta and/or her films, contact Rohan Sheth: rsheth@netflix.com, 412-427-2783.

ABOUT US

Founded in March 1994 with just 18 members, the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) now represents more than 1,000 journalists of South Asian origin across the U.S. and Canada. SAJA serves as a network for training, inspiration, and support—not only for South Asian journalists but for anyone covering South Asia and its diaspora. SAJA also aims to improve the coverage of the Subcontinent and its diaspora.

X: @sajaHQ · IG: @theofficialsaja · LinkedIn: South Asian Journalists Association

SAJA Statement on Recent Newsroom Cuts

Esha Ray — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 13:21:59 GMT

February 5, 2026 — The Board of the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) is profoundly troubled to learn of the mass layoffs at The Washington Post and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Throughout Wednesday, SAJA Co-Founder Sree Sreenivasan heard from numerous current and former members impacted by these cuts. We understand that about a dozen South Asian journalists were laid off from The Post, including colleagues based in the Delhi South Asia bureau and national correspondents covering film, healthcare, technology, and other beats.

SAJA stands in solidarity with the Post’s Guild in opposing these layoffs and in supporting journalists in all affected newsrooms. At a time when many fear the erosion of democratic institutions, the role of journalism has never been more critical. A free and robust press is essential to informing the public and sustaining democracy.

Whether or not you are a SAJA member, we stand with every journalist affected by this week’s layoffs. To provide immediate support, SAJA is offering complimentary membership to those whose employment has been terminated. Please complete this form so we can assist you.

We encourage you to continue using our website for the latest job postings and to reach out to any member of the SAJA Board for guidance or support. We are also preparing a resource guide on how to navigate and prepare for layoffs, which we will share soon.

Meanwhile, please consider these resources for support:

ONA Digital Women Leaders offers free career coaching for women journalists, including resume review. You can sign up here: https://digitalwomenleaders.com/

Asian American Journalists Association offers a Mentor Match program

Asian America Journalism Association - Job Board: https://www.aaja.org/careers/aaja-career-center/

Society of Professional Journalists Job board: https://jobs.spj.org/

Online News Association Job board: https://careers.journalists.org/

Institute for Nonprofit News Job board: https://inn.users.membersuite.com/community/career-center/browse-jobs/allJobs/allCities/allStates

Journalism Jobs: https://www.journalismjobs.com/

Society of Environmental Journalists job board: https://www.sej.org/job-board

National Association of Black Journalists - Job Board: https://nabjcareers.org/

National Association of Hispanic Journalists - Job Board: https://www.nahjcareers.org/

Indigenous Journalists Association - Job Board: https://indigenousjournalists.org/jobs/

NLGJA Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists - Job Board: https://members.nlgja.org/networking/

Arab & Middle Eastern Journalists Association

New England Press Job Board: https://www.nenpa.com/job-listings

Alaska Press Club’s newsletter has numerous job and fellowship listings. Sign up here: https://alaskapressclub.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c001ec68580799de9a4c5bae1&id=4f9bdc2494

Cover Climate Now - apply to join their Slack space: https://airtable.com/appHbmTOziZ1y06d2/shrQqc8890zp2DOdH

Uproot - apply to join their Slack space: https://uprootproject.org/join-us/become-a-member/

West Coast Media Jobs: A curated list of California & Pacific Northwest journalism jobs delivered to your inbox: https://www.westcoastmediajobs.com/

Mandy Hofmockel: A newsletter for journalists who want to keep tabs on the industry and job market: https://journojobs.substack.com/

Inside the Newsroom: largest curated journalism jobs board in the world: https://insidethenewsroom.substack.com/

Sincerely,
SAJA Board of Directors

Meet the 2026 SAJA Board

Esha Ray — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:29:54 GMT

Happy New Year! We’re kicking off 2026 with several new faces on the Board and saying goodbye to some wonderful colleagues as they step down.

On Jan. 13, the 2026 Board met for the first time and elected a new slate of office bearers. Congratulations to all on their roles, and a heartfelt thanks to those who are leaving us for all their work.

Stay tuned for more information on exciting events we’re planning this year and other updates.

2026 SAJA BOARD:

2026 Executive Committee:

President: Indira S. Somani (second year of two-year board term, former Vice President 2001-2002)

Vice President: Esha Ray (first year of two-year board term)

Secretary: Sonali Gupta (first year of two-year board term)

Treasurer: Dipka Bhambhani Hesse (first year of two-year board term)

Comptroller (to work with Treasurer): Mihir Zaveri (second year of two-year board term, former President)

Director of Communications/Social Media: Shalina Chatlani (first year of two-year board term)

2026 General Board Members:

Rekha Shanmugam (second year of two-year board term)

Safia Samee Ali (first year of two-year board term)

Noreen Nasir (first year of two-year board term)

Sree Sreenivasan (second year of two-year board term, Co-Founder of SAJA)

Pia Sarkar (second year of two-year board term)

VOTE for the new SAJA Board

Mihir Zaveri — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 17:33:24 GMT

Cast your ballot and choose who will lead the South Asian Journalists Association in the coming years!

Read carefully about each candidate here.

Then choose up to 7 names.

Only full members are eligible to vote.

Press Release: SAJA's 2025 Journalism Award Winners and Finalists

Mihir Zaveri — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 22:28:18 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SAJA names its 2025 journalism award winners and finalists

New York City, November 4, 2025 – The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) has announced the winners and finalists of its 2025 journalism awards. The awards recognize outstanding work by or about South Asia and its diaspora, and help further SAJA’s mission of supporting newsroom diversity and promoting better coverage of issues related to South Asia worldwide.

Journalists competed in six categories. Here are the winners and finalists:

General Excellence

Winner: The Wizard of Ozy, by Shaan Merchant, (Slate)

Judges’ Citation: The Ozy piece stood out for being a strong investigative piece layered with a personal/professional narrative. It's a tough balance to achieve and Shaan's piece remained engaging, raising broader questions about race. The story goes into uncomfortable areas about race and society - always in pursuit of truth. We found the writing to be courageous given how hard it is to master this style of narrative/ investigative journalism.

Winner: Healing after Helene, by Zulekha Nathoo (USA Today)

Judges’ Citation: Healing after Helene is a strong, visual story, touching upon a broad range of issues, told through a diverse group of voices - in ways traditional TV outlets often fail to do. It's a hard story to do, given the ground realities of reporting from a disaster-hit area. What's also impressive is that the entrant, Zulekha wore many hats - serving as correspondent as well as co-producer and co-writer. We found the story not only stood out among its peers at the awards but also among other pieces we have seen about the impact of Helene.

Finalist:

America Through Food by Tejal Rao

The Daniel Pearl Award

Winner: Brutality of Sugar, by Megha Rajagopalan and Qadri Inzamam (New York Times)

Judges’ Citation: The story is very powerful and has not been covered before in this way. The way the connection was made all the way to the large corporations is unique.

(No finalists)

Outstanding Student Journalism Award

Winner:“‘Fighting for 40 years’: The tiny Texas community facing down Big Industry," by Aina Marzia (Al Jazeera)

Judges’ Citation: The judges were impressed by the reporter's thoughtful and complete picture of the environmental issue described, providing a clear explanation of a complex controversy. They also were impressed by the fact that the reporter gathered all this material on her own without depending on the resources of a news organization backing her.

Finalists:

"Indigenous Rights Are Rolled Back for Profits," by Subhanjane Das (PassBlue)
"Older Adults and Suicide," by Sreejita Patra (Wisconsin Watch)

Outstanding Arts, Culture, and Lifestyle Reporting Award

Winner: “How modernity is rewriting Taliban rule,” by Rick Noack (Washington Post)
Judges’ Citation: The series of stories by Rick Noack for the Washington Post is an impressive feat of on-the-ground reporting and source building. The judges were struck by the fresh angles brought to a region that can often be covered through a narrow geopolitical lens, particularly in examining how Taliban rule is being reshaped by the internet and forces of globalized modernity. His reporting offers readers an original and nuanced perspective on cultural and lifestyle shifts that can sometimes be overlooked in broader coverage of the region.

Finalist:

India’s plan to teach traditional science by Vaishnavi Chandrashekar

Outstanding Business Reporting Award

Winner: "Wives Out: Apple supplier Foxconn rejects married women from India iPhone jobs," by Praveen Paramasivam, Munsif Vengattil and Aditya Kalra (Reuters)

Judges’ Citation: The story reveals systematic discrimination against married women at a Foxconn iPhone assembly plant in Tamil Nadu — one of India's highest-profile foreign investments. The reporting uncovered that married women were being rejected from jobs on grounds they had more family responsibilities than unmarried women, a practice that violated both Foxconn's and Apple's own anti-discrimination policies. The impact of the coverage was immediate and significant. Within months, Foxconn quietly changed its recruitment protocols, instructing hiring agents to remove age, gender, and marital criteria from job advertisements.This piece exemplifies how thorough, persistent business reporting can reveal systemic injustice and catalyze reform.

Finalists:

India's Abandoned Elders by Matt Sedensky (The Associated Press)
How a Nobel Laureate Became a Political Target in Bangladesh by Bloomberg Originals

Outstanding International Reporting Award

Winner: “Riders in the smog: Pollution is poisoning gig workers,” by Zuha Siddiqui, Samriddhi Sakunia and Faisal Mahmud (Rest of World)

Judges’ Citation:This was an innovative approach to investigating a familiar issue, using air quality monitors to track gig workers’ daily exposure to carcinogenic pollutants in India. It stood out as an excellent example of cross-border reporting in South Asia, weaving together stories from Lahore, Delhi, and Dhaka. The presentation was equally impressive and the story brilliantly linked the challenges of climate change, labor rights, and public health.

Finalists:

“Election of Mexico’s First Female President,” by Maya Averbuch (Bloomberg)
“Pakistan polio workers fighting the virus one house at a time,” by Faras Ghani (Al Jazeera)

Run for the SAJA Board!

Mihir Zaveri — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 22:10:21 GMT

Interested in being a leader and shaping the future of the South Asian Journalists Association? Run for a seat on our board!

Fill out this form if you are interested (and read the instructions carefully!)

All the details you need are on the form.

Press Release: SAJA's 2025 Scholarship Recipients

Mihir Zaveri — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 19:43:36 GMT

Press Release: SAJA announces 2025 Scholarship Award Recipients

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SAJA names its 2025 scholarship recipients

New York City, July 15, 2025 – The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) has announced the names of the recipients of its 2025 scholarship funds. This year, six students who are currently enrolled in journalism programs or in pursuit of a journalism degree have been awarded $5,000 each, for a total disbursement of $30,000 in scholarship funds from SAJA.

The following students have been selected for this year’s scholarship:

Raginee Sudhir Chaurey, M.J. (Master of Journalism), UC Berkeley
Areeba Fatima, M.S. in Data Journalism, Columbia University
Nazeefa Ahmed, M.A. in Journalism, Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Ananya Chag, B.S. in Journalism, Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism
Tanka Dhakal, M.S. in Media, Indiana University, The Media School
Neil Lazurus, B.A. in Journalism, American University, School of Communication

To ensure a fair and robust evaluation process of each application, a committee of judges appointed by the board are enlisted to review each student based on need, interest in journalism (e.g. related coursework, internships, part-time work), and interest in contributing to the SAJA community. The following individuals were recruited to judge the candidate’s full profile, including two existing SAJA Board Members:

Indira Somani, Ph.D., Documentary Director/Producer; SAJA Board Member
Mihir Zaveri, Reporter, The New York Times; SAJA Board Member
Dr. Maurine Beasley, Professor Emerita, University of Maryland
Dr. Stacey Woelfel, Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri
Prof. Suzanne Lysak, Associate Professor, Chapman University
Juhi Doshi, Associate Producer, Meet the Press

In its commitment to support and promote high-quality journalism, SAJA oversees this annual scholarship program to help students afford tuition. In 2025, the SAJA board elected to raise the total scholarship fund to $30,000 total and increase the number of recipients in order to provide stronger financial support to each individual.

ABOUT SAJA

South Asian connections to this year's Pulitzers

sree sreenivasan — Tue, 06 May 2025 16:41:12 GMT

Notes from SAJA Board Member JOHN LAXMI. If you'd like to be on his excellent mailing list tracking major trends and issues in journalism and media coverage of South Asia and the diaspora: johnlaxmius@gmail.com

Three South Asians have won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize and two were among finalists. A book on the killing of Indian journalist Gauri Lankesh was a finalist in the book category.

Public Service

ProPublica, for urgent reporting by Kavitha Surana, Lizzie Presser, Cassandra Jaramillo and Stacy Kranitz

About pregnant women who died after doctors delayed urgently needed care for fear of violating vague “life of the mother” exceptions in states with strict abortion laws.

Kavitha Surana joined ProPublica as a national reporter covering access to reproductive health care in 2022. Before that, she reported on housing, law enforcement and health care at the Tampa Bay Times and BuzzFeed News. She was previously a fellow at ProPublica covering immigration. She got her start interning at The Associated Press in Rome and CNN, and as a fellow at Foreign Policy magazine.

Explanatory Reporting

Azam Ahmed, Matthieu Aikins, contributing writer, and Christina Goldbaum of The New York Times
For an authoritative examination of how the United States sowed the seeds of its own failure in Afghanistan, primarily by supporting murderous militia that drove civilians to the Taliban.
Azam Ahmed is an investigative reporter for The New York Times, focusing on long-form narrative projects.

In 2019, when he was the bureau chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Mr. Ahmed reported a series on the homicide crisis in Latin America, the deadliest region in the world, outlining the root causes of the violence. Each piece delved into a specific issue in a specific country, using intimate portraits of those living on the front lines of the crisis.

Finalists: Alexia Campbell, April Simpson and Pratheek Rebala of the Center for Public Integrity

For using innovative technology, archival research and personal storytelling to reveal how land titles granted to formerly enslaved Black men and women in the wake of the Civil War were unjustly revoked.

Pratheek Rebala was an investigative journalist and news developer at the Center for Public Integrity. He is now a computational journalist with ProPublica. His work at CPI received a Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting as well as other honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, Editors & Publishers, Society of Environmental Journalists and more. Prior to joining CPI, Rebala worked on the data team at Time Magazine. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Editorial Writing

Raj Mankad, Sharon Steinmann, Lisa Falkenberg and Leah Binkovitz of the Houston Chronicle

For a powerful series on dangerous train crossings that kept a rigorous focus on the people and communities at risk as the newspaper demanded urgent action.

Raj Mankad is the deputy opinion editor at the Houston Chronicle. He has a PhD from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program, and has edited and written for publications that specialize in economics, philosophy, literature, architecture, science and health. He previously served as the Chronicle’s op-ed editor and won the 2021 Texas APME first place in general column writing.

Feature Writing

Finalist: Anand Gopal, contributing writer, The New Yorker

For a deeply reported narrative of a woman’s life before and after she is imprisoned at an isolated detention camp in eastern Syria, illustrating how love and family intersect with larger geopolitical concerns.

Anand Gopal is a contributing writer at The New Yorker. He writes about conflict, democracy, and inequality, and his book “No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War Through Afghan Eyes” was a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. He has won a National Magazine Award, a George Polk Award, and multiple Overseas Press Club awards for his reporting on Iraq and Syria. He has a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

General Nonfiction

Finalist: "I Am on the Hit List: A Journalist’s Murder and the Rise of Autocracy in India," by Rollo Romig (Penguin Books)

A captivating account of a crusading South Indian’s [journalist Gauri Lankesh] murder, a mystery rich in local culture and politics that also connects to such global themes as authoritarianism, fundamentalism and other threats to free expression.

Born and raised in Detroit, Rollo Romig is a journalist, essayist, and critic. He has been reporting on South India since 2013, most often for The New York Times Magazine.

For the full list and details of winners and awards, see: https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2025

SAJA 2025 Board announcements

sree sreenivasan — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:31:28 GMT

Update, Jan 13, 2025: SAJA's 2025 Board met for the first time on Jan. 8 and elected the following slate of office bearers:

SAJA BOARD 2025:

2025 Executive Committee:

• President: Sree Sreenivasan (re-elected President; second year of two-year board term)

• VP & Conf Chair: Kiran Khalid (first year of two-year board term)

• Secretary:

• Treasurer: Allana Akhtar (previously served as Secretary; second year of two-year board term)

• Controller (to work jointly with Treasurer): Mihir Zaveri (former President; first year of new two-year board term)

• Director of Comms: Tania Rahman (re-elected Director of Comms; second year of two-year board term)

General board members:

• John Laxmi (served as Treasurer for 25 years; second year of two-year board term)

• Pia Sarkar (first year of new two-year board term)

• Rekha Shanmugam (first year of two-year board term)

• Indira Somani (first year of two-year board term)

NOTE: Kiran and Indira served on the SAJA Board 15 and 23 years ago respectively. Our board members live in NYC, Philly, DC, Atlanta, Louisville and LA.

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Update, Jan 2, 2025: Five members were elected to the SAJA board, joining the continuing members.

Kiran Khalid (new; served 15 years ago)
Indira Somani (new; served 23 years ago)
Mihir Zaveri (returning)
Pia Sarkar (returning)
Rekha Shanmugam (new)

Vote for the new SAJA Board

Mihir Zaveri — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 01:55:57 GMT

Elect your new SAJA board!

SAJA Statement on Harassment of Journalists

sree sreenivasan — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 11:46:24 GMT

SAJA STATEMENT ON HARASSMENT OF JOURNALISTS
October 30, 2024

SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, strongly condemns the online harassment — including threats of violence and misogynistic abuse — against journalists who authored an article published in Al Jazeera on October 15, 2024.

The article, reported with support from Columbia Journalism School, brought to light the Capitol Hill lobbying efforts of the Hindu American Foundation, a U.S.-based religious charitable organization.

SAJA upholds the right of journalists to do their jobs freely and without fear of intimidation; to report the truth and hold those in power accountable, while remaining safe.

SAJA appeals to all individuals and groups to engage in civil discussions and debates.

If you are a journalist experiencing online harassment for your work, here are some resources:

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): Offers digital security workshops and consultations to help journalists prepare for and manage online harassment.
International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF): Provides digital security assistance and has an Emergency Fund offering grants for psychological and medical care, temporary relocation, and legal aid for women journalists. IWMF Digital Safety Kit pdf.
Coalition Against Online Violence: Offers emergency support for journalists facing online harassment, including digital security and psychosocial assistance.
Access Now: Provides 24/7 emergency digital security support in multiple languages.

ABOUT US: SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, founded in NYC in March 1994 with 18 members, represents 1,000+ journalists of South Asian origin working in the US and Canada. It serves as a network for education, inspiration and training for those journalists and those covering South Asia and the South Asian diaspora. SAJA aims to upgrade the coverage of South Asia and improve journalism standards. Over the years, SAJA has given out more than $400,000 in scholarships and fellowships. More info at SAJA.org · X: @sajaHQ · IG: @thesajaofficial

SAJA statement on student journalists covering campus protests

sree sreenivasan — Thu, 09 May 2024 17:26:04 GMT

SAJA STATEMENT ON STUDENT JOURNALISTS COVERING CAMPUS PROTESTS IN THE U.S.
May 8, 2024

SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, would like to express its support and admiration for the tireless efforts of student journalists covering the recent and ongoing protests on campuses around the U.S.

As places to learn, grow, and produce high quality work, student-led news outlets are a crucial part of the journalism ecosystem. And, as police and government agencies are called onto campuses, these newsrooms and journalists are also on the frontlines of press freedom.

We encourage all student journalists to keep up the good work and we will continue to support your efforts.

✒️

ABOUT US: SAJA, founded in March 1994 with 18 members, represents 1,000+ journalists of South Asian origin working in the US and Canada. It serves as a network for education, inspiration and training for those journalists and those covering South Asia and South Asian diaspora. SAJA aims to upgrade the coverage of South Asia and uplift the standards of journalism. Over the years, SAJA has given out more than $400,000 in scholarships and fellowships.
Our 30th anniversary conference and gala awards dinner is Oct 11-12 in NYC.
More info at SAJA.org · X: @sajaHQ · IG: @thesajaoffial

Share the statement versions on IG, LinkedIn, Twitter

First SAJA 2024 Board Announcement

sree sreenivasan — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 02:18:43 GMT

Greetings from SAJA’s 2024 Board:

The South Asian Journalists Association is back with a brand-new board and officers, a roadmap of social events coming your way, new journalistic opportunities for career growth, and more.

This year marks 30 years of SAJA. We are immensely proud of how much our nonprofit has grown over the decades since its humble beginnings, from our many galas, events, and newsroom visits to networking with our members across different cities and highlighting our members' important work.

Between an eroding trust in journalism and layoffs at every turn, the media is in a clear state of crisis. This underscores how critical it is for SAJA to exist as a resource for our growing diaspora of South Asian journalists across the U.S. and Canada to provide support, mentorship and nurture our community.

Be sure to look out for future communications regarding the 30th anniversary – we can’t wait to celebrate with you. In addition, we plan to continue expanding our existing programs, create and surface new events and opportunities for our members, and communicate information regarding grants and fellowships.

With a thriving new board and events on the horizon, we look forward to the year ahead with you all. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or feedback.

Are you receiving this email and not a member of SAJA yet? Register to become a member today.

UPDATES FROM THE TEAM
Last December, current SAJA members voted for its 2024 board – you can find the new slate of members here. On Jan. 21, 2024, our first board meeting took place in-person and via Zoom, where the following board members have taken on leadership roles via a unanimous vote of the Board:

SAJA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

President: Sree Sreenivasan (Co-founder and CEO, Digimentors)
Vice President: Priyanka Vora (Director, Audience at Axios)
Director of Communications: Tania Rahman (Social Media Director, Fast Company)
Secretary: Allana Akhtar (Freelance writer)
Treasurer: John Laxmi (Investor, podcaster)

REST OF THE SAJA BOARD:

Jennifer Chowdhury, Freelancer, New York
Divya Karthikeyan, Louisville Public Media
Karen Mahabir, Associated Press, New York
Sabrina Malhi, The Washington Post, Washington DC
Mythili Sampathkumar, Freelancer, New York (President Emeritus)
Pia Sarkar, Associated Press, Philadelphia
Mihir Zaveri, The New York Times, New York

Sree, the selfie king, with the board. From left, Sree, Allana, Karen, John, Pia, Tania, Priya and Mihir (other SAJA Board members attending remotely: Mythili, Divya, Sabrina, Jenn). And the Executive Committee: Sree, Priya, John, Tania and Allana.

A message from Sree, our new President and SAJA co-founder:

Dear SAJA members, colleagues and friends:

I know some of you are surprised to learn that I am back as SAJA President, 20 years after stepping down as inaugural President and a dozen years after leaving the Board. I decided to run for the Board and stand for President for several reasons.

Almost everything I've gotten in my career — including some of my dearest friends — has been a result of my work with this wonderful organization. When I exited the board, I expected to just cheer from afar for the rest of my life.

But in this SAJA’s 30th anniversary year, I’ve learned that cheering from afar isn’t that helpful. At a time when journalism and journalists are facing everything from financial disaster to widespread disinformation and attacks on their legitimacy, SAJA must continue to play a critical role in helping its members and the profession at large.

My wonderful Board colleagues (which include three former Presidents) are already planning this year’s activities and we look forward to working with our members and partner organizations on continuing our existing programs and adding exciting new ones.
Here’s how you can help:

Send us your ideas, needs, suggestions at president@saja.org (also looking for your career updates, moves, etc).
We are one of the few major journalism organizations that is 100 percent volunteer-run, so we need all the help we can get.
Encourage friends to sign up for membership (you don’t have to be South Asian to be a member) and renew your own!
We will be giving out tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships, fellowships and more, so we will need sponsors and donors. If you’d like to be a sponsor this year, please write to president@saja.org. If you can make a donation now or later, please do.

Looking forward to working with you all!
– Sree Sreenivasan

ANNOUNCEMENTS, EVENTS AND MORE:

SAJA-NY Event: Amitav Ghosh at Asia Society
- On Thursday, February 29 at 6:30pm ET, join SAJA and Asia Society for a conversation and book signing with award-winning author Amitav Ghosh. At this event, Ghosh will discuss his latest book, Smoke and Ashes, which was named a Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Foreign Policy, Literary Hub, and the Millions. The conversation will be moderated by professor and former BBC journalist Razia Iqbal.
- Purchase your tickets here. Can’t make it to NYC? The event will be recorded and available online the next day.

A message from the IIJF
- The Institute for Independent Journalists Foundation is conducting a census of journalists who were laid off and bought out recently. If you’ve experienced a journalism layoff or buyout in the past year, the survey needs your input. It should take 5-7 minutes to complete.
SAJA-Knowledge @Wharton
- The SAJA-Knowledge at Wharton Funding Opportunity was established in 1999 in collaboration with the South Asian Journalists Association. This unique program is designed to enhance the quality of minority business journalism. It provides a member of SAJA (as well as up to one journalist each belonging to AAJA, NAHJ, NAJA & NLGJA) with funding to attend the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists in Philadelphia.
- More info can be found here. Look out for updates and a call for applications soon.

Join NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists for their 4th annual Student Conference
- This virtual gathering will take place February 23-24, and will include 10+ informational sessions as well as an Internship and Career Fair. Students and early-career journalists will have the opportunity to learn from industry experts, connect with fellow student journalists and with recruiters from top news organizations, and to explore the intersections of the media world and LGBTQ+ identities.
- In addition, students who actively participate in the conference will receive a $25 discount on registration for the 2024 National Convention in Los Angeles!
- Registration is available here and is free for NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Student Members and $25 for non-members.

