India is messy. The nation is waging wars against western influence, religious strife, and freedom of speech. The term âIndianâ itself has moved beyond the definition of âlove of Bollywood and cricket.â And in America, Indians are no longer just doctors, spelling bee champions, and the model minority, but the finest white-collar criminals, too.
This was the consensus at the first annual Newsweek & The Daily Beast-Open Hands Prize for Commentary in South Asia hosted by Newsweek & The Daily Beast and Tina Brown, with co-hosts Jay Snyder and the Open Hands Initiative, Lawrence Schiller and The Norman Mailer Center, Spas and Diliana Roussev, and Editor of Newsweek International, Tunku Varadarajan.
The event was aflutter with an eclectic group of subcontinental natives mixed with notable New Yorkers and writers from the U.S. and beyond. Everyone from journalist Suketu Mehta to NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly glided past statues of the Hindu god Ganesha at the Asia Society on Park Avenue. Between bites of samosas and the naan, guests discussed immigration, linguistics, and the London Olympics.
This yearâs winner was Dilip DâSouza, a journalist based in Mumbai, whoâs written for The Times of India, The Washington Post, and Salon.com (to name a few), has authored three books incuding Roadrunner: An Indian Quest in America, and runs the blog âDeath Ends Fun.â

Brown, editor in chief of Newsweek and The Daily Beast, introduced DâSouza as a brilliant writer whose vivid, vibrant human narratives âdraw you in."
âHeâs a writer who makes us think in a new way,â Schiller told the audience.
âIn a deserted public garden, just below a bust of the revolutionary martyr Chandrashekhar Azad, I picked up one forlorn sheet, soggy with morning dew and streaked with mud,â DâSouza writes in âGet to the Top,â a story about Kota, the student-coaching capital of India, where tens of thousands compete for a few choice spots at technical and engineering universities.
Clad in a golden kurta and white pants, with peppered hair and red-framed glasses, DâSouza thanked the audience and joked thatâin the reverse of Sally Fieldâs famous Oscar speechâhe can truly say, âI like you, I like you.â
In a panel discussion lead by Newsweek International editor Tunku Varadarajan, DâSouza said that while thereâs an exhilarating sense of energy in Indian fields like the telecom industry, as a writer that angle is boring. Instead, heâd rather write about the âfrustration and perversityâ thatâs rampant in his country. Poverty, to him, is a more pressing issue.
In fact, on a scale of zero to 10 (zero being dysfunctional and 10 Scandinavian perfection), DâSouza said he would rate Indiaâs democracy as a 2.5. This isnât as bad as it sounds since constant flux leads to the ability for anyone to succeedâand better stories, he said.
Documentary filmmaker Nisha Pahuja, a self-described optimist, disagreed. Despite the ills plaguing the nation, there havenât been any civil wars and the future is brightâprovided women breakthrough. âWomen are torn,â she said. âTheyâre trapped between tradition and modernity.â
But Indiaâs ongoing struggles with democracy may be overshadowed but her awkward relationship with a nuclear neighbor. This worrisome reality is sometimes airbrushed by the U.S. media. âNew coverage is determined by foreign policy,â said Madhulika Sikka, executive producer of NPRâs Morning Edition, who was also a judge for the award.
Bruce Riedel, a former longtime CIA officer, and a senior fellow in the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution, stressed that Pakistan harbors terrorists, has a fast growing nuke arsenal, and will only move towards reform if he entrepreneurial class is empowered. âAs an American, itâs scary. As an Indian, you live next door,â Riedel said.
DâSouza said that if the fragile bond between Pakistan and India fizzles, weâre in for a disaster. And while diplomatic frustration is a great source for inspiration for journalists and writers, even DâSouza doesnât want to be there for the Armageddon.