Virginia Man Auctions Sanjaya Malakar Dictionary to Aid Families of Virginia Tech Tragedy

April 23, 2007 - PRLog -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                             Contact: Mike Johnson
                                                                                                              804-236-0555


Richmonder Auctions Sanjaya Malakar Dictionary: Proceeds to Assist Tech Victims' Families


RICHMOND, VA -- April 23, 2007--eBay, the world's most popular auction site, says whatever "it" is, you can find on their site.  But did you know you can find a Sanjanary there?

What is a Sanjanary?  No, it is not some prehistoric dinosaur.  It is a dictionary of words and phrases coined or inspired by Sanjaya Malakar, the controversial 17-year old American Idol finalist.

Johnson came up with the idea of creating a Sanjanary after watching an American Idol broadcast in which host Ryan Seacrest said that he had been "Sanjayaed."  On April 2, he listed the Sanjanary on eBay.  It garnered much interest but few bids.  Johnson had proclaimed it "another one of his failed projects" a few days later and canceled the auction, when the high bid peaked at only 99 cents.

The Sanjanary was dead and buried.   The day after Sanjaya was eliminated from American Idol, Sanjaya was interviewed by Jay Leno.  During that interview, he mentioned that there is a Sanjanary on eBay that people can buy.  Johnson felt compelled to relist it.

"When I heard Sanjaya mention the Sanjanary by name, I almost fell off the bed," Johnson explains.  "After feeling that the Sanjanary project was a failure, it felt wonderful to know that Sanjaya knew about it.  I felt honored that he mentioned it.  I relisted it right away."

This time around, the Sanjanary auction is faring much better.  Bidding is currently at $35.  While that is a good start, Johnson feels that it can generate even higher bids over the next six days, and he sees it as a vehicle to give back to the community.

"I have decided to donate at least 50 percent of the proceeds to charity," Johnson said.  As a Virginia native, naturally my heart goes out to the families of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings, and I would like to see the money go to help those families.  But if I can get in touch with Sanjaya, I would let him make the decision."  

Not everyone is happy about Johnson's decision to put the Sanjanary up for auction.  eBay pulled the auction on April 23 for a violation of their charity policy, and Johnson had to relist it.  He also had to endure criticism from other Sanjaya fans.

"Several Fanjayas posted a copycat project, simply called "Sanjaya's Dictionary," on the American Idol message board for Sanjaya," Johnson said.  "When I relisted the Sanjanary, some of them wrote posts and emails to me saying that I stole their dictionary and how could I use the Sanjanary to make a profit?  What's so bad about this is that they got the idea from me, and they are trying to copyright words such as Fanjaya, Sanjayaed, and others that anyone could have coined.  It is crazy."  

But in spite of the negativity, Johnson tries to stay focused on the positive impact that the Sanjanary can have.

"The money raised from this simple project can make a difference in the lives of others."  Johnson said.  That is what this auction is really all about."

For additional addition about the Sanjanary contact Mike Johnson at 804-236-0555.  Email: teachingeach1@aol.com.  The eBay item number is 290108894127.