Aadhaar for Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs)

December 13, 2017 Staff ReporterIndia 0

Aadhaar Card enrolment is presently available to residents in India. Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Cardholders who stay in India for a long time (over 182 days in twelve months immediately preceding the date of application for enrolment) and have an Indian address can also enroll for Aadhaar Card in India. Non Resident Indians (NRIs), although they are citizens of India, are not eligible for Aadhaar Card if they have not stayed for more than 182 days or more in the last 12 months. Upon completion of 182 days of their stay in India in the last 12 months immediately preceding the date of application for enrolment, NRIs can apply for Aadhaar Card.

“As per Section 139AA of the Income-tax Act, 1961, every person who is eligible to obtain Aadhaar number shall, on or after the 1st day of July, 2017, quote Aadhaar number— (i) in the application form for allotment of permanent account number; (ii) in the return of income. The above provisions apply to persons who are eligible to get Aadhaar. Under section 3 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, only a resident is entitled to get Aadhaar. Therefore, the provisions of Section 139AA quoted above regarding linking of Aadhaar to PAN or the requirement of quoting the Aadhaar number in the return shall not apply to a non-resident, who is not eligible to get Aadhaar.”

Fake Calls Leading to Possible Identity Theft

December 13, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

The Indian Consulate in New York has been receiving calls/e-mails from Indian Passport holders regarding fake calls from persons pretending to be US Immigration/Police authorities requesting for details of Passports/Travel documents.

These are hoax calls with the eventual aim of getting details of the applicant’s Passport number/date of issue etc. and could lead to Identity theft as well as other fraud. Sometimes the fraudsters may mimic the telephone numbers of the Consulate or other authorities.

Indian Passport holders are requested to exercise extreme caution and not to give any information on telephone unless sought in written from an identifiable Authority. The details may only be shared by written communication and copy endorsed to the Consulate at cons.newyork@ema.gov.in. If such call has already been received and details have been shared, please report to the nearest Police Station and keep Consulate informed about the calls along with the Passport details shared with such callers.

Hotstar Provides the Most Original, Most Exclusive, Most Cutting-Edge Online Content in North America

December 13, 2017 Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

(New York, NY – December 7, 2017) This weekend, Indian megastar SHAH RUKH KHAN will host the first-ever collaboration between TED Talks and a major Indian network, Star India, which will premiere on the online digital platform, Hotstar, before it hits television. Called TED Talks India Nayi Soch, the seven-episode series will showcase some of the best innovators and thinkers of Indian origin debuting their TED Talks in a language other than English (Hindi). Tune in to the world premiere, available starting Sunday, December 10th from 7:30 a.m. ET onwards at www.us.hotstar.com. ;

Host Shah Rukh Khan raves: “It is a huge honor to host this show. When two giants like Star India and TED come together, we are sure to fire up a billion imaginations. Bringing the power of ideas to people’s living rooms across India and reaching out to, especially, the youth of our country is something that’s really exciting. I want our youth to be inspired to think of new ideas…simple and unique ideas that pack a punch. Ideas that can change lives!” Another genre of original, cutting-edge programming that is exclusive to Hotsar is the CinePlay. In this era of constant innovation, Cineplay is a novel attempt at storytelling by combining the grammar of theatre and power of cinema. It is an innovation that presents timeless theatrical dramas as digitally-immersive experiences and is especially calibrated for all screen sizes.

CinePlays are not just live recordings of a play. Sets are created especially for each production, and much like a film, a CinePlay is shot over a span of several days. With an elaborate camera, light and production set up, CinePlays weave elements of cinema into stories from theatre to create a whole new experience for Hotstar audiences.

Some of the most popular CinePlays on Hotstar include: Dance Like a Man, Between the Lines, Bombay Talkies, Typecaste and Adhe Adhure, starring the finest theatre actors of the generation like Nandita Das, Saurabh Shukla, Lillete Dubey and Darshan Jariwala.

And Hotstar’s exclusive content does not end there…it ranges from riveting documentaries to incredible lifestyle and travel shows: On Twist of Taste, join Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna on culinary journeys across India and America that will inspire new experiments in the kitchen!

Style & the City is a travel show that marries fashion with street style. Indian designers Rocky S, Rina Dhaka & Ashish Soni will create ensembles for their celebrity clients. The show is hosted by Shibani Dandekar.

Design HQ: Join interior designer Ashiesh Shah as he decodes “how to design your own space” with the likes of Hrithik Roshan, Aditya Roy Kapoor and others. Hrithik shares how he uses quotes as art across his house and how he is extremely methodical when it comes to picking furniture, color and even art.

Critics’ Choice Awards 2018 Nominations: Indian American Actor Aziz Ansari Wins One, Kumail Nanjiani Racks Up Three

December 13, 2017 Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

As Hollywood begins to embrace diversity and move away from offering stereotypical roles, a few Asian actors are having breakout career moments. And now as the award season nears, it’s bringing cheer for some.

Indian American actor Aziz Ansari and Pakistani American actor Kumail Nanjiani have scored nominations for the 23rd annual Critics’ Choice Awards. For both these actors, being the contenders for this prestigious award, which some say is a barometer for predicting the Oscars, is the best way to cap a pretty successful 2017.

Ansari, who has in the past got the critics’ nod for his Netflix comedy series, “Master of None,” is back in the race owing to the second season of the series, which was lapped by the fans. He has been nominated in the ‘Best Actor in a Comedy Series’ category for his role in the Netflix drama.

Nanjiani, a critically acclaimed actor, writer and comedian, recently starred in and co-wrote “The Big Sick” with his wife, Emily V. Gordon. The film, a romantic comedy story, which was released by Amazon Studios/Lionsgate, wowed critics and audiences alike. Nanjiani, also known for his co-starring role as Dinesh in the award-winning HBO comedy series, “Silicon Valley,” has collected multiple nominations, for his work on both “The Big Sick” and “Silicon Valley.”

He is eligible for both film and television honors this year. Nanjiani is up for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ alongside wife Emily V. Gordon, and ‘Best Actor in a Comedy’ for “The Big Sick,” as well as ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series’ for “Silicon Valley.” “The Big Sick” is also contending for the ‘Best Picture’ and the ‘Best Comedy’ awards.

CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory,” which stars Indian American actor Kunal Nayyar, is competing for the ‘Best Comedy Series’ award.