Free webinar: “Transforming political reporting and putting people first.”
- On Tuesday, 2/6 from 12-1pm ET, join the Knight Center’sfree webinar, "Putting the Public First in Political Coverage," in partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network. This one-hour webinar, along with a free online course on elections coverage in April, will offer valuable insights into effective political reporting.
- The webinar, moderated by Jaisal Noor, Democracy Initiative Manager at the Solutions Journalism Network, will include the following distinguished panelists:

Jay Rosen, journalism professor at New York University
Natalie Van Hoozer, bilingual journalist at KUNR Public Radio
Hugo Balta, accredited Solutions Journalism trainer and publisher at Latino News Network
Elliot Wade, community reporter at The Current

In the news:

CUNY’s Newmark School of Journalism on path to be tuition-free. Our friends at the Newmark School, who have hosted many SAJA events over the years, aim to become the first top-tier graduate journalism school in the United States to offer fully free tuition in perpetuity to its entire student body. Congrats to former SAJA President Sandeep Junnarkar and other faculty and staff.

Be sure to follow SAJA on Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads

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SAJA Election Results for 2024

Mihir Zaveri — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 19:34:15 GMT

The South Asian Journalists Association is pleased to announce the election of three new members to its Board for 2024, as well as the reelection of two existing members.

Joining the board are Sree Sreenivasan, Allana Akhtar, Divya Karthikeyan, and Tania Rahman. Sreenivasan helped found SAJA in 1994 and will help the organization celebrate its 30th year.

The two returning board members are current President Mythili Sampathkumar and Treasurer John Laxmi.

The new slate of board members, effective January 1, 2024, is listed below with their terms:

Allana Akhtar, Business Insider, New York (2024-25)
Jennifer Chowdhury, Freelancer, New York (2023-24)
Divya Karthikeyan, Louisville Public Radio (2023-24)
John Laxmi, Freelancer, Atlanta (2024-25)
Karen Mahabir, Associated Press, New York (2023-24)
Sabrina Malhi, Washington Post, Washington DC (2023-24)
Tania Rahman, Fast Company, New York (2024-25)
Mythili Sampathkumar, Freelancer, New York (2024-25)
Pia Sarkar, Associated Press, Philadelphia (2023-24)
Sree Sreenivasan, Digimentors, New York (2024-25)
Priyanka Vora, Axios, New York (2023-24)
Mihir Zaveri, New York Times, New York (2023-24)

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2023 SAJA Award Winners

Mihir Zaveri — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 23:25:06 GMT

We're pleased to announce the winners of this year's SAJA awards, who were recognized for their outstanding coverage of South Asia and the diaspora. The winners and finalists were announced at our annual event in New York City on Nov. 4.

Congrats to all the winners and finalists!

The Daniel Pearl Award

Winner: Washington Post’s "In Modi's India, an Empire Built on Coal"
Judge’s citation: “A deeply reported investigative piece about the man behind the country’s coal empire and his ties to the ruling BJP" and "The reporting and writing are stellar."

Business Reporting

Winner: Katie McQue’s story "Abuses on U.S. bases in Persian Gulf ensnare legions of migrant workers," published by the Washington Post and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Judge's citation: First, the narrative hinges on an extraordinarily well-researched foundation that brings to light the conditions of thousands of migrant workers, hemmed in by a snarl of abusive practices perpetuated by defense contractors. The reporter’s investigative diligence in exposing passport confiscation, exorbitant recruitment fees, and the stifling inability to change jobs, reflect a firm commitment to journalistic ethics and the pursuit of truth.
The shackles that bind these workers to their jobs, particularly through the withholding of "release papers" by employers, are meticulously reported in the story. It offers readers a grim view into an almost feudal system of modern employment -- in violation of working norms and possibly labor laws in the U.S.
Moreover, the story digs deep into the operations of the contracting firms, which have seemingly turned a blind eye to such inhumane practices despite being aware of them. The plight of workers, some of whom are buried under the weight of recruitment debts running into thousands, while earning a pittance, is captured with heart-wrenching clarity. It compels readers to question the integrity and ethics of the system at large.
The story examines the attempted reforms in Gulf nations like Qatar, highlighting the systemic inadequacies and the lack of employer compliance that continue to thwart any meaningful change. This story challenges the status quo, urging a reconsideration of military contracting models that seemingly engender such abuse.
With a balanced blend of investigative rigor, compassionate storytelling, and a bold confrontational stance towards systemic flaws, this story stands head and shoulders above the rest, making it a deserving recipient of the 2023 SAJA award for outstanding business journalism.

Runners up:

India's tech sector has a caste problem by Raksha Kumar, Rest of the World
The Harsh Realities of Where Your Amazon Packaging Ends Up by K. Oanh Ha, Taimoor Sobhan and Lisa Yuriko Thomas, Bloomberg

Arts, Culture, and Lifestyle

Winner: “How a YouTube channel is transforming a remote village in Bangladesh,” by Nilesh Christopher and Faisal Mahmud, Rest of World

Judges’ citation: The judges were impressed with the multilayered reporting and the visceral language and images that undergird Christopher and Mahmud’s extrapolation of a cultural curiosity into something of news value. Their story identified a fascinating digital trend in remote Bangladesh – and went there. The result was an account that weaves a very online story with one of place. The reporting, writing and visuals are equally excellent and insightful. The narrative opens with a journey that takes the reader into a specific world, and is well-sourced on the impact of this blend of tradition and technology on this one village as well as on the wider picture. The judges appreciated how contemporary the news peg was, avoiding retreading the same cultural ground about South Asians to tell a wholly new – and just plain interesting – story with wider implications.

Runners up:

“The Taliban can’t stop TikTik in Afghanistan” (WIRED)
“Asian faiths try to save swastika corrupted by Hitler” (AP)

Breaking News

Winner: "Civilian Uprising in Sri Lanka that Toppled a President," Niha Masih, Hafeel Farisz, The Washington Post

Judges citation: “Niha Masih and Hafeel Farisz of The Washington Post chronicled a chaotic and consequential moment in Sri Lanka featuring economic upheaval, mass protests and political change. With crisp and clear writing about fast-moving events, the reporters captured the events on the ground with sweep and sophistication. They also took us into the lives of ordinary Sri Lankans and the causes of wide-ranging displeasure across the population.”

Runners up:

The New York Times coverage of flooding in Pakistan
CBC coverage of an attack

International Reporting

Winner: "The sextortion scammers of rural India," Kapil Kajal, Rest of World

Runners up:

2022 is already the deadliest year for journalists in Mexico, Paroma Soni, Columbia Journalism Review
Atul Loke, The New York Times

Student Journalism

Winner: Pavithra Rajesh, for “Indigenous identity crisis: Who has the right to claim they are Taíno?”
Runners up:

Judge's citation: "Novel topic, learnt something new, loved the accompanying visuals” and "I learned a lot from this story of Taino culture and identity. Kudos to the reporter for being able to report on this story with nuance and sensitivity, a tough task.”

Join the SAJA board!

Mihir Zaveri — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 20:25:11 GMT

Care about how the media covers South Asia? Interested in making a difference in the journalism industry? Then run for a position on the SAJA board!

We will have five open positions on the SAJA board for the two-year term beginning in 2024. Read on to see how to become a candidate.

What you need to know:

Only Full Members are eligible to run for a position on the board. Associate Members and Student Members are NOT eligible to contest.
It's important to bring a spirit of teamwork and leadership -- skills that you will develop while serving your term!
Be prepared to commit between 3 to 5 hours each week on activities ranging from organizing events to judging applications for awards and scholarships.
Board members elected by the board to serve as part of SAJA’s Executive Committee (i.e., president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and communications officer) will be required to contribute more.
Board members serve as volunteers without compensation.
All board members will be required to attend (preferably in person) four to six board meetings held throughout the year. Board meetings last anywhere from half an hour to several hours.

How to run:

Each candidate must complete this form, portions of which will be made public to all SAJA members. The completed form, which includes a candidates statement, must be submitted by 11:59pm (EST) on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023.

Once the statements are posted online, votes will be gathered through online voting and in-person voting at SAJA’s annual members’ meeting on Dec. 8. Candidates who win the largest number of votes will be ranked in order to fill the open positions, with the election results announced at the annual meeting.

For questions about running or serving on the board, email Mihir Zaveri at mihir@zaveri.com.

2023 SAJA Members Meeting (NEW DATE!)

Mihir Zaveri — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 17:41:22 GMT

The South Asian Journalists Association is inviting members to the Annual Members Meeting on Dec. 15, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The meeting will be held virtually, and a Zoom registration link will be sent to members and posted here.

AGENDA

Reports of Board of Directors to members: Annual financial report, annual membership report, major programs and activities from 2023
Election to fill 5 vacancies (see notice below) and announcement of results. Full members may vote in person at the annual meeting or vote online ahead of the meeting (the names of the candidates and their statements will be posted online prior to the Annual Meeting.) Only full members may vote.

ELECTION NOTICE

It is time to weigh in and vote! For the upcoming two-year term (2024-2025), you will decide which five candidates will serve on the Board, joining six continuing board members.

The names and credentials of contestants for the five vacant positions on the Board will be announced and posted here, prior to the Annual Meeting.

ONLY FULL MEMBERS ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE (STUDENT MEMBERS AND AFFILIATE MEMBERS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOTE).

Voting (online) will run through 6 p.m. on Dec. 15, when SAJA will hold its Annual Members Meeting at which votes will be tallied and results announced.

If you have any questions, please contact one of the following Board Members:

Mythilli Samapatkumar at president@saja.org

Priyanka Vora at secretary@saja.org

Mihir Zaveri at mihir@zaveri.com

2023 Scholarship Recipients

Mihir Zaveri — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 19:21:06 GMT

It's our pleasure to award more than $20,000 to a dozen promising student journalists this year.

Read a bit more about each of them:

Soulet Ali
Columbia University

Soulet Qureshi Ali is an incoming Master’s Student in Global Thought at Columbia University. They received their Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy at the University of Chicago and is currently writing a collection of non-fiction essays on Islamophobia, anti-South Asian racism, and corresponding human rights violations in the East Asian context as a 2023 writing fellow for Kweli Journal. During their Master’s Studies they plan to continue this line of dual academic and journalistic inquiry to spotlight the global Othering of Islam, Muslims, and the South Asian diaspora through frameworks beyond western imperialism, the War on Terror, and the US as a global exporter of anti-Muslim and anti-South Asian sentiment by highlighting under-recognized East Asian ideologies of ethnic-national chauvinism and racial supremacies(s) that undergird the growing prevalence of Islamophobia and anti-South Asian racism in the respective regions and diasporas.

Ankit Khadgi
School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Ankit Khadgi (he/they) is a Nepali queer journalist and writer. Currently, based in Chicago, they are passionate about using their platform to highlight issues of caste, gender, sexuality, and issues of social justice.

Najifa Farhat
University of Montana

Originally from Dhaka, Bangladesh, Najifa has been an environmental journalist for over three years in her home. With three years of experience in journalism, she dedicated herself to covering major environmental issues in Bangladesh, including industrial pollution, human-wildlife conflict, water crises, climate change impacts on marginalized communities, and environmental policies. Currently, she is pursuing a master's in the Environment and Natural Resource Journalism Program at the University of Montana. Despite having no formal education in environment or science, she was deeply motivated to pursue environmental journalism due to her homeland’s vulnerability due to the impact of climate change. She is guilty of enjoying her science classes a little more than the journalism classes because it intrigues her curiosity and sharpens her efforts of simple storytelling on complex matters.

Growing up near a prominent river in Bangladesh, she developed a deep appreciation for the intricate interconnectedness between water resources, humanity, and the natural world. With her anticipated graduation in the spring of 2024, she envisions a future where she can bring to light the stories of individuals worldwide who are grappling with the far-reaching consequences of climate change, with a particular emphasis on South Asia

Chaya Tong
Emory University

Chaya Tong is a rising junior at Emory University majoring in English and biology. She is a writer and editor for her campus newspaper, The Emory Wheel, and a student researcher with The Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project, investigating racially motivated murders in Georgia during the modern civil rights era. She is currently interning as a reporting fellow with The Investigative Reporting Workshop in Washington D.C.

Agnee Ghosh
UC Berkeley

Agnee Ghosh is an independent journalist reporting on the intersection of beats such as climate change, public health, and gender. Her work has appeared in leading news publications like BBC Future, National Public Radio, Undark, Logic magazine, Women’s Media Center, Ms. Magazine, Atmos, Vice, AFAR, The New Humanitarian, and others. She has written long-form features, profiles, and investigations into the various ways that the political power structures affect the most marginalized among us — the gig workers, the tiger widows, the covid widows, the ASHA workers, and several others.

Jessica Chen
Columbia

Jessica Chihning Chen is a Taiwanese multimedia journalist, activist, and researcher focused on emergent dimensions of press freedom in Asia. She is an executive producer, bilingual host, and program reporter in the international center of Mirror News. She will be attending Columbia Journalism School starting in the fall of 2023.

She has reported on refugee and immigrant workers for Apple Daily in Hong Kong and Taiwan. She filmed documentaries about exiled Tibetan in India, indigenous artists and their resistance movement for Mirror News. Her work as an international journalist on the suppression of Hong Kong's free press has recently been nominated for Taiwan's most prestigious journalism prize, the Vivian Wu Journalism Award.

Pavithra Rajesh
Northeastern

Pavithra Rajesh (she/her) is a master's student in Northeastern University's Media Innovation and Data Communication program. She recently received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism, also from Northeastern. She has previously worked at The Christian Science Monitor and the Detroit Free Press, through the Dow Jones News Fund, and is currently interning at Bloomberg Industry Group for the summer. She is working toward a career in multimedia journalism, hoping to combine tools from writing to data visualizations to together tell impactful stories.

Shaanth Nanguneri
UCLA

Shaanth Kodialam Nanguneri is an incoming junior at the University of California, Los Angeles where they study Geography and Communication. They are a senior staff reporter at their campus newspaper, the Daily Bruin, previously serving as features and student life News editor. They were a reporting intern for the Orange County Register, covering Asian American communities and local news. Now, they write for the Sacramento Bee's Equity Lab, covering Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

Tehsin Pala
NYU

Tehsin Pala is a student in the joint Global Journalism and International Relations Program at New York University. With a passion for writing and a drive to address political turmoil and minority oppression, she has found her calling in journalism. As an intersectional feminist, she also holds a Post-graduate Diploma in Women’s and Gender Studies. Tehsin has interned with The People's Archive of Rural India, documenting the art of the 'Rathwa' tribe in remote areas of Gujarat. She has also collaborated with NGOs such as Saukhyam Reusable Pads and Zidni Ilma Charitable Trust, and worked as a freelancer for LiveWire and Smashboard. Tehsin aims to shed light on human rights violations, particularly those affecting women, through her future work.

Preety Sharma
University of Toronto

Preety Sharma is a freelance public health consultant, researcher, and writer in GTA. Preety holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public and a Masters in Health Management (MBA) from IIHMR University, Jaipur, India. She has more than a decade of experience working with top academic institutions, international NGOs and UN agencies in India and Canada. She also teaches global health in leading academic institutions. Preety will be pursuing Dalla Lana Fellowship in Journalism and Health Impact from Dalla Lana School of Public Health in the upcoming fall. Currently she is also volunteering with Results Canada as a Fellow and actively publishing LTEs and Op-eds in leading Canadian dailies.

Raiha Zainab
The New School

Raiha Zainab is a senior liberal arts student at The New School studying journalism, international affairs, and social innovation. Her research focuses on human trafficking in the South Asian garment industry, and she is interested in investigative international human rights journalism. In NYC, Raiha works as a typewriter poet with Ars Poetica, where she writes poems for strangers on the spot. She regularly performs at open mics and runs her own poetry community. She loves to travel and has traveled to over 14 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. She can often be found roaming the streets of random cities and writing in coffee shops. You can follow along with her adventures on Instagram @raiwanders.

SAJA at AAJA23

Mihir Zaveri — Sun, 13 Aug 2023 19:22:10 GMT

Hope you caught us this year at the Asian American Journalist Association's national convention! SAJA members were on a number of panels. And if you did not catch us this year, be sure to attend next year, where we hope to again be out in force!

SAJA presented a panel about covering the South Asian experience in the United States, featuring president Mythili Sampathkumar, board members Farnoush Amiri and Sabrina Malhi, New York City-based journalist Samira Asma-Sadeque, and Maham Javaid, a reporter at the Washington Post.

Farnoush, who covers Congress for the AP, also participated on a panel about reporting on the Hill!

SAJA-Knowledge at Wharton Funding Opportunity

Mihir Zaveri — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 17:39:40 GMT

The Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists, now in its 55th year, offers participants an opportunity to expand their business knowledge and increase their exposure to leading experts in a stimulating environment. Through intensive lectures and hands-on exercises, the program, led by the Wharton School’s most prominent professors such as Jeremy Siegel and Olivia Mitchell, helps participants gain a better understanding of key business and economic issues.

The program runs October 16-18, 2023.

Application deadline: September 18, 2023

More information here.

See the new documentary, The Elephant Whisperers

Mihir Zaveri — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 16:08:01 GMT

Netflix cordially invites members of the South Asian Journalists Association and their families to screenings of the Oscar®-nominated Short Documentary Film, The Elephant Whisperers.

Four screenings:

SoHo House — 29-35 9th Ave, 7:00pm Wednesday, March 1, in person Q&A with director Kartiki Gonsalves to follow
Paris Theater — 4 W 58th St, Saturday, February 25 at 2:00pm; Saturday, March 4 at 2:00pm; Sunday, March 5 at 2:00pm

SAJA members may RSVP by sending an email with “SAJA Member” in the subject line to: netflix@jmpverdant.com

Space is limited. All RSVPs must be confirmed via email in order to attend.

Invitation is non-transferrable.

The Elephant Whisperers follows an indigenous couple as they fall in love with Raghu, an orphaned elephant given into their care, and tirelessly work to ensure his recovery and survival. The film highlights the beauty of the wild spaces in South India and the people and animals who share this space.

Directed by

Kartiki Gonsalves

Produced by

Guneet Monga and Ajin Jain

Executive Produced by

Douglas Blush and Kartiki Gonsalves

Note: Screenings of The Elephant Whisperers at the Paris Theater start at 2:00pm and are part of a double feature documentary program with the Netflix Oscar nominated short documentary The Martha Mitchell Effect. SAJA members are welcome to screen one or both films.

Feb. 21 Screening in NYC of documentary All that Breathes

Mihir Zaveri — Sat, 18 Feb 2023 14:25:32 GMT

SAJA members have a special opportunity to attend a screening of All That Breathes in Manhattan on Feb. 21! The screening will be followed by a Q+A with the director, Shaunak Sen.

Soho House New York Screening
7:00pm Tuesday, February 21
SoHo House — 29-35 9th Ave

In Person Q&A with director Shaunak Sen to follow

SAJA members may RSVP by sending an email with “SAJA Member” in the subject line to: allthatbreathes@jmpverdant.com

Space is limited. All RSVPs must be confirmed via email in order to attend. Invitation is non-transferrable.

All That Breathes follows two brothers who devote their lives to the quixotic effort of protecting the black kite, a majestic bird of prey essential to the ecosystem of New Delhi that has been falling from the sky at alarming rates. Amid environmental toxicity and social unrest, the ‘kite brothers’ spend day and night caring for the creatures in their makeshift avian basement hospital. The film explores the connection between the kites and the Muslim brothers who help them return to the skies, offering a mesmerizing chronicle of inter-species coexistence.

India / USA / UK | 94 mins | 2022
DIRECTED BY: Shaunak Sen
PRODUCED BY: Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer
DISTRIBUTOR: Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe in association with HBO Documentary Films

Report for America: Apply now!

Mihir Zaveri — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 04:19:08 GMT

Report for America (RFA) helps local newsrooms report on under-covered issues and communities by sending early, mid-career and experienced reporters and photographers to newsrooms throughout the country. As an RFA Corps Member Journalist, you’ll be a part of a movement to strengthen communities— and our democracy—through local journalism that is truthful, fair, fearless, and smart.

We are seeking talented, service-minded journalists and photographers to join our reporting corps. Applications are now open for 56 reporter positions. RFA is a two-year program, with an optional third year. Each service year begins on July 10 and runs through July 9. We currently have 300 reporters and photographers in 200 newsrooms serving communities across the country. Check out our interactive database of the 56 job openings, newsrooms and beats here. Reporting opportunities include healthcare, K-12 and higher education, rural communities, cities and towns, sports reporting, and rural communities. Candidates should have a minimum of 1-3 years of local news experience. Recent graduates may apply if they’ve had local newsroom internships or journalism leadership experience in college.

Report for America is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Application Process

To apply, complete the corps member application here. The deadline to apply is January 30, 2023. Should you become a finalist and be slated for one or more newsroom interviews by our selection team, your application will be shared with those newsrooms.

Important Note: Please be sure to alert your two references that they will receive an email from Submittable, our application platform, with the recommendation form. At the prompt in the application, we strongly recommend you send this form right away even before completing your application. Your application will not advance if we don't receive your two references by February 6, 2023 - the reference deadline.

Questions? Contact the Report for America recruitment team at recruitment@reportforamerica.org or join us for one of our virtual information sessions.

You may register for an information session here.

SAJA Board Announces New Executive Officers

Mihir Zaveri — Sun, 22 Jan 2023 14:10:03 GMT

The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) Board, elected in December 2022, announces the appointment of our Executive Officers.

The 2023-2024 Board has three new members: Hanaa’ Tameez, Priyanka Vora, and Angeli Kakade who replaces former Board member Deena Zaidi.

The four returning board members are Jennifer Chowdhury, Pia Sarkar, Karen Mahabir and Mihir Zaveri. Farnoush Amiri, John Laxmi, Mythili Sampathkumar, and Sabrina Malhi are serving in the second year of their current terms.

The new executive officers include:

President - Mythili Sampathkumar

Vice President - Jennifer Chowdhury

Treasurer - John Laxmi

Secretary - Priyanka Vora

Member at Large/Communications Manager - Hanaa' Tameez

SAJA Professional Financial Assistance Fund

Mihir Zaveri — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 18:55:11 GMT

APPLICATIONS CLOSED

The South Asian Journalists Association is providing a new funding opportunity to help working journalists to help cover training, professional development, and other miscellaneous costs associated with reporting and editing. Applicants with financial hardships will be given special consideration.

Up to $5,000 will be distributed among up to 10 recipients ($500 max for each applicant.)

The types of costs that could be partially or fully covered include:

– Conference registration

– Training course fees

– Training materials like books or software

– Equipment like cameras or recorders

– Costs of fact-checking

Deadline: Dec. 15.

APPLY HERE.

Selection/Eligibility

Professional development fund grants are open to journalists of South Asian descent based in the United States and Canada. Applicants must be working for news organizations located in the United States and Canada or working as full-time North America correspondents for South Asian media outlets. Freelance journalists are also eligible for the grants.

Immediate relatives of SAJA Board members and judges are INELIGIBLE to apply.

Evaluation Procedure

A committee of judges appointed by the SAJA Board will review applications. The applications will be evaluated based on genuine financial need and the relevance and importance of the activity the grant recipient will pursue to fulfill their professional or reporting needs. Applicants may be interviewed by phone, Skype or in-person by a member of the scholarship committee. Winners will be notified by the end of December 2022.

Award process

Recipients are expected to become SAJA members if they aren’t already and give back to SAJA by volunteering at one SAJA event during the year. They should commit to promoting SAJA activities, events, membership drives and donation appeals on social media platforms in order to help SAJA achieve its mission and expand the network. All recipients of the grants must also agree to provide an update on their journalistic achievements one year after the award is given. We will post excerpts from these statements on the SAJA website and social media platforms to share with the public the impact of the program.

2022 Award Winners!

Mihir Zaveri — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 13:21:14 GMT

SAJA is pleased to announce the winners of this year's awards, which represent an excellent batch of journalism. The winners were scored and selected by panels of independent judges.

THE DANIEL PEARL AWARD
Established in honor of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was killed while reporting in Pakistan, this award recognizes outstanding investigative reporting that exhibits courage under difficult circumstances and exposes important public issues. See, for example, a previous Daniel Pearl award winning story about Kashmir during the recent military takeover by Modi’s government for the GroundTruth Project.

