Desi Distraction

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Are you prepared for our version of "The Talk"? Racism, Terrorism, and Our Kids

I have encountered the ugly face of the monster that is racism more times than I can count. Every single time I have slain that son of a bitch, and yet it keeps coming back for more. It is a given part of my life, as it must be of your life. Unlike most people, I don't actually remember the first time it happened to me, that's how often it has been. 

Watching Parenthood Season 4 Episode 4 - The Talk, I faced an uglier reality that I was not prepared for. In that episode the child character "Jabbar" hears the word "Nigga" in a rap song, and then asks his white Dad what it means. His black mom then has to have "the talk" with him, and explain the word, its implications, and so on and so forth. It crushed me. The whole scene just ripped my heart right out. (By the way, this show is unbelievably amazing, I whole-heartedly suggest watching, because it's about imperfect parents dealing with real situations, like this one.)

Why? Because I realized that I will have to have the same god damn conversation when my daughter gets called a "paki", "refugee", or "terrorist" the first time. We all will have to tell our children, and in that moment we will have to destroy their innocence. Until that moment, they live in a world that is perfect and full of wonder. We will have to explain that the bad guy from their books and stories and movies can actually exist in the real world. 

Recently, I find myself actively avoiding watching the news in front of my daughter because of how much I want to prolong her innocence. Especially now with the US election coverage, and the attacks around the world, there is more "terrorist" and "immigrant" on the news than actual NEWS. I even catch myself and my family members when we start talking about these types of things, just to make sure that the kiddo doesn't hear it. I agree, sometimes it feels like paranoia, but what else can I do?

I spoke to my best friend recently and asked him if he's afraid of the day he will have to have to the talk. He's a braver man that I, because he flat out said no. His talk will have to be even worse than mine since he's Muslim. We both have daughters and I have no Idea how either of us will handle the conversation when it comes, but even simply considering it is terrifying. 

  Now more than ever it just seems the world is just falling apart and keeping this stuff away from our kids is becoming impossible. Some of you may have already had this conversation with your kids, and I truly admire you for it. Those of you that are in the same boat as I am, lets hope those that have already done so can provide some guidance.

I'm not ready. I understand that I may never be ready. Are you?

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Raja Kumari : Redefining HipHop & Fusion with a Fresh New Sound #bollyhood

Raja Kumari is one the hottest new Desi artists on the scene and she’s bringing the fire. Svetha Rao, aka Raja Kumari, is a classically trained musician and dancer who simply couldn’t ignore the call of Hip Hop. She’s gone from touring India as a Bharatnatyam dancer in her youth, to a Grammy nominated writer, assisting on Iggy Azalea’s “The New Classic”, Fall Out Boy’s platinum record Centuries,  Gwen Stefani’s #1 Billboard Album "This Is What The Truth Feels Like", and  Fifth Harmony’s track “Like Mariah”, and on and on lately.

She’s paid her dues and achieved success as a writer, and now she’s coming out swinging with her debut track “Mute” and it is addictive. This track will be in your mind for days after the first play, and you will come back for more! Be at the front of this wave cause its gonna be a Tsunami.

Here’s another sick track from her mixtape, it's is seriously fresh, and you NEED to hear it. Trust.

BOSS TRACK! You can hear the mixtape in its entirety here.

One of the first things you’ll notice about Raja Kumari is that she’s Desi and PROUD. She brings her cultural fusion to the front and center and she’s not shying away at all. This ushers a new breed of Desi artist who puts their heritage on their sleeve, no fear. 

When I saw Iggy Azalea’s ‘Bounce’ video, that woke me up inside. I though I can’t keep writing for other people and allow them to exploit my culture.

When it comes to me I'm just going to be me. And what I am is an Indian woman. And I'm very proud of my culture. I don't think the novelty can wear off when it's authentic. I don't just throw on a bindi or bangles as an accessory to my outfit. I just think my face feels symmetric when there's a bindi.