Netflix leads the television honors with 20 nominations, followed by HBO with 15, FX with 13, and ABC with 12.

The Critics’ Choice Awards are bestowed annually by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Broadcast Television Journalists Association to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement. The BFCA is the largest film critics’ organization in the U.S. and Canada, representing more than 300 television, radio and online critics. BTJA is the collective voice of journalists who regularly cover television for TV viewers, radio listeners and online audiences.

The winners will be revealed at the star-studded Critics’ Choice Awards gala to be held Jan. 11, 2018 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. The awards show will air on The CW Network and will be broadcast live from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

Taj Mahal belongs to all of us, it must be preserved for future generations: Supreme Court

December 13, 2017 Staff ReporterCulture/Religion 0

Pulling up Uttar Pradesh government for its adhocism towards protection of Taj Mahal, the Supreme Court on Friday directed it to formulate a pragmatic and futuristic policy to protect the monument saying that it belonged to people of the country and it must be preserved for at least couple of centuries.

A bench of justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta asked the government to involve people from civil society and experts concerned with cultural heritage to frame a road map for preservation of the monument and the area surrounding it.

“You should have a broader vision and policy to make sure that Taj Mahal remains there for centuries. Everybody needs to sit together to frame the policy. The monument needs to be protected not only for next 25-50 years but at least 400-500 years,” the bench said.

Additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta and UP’s additional advocate general Aishwarya Bhati told the bench that the state government was committed to protect the monuments and a slew of measures had been taken by various authorities to control the pollution near Taj Mahal and to maintain ecological balance in surrounding area.

Mehta told the bench that polluting industries in Taj Trapazium Zone had switched over from coal/ coke to cleaner fuels like CNG and LPG and no construction zone had been declared within 500 meter radius of Taj Mahal. He said that commercial vehicles running in the city were being converted to CNG and interrupted power supply was being provided to discourage use of generators.

“An investment of Rs 23.34 crores is proposed to establish security and surveillance camera network in Taj Mahal premises and other parts of the city. Taj premises and other parts of the city will be monitored live from central control and command centre connected to network of CCTV surveillance cameras. The surveillance system will help in protecting Taj Mahal from threats like terrorist attacks,” Mehta said.

The Court, however, was not convinced and said that it was all adhoc measures taken by state as and when needs arose and there was no long-term plan. It granted the state eight week time to formulate a comprehensive plan for protection of Taj Mahal after the state informed the bench that it had approached School of Planning and Architecture seeking its help in preparing a vision document for preservation of Taj Mahal.

The state had told the Court that pollution level around Taj Mahal had remained almost constant in the last 15 years and the monument was completely safe. It, however, had admitted that quantity of Particulate Matter(PM)-10 at the monument was above the fixed standard.

Indian Government urged to take immediate steps to search and find thousands of fishermen still missing from the cyclone Ockhi

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

The cyclone Ockhi which hit the Kanyakumari district has turned the whole district up side down and has caused great disaster in the life of people of all walks, including farmers and fisherfolk.

While it has caused great damage to the life, livelihood including boats and assets and to the houses of the fisher people in all the 48 fisher villages of Kanyakumari district, it has also caused damage to the fisher people of Tirunelveli district.

It is usual that the cyclone and storms hitting Tamil Nadu would damage Rameswaram, Danushkodi, Nagapattinam, Karaikal, Cuddalore, Puducherry, Chennai and the port towns in the parts of the states of Andrapradesh and Orissa, creating a loss of life, properties, houses and fishing gears and crafts.

Normally the threat to Kanyakumari district was sea erosion and not a disaster of this proportionate. Ockhi has done a damage far beyond their expectation.

The local people are blaming the central metrological department and state governments for having not given due warning in time about the velocity and related information.

Kanyakumari district has fishermen who have expertise on camp fishing for over 45 days. Thousands of them are capable of such fishing and by catching rare varieties and delicacies of the west, been helping the country with foreign exchange through the export of them.

Since they travel for about one week before they reach the fishing ground and stay there for about 30 days, they have limited possibility of getting information on bad weather at short notice.

While it is so, even for the short time fishers the information about the weather did not reach in right time. This has caused great loss of life and loss of crores of rupees fishing assets.

The coast guards should keep looking for the missing fishermen with the support of their helicopters.

It is firmly believed by the local fishermen that since many of these fishermen were fishing off Lakshadeep, they could have reached or swam through to the un inhabited islands and could die due to starvation.

Hence we request the defence Ministry to keep searching for them in the region of these islands with their ships, helicopters and flights. The fishermen also believe that some of them who had been fishing off Lakshadeep could up alive or as dead bodies on the coast of Oman, Iran and such gulf countries.

We request the Ministry of External Affairs to note these points and through the embassies in those countries and do the needful to keep an eye on the coasts of those countries.

A compensation of Rs. 50, Lakhs should be provided for the fishermen who have lost their life due to the storm.

The deep sea fishing vessels and their gears together cost around Rs. 1.4 Crore and the investment were not through banks, but through private loans and financing. Therefore for those vessels that have been totally damaged, the government should arrange a compensation of Rs. 1.4 crores.

The central and state governments through the fisheries department should take efforts on war footing to retriever the bodies of the dead fishermen, to redeem their assets and to do a survey to estimate the loss.

Mr. Ku. Bharathi, the Tamil Nadu coordinator of the National Fisherfolk Forum has rushed to Kanyakumari district to collect information in this regard on our behalf. A team under his leadership is making personal visit to the villages affected in the district. The report of this fact finding team will be submitted to the state and union governments.

