Q: Which Bollywood star has done an ad for skin lightening cream?

a) Shahrukh Khan

b) John Abraham

c) Shahid Kapur

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ANSWER: Trick question…It’s all of the above! Check out these videos to see for yourself:

Join us on Sunday, September 12 @ 6:00 pm

Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL
$15 General Public, $13 Old Town School Members, $11 Seniors & Children

Tickets: http://www.oldtownschool.org/concerts/2010/9/12_voices.html

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138033436237345&ref

]]> http://www.sapac.org/blog/2010/09/03/whats-your-fair-lovely-iq/feed/ 0 http://www.sapac.org/blog/2010/08/31/catch-sapac-on-whpk-today/ http://www.sapac.org/blog/2010/08/31/catch-sapac-on-whpk-today/#comments Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:18:27 +0000 SAPAC http://www.sapac.org/blog/?p=669 SAPAC member Shilpa Bavikatte joins host Demetrio Maguigad for WHPK’s “Chicago is the World” show tonight at 5:00pm to talk about Voices of Resistance 9: Fair and Lovely.

If you’re in Chicago, tune in to 88.5 FM, or listen online at www.whpk.org!

UPDATE: Audio of the interview is now available here.

Chicago is the World's Demetrio Maguigad

About “Chicago is the World”

Mission:
To provide a wide audience to Chicago’s diverse ethnic community and culture through its news outlets, cultural activities, leaders and institutions by providing a rich platform to deliver content and at the same time provide training, resources and other opportunities to ethnic journalists, artists and civic leaders.

Projects:
Chicago is the World Blog and Ethnic Media Project led by veteran and award winning journalist Steve Franklin. Steve provides insights as well as practical resources for ethnic journalists through his blog and on-the-ground programming. The blog features story ideas, tip sheets and resources while providing training, public forums and networking opportunities for ethnic journalists in Chicago.

Chicago is the World Radio Program on WHPK 88.5 FM Directed by Demetrio P. Maguigad with his co-hosts and producers Leo Suarez and Brenda Lee Intengan. The global music radio program showcases traditional & contemporary world music, with special attention given to local world music artists, community activists and cultural workers.

Chicago is the World is a project of the Community Media Workshop and supported by the McCormick Foundation.

I’m posting this a few days early to make up for not doing an August entry and to remind you to buy your tickets for VOICES OF RESISTANCE!

Voices of Resistance 9: Fair and Lovely @ Old Town School of Folk Music
Sunday, September 12 @ 6:00pm

Join SAPAC for our 9th annual political/performing arts showcase! This year’s theme, Fair and Lovely, elicits many images and responses, including complexities of identity; the divisions within us, our families, communities and beyond; historic and contemporary understandings of beauty; privilege within our communities; and the struggles for acceptance and compassion in our lives. VOR 9: Fair and Lovely promises to be an entertaining, inspiring and informative evening, continuing the tradition of showcasing fine South Asian talent! Buy your tickets today!

SAPAC presents Dr. Subba Rao @ Hamdard Center ADDED 8/26
Thursday, September 2 @ 6:30pm

Dr. S.N. Subba Rao, a fellow of Gandhi Peace Foundation and founder of National Youth Project, gives a talk at the Devon office of the Hamdard Center.

Anjal Chande @ Harold Washington Library ADDED 8/30
Wednesday, September 1 @ 12:15pm

Bharatanatyam dancer Chande performs and discusses using dance in storytelling.

Jitish Kallat @ Art Institute of Chicago
Saturday, September 11 – January 2, 2011

“September 11–—today the date alone refers to the unforgettable events of 2001, the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Yet, 108 years earlier in 1893, this date was marked by a very different occasion, the landmark speech by Swami Vivekananda at the First World Parliament of Religions promoting religious tolerance. Internationally renowned Indian artist Jitish Kallat draws attention to the great chasm between these two events with his site-specific installation, Public Notice 3,” opening September 11.

Kallat gives an introductory lecture on the exhibit at 6:00pm on Friday, September 10. At 9:00pm the same night, the museum hosts an After Dark event featuring tours of its Indian and Southeast Asian art collections, a set by DJ Madrid, and performances by theater collective Collaboraction.