I'm so Indian no matter what I do it's going to sound rhythmic. I'm thinking of fusion in a different way - I don't want to do what's been done before by just recycling a Hindi song and just being a sample. I don't want to just say something in Hindi, I want to bring our ancient rhythms to hip-hop.

 Do you think you're doing something big for Indian people? I want to be a role model for Indian kids who are trying to hard to be American. You know that day, when Miss America was crowned and she was Indian, I came to the studio with sweets like "Yo, laddoos for everyone, Miss America is Indian! The world is a different place." I want to be that for others who don't maybe have that role model.

You can catch the rest of this great interview of her’s with Paper Mag here.

On being L.A. Reid’s Protege signed to his Epic Records Label and her upcoming album The Come Up, she said:

I’m just happy to be here and talk about my new project coming out, it’s called, The Come Up and I’m on Epic Sony, so you know L.A. Reid fully supports the project. He’s about to put out the first Indian Pop song in America, so I’m looking forward to that. Source: The Knockturnal

She’s actually very accessible through her social media channels: Twitter  Tumblr  Instagram  Facebook  Soundcloud

A photo posted by 👑 Raja Kumari 👳🏽 (@therajakumari) on Jul 4, 2016 at 3:25am PDT

This is an organic push. #MUTE is only spreading through word of mouth...so please share if you fukkks with it https://t.co/8euSBJ9H8F

— Raja Kumari (@TheRajaKumari) July 5, 2016

Sources: The Raja Kumari Tumblr, Paper Mag, The Knockturnal

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Remembering Pizza Hut : A Desi Tradition

I drove by a Pizza Hut today and barely gave it a cursory glance. I noticed it was there and had no inclination to go in. About ten minutes later I somehow ended up taking a stroll down memory lane, and it hit me. 

I sadly realized something: my relationship with Pizza Hut was essentially over. Or was it? I could still tell you the closest location even though I haven't gone in years.

Like so many other Desi’s, Pizza Hut was such a major part of my childhood. As our parents were learning the language and lay of the land, this was the one place we always ended up. Not only that, It was the one place we went as a treat! 

Get an A in school? Excellent, now I can go to Pizza Hut! 

Have a birthday? Sweet! We’re going to Pizza Hut! 

Cousins coming over? OH! Maybe they will take us the Pizza Hut! 

Did something stupid? Damn it, no Pizza Hut this week. 

It wasn’t just a Pizza place; it was the one place where even new immigrant Desi parents went without hesitation. Safe. Easy. Delicious. Above all, Affordable. Oh and don't even get me started on the Lunch Buffet! 

For a time, Pizza Hut was the only place we went, and no matter how bad things were, it was the one place we went as a family and forgot the world outside. Time has not been kind to Pizza Hut, though, with so many “better” options available now. A lot of the damage was self inflicted by a brand not in touch with reality. The quality of products took a nosedive. Service is now atrocious. Most aren’t even clean anymore. At least not in North America. 

Randomly someone will say, "Let's go to the 'GOOD' Pizza Hut" because some locations are okay, but most are barely keeping it together.  Funny enough, we all generally know which one they are referring too. Its like a mental review index that we all share in each region. 

I miss the Pizza Hut of my memories, and what it stood for in the Desi community. Everyone knew that something good happened because we were going to the Hut. I don’t know what replaced it, but something did. Perhaps when my 4-year-old grows up I'll take her to the magical land of Pizza Hut, and it will have regained some of its lost glory. 

What is your childhood Pizza Hut memory?

 Image Source: Yum! Brands, Inc.

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Remembering Pizza Hut : A Desi Tradition

I drove by a Pizza Hut today and barely gave it a cursory glance. I noticed it was there and had no inclination to go in. About ten minutes later I somehow ended up taking a stroll down memory lane, and it hit me. 