Winner

India Under Surveillance
Niha Masih, Joanna Slater
The Washington Post

Read the series here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Finalists

Online censorship is growing in Modi’s India
Paroma Soni
Columbia Journalism Review

The Hindu Extremists at War With Interfaith Love
Angad Singh (Producer), Ahmer Khan (Field producer), Masihuzumma Ansari (Associate producer), Siddarth Bokolia (Camera operator), Puneet Sharma (Camera operator), Jose Flores (Editor), Oliver Gruber (Production assistant), Neda Tolui-Semnani (writer), Karishma Vyas (Senior Producer)
Vice News Tonight

BUSINESS REPORTING

Winner

Facebook Under Fire
Cat Zakrzewski, Gerrit De Vynck, Niha Masih and Shibani Mahtani
The Washington Post

Finalists

Trapped in Silicon Valley’s Hidden Caste System
Sonia Paul
WIRED

How Big Tech Is Importing India’s Caste Legacy to Silicon Valley
Saritha Rai
Bloomberg News

ARTS & CULTURE

Winners (TIE)

The Slow Death Of Artistic Freedom In India
Tatsam Mukherjee
Slate

Why minorities are abandoning India’s trailblazing queer forums
Ankur Paliwal
Rest of World

Finalist

Chef Asma Khan on breaking barriers with familiar flavors
Imtiaz Tyab
CBS News

HEALTH REPORTING

Winner

How Science in India Became a 'Political Weapon' Under Modi; 'Everyone Here Is Alone' ; One Son's 48-Hour Fight to Save His Parents
Karan Deep Singh
The New York Times

Read the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Finalists

These twins are 5 years old. They lost both parents to covid-19.
Joanna Slater
The Washington Post

India's Deadly Delta Wave
Angad Singh (Producer), Ahmer Khan (Field Producer), Surabhi Tandon (Correspondent), Karishma Vyas (Correspondent and Senior Producer), Jahangir Zaidi (Associate Producer), Omar Khan (Associate Producer), Akash Bisht (Associate Producer), Gabrielle Caplan (Associate Producer), Supreet Bargi (Camera Person), Puneet Sharma (Camera Person), Siddarth Bokolia (Camera Person), Adam Deniston (Editor) Alejandro Soto (Editor), Kyri Evangelou (Editor), Adriane Quinlan (Writer), Brian Josephs (Writer), Craig Thomson (Executive Producer)
Vice News Tonight

COMMENTARY & OPINION

Winner

Policies Mandated by Multilateral Institutions Are Contributing to India’s COVID Catastrophe
Puja Changoiwala
Scientific American

Finalists

Will Pakistan Be the Next Country to Fall to a Taliban-Style Takeover?
Hasan Ali
The Nation

What America Missed About the FedEx Massacre
Angad Singh (Producer and Host), Adriane Quinlan (writer), Ana Simoes (Graphic Designer), Andrew Marulanda (Editor), Scott DeAngioletti (Camera person), Dan Cain (Camera person), Karishma Vyas (senior producer), Emily Drew (Senior Broadcast producer)
VICE News Tonight

STORY ON ANY SUBJECT

Winner

Return to Afghanistan Under Taliban Rule
Imtiaz Tyab
CBS News Face The Nation

Finalists

Housing Crisis in California
Mustafa Mirza
VICE News Tonight

Part 1, Part 2

Dalit Scientists Face Barriers in India’s Top Science Institutes
Ankur Paliwal
Undark Magazine

STUDENT JOURNALISM

Winner

What Went Wrong at Cook County Jail
Kiran Misra
South Side Weekly and Shadowproof (Collaboration)

Finalists

The dirty business of wetlands restoration
Tanay Gokhale
Local News Matters

How Suburban Influence Defeated a Resolution to Condemn the Indian Government
Kiran Misra
Chicago Reader

2022 Scholarship Recipients

Mihir Zaveri — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 23:34:01 GMT

We're excited to announce the recipients of the 2022 SAJA scholarships! We're proud every year to provide people with financial support to pay for a journalism education. Congratulations to all of these individuals. We are excited for their futures!

2022 Recipients

Saugat Bolakhe

I am an aspiring life science and environment journalist from Nepal and a science journalism student at the City University of New York.

Mehar Gujral

Mehar Gujral is a graduate student at New York University and documentary filmmaker making home in this world.

Prachi Vashisht

Prachi Vashisht is currently pursuing her master's in Digital Media Studies, studying India's misinformation and disinformation crises. She previously worked with NPR's KEDT as a reporting intern.

Pooja Sarkar

Pooja Sarkar has been a financial writer for over a decade, writing on private equity and Indian Economy. Her aim is to simplify complex financial jargons for her readers. She is studying at Columbia University.

Nazmul Ahasan

Nazmul Ahasan (he/him) is a Bangladeshi journalist in the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley and a graduate student at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Juhi Doshi

Juhi Doshi is an incoming junior at Chapman University studying Broadcast Journalism and Documentary and minoring in Political Science, and is currently interning for CBS Evening News with Norah O’ Donnell in Los Angeles.

Nikita Vashisth

Nikita is a current student at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Previously, she’s worked with various organizations as a data journalist and later as an editor.

2022 SAJA Awards

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 00:39:08 GMT

SAJA is excited to once again recognize and award some of the great journalism produced last year! Many of our awards focus on reporting about South Asia or the South Asian diaspora. Other awards recognize the tremendous work produced by journalists of South Asian backgrounds. Together, these awards help further our mission of supporting newsroom diversity and promoting better coverage of issues related to South Asia worldwide.

See below for details on this year's SAJA awards! Questions? Email president@saja.org.

Make your submissions here.

Deadline (new!): September 22, 2022 at 11:59 p.m.

Eligibility Criteria

The submitted piece(s) of work must have:

Appeared in a U.S. or Canadian news outlet between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. Work published in a media outlet based in South Asia is NOT eligible for entry.
Most awards require the submissions to be focused on subjects about one or more than one South Asian countries or the South Asian worldwide diaspora. Read the descriptions carefully. Two awards recognize broader work produced by journalists and student journalists of South Asian backgrounds.
Branded content is not eligible for an award -- submissions must be examples of independent journalism.

Other criteria:

Awards are open to all US and Canadian media: national newspapers/TV channels, local/regional newspapers/TV channels, news and features websites, and other online platforms that DO NOT include personal or professional blogs.
Freelancers and journalists employed by newsrooms are both eligible to apply by submitting a story published in a North American publication.
Individuals may submit entries or organizations may enter the contest on behalf of their journalists.
Organizations and individuals can make multiple entries. BUT the same entry/story cannot be submitted in different categories.
Former SAJA board members are eligible to apply but they must not have served on the board since the past two years (2020).
The countries that we consider as part of "South Asia" are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan and Afghanistan.
No award will be presented in any category that does not receive a minimum of 3 quality submissions.

Fee

SAJA levies a non-refundable application fee to help cover some of the costs of the awards process. The fee is $75 per entry for companies who are making submissions on behalf of employees, $25 per entry for individual journalists submitting on behalf of themselves and $15 per entry for students.

Judging

SAJA will select a pool of volunteer judges for each award, who will rate each submission on a number of factors including:

News Value: insight, informative qualities and durability.
Originality and/or Exclusivity: enterprise and discovery.
Reportorial Quality: thoroughness and balance.
Writing and Production Quality (where applicable): clarity in dealing with description, concepts, findings and complex issues.

Awards Categories

SAJA this year is recognizing journalism in a number of different categories: business, arts and culture, health, opinion and commentary and photography. Here is a full list:

1. The Daniel Pearl Award for outstanding reporting about South Asia

Established in honor of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was killed while reporting in Pakistan, this award recognizes outstanding investigative reporting that exhibits courage under difficult circumstances and exposes important public issues. See, for example, a previous Daniel Pearl award winning story about Kashmir during the recent military takeover by Modi’s government for the GroundTruth Project.

All media formats are allowed. The reporting can be a single piece or a series on a specific topic. Please be considerate of the volunteer judges' time when submitting large entries.

2. Outstanding business story about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asian diaspora

This award recognizes outstanding news, feature or explanatory reporting in business, technology and economics.

The story should not be an opinion piece. All media formats are allowed, though video or audio submissions must not be longer than 30 minutes. The reporting can be a single piece or a series on a specific topic.

3. Outstanding arts, culture, and lifestyle reporting about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asian diaspora

This award recognizes outstanding reporting about arts, culture or lifestyle.

4. Outstanding health reporting about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asian diaspora

This award recognizes outstanding reporting about health, science, public health and the coronavirus pandemic.

5. Outstanding commentary, editorial, opinion piece or personal essay about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora

This award recognizes outstanding creative writing, use of language, quality of articulation and coherence that covers news, sports, business, entertainment or any other aspect relating to South Asia or South Asians.

All media formats are allowed, though video or audio submissions must not be longer than 30 minutes. Books are ineligible for this awards. The reporting can be a single piece or a series on a specific topic.

6. Outstanding photography about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asian diaspora

This award recognizes outstanding feature or breaking news photography in black and white or color in newspapers, magazines or digital publications.

This category can be a single photo, or a photo series.

CATEGORIES FOR SOUTH ASIAN JOURNALISTS WORKING IN NORTH AMERICA

7. Outstanding story on any subject

This award recognizes outstanding reporting on any subject.

CATEGORY FOR SOUTH ASIAN STUDENTS IN U.S.A OR CANADA

8. Outstanding story on any subject by a South Asian student in the US or Canada

This award recognizes outstanding reporting on any subject by a South Asian student studying in North America. Reporting can be in any field or medium, and can include reported opinion pieces or essays.

This category is for students of South Asian origin studying in North America. All media formats are allowed, though video or audio submissions must not be longer than 30 minutes. The reporting can be a single piece or a series on a specific topic.

Masuma Ahuja's new book, "Girlhood"

John Laxmi — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 20:25:56 GMT

On March 8, SAJA Board Member Masuma Ahuja spoke with member and freelancer Lakshmi Gandhi about her new book Girlhood: Teens Around The World In Their Own Voices, what it was like working girls from around the world, and the ins and outs of writing a book as a journalist.

Click here to watch the program

Misinformation and the Coronavirus

Mihir Zaveri — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 20:54:16 GMT

Watch the full event here.

SAJA Journalists' Briefing on Farmers' Protests in India

John Laxmi — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 20:21:19 GMT

Watch here: SAJA Journalists' Briefing

Allyship : How Journalists and Journalism Groups Can Work Together

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 22:00:00 GMT

#SAJA2020

Watch this talk HERE

AAJA & SAJA Issue Guidance on Coverage of VP Nominee Sen. Kamala Harris and Her Racial Identity

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 04:00:00 GMT

AAJA & SAJA Issue Guidance on Coverage of

VP Nominee Sen. Kamala Harris and Her Racial Identity

August 19, 2020

The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) urge contextualized and comprehensive news coverage around the racial identity of Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris.

The proper way of characterizing someone’s racial or ethnic background, particularly when that background is of national interest, is a complex matter of identity and culture. The question has emerged again with the selection of Harris.

AAJA and SAJA urge newsrooms to be mindful in their language of Harris’ multifaceted racial identity and the ways she has described her own upbringing and background.

Her mother was from India and her father was from Jamaica. Harris was born in California.
In her 2019 memoir, “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,” Harris wrote that she identified as Black while growing up: “My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters. She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women.”
Harris has also publicly embraced her Indian descent, identified as an Indian American, and described herself as being of South Asian descent. In her Senate bio, she also describes herself as “South Asian-American”, a less common term.
“Asian American” is an accurate and encompassing term to describe Harris, as it applies to those from the continent of Asia, including the subcontinent of India.
Harris is the first woman of color nominated for a presidential ticket by a major party. That includes being the first Black woman, first Asian American woman, first South Asian American woman and first Indian American woman to be nominated for a presidential ticket by a major party. She is the fourth woman in U.S. history to be a nominee for the presidential ticket of a major party.

We advise news organizations to consider the point of the story as well as the target audience when writing headlines and articles about the groundbreaking nature of Harris’ candidacy.

Over the coming weeks, AAJA and SAJA will work to provide more guidance and conversation on this subject. In the meantime, here is some background reading to help inform the reporting and writing about her:

The Other Kamala: Kamala Harris and the History of South Asian America, South Asian American Digital Archive

Kamala Harris’s 2009 interview with Aziz Haniffa and her 2018 speech at Pratham New York Gala

-- South Asian Journalists Association and Asian American Journalists Association

Contacts:

Mihir Zaveri, President

South Asian Journalists Association

president@saja.org

Michelle Ye Hee Lee, President

Asian American Journalists Association

michellel@aaja.org

DONATE TO SAJA

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP

SUCCEEDING IN A NEWSROOM AS A MARGINALIZED PERSON

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 22:00:00 GMT

Watch this talk HERE.

JOURNALISTS & MENTAL HEALTH

Tue, 12 May 2020 23:00:00 GMT

Georgetown's journalism program called this a "terrific event and a thread to read through". WATCH journalist Aneri Pattani and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Sumi Raghavan discuss mental health issues for journalists and tools to help navigate the uncertainty of this period. You may also READ the twitter thread.

STUDENTS & EARLY CAREER JOURNALISTS

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 23:00:00 GMT

VIRTUAL BOOK TALK WITH SOPAN DEB

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 23:00:00 GMT

WATCH THIS TALK HERE

SAJA Virtual Happy Hour

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 22:30:00 GMT

We had a great time speaking with our members and friends at our last happy hour. We hope it was as valuable for you as it was for us. We're going to have many more of these in the coming months. So, stay tuned, subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on facebook and twitter to find out more about SAJA's programs and events through this quarantine period.

STAY SAFE!

#SAJA25

Sun, 18 Aug 2019 01:15:00 GMT

South Asian Journalists Association will be hosting its 25th anniversary gala on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at the grand ballroom of WeWork, Bryant Park. We're celebrating 25 years of SAJA and the ever growing and ever achieving world of journalism relating to South Asians and South Asian. We will be honoring journalists with awards in 8 categories. There will be wine, food, shop talk, nostalgia and a whole lot of great people to meet - basically, every reason you should be there.

SAJA invites you to join in celebrating 25 wonderful years of the South Asian journalists' community.

REGISTER HERE

KEYNOTE PANEL

WRITING ON ETHNICITIES, STATE AND CITIZENSHIP IN OUR TIMES

Amitava Kumar is the author of several works of nonfiction and two novels. Kumar’s most recent novel is Immigrant, Montana, included in the list of most “notable books of the year” at the New York Times and also the “best books of the year” at The New Yorker. (Former President Barack Obama also named Immigrant, Montana among his favorite books of the year.) In Spring 2020, Duke University Press will publish Kumar’s book on writing and style, Every Day I Write the Book. In 2016, Kumar was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for nonfiction and also a Ford Fellowship from US Artists. His writing has been published in Granta, Harper’s, The New Yorker, the Guardian, Brick, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times. Kumar has been awarded residencies at Yaddo, MacDowell Colony, the Lannan Foundation, the Norman Mailer Writing Colony, and the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center in Italy. He is the Helen D. Lockwood Professor of English at Vassar College.
@amitavakumar

Mira Jacob is the author and illustrator of Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations. Her critically acclaimed novel, The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing, was a Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers pick, shortlisted for India’s Tata First Literature Award, and longlisted for the Brooklyn Literary Eagles Prize. It was named one of the best books of 2014 by Kirkus Reviews, the Boston Globe, Goodreads, Bustle, and The Millions. Her writing and drawings have appeared in The New York Times, Electric Literature, Tin House, Literary Hub, Guernica, Vogue, the Telegraph, and Buzzfeed, and she has a drawn column on Shondaland. She currently teaches at The New School, and she is a founding faculty member of the MFA Program at Randolph College.
@mirajacob

Dr. Neeraj Kaushal is an economist and journalist by training, and an expert on comparative immigration policy and the author of a new book on this topic, Blaming Immigrants. She is professor of Social Policy and chair of the doctoral program at Columbia School of Social Work. In Blaming Immigrants: Nationalism and the Economics of Global Movement she investigates the core causes of rising disaffection towards immigrants globally and tests common complaints against immigration. She has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters on immigrants and other vulnerable populations. She writes a monthly column in the Economic Times, India’s largest financial daily.

Suketu Mehta is the New York-based author of This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto (2019) and Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found (2005), which won the Kiriyama Prize and the Hutch Crossword Award, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the Lettre Ulysses Prize, the BBC4 Samuel Johnson Prize, and the Guardian First Book Award. He has won the O. Henry Prize, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for his fiction, a Whiting Award in Fiction and Nonfiction, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He has also written original screenplays for films, including New York, I Love You (2008) and Mission Kashmir (2000). His work has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Granta, Harper’s, Time, and Newsweek, and has been featured on NPR’s Fresh Air and All Things Considered. He is an Associate Professor of Journalism at New York University.
@suketumehta

EVENT PROGRAM

6-7 PM
Registration & Cocktail Hour

7 PM
SAJA Over The Years : A panel of SAJA board members promise to everyone down the memory lane.
Panelists: Sree Sreenivasan, Anusha Shrivastava, Vikas Bajaj, Sharaf Mowjood, Jyoti Thottam.
Moderator: Prerana Thakurdesai

7.45 PM
SAJA Journalism Awards presentation

8.10 PM
Keynote Panel: Writing on Ethnicities, State & Citizenship in our times with Amitava Kumar & Suketu Mehta

9PM
Networking Hour

Fireside Chat With Fast Company Editor-In-Chief, Stephanie Mehta

Thu, 28 Feb 2019 22:00:00 GMT

Join SAJA for an exclusive fireside chat with Fast Company Editor-In-Chief Stephanie Mehta.

Come learn tricks, tips and get the right tools from one of the nation's top digital news directors and network with your peers.

Moderated by,

SAJA's Sameepa Shetty

Date: Feb 28th, 2019

Time: 5-6 PM

Limited seating available.

SAJA DC Mixer

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:00:00 GMT

Let's get together, catch up and talk about what SAJA has in store this year! Non-SAJA members welcome, and the event is FREE!

Venue
Green Zone
2226 18th Street Northwest
Washington DC

Blog Talk Radio Session: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas' wedding and The Cut's cut

Sat, 08 Dec 2018 16:31:46 GMT

The most talked-about wedding since the Royals, Priyanka Chopra and NickJonas' recent nuptials dominated headlines, Tweets and generated several think pieces - but none more controversial than Mariah Smith's take in The Cut. Published this week, the backlash was enough for the online publication to remove the entire article from their website. What's left is a note from The Cut's editor.

Join Shefali S. Kulkarni of the Washington Post and former SAJA Vice President, in a conversation with journalists and writers about why Priyanka and Nick's wedding was covered in such a controversial spotlight.
Guests include:

Aseem Chabra, author of Priyanka Chopra: The Incredible Story of a Global Bollywood Star
Mallika Rao, a contributor to The Atlantic
Elizabeth Segran Ph.D., senior staff writer at Fast Company
Aarti Virani, former SAJA VP, arts and culture writer and contributing editor to Vogue India
Bring your questions and join us!

Note: SAJA invited The Cut to join us in a discussion about Smith's piece, but we did not hear back from the publication's editor-in-chief.

Blog Talk Radio Session: Post US Election 2016

Shefali Kulkarni — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 03:59:48 GMT

SAJA Vice President Shefali S. Kulkarni of BBC News spoke with journalists and experts in a conversation about the US elections what its aftermath means for the US and South Asian Americans.

Guests include:

Sayu Bhojwani, founder of New American Leaders Project, which works to elect first- and second-gen candidates for office (follow her @SayuBhojwani).
Manu Raju, Senior Political Reporter for CNN who has been covering the US Election this year (follow him @mkraju).
Arun Venugopal, Reporter of United States of Anxiety, WNYC election podcast (follow him @arunNYC).
Congressman-elect Raja Krishnamoorthi who just won the 8th Congressional District race in Illinois (follow him @RajaForCongress).

SAJA Announces 2015 Executive Board and multi-year grant from Dow Jones Foundation

Sat, 07 Feb 2015 19:07:03 GMT

SAJA Announces 2015 Executive Board and multi-year grant from Dow Jones Foundation; South Asian Journalists Association marks its 21st year as a major organization, bringing together 1,000+ journalists in the US and Canada

Feb 5, 2015, New York, NY -- The board of directors of SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association (@sajahq), appointed a new executive committee at its first meeting of the year in January.

Sharaf Mowjood (@Mowjood), an associate producer at NBC’s Special Reports With Brian Williams, was re-elected as president. Aarti Virani (@aartivirani), a freelance arts and culture writer and contributing editor at Vogue India, was elected as vice president. A new addition to SAJA, Trisha Sakhuja (@Tsakhuja13), content manager at India.com and managing editor at Brown Girl Magazine, was elected as secretary. Veteran SAJA member and Connecticut-based freelance writer, John Laxmi (@johnlaxmi), was re-elected as treasurer. And Divya Singaravelu (@divya_158), who was a student coordinator for SAJA at Columbia University and currently serves as a digital transformation consultant at Sapient Global Markets, was elected as officer-at-large.

Other board members include: Shefali Kulkarni (@shefalikulkarni), digital producer at Public Radio International; Sovy Azhath (@SovyProducer), producer and writer at CNN Headline News; Anup Kaphle (@AnupKaphle), digital foreign editor at The Washington Post; Mythili Rao (@MythiliRao), producer at WNYC; Kamini Ramdeen (@KaminiRamdeen), content editor at Zee TV USA and editor at Brown Girl Magazine and SAJA co-founder and chief digital officer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sree Sreenivasan (@sree).

“We are thrilled to welcome new board members who are already bringing in fresh ideas and programming for SAJA,” said Mowjood. “These are exciting times for our organization.”

“As SAJA looks towards the next twenty years, we’re eager to contribute to all our members’ journalism journeys in increasingly meaningful, tangible and effective ways,” said Virani.

SAJA will continue its mission of awarding journalism scholarships to students of South Asian descent or those interested in the diaspora and build upon its other fellowship and internship programs.

Additionally, SAJA is also delighted to announce it has won a three-year grant from the Dow Jones Foundation to help SAJA’s membership and donor base. For the next three years, the Foundation, which is funded largely by Dow Jones, a News Corp. company (@DJNF), will provide SAJA with a base grant, as well as a significant conditional grant that is tied to SAJA demonstrating its ability to broaden its base of supporters.

“SAJA has been instrumental in expanding the diverse pool of journalism talent in the US and we are glad to help them in this pioneering effort to broaden their membership and deepen their base of supporters,” said Raju Narisetti (@raju), a Foundation director. Narisetti is also a life member of SAJA and currently Senior Vice President, Strategy, at News Corp.

“Developing a sustainable, diversified and long-term donor base has been a long-term goal of SAJA and we are grateful for this grant in continuing that process,” said Laxmi.

SAJA’s "Dollar-a-Day" campaign, already launched, has made a great start in cultivating a varied donor base. If you would like to participate in our “Dollar-a-Day” campaign or make a donation of any amount, please go to http://www.saja.org/donate.

To learn more about SAJA scholarships and other funding opportunities visit: http://www.saja.org/scholarships. The new 2015 national board voted on approving up to $50,000 in scholarships and internship funds for its student members. These funds aim to fuel young South Asian journalists and students propel their media careers.

Candidates for the 2015-2016 SAJA Board

Jigar Mehta — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 02:49:02 GMT

SAJA members are now invited to vote online to fill seven open positions on the board. Candidate statements are below.

Voting will be open until 3pm on Friday December 12th.

Note: You must be lifetime or full member of SAJA member to vote. By voting online, you are submitting a proxy ballot. In person voting will occur at the annual members meeting December 12th in NYC.

Candidates for SAJA Board 2015-2016:

====================================================================================

SOPAN DEB

My name is Sopan Deb and it would be my honor to be considered to serve on the SAJA board. I believe my versatility and experience in multiple newsrooms across many different platforms would be an asset to SAJA. I have many ideas for events, including camera workshops and panel discussions. With my experience at the Boston Globe, NBC, Al Jazeera America, Major League Baseball and, now, CBS News, I have been able to report on stories all over the country. This has given me a real perspective on the challenges facing newsrooms today and I would love to be able to help other journalists tell the stories that need to be told. I am also passionate about shedding more light on the great work of South Asian journalists across the country. I would like to organize more SAJA-sponsored networking events in New York City, as well as panel discussions that challenge the audience as well as the speakers. On top of that, I would like to organize workshops with the best journalists in a given field. These could include working with cameras, social media, long form writing workshops and blogging effectively. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. I look forward to continuing to be an active member of SAJA and helping the organization grow even larger.

====================================================================================

SHEFALI S. KULKARNI

I joined SAJA in 2003 as a graduating high school senior embarking on a career in journalism. Since then, I’ve worked at a variety of media outlets from The Village Voice to my current position atPublic Radio International's The World. I've covered a variety of beats and stories from health care to Portland's fashion week. And my participation in SAJA is an integral part of myjournalisticpath. Today, I have two years under my belt as a board member of SAJA, and the organization's secretary. During my time on SAJA's board, I increased its social media presence, judged fellowship and scholarship applications, coordinated the 2013 and 2014 convention and awards ceremonies. I hosted happy hours and newsroom tours in Washington DC, along with the daily but vital tasks that come with being the organizations' secretary. Being a board member of SAJA was alotof hard work that required patience and focus. And if re-elected, I work towards improving SAJA and its journalism endeavors. I plan to focus on two crucial areas of our organization: First, I’ll revamp SAJAForum.org- a great platform to which SAJA has wide reach for all its members. Secondly, I’ll increase SAJA membership and activities - outside of New York. While New York is SAJA's home, our membership’s geographic diversity is an asset we need to recognize. SAJA is a small but powerful and thriving organization. I look forward to taking part in its continued growth and development.

====================================================================================

SHARAF MOWJOOD

I’m an Associate Producer at NBC's Special reports with Brian Williams. I am grateful for this opportunity to ask for your support in seeking another term as a SAJA Board member. I started with SAJA as a volunteer, joined the board in 2010 and was the 2014 SAJA President. Over the last 4 years I have helped raise over $45,000 in scholarship funds for SAJA, including bringing new donors. This past year alone the SAJA distributed $60,000 in scholarships, organized meet-and-greets in various newsrooms, held the organization’s first ifthar (with all the proceeds going to the scholarship fund), and celebrated our 20th Anniversary with a sold-out convention and awards program. I'm proud to say that all of these events were covered financially by supporters which enabled more funds to directly benefit scholarship recipients. But I am not asking you to support me for what I have done, but for what I want to continue to bring to SAJA. As new generations of South Asian journalists enter the industry, with different goals, and aspirations, SAJA is poised to grow and mature as an organization, to fill these needs as a new generation of journalists enter the fold. With my next term on the board, I hope to establish more paid fellowships at established journalism networks, program and opportunities for mid-career journalists and stream-lining the next phase of SAJA's veteran financial members with a board of directors and trust fund. It’s my commitment to help SAJA empower others as SAJA has empowered me.

