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(New York, NY – December 12, 2011)
They are as American as mom, baseball and kulfi falooda. Three U.S. comedians of South Asian ancestry are heading to India for a 7-city tour in January, by invitation of the U.S. Department of State, as part of a goodwill program to promote better relations among diverse countries and religious faiths. “Make Chai Not War,” starring Rajiv Satyal, Azhar Usman and Hari Kondabolu, will perform in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ranchi and Patna January 4-19.
“I have visited India many times, but I am especially excited to be bringing ‘Make Chai Not War’ to my parents’ country,” said Satyal, a Hindu, who created the show with his Muslim comedian friend, Usman. “Sharing a laugh is universally one of the most powerfully positive experiences on the planet. I hope people will come with an open mind. We are coming not only to talk, but to listen.”
“Make Chai Not War” has been breaking down cultural barriers since 2007, when it premiered at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. to predominantly Hindu and Muslim audience members, many of whom were not used to seeing comedians of their respective ethnicities making good-natured jokes about their religions. The following year, a sold-out performance in neighboring Arlington, Virginia caught the attention of the State Department.
“By offending everyone equally, they seemed to offend no one,” wrote Ralph Dannheisser in America.gov. “The audience laughed at the observational humor, and even louder when the comics occasionally emphasized a point by using a Hindi or Urdu word.”
Usman said that he and his colleagues are sensitive to cultural differences between the U.S. and India, and will take extra care not to offend, at least not intentionally.
“I am a believing, practicing Muslim,” said Usman, who is based in Chicago. “This, to me, means that I won’t do sacrilegious, blasphemous or heretical material. I will however, make fun of human stupidity, narrow-mindedness and religious fundamentalism. The key is to tap into issues that everyone can relate to and find what’s funny.”
“As with all live comedy, there is an element of trial and error,” said Kondabolu, a Hindu who lives in New York. “In terms of knowing the differences between Indian and U.S. culture, that’s tricky because there is no singular American or Indian culture. Both are complicated nations and India is one of the most diverse places in the world. I really don’t know what to expect, and that is both scary and very exciting for a performer.”Previous iterations of “Make Chai Not War” have also included Jewish and Christian comedians. The upcoming show in India will consist of just Muslim and Hindu comedians because of the historical relationship between those faiths in South Asia, where tensions have sometimes erupted in violence.
Usman and Satyal believe that those incidents typically involve more radical factions, whereas the vast majority of Muslims and Hindus have lived together in harmony for centuries. Satyal hopes to experience some of that harmony, during the upcoming tour.
“There would be a lot less trouble in the world, if people could learn to not take themselves so seriously,” he said. “We can’t wait to hear the laughter of the Indian crowds, which are some of the best in the world. I like saying that, because it puts pressure on them to laugh.”
Rajiv Satyal is “The Funny Indian” from Ohio whose witty, universal, and TV-clean act resonates with Middle America by covering everything from racial issues to soap bottles and politics. A former Procter & Gamble marketer, he has repeatedly opened for Dave Chappelle, Tim Allen, Kevin Nealon and Russell Peters. He co-founded the world-touring “Make Chai, Not War” and “Funny ‘Cause It’s True,” a marketing consulting program based on humor. He has been featured on national TV and radio, in The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times. He does standup at over 40 colleges annually and appears regularly at major comedy clubs in LA.More information about him is available at www.funnyindian.com.
Azhar Usman is widely recognized as America’s top South Asian Muslim standup comedian. As co-founder of the internationally acclaimed “Allah Made Me Funny – The Official Muslim Comedy Tour,” he has performed in over a dozen countries on five continents. He was born and raised in Chicago by parents who emigrated from India. He holds degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago and The University of Minnesota Law School. More information about him can be found at www.azhar.com.Hari
Kondabolu was born and raised in Queens, New York. He attended both Bowdoin College and Wesleyan University, graduating from the former institution with a B.A. in Comparative Politics in 2004. A former immigrant rights organizer in Seattle, he also earned a Masters in Human Rights from the London School of Economics in 2008. Kondabolu has appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham,” John Liver’s New York Standup Show and at the 2007 HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. More information about him is available at www.harikondabolu.com.
“Make Chai Not War” will perform seven shows in seven cities in India, January 4-19, 2012. Admission is free, but reservations are suggested. For specific locations, show times and ticket information, visit www.facebook.com/americancenternewdelhi. (Note: Details will be added soon.) For more information, high-res images and interview requests, please contact Neerja Patel
PRESS CONTACT: Neerja Patel
neerja.patel@yahoo.com
612-220-3617
Joel Stein is desperate for attention.
He grew up in Edison, N.J., went to Stanford and then worked for Martha Stewart for a year. After a year of fact-checking at various important publications (okay, Readers Digest Books and TV Guide), he got hired as a sports editor at Time Out New York, where they paid him to write sentences. He felt like the luckiest boy in the world.
Two years later he lucked into a job as a staff writer for Time magazine, where over seven and a half years he wrote a dozen cover stories on subjects such as Michael Jordan, Las Vegas, the Internet bubble and — it being Time and he being a warm body in the office — low-carb diets.
And then he wrote “My Own Private India” in TIME magazine and all hell broke loose. Now, 1.5 years later, Joel Stein talks to NetIP Radio about the article, the aftermath the lessons and why he wrote it.
