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  • 2012-11-08 2:51 PM | Jigar Mehta

    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
  • 2012-07-15 1:53 PM | Jigar Mehta

    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


    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


    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

    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

    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

    Finalists


    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)

    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.


  • 2011-12-12 3:04 PM | Jigar Mehta

    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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  • 2011-10-29 9:47 PM | Jigar Mehta
    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
  • 2011-09-29 7:36 AM | Jigar Mehta

    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.


    "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 January 2012.


    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 

  • 2011-09-22 10:25 AM | Jigar Mehta

    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-

  • 2011-06-19 10:00 PM | Jigar Mehta
    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
  • 2011-05-21 12:43 PM | Jigar Mehta
    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
  • 2011-04-28 5:42 PM | Jigar Mehta

    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

     

  • 2011-04-19 4:31 PM | Jigar Mehta

    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

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