Preliminarily, we want to bring some important issues to the notice of the state and Union governments:

The fishermen of Kanyakumari district who like the Maldives fishermen are venturing into deep sea fishing, should be provided with satellite phones as been provided in the Maldives and make a pilot project and an exemplary one honouring these pioneering fishermen.
The boats that qualify for deep sea fishing, shall be provided with license through proper registration without any further undue delay.
The delay in registration makes the insurance companies hesitate to provide an insurance coverage and so when such terrible loss happens due to natural calamities, they are not in a position to seek any due insurance coverage compensation.
The government of Tamil Nadu should implement the scheme of reimbursing 75% of the premium paid by the fishermen for their mechanised boats, just as done in Puducherry.
The Tamil Nadu government should speed up with such scheme to save the fishermen from the oncoming possibilities of natural disasters. The Union Government Fisheries Ministry should provide with 100 % financial support through special allocation.
As been promised by Selvi. Jayalalitha, the then Chief Minister during the last assembly election campaign, the cellphone towers of Kanyakumari district shall have capacity enhanced and VHF wireless communication instruments shall also have powers enhanced, so that all important messages would reach the fishermen on the deep sea.
As again promised by the late Chief Minister, helicopters shall be hired on such days of disaster to redeem fishermen who are lost in the sea.
The Kanyakumari fishermen who spend almost 45 days at a time on deep sea fishing cannot have access to the warning a couple of days before by the metrological department and therefore the Navy and coast guard should use satellite imageries and by locating the fishermen should reach them through helicopter before the storm sets, warn them and ensure that they return to the coast.

By M.Ilango, Ex.MLA, Chairperson, National Fisherfolk Forum.

GOPIO Invites nominations for annual awards 2018

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

GOPIO International is planning to hold its annual Community Service Awards (CSA) Banquet on the evening of January 8, 2018 at the Gul Hotel, Manama, Bahrain as the concluding event of GOPIO Biennial Convention 2018. The GOPIO Community Service Awards (GOPIO CSA) are given for outstanding community service, public service and/or significant charitable or philanthropic contributions of benefit to the community. Nominations of suitably qualified candidates are requested for consideration by GOPIO’s CSA 2018 Selection Committee. Please see attached file for more for details of GOPIO CSA criteria, format for submission of nominations and deadline for submission by clicking the file, GOPIO Community Service Awards (GOPIO CSA) Criteria and Nomination Form

Nominations are to be submitted using the prescribed form with supporting documents by December 5, 2017 to Chair, GOPIO CSA 2018 Selection Committee gopiointl.awards@gmail.com.

NRI Achievers Group in association with Global Organization of People of Indian Origin is going to organize “The Indian Women Achievers Sammaan 2017” to felicitate the achievements of exceptional women role-models from diverse fields who have succeeded against mighty odds. These pioneers have broken the glass ceiling for the new generation of aspiring women by setting an example with hard work, perseverance and innovation.

GOPIO is inviting nominations from the women of Indian origin irrespective of their country of residence from across the globe. Those who deserve to be considered for the selection, kindly send their detailed profile along with photographs and documentary proofs. A jury from GOPIO and NRI Achievers Group will shortlist the selected candidates who will be honored at the after the GOPIO Biennial Convention Inauguration on Jan. 6th, 2018. NRI Achievers Group and GOPIO e reserve all the rights of selection & rejection. No claim can be made whatsoever. Nomination may be sent yourself or by a colleague at bahrainconvention@nriachievers.in

Arjun Ivatury wins Grammy nomination

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterProfiles 0

Arjun Ivatury, an Indian American, more popular as 6ix, has been nominated to the prestigious Grammy award 2017. Ivatury is a record producer mostly known for his work with Maryland rapper Logic, whose hip-hop collaboration with an inspirational message, “1-800-273-8255,” is among this year’s 60th Grammy Awards ‘Song of The Year’ category nominees.

“1-800-273-8255,” titled after the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number, sheds light on mental health by creating an emotional dialogue between a suicidal caller and a crisis worker who helps the caller find a glimmer of hope by song’s end. The song also features Alessia Cara and Khalid.

Ivatury, Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II and Khalid Robinson, who co-wrote this song on Logic’s new album, “Everybody,” share the nomination. The song has also earned the distinction of being the highest-charting phone number song in Billboard chart history. The song’s video is also up for ‘Best Music Video’ award. The Prince George’s County, Maryland, native, who is steadily forging a career in music, is a medical school dropout.

6ix, otherwise known as Arjun Ivatury is a songwriter and producer based out of Maryland. Check out this adorable interview on how these two guys started to work together and how 6ixdropped out of pre-Med to pursue music and then how Logic talked to his Indian parents to convince him to move to LA.

The 26-year-old told XXL magazine that he was always a fan of music and knew that he was either going to be a doctor or a hip-hop producer. The first-generation Indian American chose the latter and dropped out of the University of Maryland in 2013 where he majored in neurobiology and physiology. A career in music did not seem like a viable option for him until he met Logic in 2010.

Arjun Ivatury a.k.a. 6ix was either going to be a doctor or a hip-hop producer. The PG County, Md. native chose the latter and dropped out of the University of Maryland in 2013 where he majored in Neurobiology and Physiology. The first generation Indian-American found success in his new field after linking with Logic in 2010.

“We actually really met on Twitter when he tweeted me and asked to meet up because he remembered me from a beat battle and asked me to send him a batch of beats. The first batch of beats, he didn’t like any of them. So, I was like, ‘Forget this dude. He’s kind of an ass****.’ I pretty much sent him all my best beats at the time and he didn’t like any of them. I kept sending him more beats and he liked this one beat in particular that went on his first project and ever since then, we’ve become homies,” Ivatury told the magazine.

Obama during visit to India told Modi privately that country shouldn’t be divided on religious lines

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterIndia 0

Former US President Barack Obama during his first visit to India after leaving office as the President of US, met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week and discussed ways to further strengthen the US-India relationship.

While addressing the youth in India at a Town Hall Meeting, Obama was reminded of his speech at Siri Fort auditorium on January 27, 2015 — the last day of his last visit to India as US President — in which he sounded caution “against any efforts to divide ourselves along sectarian lines” and pointedly asked if the message was directed at the Modi-led BJP government.

He said the message was meant for “all of us” and “the same thing” was told “in private to Prime Minister Modi. If you see a politician doing things that are questionable one of things as citizens you can ask yourself is am I encouraging or supporting or giving licence to the values? If communities across India are saying we are not going to fall prey to division then that will strengthen the hands of those politicians who feel the same way.”

Asked how Modi responded to his message on religious tolerance particularly in the wake of Western media highlighting incidents of lynching in the name of cow protection and love jihad cases, Obama dodged a direct reply saying his goal was not to disclose his private conversations with other leaders.

But, he said, Modi’s impulses recognize the need for unity in India “to advance to the great nation status that India possesses and will continue and amplify in the years to come”. He said he had shared the concern in public in the United States of America, in Europe “because people feel worried and insecure about all the changes some of which are economic but some of which are cultural and social”.

