April 2024: SAJA Scholarships + Office Hours + Iftar and more

Greetings from the SAJA board! The last month has been rewarding for the SAJA community, as we have gathered on several occasions:

SAJA Iftar:

• In honor of Ramadan, SAJA members and newcomers gathered in Manhattan at Miraj Healthy Grill in midtown for an intimate Iftar affair. Our guests hailed from London, Chicago, New Jersey, and more, having braved the rainy weather to chat about current events and which New York City borough is superior over Persian kebabs and tea. SAJA Director of Communications Tania Rahman orchestrated the event with the help of VP Priyanka Vora , Secretary Allana Akhtar , and Board Member Jennifer Chowdhury . We’re proud to have raised $700 from ticket proceeds to provide relief for Palestinian, Jordanian and Lebanese refugees through the nonprofit Anera.?
• Photos: https://saja.org/Post-Event-Archive/13336588

SAJA Virtual —?Writing Books for Young Children:?

• Many thanks to our author-members Raakhee Mirchandani & Amar Shah who shared so many great tips and ideas. And thanks also to SAJA Secretary and freelance healthcare writer Allana Akhtar for being an outstanding moderator.
• Report & photos: https://saja.org/Post-Event-Archive/13329201

Monica Saigal Book Salon:

• On a stormy Saturday morning (March 23),? more than 40 SAJA members and friends gathered to celebrate Monica Saigal Bhide new novel, “A Kiss in Kashmir.” The event was held at the home of SAJA President Sree Sreenivasan and his wife Roopa Unnikrishnan . A Kashmir-inspired menu was curated by Saigal, a long-time food writer (and one of Mashable’s top 10 food writers on Twitter). She discussed her book, her writing process, why one of her books took 6.5 years and more, and signed copies of the novel for attendees.
• Photos: https://saja.org/Post-Event-Archive/13333846

SAJA-NY Mixer:

• 45 members and friends gathered for a mixer hosted by Jasmine Sheena of Morning Brew. Watch for more mixers in other cities this year.
• Photos: https://saja.org/Post-Event-Archive/13342227

Linkedin, anyone?

• In case you missed it: we revived our LinkedIn page and will be using it to share more timely updates, and have launched a LinkedIn newsletter where we plan to republish this same text to our audience there.
• Please follow us on the platform and subscribe to the LinkedIn newsletter here.

Scholarships deadline is April 17:

• We’re giving away $20,000 again. Undergrad and graduate students enrolled in the fall of 2024 at a university or college in the US or Canada are eligible. Please tell apply or tell your friends.?

SAJA OFFICE HOURS:

• Sree is hosting virtual office hours twice a week to connect with members. Have a career question? Want to chat about how SAJA can help you? Something else? Sign up here.

SAJAer UPDATES:

• Over on our Twitter feed, we are amplifying career milestones by members in an epic thread. We have 25 and counting. Send us your updates: [email protected]

Finally, we are always looking to expand our membership, to seasoned and budding journalists alike. Encourage your networks to join the SAJA community by signing up for a membership here (you don’t need to be a journalist or South Asian). And donate to support us if you can. Ideas, suggestions, career updates? Email us: [email protected].

SAJA Events

Tuesday, April 16 at 6:30 pm – Asia Society NY x SAJA event w/Pico Iyer

• Join us for a book launch, conversation and signing. Helen Tworkov, author and founding editor of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review discusses her wise and moving memoir, Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America with author Pico Iyer.?Lotus Girlprovides a space to learn more about the history of Buddhism in America; to hear Helen's reflections on her practice of Buddhism, informed by her interactions with thinkers and artists including the Dalai Lama and Richard Serra; and to consider the ways each of us can better understand and transform ourselves.?

Announcements, events, and more

Scroll event

• “India’s Economy: Miracle or debacle for human development? Ashoka Mody in conversation with Karna Basu.
• RSVP here

New Elections Reporting Mentorship Program

• The Center for Community Media at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY has launched the 2024 cohort for the Elections Reporting Mentorship program. Former SAJA President Mythili Sampathkumar is the editor of the program and Jehangir Khattak is co-manager with Jennifer Cheng. Among the fellows are Lavina Melwani, Sujeet Rajan and Kishor Panthi.
• Details here

Osborn Elliott Prize from Asia Society

• Currently accepting submissions for the 2024 Osborn Elliott Prize. The $10,000 prize is awarded annually to a reporter or team of reporters who has produced the best example of journalism about Asia in 2023.
• Submissions close April 15.

Survey from the Committee to Protect Journalists:

• As newsrooms around the country cover the 2024 U.S. elections, CPJ is mobilizing its safety experts to support journalists and provide safety advice where needed. This survey is intended to gauge the safety needs and concerns of newsrooms and journalists who will be covering the 2024 U.S. elections.
• More information and survey here.

Survey about attitudes towards Indian Americans

• People of all ethnicities are encouraged to participate.
• Take the 5-minute survey.

In the news

• AAJA’s 2024 U.S. Executive Leadership Program has announced its cohort. Special shoutout to SAJA Board member Priyanka Vora for her acceptance!
• Recent U.C. Berkeley graduate Nazmul Ahasan has won a Sigma Award, which recognizes the best data-driven projects of the past year, for “Body Count: Extrajudicial Executions in Bangladesh.”?

Job & fellowships opportunities:

Two feeds with job listings:

• MEOJobs
• @RebeccaAguilar

2025 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship

• Now in its 21st year, the Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship provides academic and professional opportunities to advance the reporting skills of women and nonbinary? journalists who focus on human rights and social justice.?
• The Neuffer Fellowship is designed for women and nonbinary journalists with at least three years of professional experience in journalism working in print, broadcast, or digital media, either as a staff journalist or as a freelancer. All nationalities are welcome to apply but non-native English speakers must have excellent written and verbal English skills in order to fully participate in and benefit from the program. The Fellow will complete research and coursework at MIT’s Center for International Studies and journalism internships at The Boston Globe and The New York Times. They will be based in Boston from February to May 2025, and in New York from June to July 2025.
• Submit your application by April 21, 2024

This newsletter is produced by Tania Rahman , SAJA comms director and board member; and head of social media for Fast Company

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