Subcontinental Drift @ Delicious
Thursday, September 16 @ 7:00pm

The 3rd installment of this South Asian open mic moves to River North for the downtown working crowd. Comedian Saurin Choksi emcees, and a desi DJ spins after the show.

3rd International Ramayana Conference @ Northern Illinois University
Saturday, September 18 – Sunday, September 19

NIU, the University of Illinois, and the International Ramayana Institute of North America co-sponsor this annual academic conference.

India Calling! @ Various venues
Tuesday, September 21 – Thursday, September 23

This year’s edition of the venerable World Music Festival kicks off with India Calling!, a free 3-day festival featuring music and dance performances, an exhibit of photographs by Steve McCurry and paintings by Paresh Maity, yoga and meditation classes, films, artisans from rural villages of India, and more. Events take place at Millennium Park, the Chicago Tourism Center, and the Chicago Cultural Center.

The opening night concert at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion features tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain and Bharatanatyam dancers Mythili Prakash and Ensemble.

September 21 schedule
September 22 schedule
September 23 schedule

Delhi 2 Dublin & Red Baraat @ Darkroom
Friday, September 24 @ 9:00pm

World Music Festival Chicago and Bhangratheque present a night of bhangra music with Vancouver-based 5-piece Delhi 2 Dublin and dhol ‘n’ brass band Red Baraat. Includes a set by DJ Jimmy Singh and bhangra dance lessons by Ajanta.

Geetakshari @ Prairie Center for the Arts
Sunday, September 25 @ 7:00pm

Navarang presents this musical contest for fans of Bollywood. Teams of 2 will be auditioned Sept. 12, 1-4pm, at Schaumburg’s Prairie Center, and finalists will compete for prizes of $200-400 on Sept. 25. Contact navarangentertainment@gmail.com, 630-980-9870, or 630-881-0757 for more info.

Jaswinder Bolina @ Sherwood Conservatory
Wednesday, September 29 @ 5:30pm

Bolina, the 2010-11 Liberal Arts and Sciences Emerging Poet-in-Residence at Columbia College Chicago, joins felow poet Becca Klaver for a fall reading.

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Voices of Resistance 9: Fair and Lovely
Sunday, September 12, 2010
6:00 – 8:00pm
Old Town School of Folk Music
4544 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL

BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY!
$15 General Public/$13 Old Town School Members/$11 Seniors & Children

In its ninth year, Voices of Resistance (VOR) seeks to create a space for South Asian artists to use their art as a powerful means of social commentary that empowers and transforms.

Our event last year at Old Town School of Folk Music was a great success, with over 300 attendees. This year we look forward to continuing the tradition of politically conscious art with a show that speaks to our VOR9 theme of Fair & Lovely. This year’s theme elicits many images and responses, including complexities of identity; the divisions within us, our families, communities and beyond; historic and contemporary understandings of beauty; privilege within our communities; and the struggles for acceptance and compassion in our lives.

VOR9 Performers:

Sapna Kumar
Storytelling

Pushkar Sharma
Poetry

Mary Anne Mohanraj
Spoken Word

Ahalya Satkunaratnam
Dance

Shilpa Bavikatte and Kant Desai
Music

Fawzia Mirza
Video

Raman Sachdev
Music

Faisal Mohyuddin
Poetry

VOR 9: Fair and Lovely promises to be an entertaining, inspiring and informative evening, continuing the tradition of showcasing fine South Asian talent! Spread the word!

Okay, it only was for the sake of designing a flyer for the upcoming Voices of Resistance [1], but nevertheless, today, July 27, 2010, I bought myself the smallest tube available of Fair and Lovely in Chicago, Illinois.

Pulling up onto Artesia, I see Devon ahead of me. It’s literally been years since I walked the streets. A life in California, India, and Sri Lanka has separated us, but it’s still recognizable–a part of my previous Chicago existence. I find the last spot in Daley’s still-new-piss-me-off-disaster-deal-with-the-devil-parking-meter-on-side-streets-money-making-money-taking parking. I dig up some quarters. Holding enough to peruse the store in my hand, I walk up to the paying machine. “No payment necessary!” it says. “This is how King Daley makes us passive,” I think.  I return the prized quarters to the car coffer and pick up my bag, packed with camera. I am prepared to take photos of the whitening agent on the shelves of Devon.