My relationship with Pizza Hut was over. I barely noticed one driving by. Or was it? I could still tell you the closest location even though I haven't gone in years. Like so many other Desi’s, Pizza Hut was such a major part of my childhood. As our parents were learning the language and lay of the land, this was the one place we always ended up. Not only that, It was the one place we went as a treat! 

Get an A in school? Excellent, now I can go to Pizza Hut! 

Have a birthday? Sweet! We’re going to Pizza Hut! 

Cousins coming over? OH! Maybe they will take us the Pizza Hut! 

Did something stupid? Damn it, no Pizza Hut this week. 

It wasn’t just a Pizza place; it was the one place where even new immigrant Desi parents went without hesitation. Safe. Easy. Delicious. Above all, Affordable. Oh and don't even get me started on the Lunch Buffet! 

For a time, Pizza Hut was the only place we went, and no matter how bad things were, it was the one place we went as a family and forgot the world outside. Time has not been kind to Pizza Hut, though, with so many “better” options available now. A lot of the damage was self inflicted by a brand not in touch with reality. The quality of products took a nosedive. Service is now atrocious. Most aren’t even clean anymore. At least not in North America. 

Randomly someone will say, "Let's go to the 'GOOD' Pizza Hut" because some locations are okay, but most are barely keeping it together.  Funny enough, we all generally know which one they are referring too. Its like a mental review index that we all share in each region. 

I miss the Pizza Hut of my memories, and what it stood for in the Desi community. Everyone knew that something good happened because we were going to the Hut. I don’t know what replaced it, but something did. Perhaps when my 4-year-old grows up I'll take her to the magical land of Pizza Hut, and it will have regained some of its lost glory. 

What is your childhood Pizza Hut memory?

 Image Source: Yum! Brands, Inc.

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Dance Troupe Reenacts Dil Dhadakne Do with Style

Members of Toronto-based dance group Jadoo Entertainment recently went on a cruise and reenacted a song from Dil Dhadakne Do, the 2015 family movie based on a cruise ship, and its epic! They really went above and beyond and look like they are having a blast :-)

Check out the video here: 

Jadoo Entertainment Dance Company is a Canadian dance troupe that performs at events, produces Dance Musicals, and also does has classes for many age groups. Check out their website and their youtube channel.

How Desi do you have to be to want to do this, because that is the level of Desi I am!

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Dance Troupe Reenacts Dil Dhadakne Do with Style

Members of Toronto-based dance group Jadoo Entertainment recently went on a cruise and reenacted a song from Dil Dhadakne Do, the 2015 family movie based on a cruise ship, and its epic! They really went above and beyond and look like they are having a blast :-)

Check out the video here: 

Jadoo Entertainment Dance Company is a Canadian dance troupe that performs at events, produces Dance Musicals, and also does has classes for many age groups. Check out their website and their youtube channel.

How Desi do you have to be to want to do this, because that is the level of Desi I am!

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Hollywood White-Washing Strikes Again : Leo as Rumi?

So the latest news from hollywood is that David Franzoni, screenwriter and oscar winner, is writing a movie about the life of famous and beloved Sufi Poet Rumi. Great news right? Only one problem that many people seem to have: Franzoni wants the main character to be played by the very stunning but also very not persian Leonardo DiCaprio. Not just that, the screenwriters ideal situation would have Shams of Tabriz, the spiritual mentor of Rumi, played by none other than Robert Downey Jr.

However, just days after Ramadan started, many muslims the world over did not appreciate the fact that their beloved midllydle eastern poet would be portrayed by a white man. People are upset, and rightly so! More Hollywood whitewashing, as ethnic characters get portrayed by famous white actors. #OscarsSoWhite wasn’t enough for Hollywood. Seriously, check out #RumiWasntWhite on twitter and other social media. Go check it out, its actually just awesome. Don't piss off Desi Twitter.

We all know that money talks loudest in Hollywood though, and they seem to believe that only movies with white actors make money. You’d think that they would learn after the debacles and public shaming from the whitewashing of Egyptian characters recently.

