South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA)

Have you purchased tickets for SAJA's gala & conference yet?! October is just around the corner, and with it comes the 30-year anniversary of SAJA. We're celebrating three decades of building a community for South Asians in journalism, and look forward to meeting in-person at SAJA@30! You can find information on the weekend's events below, as well as ticket pricing. Get yours now! THE EVENTS: 🔶 Friday, Oct 11th: Reception Aicon Contemporary 🔶Saturday, Oct 12th (9am – 5pm): Conference at Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY 🔶Saturday night, Oct 12th (6–10pm) – Awards Gala at Columbia University - Graduate School of Journalism TICKETS AVAILABLE: ⭐ ALL-ACCESS PASS, all 3 events: Non-Member: $200 (become a member, it's cheaper!) – $200.00 ⭐ALL-ACCESS PASS, all 3 events: SAJA Student Member: $50 (first 30 tix); after that, $100 – $50.00 ⭐Gala reception & dinner only: $150 (limited number) – $150.00 ⭐Gala-only table of 10, with recognition: $2,000 (limited number) – $2,000.00 GET YOUR TICKETS: https://lnkd.in/etkz74tA

Starting over in a new country or breaking into an international media market might seem like a Herculean task at the very beginning. Adaptability, curiosity, consistent hard work, resilience and relentless networking can all be your friends along the way. An invaluable asset however is knowledgeable mentorship. About 6 years ago, I sat in this very classroom, at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, wishing for more clarity about the opportunities available to an international student - for very few choose to tread the media landscape in the United States or abroad. To be able to share insights from that journey, to professionals in a similar position, felt duly gratifying. Kudos to industry experts Prabha N. and Anusha Shrivastava, Ph.D. for recognizing the importance of such a session and choosing to hold it as part of #SAJA30. And to SAJA board member Divya Karthikeyan for spearheading the presentation and doing the groundwork. Huge congratulations to the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) for completing 30 years - your influence has not just been shaping the careers of many media professionals but bringing about a paradigm shift. Also, thanks to Karishma Vanjani, a dear friend, brilliant business reporter and my fellow Newmark grad, for recommending my name. And last but not the least to Jon Laurence and Abby Rogers for choosing to take a chance on me when I’d just graduated - and of course to AJ , a network that is truly unique in its ability to value global voices and varied perspectives.

When I attended the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and Columbia University - Graduate School of Journalism’s 30th annual celebration for the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), I got to speak about Breaking Bias with the BlindianProject and Jonah Batambuze. We talked about how we can use language as a powerful tool to help readers, viewers, and listeners break bias and overcome polarization, separation, and hatred. Since then, I’ve started a new collaboration—and friendship—with the Blindian Project, working to build Black x Brown solidarity. Follow us to learn more! And DM or email me if you’d like to collaborate! This is the work of our time. #SAJA30 #SpeakTruthToPower #JournalismMatters #BreakingBias #SouthAsianJournalists #BlindianProject #ConsciousnessShift #ElevateConsciousness #AwakenedMedia #desi #TransformativeStorytelling #ChangeTheNarrative #BreakingBias

The weekend before last, I was incredibly excited to attend the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA)'s 30th Anniversary Reception, Conference, & Gala in Manhattan. It was truly inspiring to connect with and hear from many South Asian journalists, reporters, filmmakers, and other professionals, including keynote speakers Somini Sengupta and Ali Velshi. I was able to engage in thought-provoking discussions about the evolving role of South Asian journalists in media, the impact of GenAI technology in journalism, and the critical coverage of politics and the 2024 election. I was also moved by the opportunity to watch powerful short films made by the talented South Asian filmmakers Beena Sarwar and Vishavjit Singh. It was a weekend full of learning, connection, and celebration of the South Asian community. Thank you so much to Sree Sreenivasan and the entire SAJA board for organizing such an incredible conference, thank you to Jay Mandal for capturing the conference, and thank you to Aicon Contemporary, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, and Columbia University - Graduate School of Journalism for hosting us! #SAJA30