====================================================================================

KAMINI RAMDEEN

Learning about the art of journalistic thought and writing did not come for me in the form of a lecture hall and a well spoken professor, it came from direct experiences outside of what I originally went to school for. I began my career in journalism shortly after college when I started writing for Brown Girl Magazine. I had the opportunity to do something I was inwardly and outwardly passionate about, writing, but I had to learn the formal processes of writing by getting out of my comfort zone and entering the field. My experiences have taken me from writing stories to editing stories and from photo editing to graphic design, which are skills I use frequently for U.S. India.com and Brown Girl Magazine. Getting involved with the South Asian diaspora, interviewing indie musicians, filmmakers, business men/women and community changers has greatly changed my perspective on the world around me and creates the innate inner urge to not only be apart of the community, but to help evolve, change and modernize the communities that we find ourselves apart of. SAJA has a large hand in being able to help fellow journalists change the world around us, and I gladly and eagerly put in my application to become apart of the change by applying for a position on the SAJA board, where I hope to help support the organization and create more opportunities for South Asian students and professionals to indulge in their passions.

====================================================================================

AARTI VIRANI

I'm an arts and culture writer who contributes to outlets including Vogue India, The Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure, and NBC's Asian America vertical, among others. On any given day, I could be interviewing a rising Indian-American movie star or researching the digitization of arranged marriage. Come January, I'll support Professors Ari Goldman and Yogi Trivedi in teaching a course on covering Indian religions at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. As my work reflects, I'm passionate about the intersection of South Asia and journalism. During my two years on the SAJA Board, I've immersed myself in everything from securing scholarship sponsors and partnering with an enterprising journalism startup for a memorable portfolio review to serving on the leadership team for 2013's Yale Club Gala. This year, alongside co-chairs Mythili Rao and Shefali Kulkarni, I worked to bring you a sold-out 2014 National Convention that addressed subjects like newsroom diversity and unlikely paths to journalism. SAJA now feels like an extension of myself and its members a thriving community of friends and mentors. If re-elected, I look forward to continue to be an advocate for fellow freelancers. I'm also making a commitment to engage with members to see how we can make SAJA work for you: what are we missing and how can we contribute to your journalism journeys more effectively? As our organization looks towards the next twenty years, these are crucial questions to answer and I would be honored to approach them with you.

====================================================================================

TRISHA SAKHUJA

Coming from a non-traditional journalism background, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I first started writing for a local newspaper. Sure, I knew the basics about reporting and writing catchy ledes, but I was clueless about journalism in the real world. I joined a staff of five - four reporters and one editor – thinking I would quit in time to start law school. Soon enough, I was asked to cover community board meetings, attend protests, watch kids perform at their school plays and listen to politicians defend the government over and over again, but no matter how hard or easy the story was, I was required to submit my piece in time for deadline. Story after story, I realized my words meant a lot to the people of Western Queens. They waited for their weekly paper because we told them local stories they deeply cared about. And just like that, journalism became more than a pass-time job, it became a passion. In addition to news reporting, I manage a staff of 30 freelance writers at BrownGirlMagazine.com and 25 freelance writers at India.com. I understand the ins-and-outs about running an efficient team that delivers and impacts change. My attention to detail, management skills, respect for journalism and new-age media, and SAJA’s mission, make me a strong candidate for an open board position for the year term of 2014-15.

====================================================================================

SREE SREENIVASAN

I am honored to run once again for the SAJA Board. One of my proudest titles is co-founder of SAJA and I am excited to spend another two years working on behalf of our members. After 21 years at Columbia Journalism School, I've spent the past 1.5 years working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and seeing a whole different side of our industry. I run my 70-person digital media team like a newsroom and emphasize the importance of storytelling in everything we do. But I also appreciate the role journalists play in helping society understand complex and important stories like art, culture and more. I would like to spend my next two SAJA years working on the following: training opportunities for journalists via workshops, webinars, etc; an expanded series of webcasts that builds on the success of our 200+ shows that got more than 2m listens already; helping journalists understand the changing media landscape so they can continue to thrive in it. Thank you for the opportunity to serve for the 21st year in a row.

====================================================================================

DIVYA SINGARAVELU

Having begun my journey in broadcast in 2004, my journalism career has since come a long way and in the process assumed the roles of reporter, anchor, film critic, business strategist and more recently, that of a digital transformation consultant. Being a recent graduate of the Columbia Journalism School, I cherished my experience as a student coordinator for SAJA@CU. I organized newsroom visits, guest lectures and panel discussions. Also, as my role as Treasurer of the Society of Professional Journalists at Columbia University, I was responsible for managing budgets and leading the largest fundraising campaign: J-School branded clothing and SPJ designs. My experience as a member of the advisory board of Newspoint TV (one of India's leading global, 24-hour news network) and my role as Sponsorship Director for the Chicago South Asian Arts Council (a Chicago based non-profit that promotes cinema, arts and culture) have honed by media management skills, allowing me to be creative yet pragmatic and financially shrewd. As a member of the SAJA Executive Board, I wish to contribute by linking and leveraging my prior experiences and my global journalism network. Strategy and fund-raising have been my strongest capabilities; I envision applying these skills would facilitate effective networking and career coaching for SAJA members as well as providing effective branding and outreach for the SAJA brand. I would also like to contribute towards mentoring journalists on incorporating technology for reporting compelling stories.

SAJA's first iftar

Sharaf Mowjood — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 05:03:49 GMT

View the story "South Asian Journalists Association's First iftar" on Storify

SAJA is accepting entries for the 2014 SAJA Journalism Awards

Anup Kaphle — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 02:02:59 GMT

The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) is accepting entries for the 2014 SAJA Journalism Awards in 11 separate categories, including the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting, for stories on South Asia and/or the South Asian diaspora.

The deadline for entering the awards is June 30, 2014.

The winners will be announced at SAJA's 20th Annual Awards Gala in November in New York City.

There is a $50 entry fees for each category (student category is free), which requires your name, title of your entry, and full permanent URL of your work. Please read the instructions for each award category and to apply, click on the categories.

If you have any questions, email SAJA Awards Chair Anup Kaphle at awards@saja.org

Full information on the categories and how to apply is available here: http://saja.org/awards

ELECTION: SAJA announces newly elected board for 2014-2015‏

Sun, 08 Dec 2013 23:30:20 GMT

Congratulations to the re-elected and newly elected board members of SAJA
New York -- The South Asian Journalists Association members re-elected three incumbents and added one new member to the board for next year, in the annual election where six candidates ran for four open seats.

Those elected at the annual meeting on December 5th were Sovy Azhath, Anup Kaphle, John Laxmi and Mythili Rao.

Azhath, the current president of SAJA, is a producer/writer with CNN/HLN in New York. Kaphle is the Digital Foreign Editor of The Washington Post. Laxmi, who is the treasurer of SAJA, is a Freelancer.

Rao is a producer with WNYC's The Takeaway show in New York.

They join current board members, Sharaf Mowjood, Shefali S. Kulkarni, Amita Parashar Kelly, Raakhee Mirchandani Singh, Aarti Virani, Jigar Mehta, and Sree Sreenivasan, who is the co-founder of SAJA.

Leaving the board after six years of serving SAJA, is Anusha Srivastava, the Assistant Director of Career Services at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

The board will hold its first meeting in February, when it will elect officers for SAJA's executive committee made up of SAJA's president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and an at-large officer.

Get Involved!
The new board hopes you will get involved in SAJA activities in the new year. As always, please send ideas, tips, suggestions to saja@saja.org

SAJA@20 Conference!
Mark your calendars for August 1st and 2nd, 2014. On SAJA's 20th Anniversary we will be hosting a big conference at Columbia University in New York City! Not one to miss!

Donate!
We are in the midst of a Scholarship Challenge to raise money for scholarships, mentor-ship programs, educational endeavors, and career building activities for budding journalists. An anonymous donor is willing to match dollar for dollar all the funds that are donated to SAJA, up to $25,000. Please consider donating today: http://saja.org/donate

Stay Connected!
Please feel free to reach out to our Board Members here: http://saja.org/board
Twitter: SAJA Board: www.twitter.com/sajahq/lists/saja-2013-board
Facebook: www.facebook.com/South.Asian.Journalists.Association
And our Facebook Page for Student Members: www.facebook.com/SAJAStudents

DECEMBER 5th: SAJA Annual Members Meeting, Elections and Holiday Party!‏

Tue, 03 Dec 2013 05:57:49 GMT

SAJA Annual Member Meeting (December 5, 2013) and Elections

WHERE: Junoon Restaurant, 27 W 24th St, New York, NY 10010

TIME: 6:30 P.M.

All SAJA 'Full members' are invited and entitled to attend the annual members meeting, and to vote at the election of the board members to be held at the meeting. This is the 2013 Annual Financial Report and the 2013 Annual Membership Report, made available to all 'Full' members of SAJA.

This is your chance to hear from the board members of SAJA and to share your thoughts and ideas on how to improve our growing journalism organization.

Please invite friends and family too, because right after our annual members meeting, we are hosting our annual Holiday Party!

SAJA Washington, D.C. Holiday Party

WHERE: La Tasca Restaurant, 722 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

TIME: 6:30 P.M.

For those SAJA members in the D.C. area, we invite you to attend our annual Holiday Party on December 5th, 2013 at La Tasca in Chinatown with special guest food writer Monica Bhide.

SAJA Board Election
SAJA 'Full' members still have time to vote online to fill FOUR open positions on the SAJA board. Candidate statements are below and available on www.saja.org.

Voting will be open until: DECEMBER 5th, 2013, 3:00 P.M. (eastern standard time)

**Note: You must be a SAJA member to vote. By voting online, you are submitting a proxy ballot. In person voting will occur at the annual members meeting December 5 in NYC. Click here to become a SAJA member.**

Candidates for SAJA Board 2014-2015

SOVY AZHATH

I’m Sovy Azhath and I'm a CNN HLN Producer/Writer. I’m asking for your vote once again as I’m looking to serve my third term on the board. Throughout my four years on the SAJA board, I felt like I matured from a freshman to a senior. I moved up the ladder year by year on the board: 2010 as events coordinator; 2011 as Secretary & Job Fair Coordinator; 2012 as VP; to finally this year as SAJA’s President.

My passion for SAJA is to get more of our members connected to the major media companies and help their job growth. Our exclusive behind the scenes newsroom tours that I’ve hosted as caught a lot of buzz and popularity. We’ve got the chance to visit major stations like CNN, CBS News, and ABC News to name a few. If re-elected, I would like to continue to host more of these newsroom tours and even add more companies to the mix.

I’ve also hosted numerous SAJA events (mixers, panels, workshops, mentoring sessions) not only at our hub in NYC but also in Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. With your vote, I would like to continue to host/coordinate more of these events in other cities to help brand the SAJA mission.

I’m proud to represent SAJA in the public eye to journalists and non-journalists alike. Last year, I had the esteem pleasure to serve as a SAJA reporter at the United Nations. There I had an exclusive one-on-one interview with Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai about her message as the UN AIDS spokesperson on the impact of the AIDS relief effort in India.

This year, the gala committee and I helped made the awards gala one of the best in SAJA's history. We had a star-studded lineup: Emmy Award winning journalist Soledad O’Brien, ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi, and even Miss America Nina Davuluri made a special appearance. I’m looking forward to continue this momentum and buzz for next year’s 20th anniversary planning.

I hope you can elect me to the board again so I can continue to serve you – the members.

ANUP KAPHLE

My name is Anup Kaphle and I would like to run for the SAJA board for the 2014-15 term.
I joined SAJA as a student volunteer in 2006, blogging during the annual convention for SAJAForum. Through the years, I won a SAJA scholarship, then a SAJA Reporting Fellowship, and then came back as a panelist during one of the conventions to talk about reporting on conflicts. I have enjoyed my last two years on the SAJA board, helping run some of our programs that are key to the success of SAJA.

I will hope to work on two key things, should I get elected to the board again. First, I plan to focus on revamping our reporting fellowship program, making it available for applicants throughout the year, by working with other board members and changing the current application entry system. I would like to reach out to news organizations and help increase the pool of applicants for the fellowship, allowing us to fund projects that have an impact. Second, I will streamline the SAJA Awards process, developing a new system for journalists to enter for the competition, increasing pool of quality applicants by opening for entries earlier and working with judges at several levels, and highlighting the winners' work through a multimedia presentation at the awards dinner.

Separately, I would like to continue to be a resource for students members of SAJA and help engage and organize programs for our members in Washington, D.C. next year.

SAJA has given a lot to me and I would love the opportunity to give back by helping make some of SAJA key programs successful next year.

JOHN LAXMI

Dear members:

Please vote for me as one of your representatives on SAJA’s board. I have served on the board of SAJA since 2001, initially as secretary and later as treasurer. I believe that my participation in the board will assure SAJA of valuable experience and continuity. In voting for me, you will be endorsing focus, dedication, discipline and compliance.

FOCUS: SAJA has become well-known and provides a wide range of services to members and the broader community. As SAJA’s programs grow, so do demands and pressures on the organization’s capacity and resources, requiring triage, prioritization and focus on the organization’s core mission. I believe I have contributed to sharpening SAJA’s focus on core scholarship, educational and training programs.

DEDICATION: SAJA depends on each of us to devote consistently to its programs. Over the past twelve years, I have had the privilege of participating in SAJA’s activities in many different ways, despite the growing demands on my time from my main business.

DISCIPLINE: While many non-profit and journalism groups have suffered severe financial setbacks in recent years, SAJA’s financial reserves and donor base have steadily grown, with debt remaining at zero. This gives SAJA a strong outlook for maintaining its educational and outreach programs. As treasurer, I believe I have contributed to SAJA’s financial stability and discipline.

COMPLIANCE: For nearly a decade, SAJA has entrusted to me important record-keeping and reporting obligations to members and governmental authorities. These responsibilities have been fulfilled consistently and accurately.

Working with you, volunteers and other board members, I will continue to help in fundraising, membership drives, general governance and financial management. I will be a champion of quality, excellence and controlled growth. If you have any questions, please contact me at johnlaxmisaja@gmail.com. Thanks.
RENEE LOBO

As a Broadcast Journalist for over 20 years, I have been the voice of South Asians in the tri state area and have highlighted topics and issues that have been pertinent to their interests, including politics, healthcare, safety & communal harmony, domestic violence and racial profiling. My signature show- Renee Report has showcased diverse interviews: from the unsung heroes that have enriched our lives to renowned musicians, artists, philosophers, authors, doctors, entrepreneurs to the crowd stopping celebrities of Bollywood. Through the years I have fostered and built positive working relationships with media partners, community leaders, community and civic organizations and politicians and have received many awards from appreciative immigrant and social justice partners.

I hold an undergraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism form SUNY, Old Westbury, Long Island and a graduate degree in Political Management from the George Washington University. My mission is to expand women’s voices and frame new dialogues on critical political, cultural and economic developments in our communities. I feel with our collaborative efforts and synergy, we can discover new areas of growth and innovation that will take SAJA to the next level in the coming years.
HEMA PARMAR

I first heard about SAJA several years ago as an undergraduate student. Through it, I attended the annual convention in New York, expanded my industry network and was given a mentor as part of SAJA’s mentorship program. SAJA fueled my inspiration to be a journalist. In the years that followed I would attend speaker events and meet other young reporters. I became aware of the large SAJA community that extends across North America. My mentor kept encouraging me to apply to Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. When the time was right I did. I was thrilled to have been accepted.

I’d love to now give back to SAJA: to help organize events, engage with the community, spur new ideas and share my enthusiasm with the team. I’ve gathered several years of industry experience under my belt – from covering energy policy on Capitol Hill to producing television in Western Canada. I now work for Bloomberg TV in New York City.

I would be honored to serve SAJA as one of its board members.

MYTHILI RAO

As a public radio news producer and book critic, I have SAJA to thank for my career in journalism.

I joined the organization as a grad student. A few days after leaving my resume at CNN's table at the first SAJA career fair I attended, I got a call from CNN's assignment desk. That call lead to a freelance position at CNN, and eventually, to a full-time job.

I now work at WNYC as a producer on The Takeaway, a radio news analysis program produced in coordination with Public Radio International, The New York Times, and WGBH in Boston airing daily on NPR-affiliate stations around the country. I also write book reviews-- most often for The Daily Beast, but also for The New York Times Book Review, Newsweek, Words Without Borders, Publishers Weekly and others.

If elected to the board, I’d challenge myself and fellow board members to find creative new ways to help SAJA foster a spirit of community and professional development for South Asian journalists at all stages of their careers.

SAJA’s skill-building and mentorship sessions, scholarship/grant opportunities, networking events, and cultural programming have long made it a tremendous resource for journalists. As a member of the board, I’d work hard to maintain these strong programs while expanding SAJA’s digital presence and industry-wide profile. In a dynamic field, an organization like ours has to keep growing and changing to stay relevant-- which is exactly what I’d focus on doing if elected.

SAJA has given me a lot. I’m running for a seat on the board because I’d like to give back.

2014-15 Board Election Statements

Jigar Mehta — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 21:40:28 GMT

Click here to vote online

Note: You must be a SAJA member to vote. By voting online, you are submitting a proxy ballot. In person voting will occur at the annual members meeting December 5 in NYC. Click here to become a SAJA member.

Candidates for SAJA Board 2014-2015

SOVY AZHATH

I’m Sovy Azhath and I'm a CNN HLN Producer/Writer. I’m asking for your vote once again as I’m looking to serve my third term on the board. Throughout my four years on the SAJA board, I felt like I matured from a freshman to a senior. I moved up the ladder year by year on the board: 2010 as events coordinator; 2011 as Secretary & Job Fair Coordinator; 2012 as VP; to finally this year as SAJA’s President.

My passion for SAJA is to get more of our members connected to the major media companies and help their job growth. Our exclusive behind the scenes newsroom tours that I’ve hosted as caught a lot of buzz and popularity. We’ve got the chance to visit major stations like CNN, CBS News, and ABC News to name a few. If re-elected, I would like to continue to host more of these newsroom tours and even add more companies to the mix.

I’ve also hosted numerous SAJA events (mixers, panels, workshops, mentoring sessions) not only at our hub in NYC but also in Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. With your vote, I would like to continue to host/coordinate more of these events in other cities to help brand the SAJA mission.

I’m proud to represent SAJA in the public eye to journalists and non-journalists alike. Last year, I had the esteem pleasure to serve as a SAJA reporter at the United Nations. There I had an exclusive one-on-one interview with Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai about her message as the UN AIDS spokesperson on the impact of the AIDS relief effort in India.

This year, the gala committee and I helped made the awards gala one of the best in SAJA's history. We had a star-studded lineup: Emmy Award winning journalist Soledad O’Brien, ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi, and even Miss America Nina Davuluri made a special appearance. I’m looking forward to continue this momentum and buzz for next year’s 20th anniversary planning.

I hope you can elect me to the board again so I can continue to serve you – the members.

ANUP KAPHLE

My name is Anup Kaphle and I would like to run for the SAJA board for the 2014-15 term.

I joined SAJA as a student volunteer in 2006, blogging during the annual convention for SAJAForum. Through the years, I won a SAJA scholarship, then a SAJA Reporting Fellowship, and then came back as a panelist during one of the conventions to talk about reporting on conflicts. I have enjoyed my last two years on the SAJA board, helping run some of our programs that are key to the success of SAJA.

I will hope to work on two key things, should I get elected to the board again. First, I plan to focus on revamping our reporting fellowship program, making it available for applicants throughout the year, by working with other board members and changing the current application entry system. I would like to reach out to news organizations and help increase the pool of applicants for the fellowship, allowing us to fund projects that have an impact. Second, I will streamline the SAJA Awards process, developing a new system for journalists to enter for the competition, increasing pool of quality applicants by opening for entries earlier and working with judges at several levels, and highlighting the winners' work through a multimedia presentation at the awards dinner.

Separately, I would like to continue to be a resource for students members of SAJA and help engage and organize programs for our members in Washington, D.C. next year.

SAJA has given a lot to me and I would love the opportunity to give back by helping make some of SAJA key programs successful next year.

JOHN LAXMI

Dear members:

Please vote for me as one of your representatives on SAJA’s board. I have served on the board of SAJA since 2001, initially as secretary and later as treasurer. I believe that my participation in the board will assure SAJA of valuable experience and continuity. In voting for me, you will be endorsing focus, dedication, discipline and compliance.

FOCUS: SAJA has become well-known and provides a wide range of services to members and the broader community. As SAJA’s programs grow, so do demands and pressures on the organization’s capacity and resources, requiring triage, prioritization and focus on the organization’s core mission. I believe I have contributed to sharpening SAJA’s focus on core scholarship, educational and training programs.

DEDICATION: SAJA depends on each of us to devote consistently to its programs. Over the past twelve years, I have had the privilege of participating in SAJA’s activities in many different ways, despite the growing demands on my time from my main business.

DISCIPLINE: While many non-profit and journalism groups have suffered severe financial setbacks in recent years, SAJA’s financial reserves and donor base have steadily grown, with debt remaining at zero. This gives SAJA a strong outlook for maintaining its educational and outreach programs. As treasurer, I believe I have contributed to SAJA’s financial stability and discipline.

COMPLIANCE: For nearly a decade, SAJA has entrusted to me important record-keeping and reporting obligations to members and governmental authorities. These responsibilities have been fulfilled consistently and accurately.

Working with you, volunteers and other board members, I will continue to help in fundraising, membership drives, general governance and financial management. I will be a champion of quality, excellence and controlled growth. If you have any questions, please contact me at johnlaxmisaja@gmail.com. Thanks.

RENEE LOBO

As a Broadcast Journalist for over 20 years, I have been the voice of South Asians in the tri state area and have highlighted topics and issues that have been pertinent to their interests, including politics, healthcare, safety & communal harmony, domestic violence and racial profiling. My signature show- Renee Report has showcased diverse interviews: from the unsung heroes that have enriched our lives to renowned musicians, artists, philosophers, authors, doctors, entrepreneurs to the crowd stopping celebrities of Bollywood. Through the years I have fostered and built positive working relationships with media partners, community leaders, community and civic organizations and politicians and have received many awards from appreciative immigrant and social justice partners.

I hold an undergraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism form SUNY, Old Westbury, Long Island and a graduate degree in Political Management from the George Washington University. My mission is to expand women’s voices and frame new dialogues on critical political, cultural and economic developments in our communities. I feel with our collaborative efforts and synergy, we can discover new areas of growth and innovation that will take SAJA to the next level in the coming years.

HEMA PARMAR

I first heard about SAJA several years ago as an undergraduate student. Through it, I attended the annual convention in New York, expanded my industry network and was given a mentor as part of SAJA’s mentorship program. SAJA fueled my inspiration to be a journalist. In the years that followed I would attend speaker events and meet other young reporters. I became aware of the large SAJA community that extends across North America. My mentor kept encouraging me to apply to Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. When the time was right I did. I was thrilled to have been accepted.

I’d love to now give back to SAJA: to help organize events, engage with the community, spur new ideas and share my enthusiasm with the team. I’ve gathered several years of industry experience under my belt – from covering energy policy on Capitol Hill to producing television in Western Canada. I now work for Bloomberg TV in New York City.

I would be honored to serve SAJA as one of its board members.

MYTHILI RAO

As a public radio news producer and book critic, I have SAJA to thank for my career in journalism.

I joined the organization as a grad student. A few days after leaving my resume at CNN's table at the first SAJA career fair I attended, I got a call from CNN's assignment desk. That call lead to a freelance position at CNN, and eventually, to a full-time job.

I now work at WNYC as a producer on The Takeaway, a radio news analysis program produced in coordination with Public Radio International, The New York Times, and WGBH in Boston airing daily on NPR-affiliate stations around the country. I also write book reviews-- most often for The Daily Beast, but also for The New York Times Book Review, Newsweek, Words Without Borders, Publishers Weekly and others.

If elected to the board, I’d challenge myself and fellow board members to find creative new ways to help SAJA foster a spirit of community and professional development for South Asian journalists at all stages of their careers.

SAJA’s skill-building and mentorship sessions, scholarship/grant opportunities, networking events, and cultural programming have long made it a tremendous resource for journalists. As a member of the board, I’d work hard to maintain these strong programs while expanding SAJA’s digital presence and industry-wide profile. In a dynamic field, an organization like ours has to keep growing and changing to stay relevant-- which is exactly what I’d focus on doing if elected.

SAJA has given me a lot. I’m running for a seat on the board because I’d like to give back.

RECAP: SAJA Annual Gala & Awards Dinner 2013‏

Thu, 14 Nov 2013 08:20:33 GMT

Thank you to those of you who were able to make it to our annual Gala and Awards dinner last month!

It was a very special night at the Yale Club in New York City, where we honored journalists from around the world for their outstanding commitment to the craft and their abilities to cover the South Asian diaspora.

Our keynote speaker, Soledad O'Brien, gave a humbling speech about her biracial background and how her roots from a multicultural family strengthened her drive in the broadcast profession.

Our emcee for the evening was ESPN's Kevin Negandhi, who kept us laughing and energized throughout the night. He reminded all of the guests at the gala that we were South Asians pursuing our journalism careers, and that's a trait worth celebrating.

Among our talented group of award presenters was Dr. Prabhjot Singh, a professor at Columbia University and a practicing physician in Harlem, who was attacked by a group of young men in September. The N.Y.P.D are classifying Dr. Singh's attack as a hate crime. Last year, Dr. Singh wrote an op-ed in The New York Times about the city's methods for tracking hate crimes. After the attack, Dr. Singh was quick to focus the media attention on the community. At SAJA, he spoke about his hopes to create a neighborhood where young people do not have to turn to violence, or hate-driven acts, and instead, have a healthy understanding of various cultures and religions.

We were also fortunate to have Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri present our award for "Outstanding Feature Story About South Asia, or the Worldwide South Asian Diaspora." Davuluri, who was the first South Asian-American crowned the Miss America title in September spoke about her year-long platform celebrating diversity and cultural competency. She also spoke about how her process to become the next Miss America was one that required breaking down walls and stereotypes within the South Asian community.