I exit my car with hoodie on. It’s warm and humid today, so I’m wearing a slim tank I received free for volunteering my services at a beer tent in one of the many neighborhood summer festivals of Chicago. But I rather cover my assets with my grey hoodie as I walk these streets. It’s all part of the performance, a follow up on the phone conversation I had with one of the Patel Brothers supermarket employees earlier, after which my roommate commented on the subtle and surprising South Asian accent in my English. “I don’t need any trouble on this mission,” I think, “nor anymore undesired and uninvited looks.” I’m performing good Indian girl, the one that’s not noticed.

I walk a few blocks, noticing the red paan stains on the sidewalks. People are here, ready to purchase and consume. Each restaurant has customers, at least one table full, smiling and conversing. I’m glad that business continues on these northern streets of Chicago. In spite of the parking, in spite of the heat, in spite of many things that come with life in Daley city, Blagojevich state, BP America.

The marker of the Patel Brothers empire is a new Patel Brothers-named juice stand that coincides with the territory of “Ghandi Marg.” Lime-mint drinks. Mango drinks. And young coconut water. Mmm. But I know these versions don’t come close to the tastes of the homeland, so I resist, instead continuing toward the Patel Brothers supermarket. The mission is ahead of me. As I walk the block, I notice a beautiful, dark complected South Asian woman. I want to ask her if I can take her photo.

It’s a desire aroused after an entire afternoon of searching the web/oracle for South Asian faces to include in my promotional piece for Voices of Resistance. That search was frustrating. I was typing in search terms like “South Asian women.” After each entry, I closed my eyes firmly, nervous about finding nasty, exoticizing porn sites on the top of the list. I must say, there were a few of them. The other non-pornographic images felt like random representations of South Asianness and brownness. I needed to find a way that the images would be mine, a result of my own choices. But I didn’t have the nerve to approach her. “I don’t need to attract attention here,” I think. I walk into the supermarket a few short steps away.

Immediately upon entering the market I see the multiple cosmetic items, shampoos, and herbal oils. No Fair and Lovely there. Instead, the whitening agent is in its own area, directly in front of the checkout counters. You know, it’s the area for last-minute-I need-this items. Typically these product spots cater to the stomach with smaller prepackaged savories and sweets, but not here at the Patel Brothers supermarket. This high-profile spot is where the whitening potions are displayed, several shelves full of whitening soaps, scar creams, and plain old make-your-complexion-lighter concoctions. This is the first time I’m standing face to face with this product: Fair and Lovely. I’ve never looked at its box. I’ve never touched it with my hands. It is cheap. The smallest tube is $1.99. But I just want to take a photo of the carton. I mean, I try to vote with my dollar as much as I can—which means I am boycotting all China-made greeting cards and most made-in-China products if I can afford another import. Life practices create change, I believe. But here I am, directly in front of the cash registers, each armed by a two-person team of cashier and bagger.  I can’t see a way of taking these photos stealthily. “I must purchase the item,” I think. “I must offer my cash toward an industry that finds my skin color not lovely, not fair.” It’s a system that equates darkness with sadness, depression, depravity, and ugliness. I will be spending two dollars toward that system. And I feel horrible about it. But I try to chuckle at the absurdity as I approach the cash register with the dollar bills in my hand.

I don’t look at the box too much, just glancing at the peculiarly tiny yet very familiar dark/sad, light/happy faces of the model below the name. It’s a white box with gradients of light rose pink all over. The sweet font of Fair and Lovely in a dark rose and silver is delicate, light, thin, slender, unimposing, yet at the same time, present in its assertion of goodness. A thick band of pink divides the box horizontally with the word “multivitamin” under which is a graphic of a rose-pink capsule which is split to release nourishing drops of oily-pink goodness. The description of the product is “TOTAL FAIRNESS CREAM.” It is in all caps. Under this declaration is, in small font, an arrow that points me to a “Fairness meter” on the side of the box. A meter in which shades of ugly to fair are displayed. I place my hand next to it. “13″ is too light. But the color of my hand falls between “14″ and “18″; I cannot tell which to be exact. There is a “1″–the ultimate fair. And there is a “26.” The meter informs the consumer that “numbers are only for easy identification of skin color.”