🎉 Columbia Journalism School hosted the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) 30th Anniversary Conference and Awards Gala on October 11 and 12. The night celebrated decades of journalists transforming media — and included nearly forty J-School students who attended the conference earlier in the summer. Award-winners included Andrew Deck of Nieman Journalism Lab; Varsha Bansal, 2025 Knight-Bagehot Fellow; Raksha Kumar, '11 M.S., of Rest of World, Karen Zraick, '08 M.S., of The New York Times; Zeba Warsi, '22 M.A. Politics of PBS Newshour; Sanya Mansoor, '18 M.S., of TIME; and more! Learn more: https://saja.org/ 📷: Anusha Shrivastava

Incredibly proud that Rest of World's reporting won two awards at this year's South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) Award. Andrew Deck, a former RoW reporter who is doing stellar reporting now at Nieman Lab and Raksha Kumar, a freelancer based in India, won the Outstanding Arts, Culture and Lifestyles Reporting Award for their feature on YouTube pranksters. Varsha Bansal, one of Rest of World's most prolific contributors from India who is currently a Knight-Bagehot Fellow at Columbia Journalism School, won the Outstanding Business Reporting Award for a series of stories on gig workers published in Rest of World and Wired.

Attending the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA)’s 30th annual celebration was nothing short of inspiring! 🎉✨ It was an honor to meet so many committed and passionate #southasian journalists who I’ve been reading, listening to, and watching for decades (!) AND who are making a difference every day by speaking truth to power and shedding light on the stories that matter. I was especially moved by conversations with so many powerful journalists who are leading the thankless job to protect our #democracy. THANK YOU. Your dedication to impactful storytelling is truly motivating. I also spoke about Breaking Bias with BlindianProject and Jonah Batambuze discussing how we can use language as a powerful tool to help readers, viewers, and listeners break bias and overcome polarization, separation, and hatred. This is the work of our time—shaping a more inclusive and just world through the stories we tell. Here’s to celebrating 30 years of SAJA and to many more ahead, empowering journalists to inform, challenge, and uplift by breaking bias! #SAJA30 #BreakingBias #SouthAsianJournalists #BlindianProjecT #ChangeTheNarrative

I had such a wonderful weekend celebrating the 30th anniversary of the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) and getting to meet such incredible and talented journalists. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to attend - a huge thank you to Columbia's journalism school and career center (and Anusha Shrivastava, Ph.D.) for the opportunity! And even more glad to be able to attend with my incredible journalism school peers Deep Vakil, Ananya Chetia, Hazel Gandhi, Shubhanjana Das, Shailee Shah.

📢 ANNOUNCEMENT: Our keynote speaker for SAJA's 30-Year Anniversary is Ali Velshi! Ali Velshi is an award-winning journalist, host of “Velshi” and Chief Correspondent for MSNBC, and a weekly economics contributor to NPR’s “Here And Now.” He has covered multiple U.S. Midterm and Presidential elections and significant news stories around the globe, including extensive reporting from Israel during the war with Israel and Hamas, Ukraine and across Central and Eastern Europe during the Russian invasion, the Syrian refugee crisis from Turkey and Jordan, and the Iran Nuclear Deal in Tehran. He hosts the “Velshi Banned Book Club” on MSNBC, and the “Velshi Banned Book Club” podcast. Our #SAJA30 Conference and Gala starts TODAY! Follow along on our Instagram Stories for live updates: https://lnkd.in/e7pYpBjv

It's World Mental Health Day, and the burnout is real. From being overworked, underpaid, laid off, and facing a bleak market, how can journalists find ways to protect their peace of mind? At #SAJA30 this weekend, we're hosting a mental health workshop featuring Dr. Nishant Patel and moderated by SAJA Board Member Divya Karthikeyan. Tickets here: https://lnkd.in/etkz74tA