First up is Exodus: Gods and Kings, the Ridley Scott re-do of 10 Commandments staring Christian Bale and Joel Egerton with John Turturro as Pharaoh Seti and Sigourney Weaver as his wife. Wow thats a white cast. Then there was Gods of Egypt, staring Gerard Butler and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as… you guessed it, Egyptian Gods. Rest of the main cast was also, as you can see, very white. 

No one learned anything from this. Even the great Marvel Studios is currently under fire for the casting of Tilda Swinton as a Tibetan monk named “the ancient one” in Doctor Strange. 

I think these tweets sum it up best:

 Sources: BBC, Independent, LATIMES, IMDB, ABC, Wikipedia

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Types of Fasting Desi's : Temporarily Segregated

These are the Desi's that remove all trace of the opposite gender from their lives, only to add them all back after as soon as Ramadan is over.

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Why Do Indian Male Actors Keep Dressing Up As Women?

This trend has been on-going for a while, and it's always bothered me, but recently its become unbearable. I just see these guys and I can't deal. 

Why do Indian Male Comedians keep dressing up like women? Not just that, the characters are quite offensive and stereotypical! There's the annoying dumb wife, the old lady that doesn't understand anything, the older unmarried aunt and the annoying neighbour. Occasionally we have the also dumb maid, the sister who is embarrassing and the wannabe Bollywood actress. 

For example, Kapil Sharma. I agree, the man is hilarious. However, he is also the showrunner, and is responsible for bringing in all these men to play these offensive female characters. Another show is Comedy Nights, where Krishna would many a time play a dumb female character. 

These characters are not just a 5 minute once or twice a season appearances, they are the daily cast of the show, and almost all of them are played by men.  Making things worse, it worked on one show and now it's spreading! It's now in multiple shows, movies and award shows.

Why does the audience keep accepting this garbage in the name of comedy? Not just accepting, some of these shows are getting really high ratings. Am I missing something? You must see how stupid and offensive this is. Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor dressed up as women, and what do they decide to do? Dance on a pole. Clap. Clap. 

God forbid that we actually give females the parts for female characters, and even worse, not write them super stereotypically. That would be insanity. Could it be more obvious that chauvinistic men are writing all of this material? Yet everyone continues to watch. 

Please tell me it's not just me, seriously! I'm starting to think I am on an island here! 

Image Sources: Sony Entertainment Television, Colours, Filmfare

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Wisdom Wednesday: Be The Change

The only way to progress is to be better than those who came before us. Don't just complain. Be the Change! #WisdomWednesday

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Thanks Everyone!

Wow! DesiDistraction hit some huge milestones this week with your help! Since launch we have hit nearly 75,000 people have seen posts in their feed, over 5,000 have engaged with the posts through likes/comments/shares, and we now have over 100 page likes on Facebook, as well as growth in other social media. THANK YOU!!!

After years of thinking, procrastinating and talking about it, the site finally launched two months ago and it’s been even more fun than anyone thought. Connecting with people that have the same shared experiences is so much fun, and hopefully we can continue and build a global community here. As the quote says, if you’ve been mulling over an idea for a long time, go out and DO IT! It’s the only way to know.

Thanks again for all the shares everyone! Stay tuned!

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Attn Desi Aunties: Stop Commenting On My Baby's Skin Tone!

This is where it starts. From the age of only a few hours old.

As the moms and aunties come and see newborn babies, they start with the ridiculousness of classifying their skin tone. They will say one of two things. Either they will comment that the baby is “fair”, “light skinned/gori gori”, like a “doll” or they will start with the “she’s so dark”, don’t worry “her skin will get lighter as she grows” or “where did she get her skin tone from? You have such nice light skin!” 

Of all the things about a baby to comment on why skin tone, as if that was the most important thing? Our culture has been so obsessed with the notion that light skin is the key to beauty. There are millions upon millions of beautiful, successful, world-changing women out there that have dark skin.