I hand the cashier my two dollars–two dollars and eighteen cents to be exact. I give her my cherished quarter from which she gives me seven cents change. The other lady places the box in a thin black plastic bag. “I don’t need a bag,” I inform her. She chuckles as I take the box out of the bag and think of the absurdity of the cream in my hand. I place it in my reusable tote that’s morphed into my summer handbag. Life is full of contradictions.

July 31 is the deadline to submit an application to perform/participate in this year’s VOR: FAIR AND LOVELY! Please forward the call to your friends/colleagues who may be interested in participating. We are specifically looking for proposals from visual artists and dancers–so network away, folks, and help this year’s VOR committee!

Please direct your friends/potential applicants/artists extraordinaire to the following address where they can find info and our Call for Artists:

http://www.sapac.org/blog/2010/05/16/are-you-fair-lovely/

Thanks so much for all of your help! We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Best,
SAPAC and the VOR committee

Human Rights Watch Film Festival @ Facets
Thursday, June 3 – June 10

Highlights include The Oath (6/3 @ Museum of Contemporary Art), Burma VJ (6/4, 6/10), and Afghan Star (6/5, 6/6). Check the website for full screening info.

Afghan Star

DhakFu @ Millennium Park
Saturday, June 5, 12 & 19 @ 8:00am

SAPACer Fuad Ahmad, AKA DhakFu, provides live music for Moksha Yoga’s summer classes (led by his partner, Becky Raines) on the Great Lawn of the Pritzker Pavilion.

Ramu Ramdev @ Art Institute ADDED 6/7
Sunday, June 6 – Saturday, June 12

Ramdev, a master miniature artist from Jaipur, will be in residence at the museum for a week and host demonstrations and classes for visitors.

Ami Saraiya @ Martyrs
Wednesday, June 9 @ 8:00pm

Singer-songwriter Ami Saraiya was named one of CD Baby’s Top 10 Indie Artists to Watch in 2010. On this night, she performs on a bill with a Tom Waits tribute band (performing Frank’s Wild Years in its entirety!!) and Rob Wilson.

Funkadesi @ Andersonville Midsommarfest ADDED 6/4
Saturday, June 12 @ 7:00pm

SAPAC favorites Funkadesi headline the first night of Midsommarfest at Balmoral and Clark. My favorite testimonial on their website comes from President Obama: “Funkadesi really knows how to get a crowd going. I can’t say enough how energizing this band is. There’s a lot of funk in that desi!” You can also catch the band on 6/19 at Takin’ It to the Streets, 6/20 at Taste of Randolph, and 6/22 at Loyola University’s World Refugee Day celebration.

Hindustani Classical Music @ Meadows Club
Sunday, June 13 @ 6:00pm

Pandit Jasraj, Pandita Tripti Mukherjee, Pandit Samir Chatterjee, and Pandit Suman Ghosh perform at the Rolling Meadows banquet hall.

Hemanta Mishra @ The Book Stall
Monday, June 14 @ 7:00pm

“Mishra, distinguished biologist and conservationist and author of the award-winning The Soul of the Rhino, talks about Bones of the Tiger, a fascinating story of one man’s quest to save the man-eating tigers of Nepal.”

Anoop Jain @ Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
Tuesday, June 15 @ 12:00pm

Jain joins Hull-House Museum’s weekly Re-Thinking Soup program to discuss The Community Kitchen Project, which will help provide free, nutritious, and traditional meals to Tibetan refugees.

Aziz Ansari @ Vic Theatre
Wednesday, June 16 & Thursday, June 17 @ 7 & 9:30pm

As if we needed to remind you that Ansari brings his Dangerously Delicious Tour to the second Just for Laughs comedy festival in Chicago. Have you heard he’s also hosting the MTV Movie Awards on June 6? I hear that gig can be good for your career.

Ashok Lal @ Hinsdale Community Center
Thursday, June 17 @ 6:30pm

Accompanied by Pandit Rakesh Sharma on tabla, Lal presents some of his own compositions along with some popular ghazals.