“There are demographic changes taking place. Migration. People start looking different. There is a collision of cultures. People see much more vividly the differences between people.”Earlier in the day, Obama addressed the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. His Obama Foundation also organized a town hall meeting with young Indian leaders.

As a debate rages over growing intolerance in the country, former U.S. President Barack Obama disclosed that he had privately told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India must not split on sectarian lines and that it must cherish the fact that Muslims here identify themselves as Indians.

“Particularly in a country like India where you have such an enormous Muslim population that is successful, integrated and thinks of itself as Indian and that is unfortunately always not the case in some other countries where a religious minority nevertheless feels a part of. I think that is something that should be cherished, nurtured and cultivated.

“And I think that all farsighted Indian leadership recognizes that but it is important to continue and reinforce that,” he said speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. In an interactive session punctuated with humor and loud applause from the audience that included Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Obama said all humans inherently try to make distinctions to make themselves feel more important than others.

And these distinctions, he said, “are sometimes based on races, on religion, on class and always based on gender”. He said a counter narrative had always been taking place at all times in the world but has become louder now.

“It sometimes happens in Europe, in America and sometimes you see it in India where those old tribal impulses re-assert themselves.” He said some elected leaders try to push back against those impulses and some try to exploit them. Obama also spoke of how he admired Modi and his predecessor Manmohan Singh alike for their “political courage”.

Asked about his relationship with Prime Minister Modi, Obama paused a bit and said: “I like him and I think he is that he has a vision for the country that he is implementing and is in many ways modernizing the bureaucracy.”

He heaped praise on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has come under attack from the ruling BJP, saying he was a great support in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. “But I really was also great friends with Singh, and when you look at the work and the steps that Singh took to open up and modernize the economy and launch what I think was really the foundations for the modern Indian economy. That is also important.

“Here is the bottom line. Because India is a democracy, it has politics. And that is a healthy thing. As a non-Indian and as US President my job was to work with whichever party was in power. Keep in mind that Singh was primary interlocutor with me when we were saving the country from a global financial meltdown. “But, Prime Minister Modi was the primary partner in unlocking the Paris Accord. Neither of those things was easy and both required some political courage back here in India.”

The event was organized by the Obama Foundation, created in 2014 to continue the popular president’s work after he left office. The Foundation is headquartered on Chicago’s South Side, where Obama worked as a community organizer before beginning his political career.

“As one of the most culturally, religiously, linguistically, and ethnically diverse nations on earth, India’s democracy shows us the collective strength of engagement within and across communities,” noted the Obama Foundation in a press release announcing the town-hall meeting in New Delhi.

“Most of India’s one billion people are under 35 years old, an engaged and passionate generation that includes Members of Parliament, village Sarpanchs, scientists, artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders who are finding innovative ways to create positive change across India — change that benefits the world.”

Dia Mirza is UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for India

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterEnvironment 0

Former Miss Asia-Pacific, actor, producer, entrepreneur and environmentalist, Dia Mirza, was appointed as UN Environment’s Goodwill Ambassador for India on Nov. 29. A long-standing supporter of environmental conservation, Mirza will take up the role to add more weight to her work on raising awareness of and seeking solutions to environmental issues that the entire world, and India in particular, face.

“I feel honored and inspired by this opportunity to work with UN Environment to protect the environment and promote sustainable development,” said Mirza. “Environmental issues will be the defining challenge of this era, and I am committed to helping the UN as a Goodwill Ambassador to do everything I can to provide a better future. Together, we will continue working towards conservation of nature, tackling climate change and inspiring people to live more sustainably.”

Dia Mirza is a committed voice for change and has contributed her efforts in the field of social change, conservation and environment. She has been to the face of many pivotal environmental campaigns across India and has worked towards the conservation of wildlife.

As a Goodwill Ambassador, Mirza will work with the United Nations to further spread the message on priority areas including clean air, clean seas, wildlife protection and climate change.

“I am delighted to have Dia join UN Environment as a Goodwill Ambassador,” said UN Environment head, Erik Solheim. “India faces many challenges, in particular, the air pollution that is choking many of its cities. Dia’s influence can help to turn the situation around and create a healthy future for Indians and their environment.”

UN Environment is running many global campaigns, which are having a huge impact by reaching millions of people to change behavior. “I am deeply humbled and motivated to serve nature in my new role as UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for India. Committed to protect, secure and strengthen the rich treasures that nature provides us all! https://t.co/C4ECs2AGn8 @UNEP @UNinIndia @ErikSolheim” Dia Mirza tweeted on November 30, 2017.

Dia Mirza has joined other accomplished and dedicated past and present UN Goodwill Ambassadors, including UN Environment’s Li Binging, Gisele Bündchen, and Don Cheadle as also Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Katy Perry and Emma Watson.

India’s 1st Madame Tussauds opens in Delhi

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterIndia 0

India’s first Madame Tussauds wax museum opened its doors here on Nov. 30 with 50 life-like figures spanning across history, sports, music, films, and politics, for the public at the iconic Regal building in central Delhi.

“This is truly an exhilarating and emotional feeling to finally see Madame Tussauds in Delhi. Guests will be encouraged to interact, perform and even reflect with our figures in unique and immersive settings within the attraction,” Anshul Jain, General Manager, and Director, Merlin Entertainment Pvt Ltd, said here.

Madame Tussauds has been a successful tourist attraction in places like London, Las Vegas, New York, Orlando, San Francisco and Hong Kong. Its maiden facility here has wax statues of Indian personalities like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cinematic icon Amitabh Bachchan and Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, along with many Hollywood celebrities.

The Delhi facility is the 23rd edition of Madame Tussauds. Some other personalities here include Katrina Kaif, Madhuri Dixit, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Salman Khan, Will Smith, David Beckham, Kim Kardashian Justin Bieber, Beyonce Knowles, Asha Bhosle, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Sharma, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Ranbir Kapoor. It will be open for all seven days with tickets priced at Rs 960 for adults and Rs 760 for children.

FIA raises concerns over OCI, PIO & Aadhar with CG Sandeep Chakravorty

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

The Board of Trustees and Executive Team of Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), led by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Past Presidents & Executive Committee met with Consulate General Sandeep Chakravorty and his team on 29th November 2018 to raise the concerns that Indian American community has related to OCI, PIO & AADHAR card. FIA discussed various questions including apprehensions that people have with regards to converting PIO to OCI by the 31st December, 2017 deadline. They also brought up the $265 fees that will charged from January 1st, 2018.