Happy New Year NetIP. Let’s start it off with a bang. Tune in Tonight 4pm in all cities only on HumDesi Radio
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NRIMatters.com and Kotak NRI Banking have come up with a unique idea for people to greet each other this Diwali with “Festival of Lights”. Now Indians can light up the whole world this Diwali using the World Map thus spreading the message of love, happiness and prosperity.
In its first of a kind initiative, a person can choose the destination of his friends’/relatives’ homes and pin a Diya at their place of residence, thus wishing them a prosperous and happy Diwali.
Diwali is by far the biggest festival for Indians and NRIs living all over the world and “The Festival of Lights” application is a perfect opportunity to both celebrate the Diwali spirit and spread it among your family and all your friends by lighting up their homes.
Though Indians make up only a tiny percentage of the total US population, the impact of Indian festivals and Diwali is great in the country. Diwali, being the most important festival for Indians of every religion in India, is bound to be celebrated with great enthusiasm by the Indian Diaspora, irrelevant of the place they are living in.
Barack Obama, who celebrated Diwali in the White House couple of years back, has won a lot of praise from NRI’s and the Indian Diaspora for being the first US President to celebrate Diwali in the White House. The NRI community feels that such a great gesture goes a long way in demonstrating the strong ties that India shares with the US today. NRIs have played an important role in cementing these ties between the two countries.
This Diwali, by using Festival of Lights, not only can you light up a Diya, but also light up someone’s life by way of giving and donating to someone in need. Along with sending a greeting, you can also donate to the poor and needy in India through this wonderful endeavour. NRI Matters and Kotak NRI Banking have roped in various NGO’s that help millions of underprivileged people in India to give them a better life, and have been working day and night tirelessly for their upliftment. Every time you donate to an NGO, you make a difference to someone’s life.
So go ahead and make this Festival of Lights more than just a celebration with NRIMatters.com. Wish every Indian all over the globe and light up the world – one Diya at a time.
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Masala! Mehndi! Masti! (Aug. 19-21)
A three-day festival connecting the diverse elements of South Asian culture
Harbourfront Centre, along with its lead summer partner The Toronto Port Authority, presents Masala! Mehndi! Masti! created and co-produced by Satya Arts Association, Aug. 19-21. The Masala! Mehndi! Masti! Festival, part of ‘Hot Spot Summer’ on downtown Toronto’s waterfront, is a celebration of incredibly diverse South Asian and South Asian-inspired culture. As a “Dor/Dhaga/Thread”, Masala! Mehndi! Masti! ties and binds diverse parts of the culture together, connecting and creating continuity, while not compromising the uniqueness of each part. It pulls and draws each element closer to the other or creates a link between them all. Sacred Threads abound in the day-to-day life of South Asians, and this festival weaves cultural threads that are just as powerful and important in many ways.
The film segment, MMMovies! features an exciting personality this year: the new face of Indian cinema and one of Bollywood’s 10 most desirable actors, Abhay Deol. His just-released film, “Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara (You Only Live Once)” has taken the planet by storm.
Winners of the reality TV show “India’s Got Talent”, the 17-member Shillong Chamber Choir from Meghalaya (a tiny north-eastern state of India) perform a repertoire of classical, jazz and musica sacra on the WestJet Stage. Sri Lanka’s biggest hip-hop stars, Bathiya and Santhush, fly in as festival closing headliners, and classical artistSnehasish Mozumder also performs with his double-necked mandolin, fusing gorgeous music with his unique voice. Part traditional and part contemporary, Bhanging by the Lake presents the best in Bhangra dance and music.
Dance takes over the Redpath Stage as some of the best choreographers come to Masala! Mehndi! Masti! to showcase the traditional and non-traditional dances of South Asia. Promising to excite the audience with fast-paced dance, Swar Sadhana is a group known for their traditional music; they present Dandiya Raas, inviting one and all to participate in this Gujarati community dance. GhuMMMo! is an hour-filled production of exceptional dance performances that highlights a range of dance techniques that include jazz, classical and ballet.
Actors take audiences on a journey through South Asian customs and culture in Sacrifice, by Nobel Prize winnerRabindranath Tagore, a tale about a king and queen in conflict with each other when religion dominates politics. Dirty Pakistani Lingerie has Pakistani-American women airing their dirty lingerie while trying to find their place among two very different cultures.
Join us this summer as we explore “Hot Spots” of intensity, artistic brilliance, connectivity, and regions of conflict that shape the impressions we have of ourselves and our world. This theme is programmed into each weekend festival to bring together rich artistic traditions from our own backyard and around the globe! It also presents a unique opportunity to experience top Canadian and international artists in a fun, family-friendly environment without ever leaving the city!
In today’s global world, people move and live in many places in their lifetimes. Sometimes, people move away, become an expat, and then move back, or repatriate, to their hometown or home country. In the case of India, Indians who have left India and return are classified as NRIs (Non-resident Indians).
For some NRIs moving back to India can become more of a challenge than moving away to a foreign country. This article focuses on tips on readjusting to Indian culture after living abroad. These tips are especially useful for NRIs in America.
Be aware that these differences can and do cause culture shock and cultural adjustment issues for some NRIs. Though NRIs may have at one point may have found America “a land of opposites” as compared to India, moving back to the once familiar is not so easy as it seems. Culture shock can set in quickly and deeply and affect your success in readjusting to your own country that you once called your home.
Read the tips at NRIMatters
