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.

Cage Becoming Sadhu?

Self-described comics fan Nicholas Cage (He named his son Kal-El–that’s pretty hardcore) is slated to play the lead in the upcoming film The Sadhu.

The movie is to be adapted from the Virgin Comics series of the same name. Sadhu is the brainchild of Deepak Chopra’s son Gotham and is ultimately about “one man’s choice between his spiritual oath and his human instinct.”

That man would be James Jenson, the character Cage is set to play. Jenson is an army officer who, upon being sent to colonial India, ends up engaging in a different kind of battle—one that doesn’t involve guns, but rather the state of his spirit.

Call me Debbie Downer, but I just can’t get excited about (yet another) celluloid depiction of “mystical”/colonial India. Why does everything have to be about spiritual journeys dammit?

But enough about what I think. What’s your take?

Muhammad Yunus Makes the Rounds

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is in New York this week, and he’ll be making the rounds for various appearances. He’s going to be on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Thursday—soon after appearing at the Council on Foreign Relations that afternoon. I’m hoping to catch his speech at the CFR; my boss is a member and sneaks me in (legally) whenever he can. Though I’d probably rather trade it in for Daily Show tickets. Yunus and Stewart? Swoon.

Yunus will be promoting his book, Banker to the Poor, but if I get into see him, I’m planning on asking about his interest policies on micro-credit loans. I read somewhere it’s 20% for income generating loans, which, while lower than the government rate, still seems pretty steep to me. But it’s 8% for housing loans, 5% for student loans, and even interest-free for “struggling members” (read: beggars). I wonder what his take is on Islamic banking? Guess I should do my homework first and perhaps ask my dad.

Anyway, I will have a full report after Thursday!

View From a Grain of Sand Screening

View From a Grain of Sand stills.

The trailer for Meena Nanji’s View From a Grain of Sand—premiering Monday, November 13, at 8 p.m. at the REDCAT in Los Angeles—opens with shots of young women walking and smiling on the streets of 1970s Kabul, Afghanistan. With their clothes and hairstyles and upbeat attitude, they could’ve blended in on the streets of any major city in the U.S. of that time.

The next scenes show women on the streets of that same city in 2003, and the picture is starkly different, with all of them wearing head-to-toe blue burqas and some being corporally punished in public. Nanji’s documentary gives a portrait of the last thirty years for Afghan woman, from the rule of King Mohammed Zahir Shah to the current Hamid Karzai government to the activist work of RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan). Shot in Kabul and in refugee camps in Pakistan, the film shares the stories of Shapire, a teacher; Roeena, a physician; and Wajeeha, a social activist.

More information: “Directing Awareness,” October 2004, Nirali
Los Angeles premiere details: REDCAT

I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion

Some of you may already know of this exhibition (it opened in September), but for those of you who don’t—check it out! The Rubin Museum of Art in New York City is exhibiting I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion until January 29, 2007. The collection features 100 works of art, in various mediums, highlighting Sikh cultural contributions from the 16th to the 19th century.

(Thanks, Tara, for the tip!)

Hai, Hai, Hai and a Bottle of Lassi

The Office folks get down with Diwali.

Nothings spreads holiday cheer like some plucky lyrics set to tender music (see Happy Birthday Jesus and the Kwanzaa Spelling Song: K-W-A-N-Z-A-A!) , so when the cast of NBC’s hit show The Office celebrates Diwali on screen next Thursday, they will be doing so with an aural ode to the Festival of Lights.

Called The Diwali Song , its lyrics are dark (“Don’t invite any zombies/To a celebration of Diwali”), folky (“Along came Polly/To have some fun at Diwali”) and might just convince you to put your old holiday CDs—about flying deer and talking snowmen—into storage for good.

Tune in to NBC at 8:30PM on Thursday, November 2, to catch desi script and screen sensation Mindy Kaling introducing her co-workers to the joys of being Hindu. As a bonus, we are told her real-life parents will be starring in the episode.

In the meantime, pop on your headphones and turn up the volume for this: The Diwali Song (courtesy of NBC Universal).

(PS: Want more on Mindy Kaling and other desi American television writers? Check out the November issue of Nirali for the exclusive).

Ismat’s Note: What do you think? Is the song funny, offensive, or none of the above? Share your thoughts!

Happy Holidays!

I just want to wish our readers a very happy Diwali and Eid!

For anyone who isn’t in the know, Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights and celebrates the victory of good over evil. Hindus light lamps to celebrate, and from what my Hindu friends tell me, it sounds like a good time! How did you celebrate Diwali this year? We want to hear your thoughts. Share your comments here!

Eid-ul-Fitr is the holiday that commemorates the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan. After fasting from sunrise to sunset during this month of reflection, Muslims celebrate Eid with their families. Eid’s going to be a lonely one for me this year, as I won’t be home in Michigan with my family, but I’ll be thinking of them! How are you celebrating Eid?

Nirali wishes all its readers a wonderful holiday, no matter what you celebrate.