Consulate General of India will be hosting International Women’s Day in association with FIA on March 8th, 2018. President elect Mr. Srujal Parikh thanked Consulate General for a productive conversation on the issues that Indian American community has. FIA Chairman Mr. Ramesh Patel informed Consulate General about the visa camp and other outreach programs that FIA will be organizing in 2018.

The Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) of the tristate area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut is one of the largest esteemed umbrella organizations in the Indian community. Established in the year 1970, the FIA has blossomed into a commendable organization that has become an effective mouthpiece and mobilizer for the community. Contact-Head Office: 37-05 74th-St, 2nd Floor, Jackson Heights, New York 11372
Email: info@fianynjct.org

Preet Didbal is the 1st Indian-American Sikh woman to become mayor in the U.S.

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

Preet Didbal, a longtime Planning Commissioner and lifetime Yuba City resident, and City Councilmember since 2014, was sworn in on December 5th, possibly making her the first Indian-American Sikh woman in the U.S., to lead a city. She was appointed by the Council and was sworn-in as the mayor of the city that thousands of Indian-American Sikhs have called home for more than a 100 years, finally has a woman mayor belonging to that community.

“I’m speechless. It’s so humbling,” Didbal told the media. “Seeing someone that looks like you, that comes from the same faith as you, to be elected in a public office in this country is inspiring and exciting. And it’s definitely moving,” Sikh Coalition’s Jaydeep Singh is quoted saying in the a media report.

While there have been male Sikh mayors in the past, including the most recent, Ravi Bhalla of Hoboken, New Jersey, and before that, former Mayor of Laurel Hollow in New York, Harvinder Singh Anand, Didbal is likely the first Sikh woman to occupy that office, according to kcra.com. “Congratultions to Mayor Preet Didbal!” the Sikh Coalition tweeted.

Didbal, a single mother, has lived in Yuba City, raising her daughter who attends River Valley High School there. According to her bio on the Council website, Didbal’s “focus is built around children being raised in a community that invests in the success of young people and will look to develop more youth and family activities.” She is also committed to creating an economic environment that will provide good-paying jobs for returning college graduates, the site says. The Sikh Coalition estimates around 500,000 people who follow the Sikh faith live in the United States.

Study finds Nikki Haley to be best communicator in American politics

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics, Profiles 0

United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley is the best communicator in American politics today, according to a technology company that specializes in voice transcription. To their robots, Haley is a better orator than Hillary Clinton and a stronger speaker than former President Barack Obama. And, according to their tests, the former South Carolina governor is far better at getting her message out than her boss, President Donald Trump.

The findings come from Trint, a web application that uses artificial intelligence robots to transcribe what people say. Trint said in a release that they wanted to find out which politicians could be better understood by these robots, and put 14 influential politicians to the test, along with a fictitious one, who was portrayed by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus from the TV show “Veep,” to find out who did best.

Trint then took the audio recordings of their speeches and ran them through its transcription A.I. and used a standard known as Word Error Rate, which measures the accuracy of an A.I.-transcribed text against a 100 percent accurate transcription, to determine the winner.

Sure enough, Haley’s score was almost perfect, with a 99.48 percent accuracy rate and was closely followed by Clinton and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Obama ended up coming in at eighth place while Trump came in 11th and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi came in last.

Trint told postandcourier.com that the reason for Haley’s victory was that “she speaks clearly, intelligibly, and is easy to understand. In comparison, politicians who scored lower tended to ‘swallow the last word of each sentence’ and have heavy accents.”

India-based startup 1st in world to finish all 20 Facebook QA bAbi tasks with 100% accuracy

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterBusiness 0

Bangalore based startup first in the world to finish all 20 Facebook QA bAbi tasks with 100% accuracy DataVal Analytics Inc, a Bangalore and Chicago-based Artificial Intelligence – (AI) startup is the first in the world to successfully complete a difficult 20-part challenge in AI created by Facebook in 2015. The test, known as the (20) QA bAbi Tasks hosted by Facebook AI Research (FAIR), assesses the ability of AI based programs to perform text understanding and reasoning. To date, NO organization has been able to solve all the 20 tasks with 100% accuracy. However, using a unique approach, DataVal has successfully completed all 20 tasks with 100% accuracy. The DataVal approach focuses on the human way of understanding Language. It also has integrated multiple processes related to language pre-processing, word sense disambiguation, conjunction processing, preposition association, co-reference resolution and time and space analysis. DataVal focuses on a holistic view of the environment and the ecosystem to reason and understand the situation, an approach similar to the human approach to problem solving.

AI is the new frontier technology of the future with far reaching implications on social, economic and political activities across the world. It will have a significant impact at home, business, factories, banking, government, education, health and lot more. All major global companies and universities have been working on AI for decades. With advances in high speed computing, low cost storage, open source software, cloud computing and smart phones, AI is now in prominence. All leading companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, IBM and a handful of startups have substantial research and development underway on AI.

The success of DataVal in solving QA bAbI tasks offers hope to address a variety of AI applications related to intelligent personal assistance, search engine, voice command & control applications, social media content analysis, and expert systems in fields such as Education, Health, Energy, Environment, Transport, Finance, Manufacturing, Services and Government. DataVal Analytics Inc has offices in Bangalore, India and Chicago, USA with a small team of highly experienced data scientists and programmers focused on Natural Language Understanding technology & Big Data Analytics. The company has been founded by veterans from the Indian Army – Lt Col Shashi Kiran (Veteran) and Lt Col Naveen Xavier (Veteran). The team is mentored by the leading entrepreneur, innovator, policy maker and development thinker, Dr. Sam Pitroda as Chairman.

Virginia to have 500+ acres Hindu retreat

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterCulture/Religion 0

An over 500 acres of serene and vibrant Hindu spiritual retreat has reportedly been planned near Bowling Green in Virginia (USA), which is expected to open in the summer of 2019. Known as Devasya and run by global charitable group International Swaminarayan Satsang Organization (ISSO), it reportedly plans to spend over $7 million just on improvements of the existing heavily wooded property which has an open-water lake.

