The South Asian Browning of American Arts & Entertainment
As we recently closed out Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month (which is basically everyday for me), this post is dedicated to contemporary South Asian artists and entertainers. Actually, I wrote this for last year’s celebration. But in keeping with Indian Standard Time (IST), I’m still working on my 2020 version of this.
I adore this group of artists for boldly using their platform to share and amplify their own culture and experiences growing up as immigrant families in the US or Canada (or any western culture) through mainstream media. I celebrate this movement for so many reasons. Here I'm calling out the three reasons that are most important to me:
The widely-spread narrative of South Asian culture is transforming from a generalized one where Apu from the Simpsons and everything he did was proxy for South Asian norms (wrong, wrong wrong!!!!) to a purer, more accurate one that’s being directly expressed by a diverse set of South Asian writers, artists, and thought leaders themselves.
My kids, Indian Americans, and other South Asian youth that identify as Americans and affinitize with EVERYTHING American get to see more people that look like them or their family members integrated into popular arts, culture and entertainment outlets. This gives my kids validation that their background and ethnic identity is being represented and as Indian Americans they are part of the American mosaic just as much as anyone else. Something I never had growing up and just the validation I know will make all the difference in how these kids show up. As Hasan Minhaj, an Indian American Muslim, says in his Netflix special Homecomeing King: “Growing up, we just want that co-sign. To tell them you’re good enough. 'Sit here. You’re good enough.' But that’s not the American dream. It’s not asking for a co-sign. It’s what every generation did before you. You claim that shit on your own terms………………………..You’re not Hasan Minhaj. You’re 'Hussan Minhajj'. This is new brown America. The dream is for you to take, so take that shit. Stop blaming other people.”
Their content and creations are great! There are many others who think that too and these artists are commanding national and global attention. It’s so lively, rich, colorful, expressive, thoughtful. There would be a void without it -- I’m glad they had the courage to stand up to the biggest force likely keeping them out of the game - well intended South Asian parents! “No matter how many musical or artistic accomplishments I can rack up, I’m 100% sure my mom will still continue to ask me when I’m getting my masters degree. Being successful in the arts doesn’t have the same bragging rights in most brown communities. It didn’t come with the same aura of financial success and societal respectability as doctor, lawyer or engineer”, says Sri Lankan Canadian recording artist Shan Vincent de Paul.
Because of this era where the South Asian arts community is finally getting a foothold in our mainstream culture, I, an Indian British turned American, loosely Hindu, and so many of us South Asians are finally seeing specks of our own experiences woven into the creations of these artist at a compounding rate. Giving us a stable sense of belonging and creating a path for us to bring our whole selves, which directly connects to our well-being and what we think is possible for us in our various roles as professionals, first generation immigrants, and parents. Heck, there’s so much being created by South Asians right now that I even have the privilege of being critical. I don’t have to fake like everything because of representation scarcity.
It’s not lost on me that the South Asian geography includes so many countries, cultures, subcultures, languages, and religions. One person’s point of view can’t represent every person’s story. But we do have lots of overlap and shared origins in our experiences as South Asian immigrants to celebrate. Those have been missing from the conversations across the country. These artists and entertainers have worked so incredibly hard to land a spot not only for themselves, but also for the larger South Asian community. I’m incredibly thankful to them for taking on the challenge, resistance, and risking everything to tell the true, un-sanitized version of their South Asian experience.
Below I’ve curated just a starter list of South Asian artists and entertainers and some of my favorite samples of their work. There are many others that you are probably familiar with that represent a South Asian voice. I'm choosing to highlight these because of my particular fondness for their emphasis on the immigrant experience. There’s a lot here, so consume at a pace that works best for you.
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Hasan Minaj
Comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. After working as a stand-up comic and appearing in minor television roles, he came to prominence for his work on The Daily Show as its senior correspondent from 2014 to 2018 (Wikipedia). He now hosts the series Patriot Act and has a special called Homecoming King both on Netflix.
Here is the transcript to his special, started as a one person off-Broadway show:
Shan Vincent de Paul
Sri Lankan Canadian recording artist. A link to his collaboration with Tamil Toronto-Based artist Navz 47. One of my favorites.
Here, Shan talks about his own experiences and viewpoint as a South Asian artist:
Ravi Patel
One of my college classmates from NC who documented what it’s like to be a Patel and experience the journey of love. Meet the Patels is the name of the documentary.
Maria Qamar
Based on her popular Instagram @Hatecopy and her experience in a South Asian immigrant family, artist Maria Qamar has created a humorous, illustrated “survival guide” to deal with overbearing “Aunties,” whether they’re family members, annoying neighbors, or just some random ladies throwing black magic your way (Maria Qamar's webiste). Amazon link to the book:
Piyali Bhattacharya
Writer, editor, and writing instructor based in Nashville, TN where she is Writer-in-Residence at Vanderbilt University. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, and many other publications. She is the editor of the anthology Good Girls Marry Doctors: South Asian American Daughters on Obedience and Rebellion, which was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. She holds an MFA in Fiction from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and is currently working on her first novel, an excerpt from which won the 2015 Peter Straub Award for Fiction (Piyali Bhattacharaya's website). She can be reached at http://www.piyalibhattacharya.com/
Foram Mehta
I ran across Foram on huffpost and she herself wrote a piece to celebrate API Heritage month and dedicated her post to being a motel kid.
I’m Indian And Yes, My Family Runs Motels. Here’s What It Was Like To Be Raised In Them.
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