Salman Rushdie requests parody account to stop using his name. Earlier today author Salman Rushdie tweeted a request for the administrator of @RushdieExplains to tweet under his own name. Known for its satirical commentary on India, the parody account was created by academic and Chapati Mystery author Rohit Chopra. Soon after Rushdie’s public request, the parody account changed its handle to @IndiaExplained.
Dear @RushdieExplains, the joke has worn thin. I’m tired of having your opinions ascribed to me. Pls tweet under your own name. Thanks.
— Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) July 14, 2015
You are most welcome @SalmanRushdie Thank you for your incredibly generosity and support. pic.twitter.com/7s9LBURtbP
— IndiaExplained (@IndiaExplained) July 14, 2015
India Wins Three Titles at Wimbledon in Nation’s Best Ever Year at Tournament. Serena Williams got much of the attention at Wimbledon for her finals win and her remarkable career of athletic accomplishments. India had reason to celebrate too — its best year ever at Wimbledon, thanks to victories from current World No. 1 in doubles Sania Mirza in women’s doubles with Swiss partner Martina Hingis, Leander Paes in mixed doubles also with Hingis, and Sumit Nagal, 17, in boys’ doubles with Nam Hoang Ly of Vietnam.
A Pictorial History of Indians Playing at Wimbledon. At the Wall Street Journal‘s India Real Time, Aditi Malhotra shares details and photos of some of the notable and outstanding players who have participated at Wimbledon since 1908, including this year’s three champions.
Disney Desegregates Sikh Employee After Civil Rights Groups Intervene. Citing Disney’s “Look Policy” Sikh employee Gurdit Singh’s bosses kept him hidden from the view of park guests and restricted to delivering mail to the park’s corporate offices for 7 years because of his turban and beard. Last year Singh sought help from the Sikh Coalition, which together with the ACLU sent a demand letter to Disney asking it to ban the segregation. Sikh Coalition senior staff attorney Gurjot Kaur shares the details of Singh’s case and what happened in this video announcement.
Learning to Drive (2015). Starring Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley, Learning to Drive (releasing August 21) is billed as a feel-good comedy about an improbable friendship. It’s based on Katha Pollitt’s 2002 essay in the New Yorker. In the film’s trailer, Clarkson asks Kingsley, who portrays Sikh driving instructor Darwan, why he teaches driving. In a moment evoking the Disney story above (and others like it), he says: “For a better job, I would have to take off my turban, shave off my beard. But this is how I know who I am.” Actress Sarita Choudhury (Mississippi Masala) plays Darwan’s wife Jasleen.
