Happy new year to all of you! While there are lots of moments from 2017 you might wish to forget, there are ones worth remembering too, including inspiring South Asian American moments in art, activism, film, literature, TV, and politics. Here’s a look back at some of those moments via 2017’s most popular posts on The Aerogram.
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The Big Sick & Brown Romance In Pop Culture Narratives
As a creator and supporter of pop culture by South Asian, Brown and/or Muslim people, Tanzila Ahmed writes about Kumail Nanjiani’s Big Sick, challenges Brown creators to move the narrative forward, and asks when the entertainment industry will give exposure to Muslim women. -
Sikh Character Included In Tender TV Moment On This Is Us
Including a Sikh character in a tender moment on a popular TV series didn’t happen by accident. This post shares some of the details of the work of activists who met with executives and writers to encourage weaving characters from underrepresented communities into their shows. -
Desis In The House & Senate: “Fab Five” Sworn In To Office In Milestone Moment
On the first day of 2017, members of the 115th U.S. Congress were sworn in, and that included the quintet nicknamed the “Fab Five” by Hindustan Times: Senator Kamala Harris, and Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, and Ami Bera. -
Bringing Out The Warriors: South Asian Women March Against Trump
This post by Anirvan Chatterjee shares inspiring comments from South Asian women from different backgrounds who showed up and came together to march on Jan. 21 in Women’s Marches across the country. -
The Turmeric Project: Queer South Asian Art & Healing
Sagaree Jain writes about starting the Turmeric Project with cousin Urvashi Pathania and shares interviews with artists Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Ayqa Khan. The Turmeric Project offers art, language, and creativity as a gift of community and healing to other queer South Asian Americans. -
On The Powerful “I Am America” Photo In The “We The People” Art Campaign
Munira Ahmed, a Bangladeshi American from Queens, NYC, was photographed at the World Trade Center site by photographer Ridhwan Adami on the six-year anniversary of 9/11. Read Pavani Yalamanchili’s post on the photo which was turned into a “We the People” art poster. -
South Asian Americans & The Politics of Class & Income Inequality
Sudip Bhattacharya writes about how the lives of countless working class, poor, and low-income South Asian Americans have often been missing from discussions on social justice and political representation. -
South Asian American Groups Condemn Shiva Ayyadurai’s Participation In Boston Rally
In advance of a self-described “free speech” rally in Boston taking place one weekend after the violence in Charlottesville, a coalition of South Asian American groups released a statement condemning one of the event’s speakers, U.S. Senate candidate Shiva Ayyadurai. -
Desi vs. Nazis: Why I Went To Charlottesville To Stand Up To White Supremacy
“Charlottesville, Virginia is about forty minutes from my hometown. This is my community.” — Rahul Menon shares his account of driving to Charlottesville to stand up against white supremacy and witnessing the aftermath of the deadly vehicular attack on anti-racist protestors.
