rather admit to drinking toilet water. However, I really was flipping channels when I came across the cutest sister (19)/brother (17) from Washington trying out for the show in Seattle. I had to stop and watch. Whatever. I do hate myself. [Pics via Uber Desi

Hi my name is vasu i work for the bbc asian network Radio and if possible could i have the contact number for sanjaya and shymali Malkar, we would like to speak to them on our radio

Vasu, Why don’t you try contacting Sanjaya from his myspace? http://www.myspace.com/dazeoffire910

- Suja

By ‘Ghat’ you mean Maharashtrian, right?

Yup. Sorry if that’s an offensive term I’ll change it.

[...] (image source: American Idol via Uberdesi) [...]

Ohno! No big deal

Hey,
My name is Divya, am a journalist from the DNA Newspaper in Mumbai. Read ur blog and was wonderign whether there is anyway to get in touch with MR.malekar Ghat because ppl back here in India would really like to know more abt these young lads doing us proud at American Idol. If u come across any contact do email me on the above address.
thanks.

His name is Mr. Malekar. Also regarding contact information, please read our disclaimer.

[...] Sanjaya and Shyamali Malakar of Federal Way, WA, sing their hearts out auditioning for American Idol (via Uber Desi): [...]

[...] Ever since they made it through to Hollywood in American Idol Six, the desi brother sister duo of Sanjaya and Shyamali Malakar have never been off the news. (via Ultrabrown, Sepia Mutiny, Uber Desi, Patrix) [...]

[...] Besides, the darker skin tone and the musical gene, which she could have arguably inherited from her father, she has very little in her history to do with “considering” herself Indian or even part-Indian, for that matter. The Indian media needs to stop hounding her for that statement. If someone does not want to be associated with you for personal reasons, let them be. This revelation is not shocking at all, given her story and background. If one or both of the Malakars denied that they were part-Indian, now that would be shocking. 60 minutes, Brown Spotting, CBS, comment, Entertainment, norah jones, Opinion, part indian, ravi shankar60 minutes, Brown Spotting, CBS, comment, Entertainment, norah jones, Opinion, part indian, ravi shankarPopularity: unranked [?]Share This [...]

Hi,
I hope Sanjaya Malakar, will stay on american Idol as long as he can… I’m suprise he made this far on his second time around and hope can last longer. I believe he need to select song that fix into american culture song. It not easy to know what song to pick. But Sanjaya need find song that he can sing well to please usa. For exmaple look at Norah Jones sing she sing. It much differ then india culture song. All those she relative to Ravi Shankar, her father. but she was raise mostly america, Norah. I like a lot of india singer. I think if can just sing mostly their nation song from india they sound better then english version. A lot people in american don’t understand india and culture, because their haven’t experience or have opened minded about culture around them. I wish Sanjaya, his best on american idol. I hope to hear from him. (e-mail when ever you like)
Jim

OMG i luv sanjaya i think hes 1 of the top ones there… he has got an amazing voice and his looks wow hes a total hottie.. he has worked so hard to get where he is 2day and i wud hate to see him go home… this really means alot to him and i think that he deserves 2 make it along way in this compotition…. his personality is awsum and i hope that i will meet him 1 day !! I LUV SANJAYA!! im his biggest fan already and hes not really even famous!! i have been searching for him online but i cant hardly find any info!! i went to people finders and stuff but it didnt work!! iight i luv ya sanjaya!1 igot ur myspace

just a suggestion if this is ever actually read by Sanjaya himself. we believe that the song that could set you through this challenge will be, “oh’ happy day” granted its a highly challenging vocal, theres no way to sing it with out energy or character. if you read this friend, good luck…

I can’t believe that Sanjaya is still standing. Way said this week his voice wasn’t good. and here he beat Sundance! Wow… unbelieveable ! Either got full Support from India or he like Yoke-Ono, screaming in micphone! or like William Hung… he no match to any of them…. I hope will pull himself out next week… usually you get 3 strike and your out.. well this it 4 strike…now let see what will happen!
Jim Paye