For more details on this year's Gala and Awards Dinner, please visit the SAJA's blog, SAJAForum, where we have exclusive Q&A's with some of our speakers and presenters, and created a social media wrap up of the evening!

To see the winners from this year's Gala and Awards Dinner click here: SAJA Awards page.

We would also like to thank our corporate sponsors for their help and support during our annual awards event:

Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal
Bloomberg News
CNN
NBC News
CBS News
Al Jazeera America
The New York Times
The New York Daily News
The New York Association of Black Journalists
Citibank

SAJA Annual Members Meeting, Board Election & Holiday Party‏

Thu, 14 Nov 2013 08:18:57 GMT

SAJA Annual Members Meeting, Board Election & Holiday Party

Save-the-date: Thursday December 5

On Thursday December 5, 2013 at 6:30 PM EST, SAJA will hold its annual members meeting and board elections in New York City.

Voting will be conducted in person at the annual meeting and based on online proxy ballots which can be cast from November 18 through 3 PM EST on December 5, 2013.

Our annual holiday parties will follow in New York City and Washington DC.

Four SAJA board member positions will be open for the two-year term of 2014-2015. To contest, a statement of intent must be submitted by each candidate by midnight (EST) on November 15, 2013.

Board Eligibility & Guidelines:
Only Full Members are eligible to contest for a position the board. Associate Members and Student Members are NOT eligible to contest. All Full Members are encouraged to consider running. Those who have a strong interest in journalism and coverage of South Asia(n) issues are urged to consider running for the election. Important requirements for serving on the board are a spirit of teamwork, leadership and the commitment of at least 3-5 hours each week on activities ranging from organizing events to judging applications for awards and scholarships. Prospective board members should also expect to assist with and be available for the 2014 SAJA Convention & Dinner planned on August 1 & 2 in New York City.

To run for a position on the board, each candidate must submit a 250-word statement that will be made public and available to all SAJA members.

Statements of intent must be submitted by midnight on November 15 (EST) by email to SAJA Officer-at-Large Amita Parashar Kelly at amita.parashar@gmail.com, with the subject line: “SAJA 2013 ELECTION [LASTNAME]”

Candidates must include the full name, current snail mail address, e-mail address and phone number.

For questions about running or serving on the board, please reach out to SAJA Officer-at-Large Amita Parashar Kelly at amita.parashar@gmail.com or SAJA Vice President Sharaf Mowjood vp@saja.org.

HOLIDAY PARTY
Immediately following annual meeting and election results announcement, members and friends of SAJA are invited to meet with fellow SAJA members and supporters at an annual holiday party in New York City or Washington DC. Stay tuned for location and RSVP information.

HQ NOTE: Gala Tickets; SAJA @The Met; Sri Lankan Press Freedom Lecture; SAJA Comes To CBS; SAJA Comes To CNN-DC‏

Thu, 12 Sep 2013 04:24:32 GMT

SAJA Annual Gala and Awards Dinner

Hurry and purchase your tickets to SAJA's Annual Gala and Awards Dinner in New York City on October 5th! Our 'Early Bird' prices will end on September 8th! So get your tickets now while they are still on sale!

Until September 8th
Student Members (first 20 members): $100
SAJA Members: $200
Non-Members: $250

On October 5th, 2013 please join us for our annual awards dinner and gala at The Yale Club as we honor and recognize excellence in journalism coverage of South Asia as well as outstanding reporting by South Asian journalists.

This will be a fantastic opportunity to network with fellow SAJA members, other reporters, editors and producers from reputable media outlets such as: CNN, CBS News, Al Jazeera America, Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal, ESPN, NBC News, and The New York Times to name a few!

ESPN's Kevin Negandhi and Emmy award-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien will be joining SAJA for their annual Awards Dinner and Gala

SAJA friend and supporter Soledad O'Brien will be our keynote speaker for the evening. Emmy-award winning O'Brien recently signed on with Al Jazeera America's evening news program America Tonight as a special correspondent. Kevin Negandhi of ESPN's SportsCenter, and a SAJA friend and member, will be the emcee for the evening.

Regular Ticket Prices (After September 8th):
Student Members: $125
SAJA Members: $250
Non-Members: $300

Is your news organization or media company is interested in purchasing a corporate table? It will include 10 Tickets and a special recognition by SAJA!

Corporate Tables: $2,500/table (10 tickets) Companies interested in paying for their corporate table by check can make their check payable to: SAJA Group Inc. and please mail their check to:
John Laxmi
SAJA Treasurer
17 Cotswood Road, Greenwich, C.T. 06830

**Tickets are only available until September 30, 2013!**

There will be no onsite registration, so secure your seats today!

Please note: Tickets are non-refundable.

SAJA @The Metropolitan Museum of Art

SAJA will be hosting a special, free lecture and exhibit with SAJA friend and artist, Imran Qureshi, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Get a chance to walk through the Islamic Art Exhibit where Qureshi's current gallery of Indian Moghul artwork is on display. Then mingle and network with the artist himself and fellow SAJA members at the museum's beautiful rooftop garden.

This is an exclusive event for SAJA members.

Registration Mandatory
Please register here!

WHERE: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave (Corner of East 82nd Street) New York, N.Y.
WHEN: Thursday, September 12, 2013
Time: 6:30 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.

Any questions, contact SAJA Vice President Sharaf Mowjood: vp [at] saja.org

The rooftop garden of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

SAJA & SLWB Press Freedom Lecture

SAJA's Toronto group and Sri Lankans Without Borders present the Lasantha Wickrematunge Memorial Lecture in support of press freedom and human rights.

Lasantha Wickrematunge was the founder and editor of Sri Lanka's Sunday Leader newspaper. Wickrematunge was known to be extreamely vocal about government corruption, and was gunned down on January 8, 2009 in a Colombo suburb.

The program will consist of Q&A's, discussions and a reception with: Sonali Samrasinghe, J.S. Tissainayagam, Stewart Bell, Sanjana Hattotuwa and more!

WHEN: Saturday, September 21th, 2013
WHERE: Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3
Time: 12:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.

More information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/543958668991938/

SAJA Comes To CBS News!

Here's a chance to get an exclusive behind the scenes look at CBS News!

Join fellow SAJA members as CBS News producers will give us a newsroom tour around the CBS studios. This event is free for SAJA members!

We will then watch the live national newscast of "CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley" from the control room and studio.
5:30 P.M. - Registration/Security
5:45 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. - Newsroom & Studio Tour
6:30 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. - Watch Scott Pelley host his live telecast of "CBS Evening News"
7:00 P.M. - 7:30 P.M. - Q&A with CBS recruiters, producers and talents

WHEN: Thursday, September 26th, 2013
WHERE: CBS Broadcast Center, 530 West 57th Street (between 10th & 11th Ave.) New York, N.Y. 10019
Time: 5:30 P.M. - 7:30 P.M. (Please arrive promptly!)

Registration is mandatory!
Register before opening slots fill up! Please register here!

SAJA Members: Free!
Non-Members: $10

Questions? Please contact SAJA President: Sovy Azhath - president [at] saja.org

Students Only: SAJA Comes To CNN in D.C. In October!
Students!
Here's a great way to get an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the political headquarters at the CNN D.C. Bureau. Take a tour around the studios and watch how CNN reporters and producers report the day's top stories. And get a chance to talk to speak with CNN D.C. producers and on-air correspondents in an exclusive Q&A.

This event is open to 11 STUDENTS ONLY! So please sign up today before all slots are filled!

WHEN: Thursday, October 17th, 2013

WHERE: CNN - Washington DC Bureau

Register for this FREE event here!

More details coming soon!

Any questions, please contact: CNN D.C. Producer: Pallavi Reddy - pallavi.reddy [at] turner.com or SAJA Secretary: Shefali Kulkarni - secretary [at] saja.org

ANNOUNCING: Finalists For SAJA's Annual Journalism Awards‏

Mon, 09 Sep 2013 23:02:06 GMT

NEW YORK - The South Asian Journalists Association ( SAJA) and SAJA Group Inc. are pleased to announce the finalists in its annual journalism awards contest.

Finalists for the SAJA 2013 Journalism Awards for work published in 2012 include journalism pieces published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and The Atlantic, among others.

This year, SAJA received more than 115 entries in 9 categories. Finalists were selected by nine different judges who are reporters, editors and writers from around the United States. The winners will be announced at SAJA's 19th Annual Awards Gala on Saturday, October 5, 2013 at the Yale Club in New York City.

Each award winner will receive a certificate and the student winners will receive an additional cash prize.

SAJA JOURNALISM AWARD FINALISTS

The Daniel Pearl Award for outstanding reporting about South Asia

The Man Who Retrieves The Taliban’s Dead
Kevin Sieff
The Washington Post

Why This 13-Year Old’s Parents Want Her Married Despite India’s Laws
Stephanie Nolen
The Globe and Mail

A Woman's Drug-Resistant TB Echoes Around The World
Geeta Anand
The Wall Street Journal

*****

Outstanding enterprise reporting about South Asia or the worldwide South Asian diaspora

Falak: The Complete True Story Of ‘India’s Baby’
Paul Beckett and Krishna Pokharel
The Wall Street Journal

Mother India Starves Her Children
Bloomberg staff

Sri Lanka: Kidney Ailment Linked To Farm Chemicals
Rhitu Chatterjee
PRI’s The World

*****

Outstanding business story about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora

Microhydro Drives Change In Rural Nepal
Amy Yee
The New York Times

Lender’s Own Probe Links It To Suicides
Erika Kinetz
Associated Press

Poor In India Starve As Politicians Steal $14.5 Billion Worth Of Food
Mehul Srivasta and Andrew MacAskill
Bloomberg

*****

Outstanding arts and culture reporting about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora

In Nepal, After Revolt, ‘Art Was Changed Forever’
Amy Yee
The New York Times

1,100 Pounds Of Matzo In Kathmandu: Welcome To The World's Largest Seder
Amy Yee
The Atlantic

Afghanistan's Online War Of Words
Ali M. Latifi
Al Jazeera

*****

Outstanding feature story about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora

Early Death Assured In India Where 900M Don’t Eat Enough
Mehul Srivastava and Adi Narayan
Bloomberg

A Woman's Drug-Resistant TB Echoes Around The World
Geeta Anand
The Wall Street Journal

Jism 2: Film Review
Lisa Tsering
The Hollywood Reporter

*****

Outstanding editorial/commentary on South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora

The Dark Side Of India's 'Mr Clean'
Dan Morrison
Al Jazeera

Shooting Attack On Sikh Temple Is Attack On All Of Us
Aisha Sultan
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

In India, A Small Pill, With Positive Side Effects
Amy Yee
The New York Times

*****

Outstanding story on any subject: For South Asian journalists

A Woman's Drug-Resistant TB Echoes Around The World
Geeta Anand
The Wall Street Journal

‘Perversion Files’ Show Locals Helped Cover Up
Nigel Duara
The Associated Press

Rap Sheet: H. Rap Brown, Civil Rights Revolutionary - Cop Killer Or FBI Target?
Obaid H. Siddiqui
Illume Magazine

*****

Outstanding editorial/op-ed/commentary on any subject: For South Asian Journalists

Disparity In Pay Divides Doctors
Manoj Jain
The Washington Post

How Indian Immigrants Could Save The Republican Party
S. Mitra Kalita
Quartz

‘Truly Civil’ Torture
Anil Kalhan
ImmigrationProf Blog

*****

Outstanding story on any subject by a South Asian student in the United States or Canada

Keeping Turkana Girls in School and The Future of Education in Turkana
Dipti Kumar
Video: http://bit.ly/17kdCIi

What Are You Doing to Fix India’s Broken Education System?
Rakesh Mani

The Long Farewell: A Medicine That’s Transforming The Way We Live
Anjali Thomas

SAJA GALA UPDATE: Keynote Speaker Announced!‏

Sun, 04 Aug 2013 16:41:35 GMT

Emmy Award-Winning Journalist Soledad O'Brien Will Be Our Keynote Speaker For The 2013 SAJA Annual Awards Gala!

On October 5th, 2013 please join us for our annual awards dinner and gala at The Yale Club in New York City!

We will honor and recognize excellence in journalism coverage of South Asia as well as outstanding reporting by South Asian journalists. This will be a fantastic opportunity to network with fellow SAJA members, other reporters, editors and producers from reputable media outlets such as: CNN, CBS News, Al Jazeera America, Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal, ESPN, NBC News, and The New York Times to name a few!

SAJA friend and supporter Soledad O'Brien will be our keynote speaker for the evening. O'Brien is the chairman and CEO of Starfish Media Group and produces documentaries and reports for HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. She recently signed on with Al Jazeera America's evening news program America Tonight as a special correspondent.

Stay tuned for more details on speakers and presenters!

WHERE: The Yale Club of New York City, 50 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017 (Directly across from Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan)

WHEN: Saturday October 5th, 2013
Time: 5:00 - 9:00 P.M.

Purchase Tickets Here: http://saja.org/events?eventId=711262&EventViewMode=EventDetails

Get your tickets now before prices go up!
There will be no onsite registration for the Gala, so secure your seats today!

EARLY BIRD TICKET SPECIALS: Register by September 8th to get these discounted prices!
Student Members (the first 20 members) : $100
SAJA Members: $200
Non-members: $250

After September 8th: Regular Ticket Prices
Student Members: $125
SAJA Members: $250
Non-Members: $300

Is your news organization interested in purchasing a Corporate Table?
It includes 10 tickets and a special recognition by SAJA!

Corporate Tables: $2,500/table (10 tickets)

Companies interested in paying for their corporate table by check can make their check payable to: SAJA Group Inc. and please mail their check to:

John Laxmi
SAJA Treasurer
17 Cotswood Road, Greenwich, C.T. 06830

Tickets are only available until September 30, 2013!
Please note: Tickets are non-refundable.

This is a banquet-style dinner. Please dress in formal attire. Many attending will be wearing South Asian-style, in tune with the organization's region of focus, but all styles are welcome.

SAJA GALA UPDATE: Master of Ceremonies Announced!‏

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 21:30:05 GMT

ESPN SPORTSCENTER ANCHOR KEVIN NEGANDHI WILL BE THE MASTER OF CEREMONIES FOR THE 2013 SAJA GALA!

On October 5th, 2013 please join us for our annual awards dinner and gala at The Yale Club in New York City!

We will honor and recognize excellence in journalism coverage of South Asia as well as outstanding reporting by South Asian journalists. This is a fantastic opportunity to network with fellow SAJA members, other reporters, editors and producers from reputable media outlets. SAJA friend and member Kevin Negandhi of ESPN's SportsCenter will be emceeing the evening.

Stay tuned for more details on speakers and presenters!

WHERE: The Yale Club of New York City, 50 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017

WHEN: Saturday October 5th, 2013
Time: 5:00 - 9:00 P.M.

Purchase Tickets Here: http://saja.org/events?eventId=711262&EventViewMode=EventDetails

Get your tickets now before prices go up!
There will be no onsite registration for the Gala, so secure your seats today!

EARLY BIRD TICKET SPECIALS: Register by September 8th to get these discounted prices!
Student Members (the first 20 members) : $100

SAJA Members: $200
Non-members: $250

After September 8th: Regular Ticket Prices
Student Members: $125
SAJA Members: $250
Non-Members: $300

Is your news organization interested in purchasing a Corporate Table? It includes 10 tickets and a special recognition by SAJA!

Corporate Tables: $2,500/table (10 tickets)

Companies interested in paying for their corporate table by check can make their check payable to: SAJA Group Inc. and please mail their check to:

John Laxmi
SAJA Treasurer
17 Cotswood Road, Greenwich, C.T. 06830

Tickets are only available until September 30, 2013!

Please note: Tickets are non-refundable.

This is a banquet-style dinner. Please dress in formal attire. Many attending will be wearing South Asian-style, in tune with the organization's region of focus, but all styles are welcome.

ANNOUNCING: SAJA 2013 Summer Internship Fund Recipients!

Sat, 27 Jul 2013 02:27:38 GMT

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2013 SUMMER INTERNSHIP FUND RECIPIENTS!

Thank you to all the applicants for this summer's Internship Fund scholarship program. We received a number of talented applications.

The winners for the SAJA 2013 Summer Internship Fund are: Naveena Sadasivam, Tanay Warerkar and Sameea Kamal.

The SAJA Internship Fund is a need-based grant that is awarded to three student journalists who secured partially-paid or unpaid internships this summer. Students are awarded these funds based on a solid interest in journalism, clear writing skills, and an enthusiasm for participating in and fulfilling SAJA's mission.

We would like to give a special thanks to our judges for this summer's Internship Fund:

Pallavi Reddy, Producer, CNN
Ankita Rao, Web Reporter, Kaiser Health News
Amita Parashar, SAJA Board Member, Production Assistant, NPR
Sovy Azhath, President of SAJA, Producer/Writer, CNN/HLN
Shefali Kulkarni, Secretary of SAJA, Freelancer

NAVEENA SADASIVAM
Naveena Sadasivam is a science writer pursuing an MA in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting at New York University. She is currently interning at Inside Climate News. Naveena was awarded $1,500.00 to help her pursue her internship and journalism career.

TANAY WARERKAR
Tanay Warerkar earned a master’s degree at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism in May with a concentration in Newspaper Writing. He is now interning at the New York Daily News in the Brooklyn Bureau covering everything from neighbors complaining about dog poop to the fight to save Long Island College Hospital. Tanay was awarded $1,200.00 to help him pursue his internship and journalism career.

SAMEEA KAMAL
Sameea Kamal earned her master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and after graduating this past May, is now interning at the business desk of The Hartford Courant in Connecticut. Sameea was awarded $1,500.00 to help her pursue her internship and journalism career.

For information or questions about the SAJA Internship Fund email SAJA Secretary Shefali Kulkarni: secretary@saja.org

HQ Note: SAJA Annual Gala & Awards Dinner; SAJA Career Fair; Annual Knowledge@Wharton Scholarship for Business Journalism‏

Wed, 10 Jul 2013 04:00:27 GMT

SAJA's Annual Awards Dinner On Saturday Oct. 5th

Join us for our annual awards dinner and gala at The Yale Club in New York City!

We will honor and recognize excellence in journalism coverage of South Asia as well as outstanding reporting by South Asian journalists.

This is a fantastic opportunity to network with fellow SAJA members, other reporters, editors and producers from reputable media outlets.

Please stay tuned for updates on the evening's events and program schedule.

EARLY BIRD TICKET SPECIALS HAPPENING NOW!:

Register by September 8th to get these discounted prices!

Student Members (the first 20 members) : $100
SAJA Members: $200
Non-members: $250

Regular Ticket Prices (After September 8th):
Student Members: $125
SAJA Members: $250
Non-Members: $300

Corporate Tables: $2,500/table (10 tickets) Companies interested in paying for their corporate table by check can make their check payable to:
SAJA Group Inc. And please mail their check to:

John Laxmi
SAJA Treasurer
17 Costwood Road, Greenwich, C.T. 06830

Tickets are only available until September 30, 2013!

There will be no onsite registration, so secure your seats today!

Please note: Tickets are non-refundable.

Buy Tickets Here: http://saja.org/events?eventId=711262&EventViewMode=EventDetails

This is a banquet-style dinner. Please dress in formal attire. Many attending will be wearing South Asian-style, in tune with the organization's region of focus, but all styles are welcome.

SAJA Job Fair @ AAJA National Convention

This year, SAJA will be hosting its job fair in conjunction with the AAJA National Convention this summer at the Hilton New York Midtown Manhattan.

SAJA members will have a special one day rate on Friday, August 23, 2013 with complete access to the job fair as well as workshops, panel discussions, and AAJA's silent auction later that night.

Those interested in attending the full AAJA National Convention from Wednesday, August 21st - Saturday August 24th can get a SAJA discount rate as well.

**SAJA will be hosting a happy hour networking mixer on Friday August 23rd, 2013. This will be an opportunity for SAJA members to mingle with fellow SAJA and AAJA members from across the country. You don't have to be registered for the AAJA Convention to attend this mixer. This mixer will be open to everyone. Details coming soon!**

You will need to register through the AAJA Convention site.
To register, please follow the guidelines on this link:
Career Fair & Expo/Convention Registration

The discount code for SAJA members is SAJA2013, to be entered at the check-out page.

Registration Dates Below:
Day rate for Friday, August 23rd - $175

Full convention: Regular Registration/All registrations through 8/24 - $375

Any questions, please direct them to AAJA office at 415.346.2051, ext. 105, or email at support@aaja.org

2013 Knowledge@Wharton Scholarship for Business Journalism: Applications Now Open!

The Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists is pleased to present its flagship program: The Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists.

This is a unique opportunity to attend the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists on a scholarship, exclusively set aside for a SAJA member. Scholarships are also set aside for members of AAJA, NAHJ, NAJA and NLGJA. This year's seminars will be held on Sunday, October 13, 2013 - Wednesday, October 16, 2013.

Each scholarship (which covers the cost of tuition, course materials and most meals) is worth approximately $1,995 and is furnished by The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Who Can Apply?

Any member of SAJA, AAJA, NAHJ, NAJA and NLGJA who is a reporter, editor or producer (including freelancers) currently living in the United States or Canada and working in a business journalism or a field that overlaps, such as healthcare or technology.
Applicants must be available to attend the Wharton program this year.
Individuals between two to seven years of experience as a business reporter or those news to business reporting, but with 5 - 10 years of experience as a reporter in another field are encouraged to apply.
Freelancers are welcome to apply

For more information, including last year's scholarship winners, click here: http://saja.org/wharton

APPLICATION: http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/journalists/pl-session-2011.cfm

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Friday, September 6, 2013

Winners will be informed by September 13, 2013

Questions? Contact SAJA Secretary Shefali Kulkarni - secretary@saja.org

This Summer: SAJA Comes To Your City

SAJA is looking to come to a city near you this summer! In the past we've hosted events in New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Seattle, Las Vegas, Boston, Bay Area and Toronto. And we would love to host a happy hour, mixer, panel, informational session, or any other event that will help benefit our North American members. We love hearing from our members and want to collaborate with all of you.

If you are interested in hosting an event in your city please feel free to contact SAJA President Sovy Azhath at president@saja.org or SAJA Secretary Shefali Kulkarni at secretary@saja.org.

HQ NOTE: 2013 SAJA Awards Gala Announcement; SAJA Summer Job Fair‏

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:52:43 GMT

Save the Date! 2013 SAJA Gala

We are pleased to announce our annual Gala and Awards Dinner will be held in the fall for the first time in SAJA's nearly 20-year history!

Please save the date: Saturday, October 5th, 2013 from 5:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. in New York City

We will be hosting cocktails and banquet-style dinner at the Yale Club in Midtown Manhattan. We will honor and recognize excellence in journalism coverage in South Asia as well as outstanding reporting by South Asian journalists. This is a fantastic opportunity to network with fellow SAJA members, and other reporters, editors, producers from reputable media outlets.

Registration and ticket information coming soon! Please save the date.

SAJA Summer Job Fair @ AAJA National Convention

This year, SAJA will be hosting its job fair in conjunction with the AAJA National Convention this summer at the Hilton New York Midtown Manhattan.

SAJA members will have a special one day rate on Friday, August 23, 2013 with complete access to the job fair as well as workshops, panel discussions, and AAJA's silent auction later that night.

Additionally, SAJA will be hosting a special networking mixer near the convention headquarters on Friday, August 23rd after the day's activities. Get the chance to interact and mingle with the national SAJA board, fellow SAJA members and AAJA members from across the country. More details coming soon!

Those interested in attending the full AAJA National Convention from Wednesday, August 21st - Saturday August 24th can get a SAJA discount rate as well.

You will need to register through the AAJA Convention site.

To register, please follow the guidelines on this link:

Career Fair & Expo/Convention Registration

The discount code for SAJA members is SAJA2013, to be entered at the check-out page.

Registration Dates Below:

Day rate for Friday, August 23rd - $175

Full convention: Pre-Registration Payment received by Friday, 6/14 - $300

Full convention: Regular Registration/All registrations through 8/24 - $375

Any questions, please direct them to AAJA office at 415.346.2051, ext. 105, or email at support@aaja.org

This Summer: SAJA Comes To Your City

SAJA is looking to come to a city near you this summer! In the past we've hosted events in New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Seattle, Las Vegas, Boston, Bay Area and Toronto. And we would love to host a happy hour, mixer, panel, informational session, or any other event that will help benefit our North American members. We love hearing from our members and want to collaborate with all of you.

If you are interested in hosting an event in your city please feel free to contact SAJA President Sovy Azhath at president@saja.org or SAJA Secretary Shefali Kulkarni at secretary@saja.org.

HQ NOTE: SAJA Awards Deadline; Internship Fund; SAJA Career Expo @ AAJA Convention; SAJA Comes To Your City‏

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:58:41 GMT

SAJA Awards Due Today!

Today is the LAST DAY to submit your applications for our annual awards! Hurry and take a look at the 11 categories we have and apply today!

This award recognizes excellence in coverage of South Asia, as well as outstanding reporting by South Asian journalists and students in the U.S. and Canada.

The 2013 Awards, which are open to journalists, media companies and freelancers headquartered in the U.S. and Canada, consist of the following categories:

For journalists (including freelancers) working for media outlets based in North America:

Submissions can include print articles, editorials, photographs and new media pieces published, and broadcasts aired, in 2012.

DEADLINES:
The final deadline is Today.

ENTRY FEE (entries without payment will NOT be processed): $50

We have eliminated the entry fee for students, but will accept only one submission per student.