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The Other One Percent And The Indian American Race Problem
Shyam Sriram reviews The Other Once Percent: Indians in America by academics Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur, and Nirvikar Singh. The book is the first comprehensive effort to apply a social science, data-driven approach to the topic of Indian Americans. -
Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows Tackles the Hard Stuff
Nina Bhattacharya reviews Balli Kaur Jaswal’s novel about a creative writing class at a London gurudwara for a group of Punjabi widows who start sharing stories of past and present pleasure at weekly storytelling sessions that become an avenue for agency and release. -
RIP #SrinivasKuchibhotla: This Country Is Ours & Hate Hurts All Of Us
Hate and anti-Muslim sentiment against any of us hurts all of us. Srinivas Kuchibhotla was told to “get out of my country” by his killer. But this country belongs to all of us, including South Asian Americans. It’s our home, and we’re not going anywhere. -
Shebani Rao’s ‘8 Things Only ’90s Desi-American Kids Will Understand’
Memories from American Desi, Bend it Like Beckham, and Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai find their way into nostalgic illustrations by Shebani Rao, interviewed in this post. Also in 2017, Rao shared her work on the life of badass Desi feminist hero Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (1903-1988). -
Embracing Bengali Folk Islam & Complex Lived Experiences
Nazia Islam writes about Islam and her Bengaliness, including her surname, the region of her heritage in Bangladesh, re-discovering and recreating the narrative of her culture while in college and beyond, and being open to “other ways of knowing.” In 2017, she also shared posts about being suspended between two languages and learning about her connections to Partition. -
Even More Feminist Bollywood Movies, For When You Want The Masala But Not The Misogyny
Inspired by award-winning film Lipstick Under My Burkha, deemed too “lady-oriented” for Bollywood, Shailee Koranne is back with a second installment of film roundups that bring the “masala but not the misogyny” to the screen, for your viewing pleasure. -
Bacon & (Un)Belief: Religion & American Secularism In Master of None
Salwa Tareen writes about the “Religion” episode from Master of None‘s 2nd season and how mainstream media needs thoughtful and diverse portrayals of Muslim Americans, as well as South Asian Americans. In 2017, Tareen also wrote about #SaltBae and food, fetish, and class online. -
Teachers Don’t Know Much About South Asian American Students
After sharing why research on South Asian American students matters, Dr. Punita Rice wrote about her research into teachers’ cultural proficiency related to South Asian American students. In another 2017 post, collaborating with Ruchika Tulshyan, Rice looked at specific connections between schools and workplace discrimination. -
MIA’s Weinstein Tweet Raises Concerns About Anti-Blackness
Anjali Misra looks at how a tweet from the controversy-courting musical artist MIA, and the responses to the tweet, may represent a tipping point for the artist’s image that points to a broader cultural concern of anti-blackness. -
The New South Asian American Writer Is A Wild Beast
Writer and sociolinguist Dipika Mukherjee sets the literary scene for us, sharing her impressions as a participant at the first reading event for the Chicago Quarterly Review‘s South Asian American Issue, an issue which featured the work of 38 emerging and established South Asian writers. -
Deepika Padukone Is Ready To Kick Ass In Vin Diesel-Starring xXx
Star of Bajirao Mastani Deepika Padukone crossed over to Hollywood in this xXx franchise film Return of Xander Cage. Rohin Guha writes about watching her shine in the trailer’s speaking part and on the red carpet. -
An Open Letter To Steve Bannon From A Hyphenated American
As a creator and supporter of pop culture by South Asian, Brown and/or Muslim people, Tanzila Ahmed writes about Kumail Nanjiani’s Big Sick, challenges Brown creators to move the narrative forward, and asks when the entertainment industry will give exposure to Muslim women.
Including a Sikh character in a tender moment on a popular TV series didn’t happen by accident. This post shares some of the details of the work of activists who met with executives and writers to encourage weaving characters from underrepresented communities into their shows.
On the first day of 2017, members of the 115th U.S. Congress were sworn in, and that included the quintet nicknamed the 
This post by Anirvan Chatterjee shares inspiring comments from South Asian women from different backgrounds who showed up and came together to march on Jan. 21 in Women’s Marches across the country.
Sagaree Jain writes about starting the Turmeric Project with cousin Urvashi Pathania and shares interviews with artists Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Ayqa Khan. The Turmeric Project offers art, language, and creativity as a gift of community and healing to other queer South Asian Americans.
Munira Ahmed, a Bangladeshi American from Queens, NYC, was photographed at the World Trade Center site by photographer Ridhwan Adami on the six-year anniversary of 9/11. Read Pavani Yalamanchili’s post on the photo which was turned into a “We the People” art poster.
Sudip Bhattacharya writes about how the lives of countless working class, poor, and low-income South Asian Americans have often been missing from discussions on social justice and political representation.
