Name a Desi TV Show Contest

One thing I would suggest is to not call people of Indian ancestry in Cleveland or elsewhere in America a “diaspora”.

The word diaspora originally came from the Jewish experience specifically the settling of scattered colonies of Jews outside Palestine after the Babylonian exile.

Of course now the term is used more generally to describe the movement, migration, or scattering of a people away from an established or ancestral homeland.

And of course that is what is happening regarding India due often to economic reasons.

So, since it describes a real situation why should someone find such a word offense?

Well because I believe it suggests that one should hold their primary allegiance to their ancestral homeland instead of the society they now reside in. Now if the person holds citizenship in their ancestral homeland then it understandable and appropriate that their primary allegiance is to there.

But if someone is a citizen of their new country by either birth or naturalization then of course their primary allegiance should be to that country and not to the ancestral homeland.

I believe it is right to criticize Jews not living in Israel for their extent of support for Israel. It is appropriate to question their allegiance, as I believe all too often it is placed in Israel as opposed the country of their citizenship.

Getting back to the US, the experience of immigration has always been one of assimilation. While of course the immigrants always held on to their religion and their unique cultural heritage there was also most always a desire to look like they “didn’t just get off the boat”. There was always the idea that their goal was to eventually become Americans.

But when you talk of a “diaspora” it makes it sound like there is no such desire within today’s immigrants. It makes it sound like immigrants today do not want to integrate but instead they are here on a temporary basis with the goal not to someday become Americans but instead to return to their ancestral homeland. And indeed that may be the case, and as long as they aren’t US citizens then I guess it’s ok. But still it kind of flies in the face of the ideal of immigration that native born Americas are presented with when someone talks about the supposed advantages of allowing immigrants to come to America.

Using the term “diaspora” also quite honestly makes it sound that even for those immigrants whose goal isn’t to return to their ancestral homeland it is to for the lack of a better description to form little colonies or perhaps to say it a little better “communities within communities” whose allegiance will not be to whatever larger community these communities happen to reside but to the other communities within communities regardless of where they reside, all bonded of course by support of their ancestral homeland.

When the word “diaspora” is used it sounds like one wants people’s ancestry to transcend citizenship. And if one feels more loyal to people halfway across the world than to their neighbors and fellow citizens across the street then shouldn’t there be some mistrust there? I believe that Jewish people to some extent due to often them supporting Israel First (as opposed to the country they reside in and have citizenship with).

believe that Jewish people to some extent due to often them supporting Israel First (as opposed to the country they reside in and have citizenship with) should to some extent be mistrusted.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I am not interested in joining in this contest but for those who are just a few suggestions.

The name should not use foreign words and here is the more tricky part, it should be inviting not inclusive.

Yeah, it is about and it should be about Desi culture and I am not saying that format should be changed. But some how, some way it should reflect the desire to reach out to a larger audience.

The word Namasté has often been used for a title of a Desi program. Yeah, I know I just broke my first rule mentioned above but of course in stuff like this as in art rules are more guidelines than set in stone. And the word has been now used enough here that it doesn’t sound as foreign as some others might. It is seen more of a Hindi religious greeting than something ethnic so it would attract westerners who like to think they are in tune with Eastern Philosophy and religion (even though that is not what the show will be about and I understand that). But the problem is that perhaps that word has been used too often that it has become cliche.

Speaking from the perspective of one of the “mainstream” people you want to bring in the problem is that while you need to retain format, you also need to not make us feel that we shouldn’t be watching the show because it is Desi thing. Somehow we must feel that we are not intruding into something that we weren’t meant to be part of.

Of course I am assuming that it will be in English (or at least with subtitles) as that would be the biggest barrier in any such show. Perhaps one thing although again, I am not trying to take away from the intent of the show, is that the show should have some of the types of mainstream people you want to watch the show actually on the show. I don’t want to get all racial or stuff but having them on the show would be an indication, permission for a lack of a better word, that this show while being Desi is for you to watch too.

It’s a fine distinction encouraging Desi content but welcoming a larger audience. I am not saying it’s not possible or appropriate but I for one don’t know how for to bring it off. But indeed a good title would be critical for that process.

India Ahoy!

How about ‘Khichdi’ for a name ?

O HI Orient

Zenobia suggested,

‘Khichdi’

Way too foreign sounding.

Mirch Masala

Guess, there was an Indian tv show under the same name long back!

(1) Kalei-desi-scope
(2) Varied Shades of the tricolor
(3) The Tricolor Kaleidoscope
(4) Tricolor Potpourri

desibaba!!

Desh Pardesh
Desi Quilt
Inditime
Desi tides
Indian rain

The India Show
The India Story

The Industory (from the Indus river)

The Indian Express
The Indexpress

Snapshot of India
A Peek into India

Not just Software!
Not just Computers!

Yeh meri life hai!!

The West Darpan(mirror)

IndiScape

(Indian + escape)

Paavani
India.

STEVE,

WTF is your problem? Are you even Indian? No, _NOT_ native American. Indian!

Desi Vibes

Matter of spice

Aisi Desi
– spoken to sound like AC/DC

Aisi ki Desi
– spoken to sound like Aisi ki Taisi

Riding Elephants, Clicking Mouses!

Indistan or Industan
Chutney
Yo! India
Chak de

how about “Mera bharath mahan” ?

“US Bharti”
“Indo-darshan”
“Pratibimb”
Reflections from India

Maa Ki Daal

suburban sahib

Sultan, It was mentioned that the show wants to reach out to a larger audience, a non Indian audience and so as part of that larger audience it wants to reach out to I was giving my opinion as to what would and would not attract me to such a show.

As to being native American or not, well it is possible that on my mothers side I might, and I say might have some Native American blood, but I can trace my Father’s line back through his sir name to at least 1650 or so. The youngest branches of my family tree (as it relates to living in America) are my mother’s mother who was the first one in her family to be born in America around the beginning of the 20th century, and my father’s mother whose dad came from Ireland early in the 20th century as well.

So, no, my family hasn’t just gotten of the boat (or now I guess its the plane). And while I don’t expect that to give me any special privileges I do think that means that I am more likely to care about the future of my country than those who might have one foot in each society.

As for the concern with the term “diaspora” surely if a bunch of foreigners started living in India long term perhaps even a couple of generations yet still identified themselves with their ancestral homeland and seemed more patriotic to their ancestral homeland and people of their ancestral homeland rather than their neighbors in India people in India would be upset by these peope wouldn’t they?

Actually that kind of describes colonialization and indeed Indians had every right to be upset about that happening to them.

So, are we now kind of seeing a “counter-colonialization” where now the countries who did the colonializing is being colonialized themselves? And if that is the case shouldn’t I looking back at history and seeing how colonialization so harmed the people being colonized be concerned now seeing a similiar process happening to my country.

Swar: the voice of India

Hi, since the show would be a mix of news, events and cultural aspects of the subcontinent and also should capture the eyeballs of the americans how about a title like
“American Chutney”
(Chutney would not only add the subcontinent flavour, but also be reflective of the mix of the events that the show would capture)

what was result?