You can submit by clicking on the categories above or going to saja.submittable.com
---

Direct all questions to Anup Kaphle, awards@saja.org (subject line = "SAJA Awards 2013")

If you'd like to volunteer to help us judge, please contact Anup Kaphle: awards@saja.org (subject line = "SAJA judge")

SAJA Internship Fund Now Taking Applications

Students & Recent Grads: Got an internship lined up for the summer? We are offering funding for those of you who have acquired a low-paying or unpaid internship for this summer.

Shrinking newsroom budgets mean fewer fully paid internships. If an enterprising student can secure an unpaid or partially paid internship at a media organization, a little financial help from SAJA to meet basic expenses will help the student gain valuable experience and clips.

This year, SAJA will grant up to $4,500 distributed among three students who have already secured internships, but may find it difficult to accept because they are partially paid or unpaid.

This is a need-based grant. Up to three students will receive between $500 and $1,500 each for the summer.

Students from all mediums (newspaper, magazine, radio, TV and new media) will be considered.

For more information visit: www.saja.org/internshipfund

Selection Criteria:

Must have already secured internship at a recognized media organization. Please include internship offer letter, terms of remuneration, length of internship, and point of contact as part of application package.
Applicants with financial need will be given special consideration. We will determine financial need based on whether they have a fully paid, partially paid or unpaid internship.
Interest in journalism based on work samples: 3 to 5 clips.
A "give back to SAJA" plan. Recipients are expected to give back to SAJA by volunteering at the annual convention or in other ways approved by the SAJA board of directors.

Eligibility:

Current students who are juniors, or graduating seniors in an accredited college or university (two-year or four-year) in North America; or a student enrolled or about to enter a graduate-level program in North America.
Of South Asian descent (includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka; Indo-Caribbeans are also eligible) OR demonstrate a clear interest in South Asia or the diaspora.
Must have an internship offer from a recognized media organization.

Note: College or graduate students graduating in May/June 2013 are eligible. Immediate relatives of SAJA board members and judges are INELIGIBLE to apply.

Evaluation Procedure:
A committee of judges appointed by SAJA board of directors will review the applications and evaluate them on a number of subjective and objective criteria, including interest in journalism, writing skills, reasons for entering journalism, financial need and participation and enthusiasm about SAJA.

Applicants may be interviewed by phone or in person by a member of the judges' committee. Winners will be notified in mid-June.

Award Process:
The student will be paid in two installments, one at the start, and one at the completion of the internship. Payment of second installment will be dependent on the student coming up with a plan to contribute/give back to SAJA.

Each student will be required to complete a report/survey to SAJA on the program, to help board decide on the program's viability.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 11:59 p.m. EST, Saturday, June 1st, 2013

Please contact SAJA Secretary Shefali Kulkarni secretary@saja.org with questions or to send supporting application materials.

SAJA Career Expo at the AAJA National Convention

This year, SAJA will be having its job fair in conjunction with the AAJA (Asian American Journalists Association) National Convention this summer at the Hilton New York in Midtown Manhattan.

SAJA members will have a special one day rate on Friday August 23, 2013 with complete access to the job fair as well as workshops, panel discussions, and AAJA's silent auction later that night.

Those interested in attending the full AAJA National Convention from Wednesday Aug 21st- Saturday Aug 24th can get a SAJA discount rate as well.

You will need to register through the AAJA Convention site.

To register, please follow the guidelines on this link:

Career Fair & Expo/Convention Registration

The discount code for SAJA members is SAJA2013, to be entered at the check-out page.

Registration Dates Below:

Day rate for Friday, August 23rd - $175
Full-Pre-Convention rate - $300

Any questions, please direct them to AAJA office at 415.346.2051, ext. 105, or email at support@aaja.org

This Summer: SAJA Comes To Your City

If you are interested in hosting an event in your city please feel free to contact SAJA President Sovy Azhath at president@saja.org or SAJA Secretary Shefali Kulkarni at secretary@saja.org.

Winners Announced for 2013 SAJA Reporting Fellowships‏

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:57:48 GMT

SAJA Reporting Fellowship Winners Announced

NEW YORK, May 2, 2013 - The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) and SAJA Group Inc. are proud to announce the winners of the 2013 SAJA Reporting Fellowships Program.

SAJA will support the following projects with a total of about $8,000 in funding:

1. Sarika Bansal, a freelancer, will work on a project mental health in India with a grant of $3,000.

2. Kim Wall, a freelancer, along with Anna Stevenson, will explore post-war Tamil repatriation with a grant of $4,000.

3. Anika Gupta, a freelancer, will work on a project charting India's battle over social media with a grant of $1,000.

SAJA received more than 70 entries for the 2013 program. A rigorous, two-round judging process was used to pick the winners.

"The number of high-caliber entries made the judging process extremely difficult," said Sandeep Junnarkar, the chair of the SAJA Reporting Fellowships. "The judges found that the winners' projects stood out for their timeliness and compelling storyline, and we're eagerly looking forward to seeing the finished work."

The completed work is expected to be available to news organizations around the world at no cost in early July 2013.

This year SAJA plans to provide up to $20,000 in funding for the SAJA Reporting Fellowships in the fall. Please check SAJA.org for more information in July, 2013.

Open to freelancers and staff journalists in any medium, the fellowships are meant to encourage in-depth reporting projects about South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora through special grants. The resulting work is available for use by news organizations at no charge. The completed work of previous year's fellows may be viewed here: http://saja.org/srf

The judges for the final round were: Deepti Hajela, a newswoman at the Associated Press and former SAJA president; Brent McDonald, a video journalist at the New York Times; and Steve Strasser, associate professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and former managing editor of Newsweek International. The judges for the first two rounds were members of the SAJA board.

ABOUT SAJA:

SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, was founded in March 1994 as a networking group for journalists of South Asian origin in New York City. It has grown into a national group of more than 1,000 journalists working for leading publications, broadcast networks and online outlets in various cities in the US and Canada.

SAJA works closely with SAJA Group, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.

Details of SAJA's activities and resources for journalists are available at

http://www.saja.org.

SAJA Group, Inc. is a non-profit charitable organization (EIN: 55-0844632)

and is registered with the State of New York Charities Bureau

(Registration Number 20-70-28).

SAJA Awards Deadline Extension; Scholarship Winners; SAJA Internship Fund‏

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 03:48:13 GMT

Deadline Extension! Annual SAJA Awards Deadline Moved to May 7th!

Good News Journalists! The deadline for this years' SAJA Awards has been pushed back to Tuesday, May 7th, 2013.

We invite individual journalists, and news organizations in North America to submit entries for this year's SAJA Journalism Awards.

Applicants do not have to be South Asian to enter.

This award recognizes excellence in coverage of South Asia, as well as outstanding reporting by South Asian journalists and students in the U.S. and Canada.

For journalists (including freelancers) working for media outlets based in North America:
Category 1: The Daniel Pearl Award for outstanding reporting about South Asia: All media
Category 2: Outstanding enterprise reporting about South Asia or the worldwide South Asian diaspora: All media
Category 3: Outstanding reporting on the shooting at Oak Creek Sikh Temple in Wisconsin: All media
Category 4: Outstanding business story about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All media
Category 5: Outstanding arts and culture reporting about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All media
Category 6: Outstanding feature story about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All media
Category 7: Outstanding editorial/commentary on South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All media
Category 8: Outstanding visual storytelling about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora (includes audio slide shows, photo essays and video stories)
For journalists of South Asian origin working in North America for any media outlet:
Category 9: Outstanding story on any subject: All media
Category 10: Outstanding editorial/op-ed/commentary on any subject: All media
Students of South Asian origin in North America:(1st, 2nd, 3rd place-cash award)
Category 11: Outstanding story on any subject by a South Asian student in the US or Canada: All media
Submissions can include print articles, editorials, photographs and new media pieces published, and broadcasts aired, in 2012.

ENTRY FEE (entries without payment will NOT be processed): $50

We have eliminated the entry fee for students, but will accept only one submission per student.

You can submit by clicking on the categories above or going to saja.submittable.com

Any questions or if you are interested in volunteering to judge this years' awards please email SAJA Board Member Anup Kaphle at awards@saja.org

(Please address your email with "SAJA Awards 2013" or "SAJA Judge" in the subject line)

SAJA Announces It's Scholarship Winners!

The South Asian Journalists Association is thrilled to announce the winners of its 2013 student scholarships. SAJA is awarding a record $53,000 to help high school, undergraduate and graduate students fund their journalism education.

Each has shown dedication to journalism and the coverage of South Asia.
GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP - $5,000

Divya Jeswani - City University of New York

Mehboob Jeelani - Columbia University

Sarah Khuwaja - City University of New York

Muzhgan Mia Rasul - Columbia University
Mihir Zaveri - University of California-Berkeley

Angela Zonunpari - Syracuse University

UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP - $3,000

Fareeha Amir - University of Missouri

Samantha Noreyana Fernando - Ithaca College

Sabrina Ghaus - Tufts University

Sanaa Jatoi - Mount Holyoke College

Sarah Mahmood - Wellesley College

Priyanka Tilve - Northwestern University

HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP - $2,500

Astha Agarwal - Newton South High School, Newton, Mass.

Shanze Tahir - Zionsville Community High School, Zionsville, Ill.

The scholarships were judged by: Ambreen Ali, CQ Roll Call; Jigar Mehta, Matter, Board member; Meena Thiruvengadam, freelance journalist; Pallavi Reddi, CNN; Aarti Virani, freelance journalist; Raahkee Mirchandani, New York Daily News; Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal; Kiran Khalid, EP Shell Oil; Shefali Kulkarni, freelance, board member.

The SAJA Scholarships are made possible through generous contributions from the Krishna Kumar Gaur Scholarship Fund, the Arun I & Asmita Bhatia Foundation, and numerous individual and institutional donations. To donate to SAJA and help future scholarship classes, visit http://www.saja.org/donate.

SAJA's Internship Fund Now Open For Applications!

Calling all students! Got an unpaid or partially paid internship lined up this summer? A little financial help from SAJA's Internship Fund, to meet basic expenses, will help you gain valuable experience and clips.

This year, SAJA will grant up to $4,500 distributed among three students who have already secured internships, but may find it difficult to accept because they are partially paid or unpaid. This is a need-based grant. Up to three students will receive between $500 and $1,500 each for the summer.

Students from all mediums (newspaper, magazine, radio, TV and new media) will be considered.

To apply, first register here: http://saja.org/events?eventId=667605&EventViewMode=EventDetails

To complete your application, email secretary@saja.org with the following supporting materials:

1. A copy of your offer letter.

2. A copy of your resume.

3. Attachments or links to 3-5 clips.

4. Answers to the following questions (300 words or less each):

a. What has driven your interest in SAJA, South Asia or the diaspora?
b. How have you been involved with SAJA thus far?
c. Detail the expenses you will incur to pursue this internship.
d. Detail your financial need for this grant.
e. Detail any other sources of funding you are receiving for this internship.

Applications are due at 11:59 P.M. Saturday, June 1st, 2013.

Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

Visit saja.org/internshipfund for complete details on the program.

Please contact SAJA Secretary Shefali Kulkarni at secretary@saja.org with questions or to send supporting application materials.

HQ Note: SAJA Career Expo Early Bird Special; SAJA Awards Deadline; SAJA Internship Fund; SAJA Comes To Your City‏

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:37:22 GMT

SAJA Career Expo at the AAJA National Convention: Early Bird Special Deadline Is April 12th

Hurry members! The deadline to get our Early Bird discount for the AAJA National Convention Career Expo is April 12th!

SAJA members will have a special one day rate ($150) on Friday August 23, 2013 with complete access to the job fair as well as workshops, panel discussions, and AAJA's silent auction later that night.

Those interested in attending the full AAJA National Convention from Wednesday Aug 21st - Saturday Aug 24th can get a SAJA discount rate as well.

You will need to register through the AAJA Convention site.

To register, please follow the guidelines on this link:

Career Fair & Expo/Convention Registration

The discount code for SAJA members is SAJA2013, to be entered at the check-out page.

Registration Dates & Prices Below:

Day rate for Friday, August 23rd before April 12th - $150
Day rate for Friday, August 23rd after April 12th - $175
Full-Early Bird Convention rate before April 12th - $225
Full-Pre-Convention rate after April 12th - $300
Full Onsite rate after June 14th - $375

Any questions, please direct them to AAJA office at 415.346.2051, ext. 105, or email at support@aaja.org.

Send In Your Submissions: Deadline For SAJA Awards Is April 21st

We need your submissions! The deadline for this years' SAJA Awards is Sunday, April 21st.

We invite individual journalists and news organizations in North America to submit entries for this year's SAJA Journalism Awards.

This award recognizes excellence in coverage of South Asia, as well as outstanding reporting by South Asian journalists and students in the U.S. and Canada.
SAJA Board Member presents a SAJA Award to Habiba Nosheen and Hilke Schellmann

The 2013 Awards, which are open to journalists, media companies and freelancers headquartered in the U.S. and Canada, consist of the following categories:

For journalists (including freelancers) working for media outlets based in North America:

Submissions can include print articles, editorials, photographs and new media pieces published, and broadcasts aired, in 2012.

ENTRY FEE (entries without payment will NOT be processed): $50

We have eliminated the entry fee for students, but will accept only one submission per student.

You can submit by clicking on the categories above or going to saja.submittable.com

Any questions or if you are interested in volunteering to judge this years' awards please email SAJA Board Member Anup Kaphle at awards@saja.org

(Please address your email with "SAJA Awards 2013" or "SAJA Judge" in the subject line)

NEW: SAJA Internship Fund Is Now Taking Applications

Calling all students! Got an unpaid or partially paid internship lined up this summer? A little financial help from SAJA's Internship Fund, to meet basic expenses, will help you gain valuable experience and clips.

This year, SAJA will grant up to $4,500 distributed among three students who have already secured internships, but may find it difficult to accept because they are partially paid or unpaid. This is a need-based grant. Up to three students will receive a minimum of $1,500 each for the summer.

Students from all mediums (newspaper, magazine, radio, TV and new media) will be considered.

To apply, first register here: http://saja.org/events?eventId=667605&EventViewMode=EventDetails

To complete your application, email secretary@saja.org with the following supporting materials:

1. A copy of your offer letter.

2. A copy of your resume.

3. Attachments or links to 3-5 clips.

4. Answers to the following questions (300 words or less each):

a. What has driven your interest in SAJA, South Asia or the diaspora?
b. How have you been involved with SAJA thus far?
c. Detail the expenses you will incur to pursue this internship.
d. Detail your financial need for this grant.
e. Detail any other sources of funding you are receiving for this internship.

Applications are due at 11:59 P.M. Saturday, June 1st, 2013.
Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

Visit saja.org/internshipfund for complete details on the program.

Please contact SAJA Secretary Shefali Kulkarni at secretary@saja.org with questions or to send supporting application materials.

SAJA Comes To Your City!

SAJA is looking to come to a city near you! In the past we've hosted events in New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Seattle, Las Vegas, Boston, Bay Area and Toronto. And we would love to host a happy hour, mixer, panel, informational session, or any other event that will help benefit our North American members. We love hearing from our members and want to collaborate with all of you.

If you are interested in hosting an event in your city please feel free to contact SAJA President Sovy Azhath at president@saja.org or SAJA Secretary Shefali Kulkarni at secretary@saja.org.

HQ Note: Broadcast Challenge Goal Met! A Thank You Note From SAJA's President & VP‏

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:37:55 GMT

Dear SAJA friends,

Thank you to all who donated for our Broadcast Challenge fundraiser. We are pleased to officially announce that we surpassed our goal of reaching the $10,000 mark and this wouldn't be possible without the support and help from you!

Because we reached our goal of raising $10K, this will be matched dollar-to-dollar by some of the top South Asian broadcast journalists from around the country. All the funds we receive go directly back to SAJA, as it will help us fund more for scholarships, internships, reporting fellowship grants, workshops for mid-career reporters and a variety of other events for our members across the U.S. and Canada.

In 2010, SAJA gave away a total of $17,000 in scholarships; in 2011, we hit $36,000; in 2012, we hit $50,000. We kept the momentum going this year by now giving away a total of $60,000 in scholarship and internship funds. These funds will help young South Asian journalists and students advance their media careers.

Last year, we completed an Editors' Challenge and now we've accomplished our goal in the Broadcast Challenge. This shows how much SAJA has grown and expanded to other forms of media in the United States and Canada.

Personally, the Broadcast Challenge was a special fundraiser to organize because as South Asians in the broadcast field, both Vice President Sharaf Mowjood of NBC News and I, Sovy Azhath, of CNN/HLN felt that this helped represent the South Asian community’s role in television and radio media.

Thank you for all the help and support you have given us throughout the years. And we are always looking to hear your feedback and ideas. Please feel free to email us at:

Sovy Azhath: president@saja.org

Sharaf Mowjood: vp@saja.org

We are excited to plan even more notable career-focused events in the near future. Stay tuned!

Sincerely,

Sovy Azhath

President, South Asian Journalists Association

CNN Headline News Producer/Writer

Sharaf Mowjood

Vice President, South Asian Journalists Association

Associate Producer for NBC's Rock Center w/ Brian Williams

Broadcast Challenge Ends TONIGHT- March 15th‏

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:49:28 GMT

Final Day: Broadcast Challenge Ends TONIGHT- March 15th.

Today's the last day of the SAJA Broadcast Challenge and we need all the help we can get to raise funds for scholarships, reporting grants, workshops for mid-career reporters and a variety of other events for our members. Top South Asian broadcast journalists from around the country have offered to match donation SAJA receives from its members. Their special pool of money will match, dollar-for-dollar, all donations made, up to a total of $10,000.

Please chip in! No amount is too small! You can donate here via credit care or Paypal: http://saja.org/donatenow?wofg=true

Any checks made out to us should be to SAJA Group Inc. and should be mailed to:

John Laxmi, Treasurer

17 Cotswood Road

Greenwich, CT 06830

All donations must be sent to SAJA Group, Inc. (not to SAJA). Donations to SAJA are NOT tax deductible.

SAJA Group, Inc. is a tax-exempt charitable organization which supports SAJA's programs and activities. Donations to SAJA Group, Inc. are tax deductible under current laws. SAJA Group, Inc.'s Federal tax ID number is: 55-0844632 and New York State ID is 20-70-28.

EVENTS: SAJA Comes to Seattle; SAJA/AAJA Career Fair; SAJA Awards Submissions Now Open!‏

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:47:47 GMT

Dear SAJA Members,

We are branching out into the Pacific Northwest with a great social media event! But if you are interested in hosting a SAJA event wherever you are--we are always eager to connect with journalists from around the country--please feel free to email our President, Sovy Azhath, at president@saja.org or our Secretary, Shefali Kulkarni, at secretary@saja.org for any help or questions.

SAJA Comes To Seattle: Social Media One Night Stand
Hello Seattle!
SAJA along with The University of Washington Communication Leadership Program will co-host a Social Media One-Night Stand with Sree Sreenivasan, Columbia University's Chief Digital Officer and CNET News Blogger. This event is also in partnership with the Seattle Times and the Seattle chapters of SPJ and AAJA. Come and meet SAJA national President Sovy Azhath of CNN who will be visiting Seattle from NYC.

Sree will talk about:

How to deepen your connection with your audience via social media
New tools you must absolutely know and use
How to build your personal brand
How to find, on deadline, specific types of people you need for work
The best ways to increase your followers, fans, and connections
How to get the "right" followers, fans, and connections
Metrics: why you need to understand them and how you can do just that
Sustainable social media undefined how to keep from drowning in information and make time to participate efficiently

When: Monday, March 18, 2013

Time: 6:00 P.M. (Light refreshments will be served!)

Where: University of Washington, Husky Union Building (HUB), Lyceum

Campus Map: http://www.washington.edu/maps/?hub

Get your tickets here before they sell out: Tickets are $10 - http://sociamedialonenightstandseattle.bpt.me/

SAJA & AAJA Career Expo
This summer SAJA is teaming up with AAJA during their national convention in New York City to provide our members an exclusive day pass to the AAJA convention on Friday, August 23rd. This pass will not only include the Career Expo, but will also include access to SAJA panels and mixers at the convention. It's a great opportunity to connect with AAJA members and a wide variety of media companies and employers.
If you are interested in attending the full AAJA convention from August 21 - August 24, you can get a SAJA discount rate as well!

Register before April 12, 2013 to get the Early Bird Special Discount!

To purchase tickets (the day pass or the full convention tickets) please visit and follow this instructions on this page: http://www.aaja.org/?attachment_id=4464

PLEASE USE THE DISCOUNT CODE 'SAJA2013' AT THE CHECKOUT PAGE.

For more information and prices please visit: http://saja.org/events?eventId=642445&EventViewMode=EventDetails

SAJA Awards Are Now Open For Submissions
We are now taking submissions for our annual SAJA Awards! We have 11 different categories to choose from that include journalists and students of South Asian decent as well as reporters who cover the South Asian diaspora.

Submissions can include: print articles, editorials, photographs and new media pieces published, and broadcast aired in 2012.

And good news students: this year we've eliminated the entry fee for all of you, but you are limited to submitting one entry.

We've extended our deadline for award submissions to SUNDAY APRIL 21, 2013.

For more information please visit: http://saja.org/awards

If you have any questions about this year's awards please send an email with 'SAJA Awards 2013' in the subject line to board member Anup Kaphle: awards@saja.org

We are also looking for volunteers to help us judge this year's award submissions. If you have the time and are interested in helping us out please send Anup an email with 'SAJA Judge' in the subject line at: awards@saja.org

Scholarship Deadline; B'cast Challenge; Career Fair; Toronto & DC March Events‏

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:39:57 GMT

SAJA Scholarships Due March 10!

Don't forget! This year the National Board approved $60,000 in scholarship money to help journalists starting out their careers. High School, Undergraduates and Graduate students are encouraged to apply, but the deadline is March 10th, so hurry!

To learn more about our scholarship opportunities and to apply visit: http://saja.org/scholarships

Final Stretch: Broadcast Challenge End March 15

We're on the final leg of the SAJA Broadcast Challenge and we need all the help we can get to raise funds for scholarships, reporting grants, workshops for mid-career reporters and a variety of other events for our members. Top South Asian broadcast journalists from around the country have offered to match donation SAJA receives from its members. Their special pool of money will match, dollar-for-dollar, all donations made, up to a total of $10,000.

March 15th is the last day of the SAJA Broadcast Challenge! Please chip in! No amount is too small! You can donate here via credit care or Paypal: http://saja.org/donatenow?wofg=true
Any checks made out to us should be to SAJA Group Inc. and should be mailed to:

John Laxmi, Treasurer

17 Cotswood Road

Greenwich, CT 06830
All donations must be sent to SAJA Group, Inc. (not to SAJA). Donations to SAJA are NOT tax deductible.

SAJA Group, Inc. is a tax-exempt charitable organization which supports SAJA's programs and activities. Donations to SAJA Group, Inc. are tax deductible under current laws. SAJA Group, Inc.'s Federal tax ID number is: 55-0844632 and New York State ID is 20-70-28.

SAJA/AAJA Career Fair & Expo In August

Good news! This year SAJA will be having its Career fair in conjunction to the AAJA National Convention this summer. SAJA members will have a special one day rate ($150) on Friday August 23, 2013 with complete access to the job fair as well as workshops, panel discussions, and AAJA's silent auction that evening.

When: Friday, August 23, 2013
Where: Hilton New York in Midtown Manhattan, 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10019

To register and for more information visit: http://www.saja.org/events?eventId=642445&EventViewMode=EventDetails

Register before April 12 for Early Bird Discounts!

SAJA Toronto: Discussion Panel on "South Asian Stories In The Newsroom"

Attention SAJA Toronto Members! SAJA is proud to co-sponsor a panel discussion on Thursday March 21 at the University of Toronto.

South Asian Stories In The Newsroom
It’s 2013. Visible minorities are 50% of the GTA population. What impact has this had in the coverage of stories that fall outside what is considered "the mainstream?" Are the shootings at the Sikh gurdwara in the U.S., Tamil protests in Toronto or the Shafia murders treated like any other story or treated as stories about a specific community? Who does the reporting and does ethnic background make a difference in reporting style?

When: Thursday, March 21, 2013
Where: 208N, North House, Centre for South Asian Studies, University of Toronto

Register Here: http://www.munk.utoronto.ca/EventDetails.aspx?EventId=13648

Panelists:
Moderator: Rita Trichur: a telecom reporter in The Globe and Mail's Report on Business and writes about a variety of topics ranging from manufacturing to maple syrup.
Stewart Bell: an award-winning Canadian journalist and the author of three non-fiction books, Bayou of Pigs, The Martyr’s Oath and Cold Terror, a national bestseller. In 2009, Stewart won a South Asian Journalists Association Award for his writing about the civil war in Sri Lanka.
Nicholas Davis: the Manager of Program Development for CBC Radio. He is an accomplished journalist and writer who has worked in radio, television and print and has done so for the past 26 years covering everything from current affairs to the arts.
Noor Javed: an award winning reporter with the Toronto Star, and is currently a feature writer at the paper. She fulfilled a life-long dream when she joined the Star in 2007, and since then has been working to tell the stories reflective of the city’s diverse communities.