Megha Gupta @ No Coast ADDED 6/25
Friday, June 18 – Friday, July 9

Visions from the Burned Forest: New Works on Paper by Megha Gupta opened at No Coast Exhibitions and Editions on June 18, but the show is on view until July 9.

A.R. Rahman @ Sears Centre
Friday, June 18 @ 8:00pm

Rahman brings his Jai Ho: The Journey Home World Tour to Hoffman Estates’  Sears Centre.

Sonny Bhatt @ Jokes and Notes
Friday, June 18 @ 8:30pm

But wait! Ansari isn’t the only desi participating in Just for Laughs! Local comedian Bhatt performs as part of a showcase of breakout performers.

Gundecha Brothers @ Sri Balaji Temple
Saturday, June 18 @ 6:00pm

Umakant, Ramakant and Akhilesh Gundecha are prominent performers and teachers of the ancient classical vocal music of India called Dhrupad.

Stir Friday Night! @ Studio BE
Saturday, June 19 @ 7:00pm

Chicago’s favorite Asian American sketch comedy troupe shows off its skills in Just for Laughs’ Sketch-travaganza night. Less fortunate: the theme for its time slot is “Diversity”; other gems include “Ladies” and “?!?” Not exactly the creative titles one might expect from the organizers of a comedy festival. Still, it promises to be a fun night.

Russell Peters @ Rosemont Theatre
Saturday, June 19 @ 8:00pm

The last desi entry in the Just for Laughs festival, and a pretty good one to boot.

DJs Jimmy Love & Jimmy Singh @ Funky Buddha Lounge ADDED 6/23
Friday, June 25 @ 9:00pm

The popular DJs spin for a Bhangratheque night at FBL.

Voices of Resistance 9 Deadline for Entry!
Wednesday, June 30

Are you a South Asian artist looking for a platform to showcase your work? Then check out the Call for Artists for Voices of Resistance, SAPAC’s 9th annual political/performing arts showcase, to be held September 12 at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Get the details here.

Shilpa Bavikatte @ St. Andrews Inn
Sunday nights @ 7:00pm

SAPACer and chanteuse Bavikatte performs as part of her new Sunday night residency at the Edgewater pub-slash-comfort-food-haven.

We have 3 opportunities this week for you to engage in SAPAC’s spring and summer activities:

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YOUTH COMMITTEE MEETING
Monday, March 8, 2010 (tonight!)
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Cafe Bella, 3311 W. Fullerton, Chicago, IL
RSVP to info@sapac.org

Our Youth Committee has been hard at work planning a youth symposium. We have a vision, and at this meeting we’ll be discussing developing a youth application and promotional flyer and strategizing an outreach plan. If you’ve been wanting to work with youth in our community, this is a great time to get involved!

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2010 CENSUS OUTREACH
Saturday, March 13, 2010
12:00pm – 3:00pm
50th Ward/West Ridge neighborhood (Devon Ave.)

12:00pm – Meet & greet at Sukhadia, 2559 W. Devon Ave.
1:00pm – Meet at Indo-American Center, 6328 N. California Ave.

RSVP to info@sapac.org

It’s Census time, and it’s more important than ever to make sure our community is counted! Help us reach out to local business owners and residents and put up informational posters around the neighborhood. We’ll meet at 12:00 at Sukhadia to eat and get to know each other. Then we’ll head over to the Indo-American Center at 1:00 to start our outreach work.

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VOICES OF RESISTANCE 9 KICKOFF MEETING
Sunday, March 14, 2010
3:00pm – 5:00pm
Alliance Bakery, 1736 W. Division St., Chicago, IL 60622
RSVP to info@sapac.org

Join us to kick off planning for one of our most popular annual events! We’ll be discussing venue, theme, sponsors, and setting up a planning calendar.

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We hope you’ll join us for one or more of these meetings!

Last year, VOR was held at The Old Town School of Folk Music on August 9, 2009. We will begin planning for this year’s annual VOR event on March 14th.

Sunday, March 14, 2010
3:00pm – 5:00pm
Alliance Bakery, 1736 W. Division St., Chicago, IL 60622
RSVP to info@sapac.org

Join us to kick off planning for one of our most popular annual events! We’ll be discussing venue, theme, sponsors, and setting up a planning calendar.