Scottish Sikh Boy is Victim of Hate

A 15-year-old Sikh boy was brutally beaten by a gang of white teens in Edinburgh today. The attack is believed to be motivated by intolerance as the teens were heard yelling racist obscenities during the assault.

In addition to being very badly beaten, the young boy had his turban violently removed and his hair chopped off.

The victim, whose name has not been released by police, is reported to be very “shocked and upset,” according to a report in this morning’s Scotsman. He was apparently alone, on his way to a relative’s house when the attack occurred.

Rav Singh, vice president of the local Sikh temple said: “This was a very bad experience for the young lad. A knife was pulled out. He did not know what was going to happen.

He was afraid they were going to kill him and he just closed his eyes and hoped for the best.”

The young boy is currently in stable condition.

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places…

Dateline NBC’s To Catch a Predator nabbed a number of South Asian Silicon Valley IT professionals in the act of soliciting 13-year-old girls for sex. Little did they know that the teenage object of their affection was a decoy for a covert sting operation. The lame excuses that they offer upon realizing they’ve been caught would be funny if it wasn’t so sick.

The perverts’ last meal.

Check out Dateline Videos #3 and #4 to see these loser lotharios in action. #4 even features two South Asian men who come prepared for their pedophile playdate with sandwiches—because God forbid a good desi goes to anyone’s home empty-handed.

And if that’s not enough for you, check out this bit from a radio station in which a desi woman asks the DJ to help her catch her cheating husband: Buddha Call. Some people think the call is a fake…what about you?

And what are your thoughts on the disgraced IT guys from the Dateline expose?

Help Baby Nirali

Help save baby Nirali Naik’s life.

In October 2004, we featured “Hoping for a Match” in which we addressed the dire need for more South Asians to join the bone marrow registry. Megan Jacob, the lovely 22-year-old we profiled in the piece, suffered from Hodgkin’s disease. Alongside receiving chemotherapy treatments, Megan spent much of her time campaigning for South Asians to join the National Marrow Donor Program. Sadly, Megan never received the transplant that could have saved her life—she died in November 2005.

But there are thousands of other South Asians who still need your help. One of them is baby Nirali Naik, an 18-month-old suffereing from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy but needs a marrow transplant from an Indian donor to avoid relapse. Unfortunately, South Asian donors are grossly underrepresented in the donor registry.

But you can help! Join the NMDP registry—you could provide a life-saving match for baby Nirali or numerous others. Remember, bone marrow donation has no long-term side effects. The simple procedure, which entails drawing a bit of blood or getting an oral swab, is free for minority races (such as South Asians).

Check out an upcoming donor drive today.

Love Kahani Magazine

Kahani’s Summer 2006 cover.

How awesome is Kahani? We posted about this great literary magazine at our old blog when Kahani was first starting out. Since its launch, it has gotten better with each issue. I just went back to see what they’ve been up to and was so pleased to find that the magazine has not wavered from its original concept. Targeted to the South Asian community, Kahani is a literary magazine which focuses on strengthening cultural connections in children ages 7-12 of South Asian descent.

It’s wonderful to see that it has gotten such great reception from the press and librarians across the U.S. This magazine is everything I would have wanted when I was younger. Lots of short stories, games and puzzles and gorgeous illustrations. A sample issue is available for download on their site so you can see for yourself. A subscription would make a great gift to a young niece or nephew.