The girls that have heard it themselves their entire lives, then listen to others comment about their newborns with the same insulting tone, and yet they ignore it. They bite their tongue because its “rude” to say anything when people have come to “bless” your child.

Yes. I am aware I have used a lot of quotations in this post, but it can’t be avoided. These are actually the terms used in our community and we must face them. 

I see and hear it all the time, and so do you. We all politely try to tell at least our close family that skin tone is not important, and that it’s actually racist to say these things. Yet somehow, nothing changes.  Why do you think that is?

I personally think its because of the fact that we are taught to not be rude, and we take that lesson too far. When our children are subjected to this crap, we don’t actually show how we feel. After all it’s not respectful. That is what is causing this insanity to continue.

Ladies, when someone comments that your baby is dark, say what you are feeling, and perhaps that person won’t do the same to someone else. We all let it slide, and so it keeps going. These aunties know exactly how it makes you feel, and yet they say it. In fact those same people will also say this to your sons and daughters from an age when they do understand. They will tease your children all the way to adulthood, just to get a reaction, pretending it’s all in good fun.

So many of my own family members have had this happen from a young age, and now their little ones, where aunties teased them about their skin tone with the usual suggestions: Use this soap, or that lotion or have you tried to scrub with this new rock from the bottom of the Marianas trench? We have all been hearing it for so long, and it makes our blood boil and our brains burst, and yet it continues.

This is how stuff becomes part of our kids’ psyche, either as something haunting them or as something they will overcome. Don't think so? Look up #unfairandlovely , a movement about desi's trying to overcome this very issue. 

We are talking about babies in the 21 century, skin tone shouldn’t even be part of the conversation!

You are the only one’s that can change that. Don’t put up with this shit. When someone says that to your kid or to you, let them have it. Turning the other cheek clearly hasn’t worked! Don’t let it be a part of your sons and daughters lives. Let’s finally end this nonsense. Agreed?

Comment below or join us in a discussion on social media.

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Hip Hop Class Takes on Punjabi MC

So this dance class to Punjabi MC's Jogi and danced the hell out of it! Choreography by Anze Skrube, Lifestyle Studios in LA. In the following video this little kid does the whole routine too!

As a BONUS, Inspired by Anze Skrube's Choreography, here's Bhangra Empire's FreestyleTake on the Song:

Source: Anze Skrube, Bhangra Empire

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Wednesday Wisdom : May 25, 2016

Do Something Today That Your Future Self Will Thank You For

This is not something to do just today, but to think about daily. So many days go by in the daily routine of life that if you think back to, you will feel you wasted. Just one thing daily that you know you can look back to can make a huge difference, whether that's having some fun with friends, read a book to your kid or making some time for chai with your folks ! 

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Weird Things Desi People Do : Invite Everyone to Their Kids' Wedding

Why do we have such huge weddings? THIS IS WHY! You haven't seen that Aunty since you were a fetus, but she's at your wedding! 

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Gujju's at their Best

It doesn't matter where they are, if Gujju's hear Garba, they dance. Oh you need proof? Watch this! 

I rest my case. 

 Source: Pragnesh Patel

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DESIFEST 2016 on May 28th

HUGE EVENT desiFEST 2016 at Yonge & Dundas Square in the heart of downtown Toronto! On May 28 is the 10th annual event with FREE admission and a HUGE talent list! Check out the promo below: 

20 Artists Including:

H-Dhami

Jasmine Sandlas

Anita Lerche

En Karma

SOS

Delhi 2 Dublin

The Kominas

XD PRO MUSIC & Friends

Shahid Ali Khan

Shaft Z's Sur-Mala

Raagz Entertainment

MME

Mizz Taj

Mishal Khwaja

Mili Soch

Luksimi Sivaneswaralingam

Jai Matt

DJ A-Slam

Deena John

And More...

They have conference on The Face of Music, as well as a few other related events happening. Check out theapp and great, informative website :  www.desifest.ca

Source: www.desifest.ca