Described as “a modern retreat descended from the divine”, it will include a traditional Hindu temple holding over 150 years old murtis of Shree Radhikaji & Hari Krsna Maharaj, besides smaller shrines to various Hindu deities. Open year round, it will have a restaurant serving saatvik Indian and Western vegetarian cuisine; and few dozen cottages, reports suggest.

Aimed at helping discover inner peace; Devasya will celebrate all the major Hindu festivals and host many cultural programs, musical concerts, camps, conferences, seminars, etc. It will provide cultural education; including courses in sangeet, yoga, natyam, Indian languages, pranayama, meditation, vegetarian cooking, etc.

According to reports, it will be a venue for weddings and social gatherings and provide traditional naturopathy, ayurvedic and herbal treatments; besides water sports. It plans to host a Gaushala with opportunities of Gau-Pooja, Gau-Daan and cow-adoption.

Participants will be able to pray, meditate, practice yoga, etc., at Devasya, whose tagline is “What you seek. Is seeking you”. It will also conduct mahapoojas and there will be no alcohol or smoking on the campus.

Meanwhile, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, commended efforts of ISSO towards realizing this Hindu spiritual retreat. Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this retreat would help in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation).

Devasya is located in unincorporated Milford area in the counties of Caroline and King & Queen; between Virginia’s capital Richmond and Washington DC. Prime objective of ISSO is “to advance the Sanatan Dharma, in accordance with the principles and teachings of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, founded and ordained by Lord Shree Sahajanand Swami”. ISSO is a part of Shree Swaminaryan Sampraday under Shree Nar Narayan Dev Gadi (Kalupur, Ahmedabad) which has 18 Hindu temples in USA. Acharya Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj is the current Acharya.

Indian American woman from NYC woman mauled to death by shark off Costa Rican coast

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

A Manhattan private equity director was fatally mauled by a shark while scuba diving off the coast of Costa Rica, authorities said. Rohina Bhandari, 49, was identified by friends as the American tourist who was attacked by a tiger shark off of remote Isla del Coco Thursday.

Bhandari was hauled out of the water after sustaining severe bites to both of her legs, Costa Rica’s Environment Ministry said.

Park guards and medical personal vacationing on the island launched a frantic effort to treat her wounds. But Bhandari, a senior director at WL Ross & Co. LL, could not be saved, officials said.

A dive master also suffered a shark bite but those injuries were not life-threatening. The instructor, who was conscious and in relatively stable condition, told officials that the shark attacked when his group was surfacing at the tail end of the dive.

A boater and other divers tried to drive the creature away but it was too late. “Upon reaching the surface, the attack on the tourist was already serious,” the environment ministry said. Bhandari was among a group of 18 people diving off Cocos Island National Park, a World Heritage Site that’s known for its abundant species of sharks.

9.3 million family-based visas issued in 10 years, White House says

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterTravel, U.S. 0

For the first time, the White House said, the federal government has counted the green cards issued between 2005 and 2015 to migrants admitted through family preference, or as immediate relatives of migrants already admitted into the country in perhaps the fullest portrait of “chain migration” ever developed.

“For years, we’ve known that large numbers of immigrants have been coming based on petitions from previous immigrants,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Lee Cissna told Fox News. “But this is the first time we really kind of see the whole scope of the problem. And legislators or policymakers at DHS can do what they need to do address the problem.”

During the ten-year time frame, officials said, the U.S. permanently resettled roughly 9.3 million new immigrants on the basis of family ties. That’s more than 70 percent of all new immigration in that period, the White house said, adding it is also the primary driver of low-skilled workers’ entry into the U.S. A phenomenon analyst say most directly hurts American minority groups with comparable skills.

“These numbers are explosive. They show that American immigration skews almost entirely towards family-based admissions,” said a White House official who briefed Fox News on the data. Mexico is at the top of the list with 1.7 million admissions, India and the Philippines each have more than 600,000, and Iran has more than 80,000.

President Trump has urged congressional Democrats to address chain migration in any compromise on the so-called “Dreamers” immigrants brought here as children who will face deportation in March if a deal on their disposition is not reached.

On Fox News, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell echoed the President’s call to end chain migration in exchange for any deal on DACA. McConnell explained that last year’s Presidential election gave lawmakers a mandate to enact the pro-American immigration reforms that the President campaigned on. McConnell also warned that it would be “dumb” and political suicide for Democrats to shut down the government and endanger national security over unrelated legislative policy matters, such as granting work permits to illegal immigrants.

Republican Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia have proposed eliminating the preference afforded to extended and adult family members. “We have current immigrants determining who future immigrants will do – will be, independent of their ability to be contributory to our economy,” Perdue told Fox News.

The group “New American Economy,” compromised of 500 mayors and business leaders committed to comprehensive immigration reform notes that 40 percent of America’s Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. “Could we do it better? Should we have more focus on merit? Absolutely,” said the group’s Executive Director Jeremy Robbins. “But that doesn’t mean in the least that we don’t want to be reuniting families, strengthening communities and bringing more people here.”

No change in H-1B visa system: US

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterTravel, U.S. 0

Amid the H-1B visa row in India, the US government has said there has been no change in law regarding the H-1B regime and the system continued to be as before. Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for State for South Asia Thomas Vajda said no legislation has been passed so far on the particular category of visa.

“(There is) no change in the law today for H-1B (visa) regime or system in the United States… President (Donald) Trump asked for review of the H-1B system…but no steps have been taken. Many changes in law, so many cases, require changes of legislation. But so far no legislation has been passed on H-1B. For the moment, the system remains as it has in the past,” Vajda told reporters after an interactive session with members of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Following Trump’s election as US president on a protectionist platform, the US has announced stricter norms for issuing the H-1B and L1 visas. India’s Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu said in October that the issue of H-1B and L1 visas, which have facilitated the entry of Indian IT professionals, has been raised strongly with Washington.

Responding to a query regarding reducing pet coke imports from the US, Vajda said the US sees energy as the most potential area for inc. “The US is committed to increase energy export and support for India’s economic development,” he said.

Vajda said both the governments of India and the US have been hopeful and supportive for completion of contract between the Westinghouse Electric Company and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India to build six nuclear reactors in India.