[...] MerGussaII on O3 alleges that the voting for Sanjaya has racial overtones. The blogger alleges that most of the votes Sanjaya is receiving is from Indians or people of desi origin. I say Sanjaya is this year’s version of Chicken Little. Uber Desi was one of the first blogs (arguably the first) to pick up on the participation of the Malakar siblings in this season’s American Idol. The reasons for our interest at that stage were multiple: the silblings were desi (ok: half), the siblings included a Hooter waitress, the boy was (allegedly) more talented than the girl. The posts detailing their initial audition and that of Shyamali’s ouster are still rated #1 and #2 on our most popular posts of all time. However, in recent weeks Sanjaya, who is currently in the top 12, has been on the receiving end for not performing to expectations. This situation has also been exacerbated by the fact that the most talented male participant Sundance Head was eliminated last week while Sanjaya has stayed on. My contention is that Sanjaya does not possess the intangiables that make an American Idol. His performances are monotonous. He cannot dance to save his life, hit different notes, move and entertain the audience like a pop star is supposed to. He will be voted off at some stage but all this does not translate to “he is not talented”. He is just not American Idol talented. And as much as we would like to think that Indians or people of desi origin in general are making a significant difference in American Idol voting, that premise may not hold much water. If you look at the history of American Idols, this is not the first time an akward teen has stayed on for longer than he’s deserved to. Among the contestants themselves, Covais looked like he was one of the more popular figures, probably in part because of the massive age distance between him and the rest of the men. Covais is 16; the next youngest of the six male finalists is Ace Young at 25. [...]

[...] I decided that How the World Works had to investigate, so I spent some time today reading the comments on various Indian-oriented blogs referencing Sanjaya. And I am happy to report that I found no evidence of racial solidarity. Sure, there was some excitement as far back as January when it became clear that a desi was going to make the show, but his performances since then have not won him unanimous support. Solidarity goes only so far when you butcher “You Really Got Me.” [...]

I spent some time today reading the comments on various Indian-oriented blogs referencing Sanjaya. And I am happy to report that I found no evidence of racial solidarity. Sure, there was some excitement as far back as January when it became clear that a desi was going to make the show, but his performances since then have not won him unanimous support. Solidarity goes only so far when you butcher “You Really Got Me.”

[...] While others watch "American Idol," I read blogs and nearly-incomprehensible working papers about weaknesses in Environmental Kuznets Curve theory. But some of those blogs are devoted to topics of interest to Indians, and that means, especially of late, that there has been a steady drumbeat of comment on all things Sanjaya. Naturally, the best source of coverage is Ultrabrown — if you're looking for links to YouTube clips of mean-spirited SNL, Letterman and Leno anti-Sanjaya savagery, Ultrabrown has it all. There are two conspiracy theories at work attempting to explain the failure of right-thinking "American Idol" watchers to boot Sanjaya off the show. One holds that the Howard Stern-endorsed VoteForTheWorst.com campaign is successfully sabotaging results. Another is that Sanjaya is benefiting from ethnic solidarity — desis all over the worlds are phoning in for him. Call it the Yao Ming NBA All-Star Top Vote Getter Syndrome. I decided that How the World Works had to investigate, so I spent some time today reading the comments on various Indian-oriented blogs referencing Sanjaya. And I am happy to report that I found no evidence of racial solidarity. Sure, there was some excitement as far back as January when it became clear that a desi was going to make the show, but his performances since then have not won him unanimous support. Solidarity goes only so far when you butcher "You Really Got Me." But then I stumbled on a comment by someone labelling himself ShorelineBlvdTechie: "Great going Sanjaya! Keep the Indian flag flying high. Indians gave music to this world. So you have to win!" Indians gave music to this world. Could this be true? There is something ludicrous about spending a couple of hours Googling through the Web trying to determine if there is any historical consensus on when or where "music" was invented. Suffice to say, no. Music seems pretty much integral to the human experience, and no one's got a monopoly. However, music does definitely play a not-insignificant role in the most ancient expressions of Indian culture and spirituality. The universe, according to one interpreter of Vedic tradition "is said to be birthed from pure sound." One of the four canonical Vedas — believed to be among the oldest scriptural texts in the world — is the Sama Veda, described as basically a song-book for chanting priests. Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge, is never portrayed without her veena, a prototypical stringed instrument. I'll grant you, it's a bit of a leap to try to connect the dots between Simon Cowell's put downs of Sanjaya Malakar and the divine inspiration for the Indian conception of the universe. But culture is a funny thing. While speeding through my Cliff Notes review of the roots of the ancient Indus Civilization, circa 2500 B.C. I ran across a figurine unearthed from the millenia-old city of Mohenjo-Daro. Four inches high, made out of copper, it is a sculpture of a saucy dancing girl. Dress her up in a faux-hawk, trade the impudence in for a bashful grin… The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro would be a big hit on "American Idol," no matter how out-of-key she might sing, and no matter what Simon Cowell might dare say. http://www.salon.com/tech/htww.....source=rss   [...]

[...] - They discovered Sanjaya Malakar and Shyamali Malakar. - They have the coolest rotating header images ever. - Gauravonomics is one of the seven ‘Uber Reads’ on their sidebar. [...]

[...] a cold night 6 months ago when UberDesi unearthed Sanjaya Malakar. As Sanjaya crooned his way through the consciousness of mainstream America, UberDesi stood by him [...]

Cool Myspace Layouts…

I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…

[...] (image source: American Idol via Uberdesi) [...]