In advance of a self-described “free speech” rally in Boston taking place one weekend after the violence in Charlottesville, a coalition of South Asian American groups released a statement condemning one of the event’s speakers, U.S. Senate candidate Shiva Ayyadurai.
Shyam Sriram reviews 
Nina Bhattacharya reviews Balli Kaur Jaswal’s novel about a creative writing class at a London gurudwara for a group of Punjabi widows who start sharing stories of past and present pleasure at weekly storytelling sessions that become an avenue for agency and release.
Hate and anti-Muslim sentiment against any of us hurts all of us. Srinivas Kuchibhotla was told to “get out of my country” by his killer. But this country belongs to all of us, including South Asian Americans. It’s our home, and we’re not going anywhere.
Memories from American Desi, Bend it Like Beckham, and Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai find their way into nostalgic illustrations by Shebani Rao, interviewed in this post. Also in 2017, Rao shared her work on the life of 
Nazia Islam writes about Islam and her Bengaliness, including her surname, the region of her heritage in Bangladesh, re-discovering and recreating the narrative of her culture while in college and beyond, and being open to “other ways of knowing.” In 2017, she also shared posts about being 
Inspired by award-winning film Lipstick Under My Burkha, deemed too “lady-oriented” for Bollywood, Shailee Koranne is back with a second installment of film roundups that bring the “masala but not the misogyny” to the screen, for your viewing pleasure.
Salwa Tareen writes about the “Religion” episode from Master of None‘s 2nd season and how mainstream media needs thoughtful and diverse portrayals of Muslim Americans, as well as South Asian Americans. In 2017, Tareen also wrote about #SaltBae and 
After sharing 
Anjali Misra looks at how a tweet from the controversy-courting musical artist MIA, and the responses to the tweet, may represent a tipping point for the artist’s image that points to a broader cultural concern of anti-blackness.
Writer and sociolinguist Dipika Mukherjee sets the literary scene for us, sharing her impressions as a participant at the first reading event for the Chicago Quarterly Review‘s 
Star of Bajirao Mastani Deepika Padukone crossed over to Hollywood in this xXx franchise film Return of Xander Cage. Rohin Guha writes about watching her shine in the trailer’s speaking part and on the red carpet.
“Why are you afraid of immigrants? Why are you afraid of complexity? Why are you afraid of me?” — asks Amardeep Singh of Lehigh University in his open letter which includes discussion of what hyphenated identity ending in -American means to him. In 2017, Singh also shared “Against the Refugee Ban.”
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Looking for more to read on The Aerogram? Try some of the most popular posts from 2016:
- Trump Unlocked A Wave Of Hate — In One Of The Bluest Cities In America, by Sathvik Nair
- Sikh Americans On The Daily Show Explain Why Throwing Hasan Minhaj Under The Bus Is Not An Option, by Pavani Yalamanchili
- Why The Hindu American Foundation Does Not Speak For Me, by Meghna Chandra
- What Sureshbhai Patel Should Mean To South Asians In The United States, by Sudip Bhattacharya
- Aziz Ansari & Dev Shah: What’s In A Name?, by Sameena Mustafa
- Good Girls Marry Doctors — Brave Voices On Daughterhood In South Asian American Families, by Preeti Aroon
- “Hymn For The Weekend”: Another Game Of Culturally Appropriative Antics, by Jasleen Singh
- Usher Recruits Priyanka Chopra for a Special Conversation on Hard II Love, by Rohin Guha
- Leaning In, Standing Out: The ABCD Drama On India’s Next Top Model, by Rashi Rohatgi
- I’m A Sikh And I’ve Cut My Hair. So What?, by Seerat Bhatia
- Introducing LaWhore Vagistan, The Desi Drag Queen RuPaul’s Drag Race Needs To Get ASAP, by Rohin Guha
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Pavani Yalamanchili is an editor at The Aerogram. Find her on Twitter at @_pavani, and follow The Aerogram at @theaerogram or on Facebook.
