By Kollengode S Venkataraman… … … Written in October 1995
The Pittsburgh Patrika is an experimental newsletter attempting to reach people who trace their heritage to the Indian subcontinent, or who are curious about people from the Indian subcontinent. This is “experimental” for several reasons: First of all, this newsletter is a forum for airing and sharing your views, ideas, and even frustrations on any matter of topical and not-so-topical interest. People from the Indian subcontinent here have quite a diversified background, and yet, are so very alike. When we look through our patina of sophistication, we often see that our pleasures and pains, anxieties, problems, concerns, expectations, hopes, and even griefs, are similar. The Pittsburgh Patrika’s intention is to entertain and inform people who share a certain value system and are curious about what is going on in our midst.
We have opinions — strong opinions, we admit — on war, peace, and societal issues, which, of course, include the relevance or otherwise of the ubiquitous caste system, and how it is being replaced by the equally sinister “American class” system. And then, spousal abuse, raising children in these “modern times,” dealing with “old-fashioned” parents, intercaste, interracial, interfaith marriages, (and with prenuptial agreements, we may add no-faith marriages as well), And then, divorce, reproductive rights, religion, spirituality & religiosity, conspicuous consumption & ecology, taxes, tax evasion & tax shelters, NRIs, IRAs … … The list is endless.
If you feel strongly on any of the above, and are willing to express your opinion in writing, you now have a forum to air it.
Mostly living in suburban homes (4BR, 2.5 Bth, 2 Gar.) we are resourceful. Word of mouth, effective in disseminating information — the spicy and racy variety, in any case — does not always go far enough and on time. We are sophisticated and cerebral, some of us think, and we don’t need the security blanket that social herding gives. Therefore, many of us are not inclined to become part of any religious or social group till we hit middle age, or a rough patch in life such as having teenage children (usually both), or our unique marital problems.
Even then, whether we admit or not, we are interested in what is going on within the Indian diaspora, what we accomplish in our professions, and how our children do in arts, sports(!) and studies. Don’t we always pay extra attention to news items on seeing typical Indian names — Ahluwalia, Menon, Rao, Athavlé, Verghese, Singh, Misra, Patel, Panigrahi, Kannappan, Chaturvedi, Banerji, Reddy, or for that matter, Sathyavageeswaran of the OJ Trial fame as the subject of stories? These stories can be Spelling Bee contests, sports, school valedictorians, new professionals in hospitals, R&D labs, corporations, faculty members, and students in colleges, and yes, rarely, cases involving misdemeanors and even felonies . With your participation, we will have opportunities to hear about these.
Our rich artistic heritage is diverse: Hindustani & Karnatic music; Odissi, Kathak, Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi, and Kathakali dance traditions; Madhubani & Thanjavur paintings, carvings in wood, granite, or marble; bronze castings and stucco work, jewelry and textiles. The panorama is fascinating. And thanks to the temples in the area, SPICMA-CAY, and the Center for Performing Arts, artistes from India routinely visit us to entertain and educate us. Who can remain unmoved after listening to a brilliant music concert on the vocal, veena, venu, sitar, or sarod, or after watching a scintillating dance recital? And one may add parenthetically, who can remain without groaning after suffering through pitiful performances by artistes promoted in exuberant terms — what choice of adjectives in glossy, multicolor pamphlets?
We are fortunate to have in our midst people having a good grasp of our performing arts. The Pittsburgh Patrika will have regular features reviewing music concerts and dance recitals. Also, occasionally, we will have opportunities to hear from these artistes themselves on the contemporary arts scene.
Living in the midst of three universities, intellectuals, and social thinkers on the Indian subcontinent, or from the Indian subcontinent routinely pass through Pittsburgh. Knowing their views is necessary to keep ourselves abreast of contemporary India, and to differentiate between the reality of India and its decades-old frozen romantic images that are deeply engraved in our memory.
The Pittsburgh Patrika is an attempt to fulfill some of these motivations. It also wants to be a reasonably well-written and tightly edited newsletter. Your articles, reviews, suggestions, and ideas — particularly from the youth growing up here — are essential for meeting these ambitious targets.
In short, this newsletter is a forum for expressing and critiquing ourselves. Obviously, it will last only so long as you find that it serves some of these purposes. The Pittsburgh Patrika looks forward to an exciting time interacting with the Indian diaspora. It will greet you four times a year, in April, July, October, and January.