SAJA DC: UNITY Panel with LOOP21 At The National Association of Broadcasters

Loop21, along with UNITY will host a panel discussion on "Race in the Media" at the National Association of Broadcasters on Friday March 8. The event is free and open to the public and will include a lunch. Panelists include:
Joseph Torres, co-author of the New York Times bestseller, "News for All The People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media"
Gautham Nagesh, an editor for CQ Roll Call who reports on politics, race, media and technology
Jenée Desmond-Harris, White House correspondent for the Root
And Steve Holmes, executive director for the Office of Standards and Practices at CNN, will moderate the discussion.
Where: National Association of Broadcasters, 1771 N Street NW, Washington D.C. 20036
When: Friday, March 8, 2013

To register email: info@theloop21.com and for more information email: shontel@theloop21.com

SAJA Members Judge the Pulitzer Prizes

This year's Pulitzer Prizes are getting a look-over from three SAJA members! Peter Bhatia(Editor of The Oregonian), Davan Maharaj(Editor of the Los Angeles Times) and Raju Narisetti (Managing Editor of the Wall Street Journal's digital network) are serving on the jury for the Pulitzers, which will be announced in April.

As SAJA board member and co-founder Sree Sreenivasin wrote on our blog SAJAForum, South Asians are making waves in the media world, "there are several other senior editors running news operations in the U.S." Many of them featured in last year's Editors Challenge and this year's Broadcast Challenge.

Take a look at SAJAForum for other interesting media insights from our members. And if you are interested in volunteering by blogging for us, please contact SAJA Secretary Shefali Kulkarni: secretary@saja.org

SAJA Scholarship Applications Now Open!

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 04:44:39 GMT

The South Asian Journalists Association has now opened up applications for its various scholarships. This year the National Board members have approved up to $60,000 in scholarship and internship funds. High school, undergraduate and graduateapplicants are encouraged to apply. The deadline for these scholarships is March 10, 2013! Apply now!

https://saja.submittable.com/submit

And be sure to check out and 'like' the SAJA Students Facebook page for more information on jobs, internships and fellowship opportunities.

A Message From The New SAJA President

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 04:30:21 GMT

Dear Members,

It is my privilege and honor to serve as SAJA's national president this year. We will continue to work to further SAJA's mission: helping include more South Asian journalists in newsrooms and encouraging the in-depth news coverage of South Asia and the South Asian diaspora.

We are planning to organize several events, including newsroom visits, resume critiques, mixers, workshops and panels. We will hold our annual awards dinner this summer in New York City and hope to see you there.

The national board already approved up to $60,000 in scholarships and internship funds for its student members. These funds will help young South Asian journalists and students advance their media careers.
We rely entirely on donors for our funds and we would like you to show your support by contributing to SAJA. The funds raised will be used toward reporting projects, journalism student scholarships and workshops for mid-career journalists.

We are currently in the midst of the SAJA Broadcast Challenge where some fabulous current and former broadcast folks have come together to create a challenge grant for SAJA members and friends. Their special pool of money will match, dollar-for-dollar, all donations made, up to a total of $10,000.

We have until March 15 to complete this challenge! Please help us by contributing to this challenge - no amount is too small! You can donate here via credit card or Paypal: http://saja.org/broadcast.

Any checks made out to us should be to SAJA Group Inc. and should be mailed to:

John Laxmi, Treasurer

17 Cotswood Road

Greenwich, CT 06830

All donations must be sent to SAJA Group, Inc. (not to SAJA). Donations to SAJA are NOT tax deductible.

SAJA Group, Inc. is a tax-exempt charitable organization which supports SAJA's programs and activities. Donations to SAJA Group, Inc. are tax deductible under current laws. SAJA Group, Inc.'s Federal tax ID number is: 55-0844632 and New York State ID is 20-70-28.

Please don't hesitate to contact me or Sharaf Mowjood, the vice president, with any questions, suggestions or concerns. Email us at president@saja.org & vp@saja.org.

We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Warmest regards,

Sovy Azhath

SAJA Announces New President, VP And Other Executive Board Members‏

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 04:47:07 GMT

SAJA's New Executive Board

During SAJA's first board meeting of the year, members voted for their new Executive Board. Sovy Azhath, a producer/writer for CNN Headline News, was elected as this year's president. Sharaf Mowjood, associate producer for NBC's Rock Center, was elected as vice president. Shefali Kulkarni, a multimedia reporter with Kaiser Health News, was elected as secretary. Long-time SAJA board member, John Laxmi was re-elected as the organization's treasurer. And Raakhee Mirchandani-Singh, fashion editor for the New York Daily News, was re-elected as the officer-at-large.

Other board members include: Aarti Virani, an arts and culture writer, Amita Parashar, a producer for NPR's Tell Me More, Anusha Shrivastava, assistant director of Career Services for Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Anup Kaphle, digital editor for foreign and national security for the Washington Post, Jigar Mehta is the director of operations at Matter and Sree Sreenivasan, founder of SAJA and Columbia University's chief digital officer.

Funds Approved For Student Scholarships & Internships

To learn more about SAJA scholarships & other funding opportunities visit: http://www.saja.org/scholarships. The new 2013 national board voted on approving up to $60,000 in scholarships and internship funds for its student members. These funds will help young South Asian journalists and students advance their media careers.

SAJA announces newly elected board for 2013-2014

Anup Kaphle — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 21:26:33 GMT

SAJA members re-elected five incumbents and added two new members to the board for next year, in the annual election where ten candidates ran for seven open seats.

Those elected at the annual meeting on Dec. 4 were Sree Sreenivasan, Jigar Mehta, Amita Parashar, Sharaf Mowjood, Raakhee Mirchandani, Shefali Kulkarni and Aarti Virani.

The other candidates, in what was a close election, were Nausheen Husain, Ravi Shankar and Shaumya Vaishampayan.

Sreenivasan, a co-founder of SAJA, is the chief digital officer at Columbia University. Mehta, a former SAJA president is the director of operations for Matter, a new media organization that supports journalism entrepreneurs. Parashar is a producer at NPR's Tell Me More and administers SAJA's scholarship program. Mowjood is an associate producer for NBC's Rock Center. Mirchandani is the deputy features editor and the fashion editor at the New York Daily News.

Kulkarni is a multimedia journalist with Kaiser Health News and Virani is an arts and culture writer.

They join current board members Anusha Shrivastava, Sovy Azhath, John Laxmi and Anup Kaphle.

Leaving the board after five two-year terms is freelancer writer Aseem Chhabra, who will continue to run our New York City chapter events.

The board will hold its first meeting in February, when it will elect officers for SAJA's executive committee made up of SAJA's president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and an at-large officer.

The new board hopes you will get involved in SAJA activities in the new year. Send ideas, tips, suggestions to saja@saja.org

If you haven't made a donation to support SAJA's work this year, please consider doing so -- every dollar goes to support our programming, scholarships and fellowships.

If you haven't signed up or renewed your membership (just $40 for journalists; $40 for non-journalists; $20 for students), please do so now.

Candidate Statements for 2013-14 SAJA Board

Jigar Mehta — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 20:23:36 GMT

Link to voting

Nausheen Husain

Though I started as a New York-based SAJA member, I am running for the SAJA board from the West coast. I studied Journalism and Middle Eastern Studies at NYU and am now a graduate student of journalism at University of California , Berkeley . A 2011 recipient of the SAJA internship fund, I have a special interest in covering issues relating to South Asia and the American Muslim community. I have reported for a variety of organizations, including Oakland North, Suburban Life Publications, the Huffington Post, Newsweek International and Reader’s Digest.

Since I will be based in Berkeley , California for the next two years, I’d like to represent SAJA in northern California by planning and implementing events for students of journalism, media and communications. Since most SAJA members are based in the northeast, I am specifically interested in promoting SAJA membership in the West and making this organization a resource and asset for the West-based South Asian journalist community. We need more events, collaboration and programming in the West to grow our establishment.

As a student, I will have access to the student population in northern California . In the past three months, I have already made connections with Berkeley ’s South Asian and Muslim communities, and there are many student journalists here looking for guidance and opportunities for networking. I’d like to be a point person for these students and I know I can do that with the support of the wider SAJA community. I would like to serve on our board to create a wider and more connected SAJA.

To learn more about me, see my resume and read through my clips, please visit my online portfolio.

Link to voting

Shefali S. Kulkarni

I joined SAJA in 2003 as a graduating high school senior embarking on a career in journalism. Since then, I’ve worked at a variety of media outlets-- from Dallas Morning News to The Village Voice to my current job as a reporter for Kaiser Health News in Washington D.C. And my participation in SAJA is an integral part of my journalistic path.

As a college student I attended the national conventions in New York . I blogged about a variety of South Asian-relevant topics like the 2008 presidential election, Desi women in the fashion industry and a Q&A with singer Jay Sean. I turned to SAJA for resume help, to meet inspirational leaders in the media industry, and to get unique story ideas.

As a graduate student at Columbia University ’s Journalism School , I organized SAJA meetings, trips to The New York Times, a multicultural potluck and brought speakers like author Basharat Peer. Today, I help SAJA student members find internships and jobs through our growing Facebook group, promote SAJA events through social media and volunteer for various SAJA events.

In Washington , I coordinate with board members of SAJA to organize happy hours and talks, helped with our first DC-based national convention, judge scholarship applications and network with local journalism schools.

As a board member, I would revamp SAJA’s blog (SAJAForum.org) and increase student involvement. Furthermore, I’d promote the benefits of SAJA using social media, face-to-face networking and collaborate with other minority journalism groups as well as other South Asian groups to help expand our membership. I've seen SAJA grow, not just in numbers, but into a well-respected organization. This organization plays a vital role in my career, but I want to ensure that it will continue to help aspiring journalists.

Link to voting

Jigar Mehta

I am asking for your support in 2012 SAJA Board election. It would be an honor to continue to serve our membership. During my previous two terms on the board (including two years as President), I've helped to revamp many of the core SAJA programs from the awards to reporting fellowships to our annual gala. Also been involved with the redesign of our fundraising efforts to focus more on challenges, we are about to launch our second one, the SAJA Broadcasting challenge.

My association with SAJA started when I was a grad student at UC Berkeley. After attending my first convention I became a life member. I went on to be a SAJA Reporting Fellow, creating a multimedia story about the aftermath of the 2005 Tsunami in Sri Lanka . After helping at local SAJA events and participating in membership outreach, I decided to accelerate my involvement by joining the board.

As our industry faces challenges, it is important for SAJA to evolve and stay relevant. As we approach our 20th anniversary, I want to help drive the conversation of what SAJA looks like in the next 20 years for our members. I hope you elect me to the board so I can continue to work for you – the members.

Link to voting

Raakhee Mirchandani

I'm Raakhee Mirchandani and I'm asking for your vote in the next SAJA election. I'm currently the Fashion Editor and Deputy Features Editor at the NY Daily News. When I'm not playing with shoes inside the fashion closet, on-set with Snooki or Steve Madden or waxing poetic about lip gloss, chances are you'll find me hunched over my laptop handling SAJA business. No, really. I field hundreds of SAJA-related e-mails a week and I love it.

In 2011, my first year on the board, I helped plan the convention and gala awards dinner, SAJA's marquee event. As convention co-chair I helped organized everything from a full-day of panels and speakers to logistical issues. This year, I was instrumental in helping to bring the SAJA gala and awards ceremony to D.C. With my convention co-chairs Amita Parashar and Sharaf Mowjood, we were able to take the event to the nation's capital and engage SAJA members in a whole new way.

Our decision to move the awards ceremony out of New York and program an Oscar-style ceremony that included awards presentations from some of the country's leading South Asian journalists including CNN's Ali Velshi, Frontline's Azmat Khan and the NFL Network's Aditi Kinkabwalla is an achievement I am particularly proud of. If elected for another term as a SAJA board member, it is my goal to continue to widen SAJA's reach while continuing to find new and creative ways to engage our New York members. I think that monthly mixers, including resume workshops, mock interview sessions, social media seminars and job fairs are critical to SAJA's continued success. And together with my fellow NYC SAJA board members, I'd like to take responsibility for reinvigorating the NY Chapter. I would also like to find a way to grow SAJA's usefulness amongst mid-career journalists.

Link to voting

Sharaf Mowjood

When I first ran for the SAJA Board, I wrote that my family is full of doctors, Sri Lanka Muslim doctors to be exact, and added that I often have to field the question, “So when are you going to medical school?” Now after two years on the SAJA board, I don’t get that question as much, instead I am asked, “So when are you getting married?” I’ve worked with some of the brightest, most talented, and award winning SAJA journalists, and yet that’s the question I get the most. The emergence of SAJA within South Asian communities has not only created an institution for young aspiring journalists to tell their stories, but also a place for journalists to connect, inspire, grow and help one another. This to our parents raises the marriage possibilities!

Working for NBC News, I am grateful for this opportunity to ask for your support in seeking another term as a SAJA Board member. Since I was first elected two years ago, I have helped raise over $10,000 for scholarships and fellowships; I’ve brought in new donors from the east and west coasts; and I’ve organized new programming including an exclusive private viewing of the new Islamic Art Exhibit at the MET (complete with curator discussion moderated by CNN’s Ali Velshi), a book reading of “Love Inshallah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women,” and assisting in gathering a variety of guests for the banquet and convention.

However, I am not asking you to support me for my past accomplishments. We all have accomplishments and my colleagues running for this board are among the most talented and amazing individuals I know. I ask you to support me for what I want to continue to bring to SAJA. For the next two years, I’d like to not only continue fundraising and bringing in new donors but also to develop a long-term fundraising and major gift giving strategy. Accomplishing this will mean less talking and more listening to what the community, the South Asian diaspora, wants in how their stories are told and how they want SAJA to empower journalists to tell those stories affectively.

My commitment is to furthering SAJA’s goals and making the organization the best that it can be.

Link to voting

Amita Parashar

I'm a producer at National Public Radio's Tell Me More, a national program based in Washington D.C. , and I’m running for re-election to SAJA's board. As a member of SAJA’s board for the past two years, I co-chaired this year's awards dinner and gala, held in D.C. for the first time. In addition to the gala, I’ve organized a number of events for the D.C. SAJA community, including a book talk by NPR's Steve Inskeep. I believe that I’ve fostered a strong community of journalists in the nation’s capitol and I look forward to continuing to grow SAJA’s efforts outside of the New York City area. I would also like to bring the SAJA newsroom tours to Washington D.C. to allow young journalists the opportunity to meet top journalists and see where they work.

Nationally, I've administered SAJA's student scholarship program for the past two years, most recently awarding $50,000 in grants. I’d like to help SAJA continue to serve our students’ needs through this program and also through mentorship and by growing college chapters. SAJA is an organization that draws strength from its membership. If elected for another term, I’d like to help that membership stay connected and widen our reach even further.

Link to voting

Ravi Shankar

I would be glad to serve as a member of the SAJA Board as I believe I represent an important though under-represented part of the organization's constituency. I am a lifetime member of SAJA but a practicing poet and an Associate Professor of English at Central Connecticut State University . I have published or edited 7 books and chapbooks of poetry, including the W.W. Norton anthology "Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from Asia , the Middle East & Beyond," called a "beautiful achievement for world literature" by Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer. This collection includes numerous South Asian and South Asian American poets, from places such as India , Pakistan , Sri Lanka , Bangladesh , Nepal , Tibet , the Maldives Island , and Bhutan . In putting this anthology together and traveling the world to meet with the contributors, I gained a good sense of the kinds of issues that these communities have and it would be my honor to help represent their voices and interests on the the SAJA Board.

As the founding editor of the international online literary journal, Drunken Boat [http://www.drunkenboat.com], I have published many South Asian authors and artists, I have also judged numerous contests for fellowships/awards and scholarships in the past and being based in Connecticut, I feel I could bring a perspective to the Board outside of those who live in New York City. I am also close enough that I would be available to be present at SAJA functions. I'm also deeply committed to social justice and to helping South Asians cope with the often misguided representations of themselves in the mass media and am particularly sensitive to helping cover South Asians in the arts. It would be my honor to serve you as a Board Member for the upcoming years.

Link to voting

Sree Sreenivasan

It's been my honor to serve SAJA for 18 years and I have the nerve to ask you all to let me serve SAJA for two more. SAJA is already one of the most dynamic groups in American journalism, but it's poised to move to greater heights. I am excited about the energy and achievements of the current Board and am looking forward to working with returning and new members to set the stage for SAJA's next phase, especially as we hit the 20-year milestone in 2014. As co-founder and former president, I know where we have come from, and I want to work with the next Board to see where we can go. If elected, I would focus on these two areas: raising funds so we can give out more scholarships and mid-career fellowships; and mentoring the next generation of SAJA - and journalism - leaders. Succeeding in these areas will require time and energy and I am willing to give both, working closely with the rest of the Board, the members and the larger journalism community to succeed.

Link to voting

Saumya Vaishampayan

There is a lot of talk about how the journalism industry is changing. I’d like to play an active role in making sure that our members –especially those still in school – are equipped to rise to the challenge. I believe that starts with engaging students who are in high school or pursing undergraduate degrees. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with alumni from my university who were kind enough to tell me about how they got their start in journalism, and I wouldn’t be here today without them. A professional organization like SAJA is so much better equipped for this type of mentoring; I think it just needs a board member who would make it her priority. I would actively reach out to our younger members to see what type of programs or mentoring would be the most useful and then facilitate communication with more experienced members. As a board member, I would like to expand existing programs like SAJA@Work, which provides access to editors and producers, and organize more informal networking events.

I’m a recent graduate of Tufts University , where I studied quantitative economics and was the managing editor of the student newspaper. I am currently interning with the investing team at Bloomberg News in New York .

The many hours spent working in my college newspaper office – the basement of the coffee shop – sparked my passion for journalism and I’m eager to bring this to a board position at SAJA. Please email me at saumya.vaishampayan@gmail.com if you have questions, comments or if would like to commiserate about the difficulties of spelling out your last name over the phone.

Link to voting

Aarti Virani

As the daughter of Indian immigrants, born and raised in Japan and educated in America , I aim to bring a panoramic and global perspective to the SAJA board. Currently, as an arts, culture and entertainment writer covering the New York metropolitan area, I regularly contribute to publications including The Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure and Vogue India, keeping a vigilant finger on the cultural pulse of the South Asian American community. I have tackled a broad range of subjects, including the predominance of Gujarati Americans in the U.S. motel industry, the "Hollywoodization” of Indian production companies, and South Asian American TV and film personalities wanting to take on roles that aren't just steered by ethnicity. Most recently, I joined forces with the South Asian Women’s Leadership Forum (SAWLF) to craft a series of profiles spotlighting the many fascinating women that make up the groundbreaking non-profit.

If elected to the SAJA board, I would be thrilled to organize more events that connect seasoned journalists with newcomers to the field, providing younger members with a closer, behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the news business. In an effort to encourage more South Asian Americans to pursue journalism, I would also be interested in facilitating outreach to schools and universities, including my alma mater, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Most of all, I am eager to direct my energy to make SAJA a network and resource that ensures mainstream news media organizations provide fair and accurate coverage of the increasingly diverse South Asian American community - an issue that was especially relevant in the aftermath of the Wisconsin gurdwara shootings earlier this year.

Ultimately, I am committed to helping South Asian Americans become active participants in the process of their own media representation and believe SAJA plays an instrumental role in that process. I would consider it a privilege to serve on the board.

Link to voting

Call for Nominations. 2013/14 SAJA Board

Jigar Mehta — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:51:27 GMT

The SAJA board would like to announce and invite any SAJA full member who wants to run for this year's SAJA board elections. Our organization has more than 750 paid members and we are continuing to grow as we speak!

Seven SAJA board member positions are open for the two year term of 2013 & 2014. In December, these spots will be filled through our elections.

Only full members, not associate members, of SAJA are eligible to contest for the board member slots.

Those who have a strong interest in journalism and coverage of South Asia(n) issues are urged to consider running for the election.

People involved in public relations, law, accounting or marketing can make valuable contributions to SAJA's board as well. We would like members based outside of New York City to contest as well.

Important requirements for serving on the board are a spirit of teamwork, leadership and the commitment of at least a few hours each week, on activities ranging from organizing events to judging applications for awards/scholarships.

ALL CANDIDATES WILL NEED TO SUBMIT A 300-WORD PITCH THAT WILL BE MADE PUBLIC AND AVAILABLE TO ALL SAJA MEMBERS. THESE PITCHES HAVE TO BE SUBMITTED TO SAJA VICE PRESIDENT SOVY AZHATH BY THURSDAY NOV. 15th. E-MAIL TO : vp@saja.org

PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME, CURRENT SNAIL MAIL, E-MAIL ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER.

If you have any questions about running or serving on the board, you can reach out to SAJA President Anusha Shrivastava: President@Saja.org

SAJA Announces 2012 Journalism Award Winners

Jigar Mehta — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:53:59 GMT

The Daniel Pearl Award for outstanding reporting about South Asia: All media

Winner

The Unwinnable war, Aryn Baker, Time

Finalists

War pulls apart Afghan families, Joshua Partlow, The Washington Post

At Afghan military hospital, graft and deadly neglect, Maria Abi-Habib, The Wall Street Journal

Outstanding enterprise reporting about South Asia or the worldwide South Asian diaspora: All media

Winner

Series: On the smuggler’s trail, Stewart Bell, The National Post

Finalists

From Kerala to Dayton, Arthur Pais, India Abroad

‘Slow poison’ scars Indian lungs as asbestos firm sells $7 roof for slums, Adi Narayan and Andrew MacAskill, Bloomberg

Outstanding breaking news reporting about South Asia or the worldwide South Asian diaspora: All media

No Finalists

Outstanding business story about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All media

Winner

J.P Morgan’s hunt for Afghan gold, James Bandler, Fortune

Finalists

Soil renewal puts Pakistan’s poor on stronger ground, Amy Yee, The New York Times

Organic farming finds a growing fan base in India, Amy Yee, The New York Times

Outstanding arts, culture, or travel story about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All media

Winner

Kabul rock city, Ali M. Latifi, Al-Jazeera

Finalists

Angel Island profile: Eliseo Felipe, Jeffrey Chin

India’s vanishing vultures, Meera Subramanian, Virginia Quarterly Review

Outstanding editorial/commentary on South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All media

Winner

When parochialisms collide, Parthiv N. Parekh, Khabar

Finalists

China’s century -- or India’s? Zoher Abdoolcarim, Michael Schuman and Bill Powell, Time

The politics of grief, V.V. Ganeshananthan, Granta

Outstanding visual storytelling about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora (includes audio slide shows, photo essays and video stories)

Winner

Why are children smoking in Indonesia? Jon Meyersohn and Dan Harris, ABC News

Finalists

With newborn baby, Bhutanese refugee family plants American roots, Matt O'Brien and Jane Tyska, Inside Bay Area

Photographs of Afghanistan show a country carved up by war, Balazs Gardi and Teru Kuwayama, The Daily Beast

For journalists of South Asian origin working in North America for any media outlet: Outstanding story on any subject: All media

Winner

A soldier’s war on two fronts, Moni Basu, CNN

Finalist

Born on 9/11- Ten Children, Ten Years Later, Zain Shauk, Susan Carroll, Johnny Hanson, Tanyia Johnson, The Houston Chronicle

Outstanding editorial/op-ed/commentary on any subject: All media

Winner

Review: Why It's Kicking Off Everywhere: The New Global Revolutions, Maha Atal, Forbes

Finalists

Doctors often struggle to show compassion while dealing with patients, Manoj Jain, The Washington Post

Violence at Queens Sikh Temple Evokes Memories of India’s Troubled Past, Sujeet Rajan, Feet in Two Worlds

Outstanding story on any subject by a South Asian student in the US or Canada: All media

A double edged sword: gay and illegal in America, Kumutha Ramanathan (FIRST prize)

Squeezed out in India, students turn to U.S, Nida Najar (SECOND prize)

Threat of climate change disasters looms large for Bangladesh, Malathi Nayak (THIRD prize)

JUDGES: Franz Strasser, The BBC; Mark Stein, Dow Jones; Tiffany Harness, The Washington Post; Prabha Natarajan, Dow Jones; Jonathan Capehart, MSNBC contributor; Blake Hounshell, Foreign Policy.

SAJA announces newly elected 2012-2013 board

Jigar Mehta — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:04:36 GMT

Ten candidates ran for four open board seats

SAJA members re-elected three incumbents and added one newcomer to form SAJA's 2012-2013 board, in an election where ten candidates vied for four open seats.

Those elected at the annual meeting on Dec. 8 were Sovy Azhath, Anup Kaphle, John Laxmi and Anusha Shrivastava.

The other candidates, in what was a close election, were Tejinder Singh, Masum Momaya, Devin Banerjee, Sopan Deb, Malini Doddamani and Shefali S. Kulkarni.

Shrivastava, reporter, foreign exchange at Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal, is SAJA's current vice-president. Laxmi, a partner & chief operating officer at Alinda Capital Partners LLC is SAJA’s current treasurer and has served on the board since 2001. Azhath is a CNN headline news producer and SAJA’s current secretary. Kaphle, online world and national security editor for The Washington Post, joins the board for his first term.

They join current board members Jigar Mehta, Aseem Chhabra, Sree Sreenivasan, Ismat Mangla, Amita Parashar, Sharaf Mowjood and Raakhee Mirchandani.
The annual meeting took place just prior to SAJA's festive holiday parties in New York.

After nine year including two as President, Sandeep Junnarkar is stepping down from the SAJA board. Junnarkar said that despite stepping off the board, he hopes to actively help SAJA with its long term strategies and fundraising efforts.

"It's been an honor to work for SAJA's members for nearly a decade," he said. "The growing number of members is a testament to the association's success with its scholarships, fellowships and events programming."

The board will hold its first meeting in January, when it will elect officers for SAJA's executive committee made up of SAJA's president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and an at-large officer.

The new board hopes you will get involved in SAJA activities in the new year. Send ideas, tips, suggestions to saja@saja.org

If you haven't made a donation to support SAJA's work this year, please consider doing so -- every dollar goes to support our programming, scholarships and fellowships.

If you haven't signed up or renewed your membership (just $40 for journalists; $40 for non-journalists; $20 for students), please do so now.

