Hello! It's about that time again. I'd like for you to meet the latest Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Vishavjit Singh.
Who are you?
Vishavjit Singh. The first name short circuits most people's brain unless they have South Asian heritage and are familiar with the linguistic nuances of my name. Plus I blame my father for missplelling the first name. If it tickles you to say my first name here is a pronounciation guide: Vish-va-jeet
What are you?
I like everyone live in many boxes. Male, American, Sikh, Punjabi, software analyst, husband, son, brother..........Cartoonist, Illustrator, Writer, Costume Player!
Ultimately we are all a energy presence that wears many different masks.
Where are you?
The Big Apple. The globe of a city known as New York City, the greatest of cities.
Where are you from?
All over. I am really a nomad. My journey has taken me from Washington DC to South Asia, Los Angeles, starting college in Ohio, finishing it in Santa Barbara, graduate school in Berkeley, Connecticut, Weschester County and finally in the bosoms of my beloved New York City.
What do you do?
I am the creator and caretaker of Sikhtoons.com.
My nights, weekends and occasional daytime dreaming hours are consumed by cartooning, writing and whatever ensues from these. Cartoon workshops, presentations of my work, giving talks, costume playing, shooting videos with comedy crews all with the goal of spreading the germs of art and tolerance are a few by-products.
I am open to new doings that have not been attempted before to shake our daily routines of existence.
What are you all about?
Engaging your passion in life. Doing something that grounds you, stirs you, eggs you on to keep pushing on, gets you out of your comfort zone, at times going out on a limb, rise in love, meditate on compassion and eventually one day lose your sense of self.
On a more egotistical personal level, Gustatory pleasures, chocolate, books that I can hold, smell, caress having lifelong affairs with as many while they take me on travels across time and space, legos, the color blue, water is all its glorious manifestations, love of a small coterie of family and friends that have my back, finally the company of my beloved soulmate.
What makes you angry?
Oh boy! This is a complicated question. There are so many horrible things that happen in this world that can make you angry. We humans can be so cruel as individuals, communities, nations. At the end the more important question is what do you do with your anger? How do you process it? This can change your and other lives for good or bad.
For me surviving the genocidal wave of killings that consumed the lives of thousands of Sikhs in India in 1984 took years to simmer where it almost got buried, forgotten. Then it re-surfaced right around the time I discovered my passion for writing and cartooning. Rather than hating those who perpetrated these crimes I choose to expose the deeds of powers to be and all their institutional machiavellian maneuvers through my cartoons and writings. This is not an easy task in a world where human rights abuses abound and sadly vie for our attention.
To end I would like to share one of my favorite quotes from Gloria Steinem, "The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off." and one from Thich Nhat Hanh, "Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything -- anger, anxiety, or possessions -- we cannot be free."