Metropolitan Asian Family Services Celebrates 25th Anniversary

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

A Pioneer, Change the landscape of Social Services in Chicagoland

By Asian Media USA ©

Chicago IL: Commemorating its Silver Jubilee, Metropolitan Asian Family Services held its 25th annual fundraising dinner on November 18, 2017 at Ashyana Banquets, Downers Grove IL. The celebration started with the traditional “Deep-Lighting” performed by Swami Mukundananda of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Aurora IL. Prominent dignitaries in attendance were Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Schaumburg Trustee Nimish Jani, Philanthropist Deepak Kant Vyas, Dr. Vijay Prabhakar, Executive Director CLESE Marta Pereyra, Chairman for Indian Community Outreach Krishna Bansal, FIA Ex-President Sunil Shah, Chandmal Kumawat, Chairman of Manees Media, India, Anis Ahmed, Chairman, AMU of Greater Chicago, MAFS Board members, Dr. Firdaus Jafri, Dr. Rakesh Ashthana, Harish Kolasani, Dr. Sonal Patel, Nikunj Baxi, Sumitra Patel, James D’mello, Sagar Kumar, Sadru Noorani, Asian Coalition, and other community leaders, Narsinhbhai Patel, Dr Rasik Shah and business leaders, seniors and their families were in attendance.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi commended the MAFS team for its exemplary service to the community for 25 long years and said he wishes MAFS will continue to do so many more years in the future. Honorable Consul General of India Ms. Neeta Bhushan also congratulated MAFS for completing 25 years of serving the elderly and other immigrant populations in Chicagoland. She praised the array of services MAFS provides to the community successfully, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle appreciated the MAFS’s commitment & dedication in serving the community and gave good wishes to continue for many more years.

Santosh Kumar Executive Director MAFS, spoke about the long journey and the trials and tribulations they faced to come this far. She also remembered all the people past and present leaders of the community, such as Shankerprasad Bhatt, Manohar Manchanda, Ramesh Goyal, Narendra Patel, Yasmin Tiwana, Dr. Firdaus Jafri, Rosemary Gemperly, Marta Pareyra, who have helped to accomplish MAFS’s mission to educate, counsel, assist and empower immigrants to become productive member of American Society.

“I believe that MAFS will grow more in the coming years, to lead the way, we already have our future leaders- energetic, technically savvy and competent in management skills”, She said. Under this new leadership, MAFS is now better positioned to find new resources to seeks solutions of ever growing problems and appeals the community to support its mission wholeheartedly. She also thanked its sponsors, Dr. Jafri, Board president, board members, MAFS/UMAS staff, Media, Mr. Prashant Shah of India Tribune, Ramesh Soparwala of India Post, Vandana Jhingran, TV Asia and Suresh Bodiwala, Asian Media, USA, Mr. Jain of Ashyana., Kushal Bose, Madhura Sane, Bhupender Singh, Pooran bhai, and other artists, seniors, friends and families for their support and taking time to attend and making it an unforgettable gala celebration.

An award ceremony was performed by MAFS board and dignitaries, Hon’ble Nita Bhushan, Indian Consul General, Ms. Tony Preckwinkle, Chicago Board president, Dr. Vijay Prabhakar, Chairperson of Minority Ethnic Task force, Chandmal Kumawat, Chairman, Maneesh Media and MAFS Board president Dr. Jafri, Harish Kolasani and other board members, Santosh Kumar, MAFS.

The Pramod Kumar Philanthropy Award was introduced first time and presented to Mr. Deepak Kant Vyas Chairman & CEO Redberry Corp, for his extra ordinary philanthropic work throughout the World; The Partnership Award was presented to Mr. Sean Dunn, VP of WINTRUST Community Bank for his understanding the financial needs of MAFS; Pillar of MAFS Award was given to Promila Mehta Manager Social work Chicago center for her unconditional love and care to its mission; Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Prem Jalota Manager Roselle center for his life time commitment to MAFS mission and its family; Employee of the Year Award was given to Ms. Connie Dogaru SOS Coordinator for her dedication to serve seniors, Volunteer of the Year Award was given to Ms. Bhanumati Maheta, a Yoga Teacher for providing 15 years of teaching Yoga for seniors.

A special Award of GSA Outstanding Citizen of the year 2017 given by Shri Pranav Mukherjee, President of India on July 1, 2017, presented by Hon’ble Nita Bhushan, Indian Consul General and Dr Vijay Prabhaker, Chair person of Minority Ethnic Task Force to Mrs. Santosh Kumar, Founder of Metropolitan Asian Family Services, IL USA.

Senate Recognition was given by Senator Cristina Castro and presented by Ms. Nazneen to Mrs. Santosh Kumar, Founder of MAFS. Chandmal Kumawat, Chairman Maneesh Media, Jaipur India, presented a special Kishangarh, Rajasthan “BANI-THANI” Art Painting to Mrs. Santosh Kumar to commemorate MAFS’s Silver Jubilee celebration.

The entertainment began with Ganesh Vandana by Soorya Dance School of Northbrook, ably followed by a traditional Bosnian Dance by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Club of Chicago but Reena’s Rockers from Naperville really rocked the hall with their fusion dance mix of Ballet and Bharatnatyam. A special dance-drama was showcased to celebrate 25 years of Metropolitan Asian Family Services – “Kal Bhi Aaj Bhi” conceived, written, produced and directed by Mr. Kushal Bose was a multimedia play that incorporates live dance, narration, video projection and music that essentially translates to “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”. The evening was brought to a close by “Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai” a musical tribute to the Founder/ CFO of MAFS, Late Mr. Pramod Kumar performed by well-known artistes from Chicago again researched, conceived and directed by Mr. Kushal Bose.

Jet Airways, Air France-KLM announce tie-up to boost traffic

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterBusiness 0

Indian international air traffic is booming, but much of the growth has been captured by the three big Gulf carriers including Etihad, which owns 24 percent of Jet. India’s Jet Airways and Air France-KLM announced a partnership to route more traffic through Europe and on to North America, in a potential challenge to Gulf carrier Etihad Airways that is a shareholder in Jet.

Indian international air traffic is booming, but much of the growth has been captured by the three big Gulf carriers including Etihad, which owns 24 percent of Jet. The “enhanced cooperation agreement” with Air France-KLM, signed on Wednesday in India’s financial capital Mumbai, is designed to route more traffic and expand the number of flights to Europe and then onwards to the United States.