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SAJA Board Elections

Jigar Mehta — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:47:55 GMT

SAJA Board Elections

With November around the corner, the SAJA board would like to announce and invite any SAJA full member who wants to run for this year's SAJA board elections. Our organization has more than 750 paid members and we are continuing to grow as we speak!

Four SAJA board member positions will be open for the two year term of 2012 & 2013. These spots will be filled through these elections later this fall.

Only full members, not associate members, of SAJA are eligible to contest for the board member slots.

Those who have a strong interest in journalism and coverage of South Asia(n) issues are urged to consider running for the election. People involved in journalism, PR, law, accounting or marketing can make valuable contributions to SAJA's board. We would like members based outside New York City to contest as well.

Important requirements for serving on the board are a spirit of teamwork, leadership and the commitment of at least a few hours each week, on activities ranging from organizing events to judging applicationsfor awards/scholarships.

ALL CANDIDATES WILL NEED TO SUBMIT A 300-WORD PITCH THAT WILL BE MADE PUBLIC AND AVAILABLE TO ALL SAJA MEMBERS. THE PITCHES HAVE TO BE SUBMITTED TO SAJA BOARD MEMBER RAAKHEE MIRCHANDANI BY NOV. 3. Raakhee.mirchandani@gmail.com

PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME, CURRENT SNAIL MAIL AND E-MAIL ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER.

If you have any questions about running or serving on the board, you can reach out to SAJA President Jigar Mehta at President@Saja.org

SAJA Reporting Fellowship Winners Announced for Second Round of 2011 Funding

Jigar Mehta — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:36:35 GMT

NEW YORK, September 29, 2011: The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) and SAJA Group Inc. are proud to announce the winners of the 2011 Second Round SAJA Reporting Fellowships Program.

SAJA will support the following projects with a total of about $20,000 in funding:

(1) Lily Jamali: $4,995

Lily Jamali, a freelancer multimedia journalist who has produced pieces for PRI/BBC's "The World," CNN and Time.com, will document how climatic changes are affecting the island nation of the Maldives.

(2) Erik Olsen & Matthew Orr: $7,000

Erik Olsen and Matthew Orr, are video journalists at the New York Times, will produce a piece about how a group of isolated tribes living near the Bay of Bengal are coping with the growing encroachment of modern society.

(3) Brent Lewin: $5,360

Brent Lewin, a freelancer who has been published in the Global Post, Bloomberg and Discovery Channel Magazine, plans to report on the continued use of children as miners in the India coal industry.

SAJA received more than 50 entries for the 2011 program. A rigorous, three-round judging process was used to pick the winners.

Open to freelancers and staff journalists in any medium, the fellowships are meant to encourage in-depth reporting projects about South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora through special grants. The resulting work is available for use by news organizations at no charge. Last year, the inaugural fellowships' applicants were required to focus on the aftermath of the Tsunami that struck Asia in December 2004. The completed work of previous year's fellows may be viewed here. [link: http://saja.org/srf]

The judge for the final round was: Raju Narisetti, the Managing Editor of the Washington Post. The judges for the first two rounds were members of the SAJA board.

ABOUT SAJA:
SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, was founded in March 1994 as a networking group for journalists of South Asian origin in New York City. It has grown into a national group of more than 1,000 journalists working for leading publications, broadcast networks and online outlets in various cities in the US and Canada.

SAJA works closely with SAJA Group, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.

Details of SAJA's activities and resources for journalists are available at
http://www.saja.org.

SAJA Group, Inc. is a non-profit charitable organization (EIN: 55-0844632)
and is registered with the State of New York Charities Bureau
(Registration Number 20-70-28). Please send any funding questions to
saja@columbia.edu

SAJA Announces Winners of the 2011 Knowledge@Wharton Awards

Jigar Mehta — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:25:44 GMT

For more information, contact Sandeep Junnarkar at awards@saja.org.

NEW YORKundefinedThe South Asian Journalists Association is pleased to announce four outstanding journalists who have won the 2011 Knowledge@Wharton Awards for Business Journalism, sponsored by SAJA, the Wharton School and the Knowledge@Wharton online business journal.

–Tanzina Vega, a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and a reporter for The New York Times, won the NAHJ-Knowledge@Wharton Award.

– Kimberly Chou, a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and a news assistant at the Wall Street Journal, won the AAJA-Knowledge@Wharton Award.

–Priyanka Dayal, a member of SAJA and a business reporter for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette (a New York Times Co. newspaper), is one of the recipients of the SAJA-Knowledge@Wharton Award.

–Aruna Viswanatha, a member of SAJA and a journalist Reuters in New York, is another winner of SAJA-Knowledge@Wharton Award.

The awards provide journalists with a scholarship to attend the prestigious Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists (www.wharton.upenn.edu/journalists) at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in October. Knowledge@Wharton and SAJA launched the award in 1999 and later expanded it to include the four organizations in UNITY: Journalists of Color -- AAJA, NABJ, NAHJ and Native American Journalists Association. (This year there were no NAJA applicants.)

"A mortgage crisis, global market turmoil, federal, state and local government budget cuts and tracking federal stimulus money. It’s clear that economic and business coverage is important no matter what beat a journalist covers," said Sandeep Junnarkar, the SAJA Fellowships and Awards Chair. "The Wharton seminar is an immensely valuable opportunity for journalists to learn about intricacies of business coverage. We're grateful to the Wharton School for the 12th year of continued support."

Any member of SAJA, AAJA, NABJ, NAHJ or NAJA who is a reporter, editor or producer (including freelancers) currently living in the United States or Canada and working in business journalism or a field that overlaps, such as healthcare or technology, is eligible to apply for the scholarship. Applicants must be available to attend the Wharton program this year. Individuals with two to seven years of experience as a business reporter or those new to business reporting, but with five to 10 years of experience as a reporter in another field, are encouraged to apply.

"Knowledge@Wharton seeks to disseminate the knowledge behind the news, and the continuing support of the Knowledge@Wharton Awards for SAJA and the UNITY organizations fits in well with this mission," said Mukul Pandya, executive director and editor in chief of Knowledge@Wharton. "We are delighted to welcome this year's winners to the Wharton Seminars."

The judges for this year's awards were members of the SAJA Board.

About Knowledge@Wharton and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Knowledge@Wharton, http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/is a free biweekly online resource that captures knowledge generated at Wharton through such channels as research papers, conferences, books, and interviews with faculty on current business topics, and distributes that knowledge online to a global business audience. The Knowledge@Wharton network includes more than 1.3 million subscribers and contains more than 2,000 articles and research papers in its database, with more added every week.
The Wharton School -- founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school -- is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. The most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world, Wharton bridges research and practice through its broad engagement with the global business community. The school has more than 4,600 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 8,000 annual participants in executive education programs; and an alumni network of more than 85,000 graduates.

About the South Asian Journalists Association
The South Asian Journalists Association http://www.saja.org, was founded in March 1994 as a networking group for journalists of South Asian origin in New York City. It has grown into a national group of more than 800 journalists working for leading newspapers, broadcast networks and new media outlets in various cities in the U.S. and Canada. The organization is best known for its web-based SAJA Stylebook for Covering South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora (http://www.saja.org/stylebook) -- "Learn to tell your Hindi from Hindu, and much, much more" -- and its annual SAJA Journalism Awards, which recognize outstanding coverage of South Asia and excellence in reporting by South Asian journalists and students in the U.S. and Canada. Each year, more than 700 journalists attend the SAJA National Convention in NYC.

-30-

SAJA Announces 2011 Journalism Award Winners

Jigar Mehta — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:00:40 GMT

June 19, 2011

NEW YORK The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) and SAJA Group Inc. are pleased to announce the winners in its annual journalism awards contest.

Winners for the SAJA 2011 Journalism Awards for work published in 2010 include NPR, Time, The New York Times and Glamour.

This year, SAJA received more than 200 entries in 10 categories. The winners were selected through an tough two-step judging process that involved more than 20 judges. Each award winner and the finalists received a certificate at SAJA's 17th Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at Columbia University. The student winners received an additional cash prize.

Category 1 - The Daniel Pearl Award for outstanding reporting about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All Media

Winner: The Shadow War (Series) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 -- Mark Mazzetti,Dexter Filkins, The New York Times

Judge’s Statement: The Shadow War exemplifies the very best of investigative reporting. It breaks significant news, tells a larger tale and explains policy implications along the way. The reporters' access and doggedness was most impressive.

Finalists:

Along The Grand Trunk Road: Coming Of Age In India And Pakistan -- Steve Inskeep; Julie McCarthy; Phillip Reeves, NPR
On Patrol (Series) 1, 2, 3, 4 -- Christopher Chivers, The New York Times
India’s Diabetes Epidemic Cuts Down Millions Who Escape Poverty -- Jason Gale, Bloomberg News
Afghan Women and The Return of the Taliban -- Aryn Baker, TIME

Category 2. Outstanding story about the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All Media

Winner: Bhutanese refugees series -- Matt O'Brien, Jane Tyska, Contra Costa Times / Bay Area News Group

Judge’s Statement:

The Bhutan series is a meticulously detailed account of a development that with different players is evident all around the U.S. Immigrants and refugees form a new community in a seemingly disparate place. In this case Bhutanese refugees in northern California. The reporter and photographer documented this in print, video and pictures in a way that is seldom seen-- as a continuum starting with the journey from the refugee camps and proceeding through the immense cultural adjustments to be made after arrival. Extraordinary work.
Finalists:

An American Honor Killing -- Abigail Pesta, Marie Claire
Nikki Haley -- George Joseph, India Abroad
They've Struck Oil, But They're Not Rich -- Sachi Cunningham, Los Angeles Times

Category 3. Outstanding business story about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All Media

Winner: The Organ Dealer -- Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Discover magazine

Judge’s statement:

The Organ Dealer is meticulously reported and compellingly written, so much so that you feel you are at the author's side during his investigation. Mr. Bhattacharjee's writing conveys an impressive knowledge of the complex health and business issues involved with the black market for kidneys. An investigative tour de force.

Finalists:

Suicides in India Revealing How Men Made a Mess of Microcredit -- Yoolim Lee, Ruth David, Bloomberg News
Tax-Free Living in Pakistan -- Adam Ellick, The New York Times

Category 4. Outstanding arts, culture, or travel story about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All media

Winner:
How India's Success Is Killing Its Holy River -- Jyoti Thottam, TIME

Judge’s statement
This well-researched, wide-ranging piece expertly explains how industrial development in India is causing a water crisis that’s crippling communities along a 600-mile stretch of the Ganges River. By examining the historical, environmental, geographical and religious components of India’s “war over water,” Thottam illuminates a complex issue that has global implications, and brings it home through finely etched personal stories.

Finalists:

Street Food Goes Gourmet -- Preeti Chandan, India-West
A Normal Man In A Not So Normal World -- Amitava Kumar, Preston Merchant, The Caravan
Behind the Scenes at the South Asian Spelling Bee -- Dr Mona Khanna, Shar Adrias, southasianspellingbee.com

Category 5. Outstanding editorial/commentary on South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All media

Winner: My Mother's Last Sari -- Madhulika Sikka, Daily Beast

Judge’s Statement:
My Mother's Last Sari is a beautifully crafted poignant essay which manages to be both moving and unsentimental which is a remarkable feat given the subject - a daughter writing about her mother's passing. The death of a parent has been the subject of many moving essays and tributes but Madhulika manages to weave in a much larger story of immigration and the courage of these early immigrants, the traditional women whose courage and bravery is too often dismissed, sometimes even by their own children. The sari becomes a symbol of something far more than six yards of cloth, rising beyond being a repository of cultural tradition to an emblem of courage and strength.

Finalists:

Obama's Pakistan Dilemma -- Matthew Kaminski, The Wall Street Journal
But Is It Racist? -- Tanzila Ahmed, Sepia Mutiny
Photojournalist notebook: Reflections on a visit to Bhutan and Nepal, Jane Tyska, The Oakland Tribune/Bay Area News Group

Category 6. Outstanding photograph about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora (single or series)

Winner: Women of Afghanistan Under Taliban Threat -- Jodi Bieber, TIME

Statement:

Jodi Beiber did an amazing job with a difficult topic and one endemic to countries beyond Afghanistan's borders. Bieber's very human treatment highlights the subject of abuse and violence against women without exploiting the woman as victim. It highlights her inherent beauty as well as the offense.

Finalists:

The Mainali Family Journey Part 1 & 2 -- Jane Tyska, The Oakland Tribune/Bay Area News Group
Along The Grand Trunk Road: Coming Of Age In India And Pakistan -- NPR

Category 7. Outstanding coverage of the South Asian environment, including the Pakistan floods (All Media)

Winner: NPR Flood Coverage -- Julie McCarthy, NPR

Judge’s statement:

These are exceptional reports. Everything that journalism should be. While the coverage is outstanding in every way I was particularly impressed by the elegant writing of the narration.

Finalists:

Coal India Limited -- Srinivas Kuruganti, Blurb books
Inside the Flood Zone -- Reza Sayah, CNN

Category 8. Outstanding story on any subject: All media

Winner: The Most Wanted Surrogates in the World -- Habiba Nosheen, Hilke Schellmann, Glamour

Judge’s statement:
A very-well reported piece on surrogate mothers that not only addresses the personal and emotional cost of the practice but also highlights a conundrum for policy makers -- which insurance company pays for the medical care of these pregnant women, who may sometimes profit from bearing another couple's child. And getting it published in Glamour, competing against headlines like "30 Flirty Dresses under $125" ...priceless!

Finalists:

More airport security screenings for Sikhs (Series) -- Anju Kaur, Sikh News Network
Rwanda: Take Two -- Pia Sawhney, The Washington Post
Warlord Reflection On Liberia's Bloody Wars -- Seema Mathur, Mike Martin, CNN
SF Police Chief: Muslims a Possible Threat -- Anser Hassan , Illume Media

Category 9. Outstanding editorial/op-ed/commentary on any subject: All media

Winner: Across the Border - Tech-savvy, Poverty-ridden -- Sujeet Rajan, The Indian Express North American edition

Judge’s Statement:

In his thought-provoking essay about the parallel worlds of progress and poverty, Mr. Rajan cautions readers not to forget about "Shining India"'s darker side. He uses vivid examples to make his points, while staying focused and tight in his writing.

Finalists:

Let These Women Pray! -- Asra Nomani, Daily Beast
Detention Reform and Its Discontents, Anil Kalhan, Dorf on Law

Category 10. Outstanding photograph about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora (single or series)

Judges did not select a winner in this category.

Category 11. Outstanding story on any subject by a South Asian student in the US or Canada: All media

First place:
Watch and learn -- Riddhi Shah, Boston Globe - ($500 Prize)

Judge’s Statement: Riddhi Shah’s piece is an enjoyable read with history and context. The reporting, tone and writing was compelling and kept me engaged.

Second place--tie: ($300 Prize)
Canadian women getting controversial surgery to mimic virginity -- Tamara Baluja, The Province
Rogue militias abuse rural Afghans -- Mujib Mashal, Al Jazeera English

Third Place--tie: ($200 Prize)
$325 a week; living as a newspaper vendor -- Vishal Persaud, The Wage Divide
The Heretics -- Vivekananda Nemana, Shoeleather Magazine

SAJA Announces Awards Finalists

Jigar Mehta — Sat, 21 May 2011 16:43:50 GMT

May 20, 2011

NEW YORK The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) and SAJA Group Inc. are pleased to announce the finalists in its annual journalism awards contest.

Finalists for the SAJA 2011 Journalism Awards for work published in 2010 include NPR, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Glamour, NPR and The Wall Street Journal.

This year, SAJA received more than 200 entries in 10 categories. Finalists were selected by more than 15 judges. The winners will be announced at SAJA's 17th Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at Columbia University.

Each award winner will receive a certificate and the student winners will receive an additional cash prize.

SAJA JOURNALISM AWARD FINALISTS

Category 1 - The Daniel Pearl Award for outstanding reporting about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All Media

Along The Grand Trunk Road: Coming Of Age In India And Pakistan -- Steve Inskeep; Julie McCarthy; Phillip Reeves, NPR
On Patrol (Series) 1, 2, 3, 4 -- Christopher Chivers, The New York Times
The Shadow War (Series) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 -- Mark Mazzetti,Dexter Filkins, The New York Times
India’s Diabetes Epidemic Cuts Down Millions Who Escape Poverty -- Jason Gale, Bloomberg News
Afghan Women and The Return of the Taliban -- Aryn Baker, TIME

Category 2. Outstanding story about the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All Media

An American Honor Killing -- Abigail Pesta, Marie Claire
Nikki Haley --    George Joseph, India Abroad
They've Struck Oil, But They're Not Rich -- Sachi Cunningham, Los Angeles Times
Bhutanese refugees series --     Matt O'Brien, Jane Tyska, Contra Costa Times / Bay Area News Group

Category 3. Outstanding business story about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All Media

The Organ Dealer -- Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Discover magazine
Suicides in India Revealing How Men Made a Mess of Microcredit -- Yoolim Lee, Ruth David, Bloomberg News
Tax-Free Living in Pakistan -- Adam Ellick, The New York Times
The Most Wanted Surrogates in the World -- Habiba Nosheen, Hilke Schellmann, Glamour

Category 4. Outstanding arts, culture, or travel story about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All media

Street Food Goes Gourmet -- Preeti Chandan, India-West
How India's Success Is Killing Its Holy River -- Jyoti Thottam, TIME
A Normal Man In A Not So Normal World -- Amitava Kumar, Preston Merchant, The Caravan
Behind the Scenes at the South Asian Spelling Bee -- Dr Mona Khanna, Shar Adrias, southasianspellingbee.com

Category 5. Outstanding editorial/commentary on South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All media

My Mother's Last Sari -- Madhulika Sikka, Daily Beast
Obama's Pakistan Dilemma -- Matthew Kaminski, The Wall Street Journal
But Is It Racist? -- Tanzila Ahmed, Sepia Mutiny
Photojournalist notebook: Reflections on a visit to Bhutan and Nepal, Jane Tyska,        The Oakland Tribune/Bay Area News Group

Category 6. Outstanding photograph about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora (single or series)

Women of Afghanistan Under Taliban Threat -- Aryn Baker,       TIME
The Mainali Family Journey Part 1 & 2 -- Jane Tyska, The Oakland Tribune/Bay Area News Group
Along The Grand Trunk Road: Coming Of Age In India And Pakistan -- Steve Inskeep; Julie McCarthy; Phillip Reeves, NPR

Category 7. Outstanding coverage of the South Asian environment, including the Pakistan floods (All Media)

Coal India Limited -- Srinivas Kuruganti, Blurb books
Inside the Flood Zone -- Reza Sayah, CNN
NPR Flood Coverage -- William Craven, Julie McCarthy, NPR

Category 8. Outstanding story on any subject: All media

More airport security screenings for Sikhs (Series) -- Anju Kaur, Sikh News Network
Rwanda: Take Two -- Pia Sawhney, The Washington Post
Warlord Reflection On Liberia's Bloody Wars -- Seema Mathur, Mike Martin, CNN
SF Police Chief: Muslims a Possible Threat -- Anser Hassan , Illume Media

Category 9. Outstanding editorial/op-ed/commentary on any subject: All media

Let These Women Pray! -- Asra Nomani, Daily Beast
Across the Border - Tech-savvy, Poverty-ridden -- Sujeet Rajan, The Indian Express North American edition
Detention Reform and Its Discontents, Anil Kalhan, Dorf on Law

Category 10. Outstanding photograph about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora (single or series)

Judges did not select a winner in this category.

Category 11. Outstanding story on any subject by a South Asian student in the US or Canada: All media

Rogue militias abuse rural Afghans -- Mujib Mashal, Al Jazeera English
The Heretics -- Vivekananda Nemana, Shoeleather Magazine
$325 a week; living as a newspaper vendor -- Vishal Persaud, The Wage Divide
Watch and learn -- Riddhi Shah, Boston Globe
Canadian women getting controversial surgery to mimic virginity -- Tamara Baluja, The Province

2011 SAJA Scholarship Winners Announced: $36,000 Awarded

Jigar Mehta — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:42:51 GMT

The South Asian Journalists Association is pleased to announce the winners of its 2011 Student Scholarship Awards. This year we had an impressive pool of nearly 90 applicants, and are thrilled to award a record $36,000 in scholarships. The awards will help students interested in journalism pursue their high school, undergraduate or graduate educations.

Our thanks to the Arun I. and Asmita Bhatia Foundation; Hansa and Ramesh Butani of Darshan TV; Atlantic Media and CNN for their generous support of the scholarships.

Also....

Tickets on sale now for SAJA's annual convention: http://saja.org/convention2011. Early bird discount available till May 15.

Donate to SAJA Scholarship Fund today: http://saja.org/donate

2011 Scholarship Winners:

HIGH SCHOOL $1500 each

Rajeswari Ramanathan

Joshua Roychowdhury

Ritika Shah

UNDERGRADUATE $3000 each

Shanika Gunaratna

Devin Banerjee

Sonali Kohli

UNDERGRADUATE ENGENDERED $1000

Sarosh Arif

SAJA CNN BROADCAST (UNDERGRADUATE) $2000

Anum Hussain

GRADUATE $5000 each

Sumit Galhotra

Suvro Bandyo

Rukmagat Aryal

GRADUATE ENGENDERED $1000

Noor Zaidi

SAJA CNN BROADCAST (GRADUATE) $2000

Nadia Zaffar

ATLANTIC MONTHLY NEW MEDIA $1500

Ashwin Seshagiri

SAJA ANNOUNCES A CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR ITS REPORTING FELLOWSHIP

Jigar Mehta — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:31:30 GMT

This program is aimed at promoting a rare element in 24/7-news-cycle journalism -- in-depth and follow-up reporting on major events relating to South Asia or South Asians, long after the breaking-news crews have moved on.

Full program details at http://saja.org/2011srf

Questions to Sandeep Junnarkar, Awards & Fellowships chair: awards@saja.org

NEW YORK, April 18, 2011 - As part of their mission to encourage in-depth coverage of South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora, SAJA and SAJA Group Inc are pleased to announce changes to its flagship SAJA Reporting Fellowship program (SRF), which will now provide greater flexibility while streamlining the application process.

Journalists will have two opportunities each year to apply for the fellowship, once each fall and spring, which we envision allows them to pitch more timely under-reported pieces. The spring round 2011 opens April 18, 2011.

The application process has also been simplified. Journalists will now submit a short application that asks for their pitch and credentials. If the application is approved by our judges, SAJA will ask for more details about the project.

With those changes in mind, SAJA and SAJA Group Inc. announces a call for submissions for the SAJA Reporting Fellowship. Open to freelancers and staff journalists in any medium, the fellowships are meant to encourage in-depth reporting projects by providing grants to cover a portion of reporting expenses.

A total of up to $20,000 may be given out annually, divided among projects or a single project at SAJA's discretion. Each fellowship award is typically between $3,000-$7,000.

These Fellowships, launched in 2005 to ensure follow-up reportage about the 2004 tsunami and its victims, were initially funded by SAJA members, corporate donors and friends of SAJA. For the last five years, SRF received a major financial boost thanks to the support of the Mahadeva Family Foundation, which will make an annual contribution of $20,000. "The support of Kumar Mahadeva and Simi Ahuja, who have been part of the SAJA community for more than a decade, is critical to SAJA's core mission of improving the coverage of South Asia through the SAJA Reporting Fellowships and similar programs," said Sandeep Junnarkar, the group's Awards & Fellowships chair and professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. "This is going to have a major impact on the kind of stories that the Fellows do and how Americans learn about what's going on in South Asia today."

In the 2011 spring period, the fellowship is open to proposals on any in-depth topics covering South Asia or the South Asian Diaspora.

SAJA will start accepting preliminary proposals on starting April 18-May 2. After reviewing the proposals and credentials, we will inform applicants whether we are interested in a full proposal. The deadline for the complete proposal, with supporting materials will be May 15, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Full program details, F.A.Q and application at http://saja.org/2011srf

SAJA Reporting Fellowship Winners Announced

Jigar Mehta — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:37:25 GMT

NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2011: The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) and SAJA Group Inc. are proud to announce the winners of the 2011 SAJA Reporting Fellowships Program.

SAJA will support the following projects with a total of about $20,000 in funding:

1. Freelancers Hilke Schellmann and Habiba Nosheen will work on a project about missing girls in Pakistan

2. Poornima Weerasekara, a freelancer, will work on a project charting the reintegration of Sri Lanka’s ex-child soldiers.

3. Rohini Mohan, a staff reporter for Tehelka magazine, will report on the shaping of identities in post-civil war Sri Lanka.

SAJA received more than 50 entries for the 2011 program. A rigorous, three-round judging process was used to pick the winners.

This year SAJA plans to provide another $20,000 in funding for the SAJA Reporting Fellowships in the Fall. Please check SAJA.org for more information in July, 2011.

Open to freelancers and staff journalists in any medium, the fellowships are meant to encourage in-depth reporting projects about South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora through special grants. The resulting work is available for use by news organizations at no charge. Last year, the inaugural fellowships' applicants were required to focus on the aftermath of the Tsunami that struck Asia in December 2004. The completed work of previous year's fellows may be viewed here.

ABOUT SAJA:
SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, was founded in March 1994 as a networking group for journalists of South Asian origin in New York City. It has grown into a national group of more than 1,000 journalists working for leading publications, broadcast networks and online outlets in various cities in the US and Canada.

SAJA works closely with SAJA Group, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.

Details of SAJA's activities and resources for journalists are available at http://www.saja.org.

SAJA Group, Inc. is a non-profit charitable organization (EIN: 55-0844632) and is registered with the State of New York Charities Bureau (Registration Number 20-70-28). Please send any funding questions to saja@saja.org