Author Archive: Rajani

“No human is illegal”: The fight against anti-immigration legislation

On December 2005, the House of Representatives passed the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Act (H.R. 4437). More (202)»

Interview with Samrat Upadhyay

It’s impossible not to grow as a writer if you treat it as a discipline and work on improving your craft—on a regular basis. With The Royal Ghosts, even while I was writing the individual stories, I was more conscious of them eventually culminating in a book, so some of my approaches in terms of characters and points of view were more deliberate. More (98)»

Samrat Upadhyay’s Royal Ghosts

When his first book was published, Samrat Upadhyay was known and marketed as “the first Nepali author writing in English to be published in the West.” This appeared to be a big deal; earning a Whiting Award for the collection made it an even bigger deal. Here in the U.S., I noticed the book, “Arresting God in Kathmandu”, on the shelves of countless Nepalis. More (87)»

No More Tears Sister

Screened at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in New York recently, “No more Tears Sister: Anatomy of Hope and Betrayal” documents the story of human rights activist Rajani Thiranagama, assassinated in 1989. More»

Journey Through Genocide

After over a decade since the Rwandan genocide of 1994, we are beginning to see attempts at dealing with its atrocities slowly coming out. One such attempt is the Oscar-nominated “Hotel Rwanda”. More»

What Can’t the Young Do?

Was Sarahana’s recent email conflict with “Binoy” (discussed on this website) structural or personal? Was it indicative of the ego of one or both parties involved, or did it reveal a larger picture showcasing a pattern of behavior in which older, established members of a profession thwart the efforts of the youth via casual dismissal? More»

Change and the Nepali Woman

The panel discussion at NYU, including some of the women who have been at the forefront of Nepal’s women’s movement for up to three decades, addressed the questions of change. What has changed and what has not? More»

Machuca

Two 11-year old boys of drastically differing socioeconomic classes can be friends for some time, but in five years one of them will be starting college and the other will be cleaning toilets; in 10 years, one of them will be working in his father’s company and the other will be cleaning toilets; in 15 years, one of them will own his father’s company and the other will still be cleaning toilets. More»

Born into Brothels

“Born into Brothels”, by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, is a documentary depicting the lives of children of prostitutes in the red light district of Calcutta. Long after the film was over, I found myself thinking about the faces of those children, their smiles in particular—the smiles, with the authenticity that can only come from an utter lack of self consciousness found in children, seemingly more heart wrenching than any tears or disappointment. More»

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