Dissecting
American Media Now
An occasional look at South Asian stories that make front-page news
and "Desis In The News"
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Last updated: Dec. 12, 2004
Editor's
note on this work in progress: The following are SOME landmark news events
that featured South Asia or South Asians in North America. They are provided
as part of SAJA's mission to critique international coverage of South
Asia and the diaspora. The selection criteria is that the event needs
to have made FRONT-PAGE news in the U.S. media. The only exception we
make is for the passing of major South Asian figures (so that we can see
what kind of coverage the U.S. media gave their lives and their deaths). We will be adding events
here in the months ahead. If you have resources you can share with us,
please let us know. As always,
we welcome your feedback.
— Sreenath
Sreenivasan, SAJA co-founder
2004
Throughout the year:
Outsourcing of
U.S. jobs to India As American companies outsourced work to India, the topic
become controversial and an election issue. Several magazine
covers, major TV reports and editorial cartoons (not to mention
late night comics) tackled outsourcing.
Dec. 12: Singer M.S.
Subbulakshmi dies
The legendary South Indian singer died at the age of 88. In
1977, The New York Times called her "India's greatest singer."
Oct. 10:Top 25 South Asians
in Entertainment India Today's North American edition ran a cover story on the
top 25 NRIs in entertainment. Check out the names and the order.
2003
Feb. 1: Space Shuttle Columbia disaster Indian-American
astronaut Dr. Kalpana C. Chawla was among the six crew members
killed.2004subbulakshmi.html
March 28: Dr. Chawla featured on videotape found in wreckage of
final minutes of crew
Jan.
8: A fallen giant
A giant statue of Krishna that took six years to build, collapsed
in Delhi - and received front-page attention in the NYT.
2002
Oct 3: Sniper shooting of Premkumar
Walekar Taxi driver Premkumar A. Walekar was shot to death as part
of a set of shootings by a sniper near Washington that lasted
several days. His story received widespread attention, including
front-page mentions in the NYT, WP and an interview by Diane Sawyer
with his daughter.
June 24: Pakistani family of 7 dies
in Brooklyn blaze Mohd. Nadeem, his wife Yasmine, and five daughters are burn
alive in a fire started in a neighbor's kitchen.
SAJA
Roundup of South Asian-related stories A variety of stories dealing with the WTC and Pentagon attacks,
along with the backlash against South Asians and Arabs, among
others.
1990
April 1: Nepal King Dissolves Assembly
King Birendra dissolved Nepal's national assembly and accepted
the resignation of his prime minister afteangry protests over
the pace of democratic change.
1975
Aug. 15: Sheik Mujib Rahman killed in coup Sheik Mujibur Rahman, the president of Bangladesh was killed
in a military coup. He is widely regarded as the "father"
of Bangladesh.
1979
April 4: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto hanged
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan (and
father of Benazir Bhutto) is hanged.
1974 May 19: India
Explodes Nuclear Device India tests what it calls a "peaceful" nuclear
device 24 years before the 1998 nuclear test of India and Pakistan June
2: Bhutan crowns 18-year-old king
The Himalayan kingdom crowns a new king and 150 foreigners attend;
first time this once secluded country was open to so many outsiders. 1974 Report on India in 2000 An Indian government report predicting what India will look
like in the year 2000.
1953
Sept. 3: Maldives coup
The Maldives, which had become a republic that past January, made
front-page news as its founding president, Amin Didi, was deposed
by his vice president, Ibrahim Mohd. Didi.
1948 Jan. 30: Mahatma Gandhi assassinated The father of India's independence struggle is assassinated
by a Hindu fanatic.
Sept. 11: Mohd. Ali Jinnah dies
The founding father of Pakistan dies after a heart attack.
1947
Aug. 15: India and Pakistan gain independence
A long struggle for independence from Britain results in India's
partition into India and Pakistan and some of the bloodiest riots
in history.
1930
April 6: Gandhi Makes Salt
Mahatma Gandhi defies British ban on manufacture of salt by Indians
after the culmination of what became known as the "Dandi
Salt March."
1913
Nov. 13: Rabindranath Tagore wins Nobel
Prize Poet Rabindranath Tagore wins Nobel Prize in literature, becoming
the first non-white person to win a Nobel + other archived Tagore
stories, including NYT obituary
1857 The Indian Mutiny
A widespread but ultimately unsuccessful rebellion by Indian troops
(known as sepoys) against British rule.
Know
of similar resources that we should add here? E-mail saja@columbia.edu
