India Post News Service
LOS ANGELES: Much has been written about Anand Jon and the charges he faces. To the mainstream media his situation is just another story – a story where the gullible public is fed media handouts issued by the Beverly Hills District Attorney. To the media and the public it is one big circus – just another celebrity scandal. It is a different matter that a life is involved – the fate of which will affect many lives especially of a close knit family of three a mother, a sister and their beloved son/brother. The media too went through the routine of doing its stories – stories with the usual legal nitty-gritties. So far nobody has really talked about the real Anand Jon.
Anand Jon the son. Anand Jon the brother. Anand Jon the human being. Anand Jon belongs to a lineage of Namboodri Bhahmins of Southern Kerala. He was raised by his maternal grandmother. From the beginning Anand displayed artistic tendencies and his grandmother referred to him as her "little Ravi Verma", a reference to the famous painter as Anand drew over the walls of their ancestral home. Anand went to the best schools – Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Cochin and subsequently the elite Padma Seshadiri School in Madras. It was at Padma Seshadiri that he blossomed into an artist, holding art exhibitions and participating in fashion and excelling in sports by participating in the national tennis championship.
The proceeds of these exhibitions went towards charity. He graduated from St. Michael’s high school in Madras. Anand, his mother Shashi and his sister Sanjana moved to the United States when at age 17 he got admitted to the Art Institute in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to pursue a career in visual arts. At the young age of 17, due to family circumstances, Anand assumed full responsibility as the head of the family. He was either at school or at work, working seven days a week to support his mother and sister. He also took care of his sister’s education.
As an artist he was able to find work as a graphics artist. Between his work and school he would sleep maybe three to four hours a day. The dawn of 1994 saw Anand Jon at the Parsons School of Design pursuing a double major in graphic design and fashion design. He graduated in 1999 with top honors. Tim Gunn (now of Project Runway and Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style) then head of fashion at Parsons acclaimed him as an outstanding student.
Anand Jon led a much disciplined life. A family man at heart, he was studying for double majors and working to support his mother and sister. He also interned for designer Donna Karan. What most people do not know about Anand Jon is his commitment to charity. For the past five years the AIDS Awareness Tour with Miss Universe was started and backed by Anand Jon. He did not want any share of the limelight.
He also did charity events for AMFAR, an AIDS awareness program - where celebrities like Barbara Hershey, Iman and Inez Rivera lent their support. He also worked with American Cancer Society and the Audrey Hepburn Foundation for Children, CARE, AMBA for Tsunami victims, New Yorkers for Children, Darfur, Horseshoe Wildlife Foundation, to name a few.
He never smoked nor ever did drugs – a rare quality found in people in the fashion and glamour industry. He was totally focused on his career and whatever free time he got he spent it with his mother and sister. As for his current situation, there are many questions that come to mind. First of all it is important to understand how he faces so many charges. Charges filed in alleged rape cases are somewhat similar to a freeway chase.
Yes, bizarre as it may sound, the pattern is similar. When a car chase suspect is apprehended he faces multiple charges jumping a red light, running a stop sign, illegal lane change, speeding, rash driving, reckless driving etc. Likewise in an alleged rape case charges are filed on a similar basis touching the alleged victim different times on different parts of the alleged victim’s body. Each part and each time entails a count/ charge. It is bizarre and makes one really question the very basis of this incredibly strange and impossible to comprehend legal system.
As for his guilt or innocence it is imperative to note that when he was out on bail after the initial charges, Anand was still in possession of his passport and could have jumped bail and fled. But to him and his family the right and honorable way was to stay and fight and prove his innocence. Eyebrows have also been raised on the way the case is currently proceeding. Like I have noticed and would like to emphasize on the apparent fact that the main stream media is only reporting what the prosecution and the DA’s office wants to publicize and thereby corrupt public opinion in every way possible. Also a large school of thought believes there is a definite racial angle to this.
"The prosecution is trying to portray Anand, an Indian brown boy who did all these horrible things to these nice white girls", says a man who has known Anand since his schooldays in Kochi and Chennai. He declined to be identified but strongly stands by Anand in defending him.
What people need to understand is that Anand Jon is from the fashion/ entertainment industry where there is constant interaction with women. And yes, there is a lot of physical contact when designers help models adjust outfits or fit them. Most women not in fashion can identify with a similar situation - their tailor; as alterations are being measured the man (or woman) has to physically touch the subject, correct? Is this a crime? Should all tailors across the globe be brought in on charges? My question is if these women were allegedly raped or molested as they claim why did they take so long to speak up? The DA, Mara McIlvane, has made statements to the press/media referring to Anand as a serial rapist and a sexual predator.
Does this not amount to condemning him before the trial itself? Also to be noted that Anand remains in custody despite the bail having been paid. Why does the prosecution not investigate the bail system? What is most bizarre is the fact that some of the complainants in the Texas case are the same as in LA.
Are we expected to believe that a person who was allegedly assaulted in one state traveled to another state to be allegedly assaulted again? Last week I went to the Beverly Hills Court house to attend a hearing. After the hearing I approached the D.A. outside the courtroom. She declined to talk to me saying that she would have somebody from "Media Relations" contact me. It appears that my India Post badge made her uncomfortable.
Would she have done the same with the mainstream media- I don’t think so. TMZ.com has a story about a business associate of Anand Jon who was in the apartment the morning after the alleged rape assault. He saw the woman that morning in Anand’s apartment at around 9:30 am. The woman was in a happy mood.
She took a shower and then went on to try three pairs of his jeans and also asked him for a free pair. Anand’s friend says that the police was visibly agitated when he did not say what they wanted to hear. As for the Indian community the less said the better. It is indeed very heart rending to see two sobbing women literally going from pillar to post trying to garner support for Anand. Yes, I am talking about Anand’s mother Shashi and sister Sanjana.
These two unfortunate ladies are fighting a lonely battle to save their son and a brother they are from New York and don’t know anybody here We owe it to them, to Anand, and above all to ourselves that we do everything to help them. Folks, Anand is one of us – yes, the same Anand Jon who at the pinnacle of success was feted by the entire community. We must stand up for him. Here is what you can do. Talk to your councilman, Assemblyman, Senator or Congressman. Write to the mainstream and ethnic Indian media to illustrate your support and to express your views on the case. We have to act – today it’s Anand, tomorrow it can be your brother, son, father or friend. Just think of it, the night before Rakshabandhan Sanjana wept inconsolably- the next day all the girls would be with their brothers but not her.
A number of so called Community leaders do fundraisers for politicians raising millions of dollars for their election funds. Well, I got news for the patrons and the politicians – it’s a payback time. Please talk to the politicians you have raised funds for and patronized. Tell them to talk to justice department. Tell them to talk to Sacramento or Washington DC.
What is the Indian Consulate doing about this? – What is the Indian Embassy in DC doing about this – or are they there simply to cater to visiting ministers. The Indian Government should definitely step forward to support someone who has done the country proud for several years globally We must rally together to ensure that for Shashi and Sanjana the next Mother’s Day and Raakhi is a happy one with pride dignity and honor with their beloved Anand.
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