Anyway, no one illustrates the niche concept better than Padma Viswanathan in this message that can be found in publicly-available SASIALIT archives. She is talking about how to get noticed for one’s writing and submission. I am reproducing a part of her message here:

This is an incredibly idiosyncratic business and the best lesson I have learned is that, when you put your stuff out into the world, you are looking for that one person who will love what you have written as much as you do. Clearly, this makes it sound both easy and hard: on the one hand, you really only need to find that one, influential person who can make things happen for you. On the other hand, how the hell are you supposed to find him or her?? Part of it is luck and part is persistence: same things everyone will tell you, about everything, but this is a very hard business and these things bear repeating. I had a short story that… just seemed to write itself, in three days. I showed it in a couple of workshops: some friends said they loved it, some profs said, basically, “Meh.” I submitted it maybe half a dozen times, all over the place. Didn’t revise it much, didn’t take the rejection personally. Then I saw that the Boston Review was having a contest judged by George Saunders, whom I adore. The BR’S editor is Junot Diaz, ditto. So I thought I would send it in for the secret pleasure of knowing they might have read my work. I won. A little persistence, a little luck… and a little strategy.

Perhaps, several people here were light-hearted, and you represent one of the few trying to take this opportunity a notch higher and make a stepping stone out of it.(?) If that is the case, I hope Viswanathan’s wisdom helps you and whoever else is in a similar position.

That being said, I myself am in agreement with some of what you have said here. For example, I still can’t get over that she actually liked the Rakshabandhan memoir over the ones you mention. I also wish that your detractors would come up with substantial arguments rather than inventing puerile insults.

(I secretly love that he called mine “insider-y”. My fondest wish! LOVE.)

Finally, what in Critic’s behavior gives the gender away to be male? Because even I have been assuming it’s a guy. Are we prejudiced to assume so?

speaking of which, last one for Critic: jakkin’ ur commenz, killin’ ur fwunnies!!

(I secretly love that he called mine “insider-y”. My fondest wish! LOVE.)

covered in poop, like Slumdog kid

he rushes to share with us.

Pearls before swine…don’t hate, appreciate!

I wouldn’t disparage arranged marriage simply because it’s an often-used theme. In fact, I liked one of the examples quoted in Sandhya’s original post: Arranged marriage now sounding pretty good. – Saleem Reshamwala, is both humorous and heartfelt with a twist on a well-worn Desi theme.

Critic – Ask any gay person in Calif. if prop. 8 is stale. And ask any gay desi if our stories have been over-mined. i don’t think so.

O.K., I take stale back. Your’s is a mildly clever and sad take on the standard phrase, first comes love then comes marriage. I give you that. But, what is your story? Or what is the South Asian story here? This is the story of hundreds, if not thousands of gay couples. What’s new?

I stand by my criticisms of the first winner, and those of two other memoirs mentioned favorably. Read them again and if you disagree, tell me why. Yes, it’d be nice to see a uniquely South Asian element in the contest entries, but the mere dropping of generic Desi names or rituals doesn’t cover for the otherwise threadbare content.

I remain perplexed that the judge would overlook the much more creative entries ( in no particular order ):

For sale. Whipped cream. Never worn. ( Even though a play on Hemingway’s original, this one is hilarious )

when she burps, i don’t mind.

Ok without you; Best with you.

Single for Lease. Option to buy.

Marriages are made in heaven. Die.

Nani died. Nana’s heart beats weaker…

I dream of you, you two.

New York heartbreak lasted a block!

You had me at hello. Goodbye.

Flatter me, tell me I exist.

I am not sure if these simply went over the judge’s head or she is inadvertently condescending to the lesser entries.

As for why am I even bothering with these, well this result is typical of the favor granted, repeatedly, by the gatekeepers of South Asian culture to tired and banal content at the expense of more creative and original work. And in that I agree with the other ‘ Critic ‘.

My advice to the Desi talented is to try your art out in front of mainstream audiences first. If you are really good, then your chances of being noticed are many times more with a mainstream audience than with an exclusively South Asian one. After all, there are many readers here who seem to agree with the judge’s decision.

Thanks for the honorable mention even though I was late! Another reason I should check SM more often…

Critic – Ask any gay person in Calif. if prop. 8 is stale. And ask any gay desi if our stories have been over-mined. i don’t think so.

1) The winners aren’t ranked. That’s just the order in which I happened to mention them.

2) As I said above, any entry that NEEDED more than six words was out. The “how much percent” entry does not need the words after the first six.

3) The judgment of any such contest is going to vary. Criticize away. That said, like Malathi, I would have preferred to know which submissions you thought were “indisputably more creative.” Offering specifics for your argument would make for a more interesting and substantive conversation than discussing my resume.

But I am scratching my head while trying to figure out what’s so great about your winning memoir. It’s simply a statement. Maybe a sentiment.What’s the story, if there’s one?

Your mom thinks I’m too dark.

Besides skin color, South Asians have a weird fascination with sentimentality.

Imagine! On Valentine’s, of all days!

As for your second winner, the terrible insecurity of the writer in the form of a parenthetical punchline/explanation alone should have disqualified him/her.

Incommensurate reactions (not parentheses) betray insecurity.

Prop 8 themed conversation has been so pervasive that it really is now more stale than topical.

Is your attention really so fleeting?

Why is the mere insinuation of a Desi gay relationship funny or ‘nice’?

Reading gay into identity crisis, no?

To sum it up, it’s not the lack of originality among South Asians but the endless glorification of the same old same old that’s so puzzling.

So many words, such little said.