The agreement also includes Delta Air Lines, with which Air France KLM has an existing partnership. International carriers are increasingly tying up on routes in the face of rising competition.

The Gulf will continue to be an important market and Jet will not reduce its operations there, Naresh Goyal, chairman of Jet, told reporters. He added that Jet had a “great relationship with Etihad” and that would continue.

Europe’s Growing Muslim Population

December 6, 2017 Staff ReporterCulture/Religion 0

Pew Research Foundation

Muslims are projected to increase as a share of Europe’s population – even with no future migration. In recent years, Europe has experienced a record influx of asylum seekers fleeing conflicts in Syria and other predominantly Muslim countries. This wave of Muslim migrants has prompted debate about immigration and security policies in numerous countries and has raised questions about the current and future number of Muslims in Europe.

To see how the size of Europe’s Muslim population may change in the coming decades, Pew Research Center has modeled three scenarios that vary depending on future levels of migration. These are not efforts to predict what will happen in the future, but rather a set of projections about what could happen under different circumstances.

The baseline for all three scenarios is the Muslim population in Europe (defined here as the 28 countries presently in the European Union, plus Norway and Switzerland) as of mid-2016, estimated at 25.8 million (4.9% of the overall population) – up from 19.5 million (3.8%) in 2010.

Even if all migration into Europe were to immediately and permanently stop – a “zero migration” scenario – the Muslim population of Europe still would be expected to rise from the current level of 4.9% to 7.4% by the year 2050. This is because Muslims are younger (by 13 years, on average) and have higher fertility (one child more per woman, on average) than other Europeans, mirroring a global pattern.

A second, “medium” migration scenario assumes that all refugee flows will stop as of mid-2016 but that recent levels of “regular” migration to Europe will continue (i.e., migration of those who come for reasons other than seeking asylum). Under these conditions, Muslims could reach 11.2% of Europe’s population in 2050.

Finally, a “high” migration scenario projects the record flow of refugees into Europe between 2014 and 2016 to continue indefinitely into the future with the same religious composition (i.e., mostly made up of Muslims) in addition to the typical annual flow of regular migrants. In this scenario, Muslims could make up 14% of Europe’s population by 2050 – nearly triple the current share, but still considerably smaller than the populations of both Christians and people with no religion in Europe.

The refugee flows of the last few years, however, are extremely high compared with the historical average in recent decades, and already have begun to decline as the European Union and many of its member states have made policy changes aimed at limiting refugee flows.

Taken as a whole, Europe’s population (including both Muslims and non-Muslims) would be expected to decline considerably (from about 521 million to an estimated 482 million) without any future migration. In the medium migration scenario, it would remain roughly stable, while in the high migration scenario it would be projected to grow modestly.

Countries that have received relatively large numbers of Muslim refugees in recent years are projected to experience the biggest changes in the high migration scenario – the only one that projects these heavy refugee flows to continue into the future. For instance, Germany’s population (6% Muslim in 2016) would be projected to be about 20% Muslim by 2050 in the high scenario – a reflection of the fact that Germany has accepted many Muslim refugees in recent years – compared with 11% in the medium scenario and 9% in the zero migration scenario.

And countries with Muslim populations that are especially young, or have a relatively large number of children, would see the most significant change in the zero migration scenario; these include France, Italy and Belgium.

An estimated 3.7 million Muslims migrated to Europe between mid-2010 and mid-2016, including approximately 2.5 million regular migrants entering legally as workers, students, etc., as well as 1.3 million Muslims who have or are expected to be granted refugee status (including an estimated 980,000 Muslim refugees who arrived between 2014 and mid-2016).

Between mid-2010 and mid-2016, the number of Muslims in Europe grew considerably through natural increase alone – that is, estimated births outnumbered deaths among Muslims by more than 2.9 million over that period. But most of the Muslim population growth in Europe during the period (about 60%) was due to migration: The Muslim population grew by an estimated 3.5 million from net migration.

By comparison, the non-Muslim population in Europe declined slightly between 2010 and 2016. A natural decrease of about 1.7 million people in the non-Muslim European population modestly outnumbered the net increase of non-Muslim migrants and a modest net change due to religious switching.

This report was produced by Pew Research Center as part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, which analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world. Funding for the Global Religious Futures project comes from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation.

Republicans-led US Senate approves Tax Bill that benefits the wealthy and big corporations

December 4, 2017 Staff ReporterFinance/Economy, U.S. 0

In the early hours of Saturday morning, December 2nd, Senate Republicans passed their version of a sweeping tax overhaul. Roughly five hours earlier, the Senate Finance Committee publicly released their final proposal of the Bill after weeks of closed door consultations and few days of public scrutiny of the important Tax Bill that will leave over a over a Trillion Dollars to the US deficit.

The Senate passed its tax plan in a 51-49 vote early on Saturday morning, with Vice-President Mike Pence presiding over the chamber and after a frantic rewrite. Bob Corker was the sole Republican to vote against the bill, which would bestow huge benefits on US corporations and the wealthiest Americans. “We think this is a great day for the country,” the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said at a celebratory press conference.

Democrats remained united in their opposition, attacking the legislation as a giveaway to corporate America and the wealthy. “In the waning hours, this bill is tilting further towards businesses and away from families,” said Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, in a floor speech on Friday. “Every time the choice is between corporations and families, the Republicans choose corporations.”

The bill, among other things will continue to create inequality in the nation. The rich bnenfitting from the tax-cuts, while the poor and the middle income groups to be marginally benefitting from the plan, and that to for a period of 10 years only. The richest 20 percent of households reap 90 percent of the benefit of the tax cuts over that time period, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

The main focus of the tax bill is business. Republicans’ stated goal is to boost the economy. They argue that the best way to do this is to cut the taxes that businesses pay on profits, allowing companies to reinvest the money in new equipment and workers. In fact, the Senate bill centers on provisions to permanently cut the corporate tax rate — the rate paid directly by companies like Apple or Ford Motor — to 20% (from a top rate of 35%) starting in 2019, while also allowing a new deduction for individual taxpayers who own their own businesses.

Business owners tend to be wealthy — whether their assets take the form of stock holdings or privately owned ventures. The upshot is that the Senate tax plan’s benefits skew dramatically toward top earners.

According to the preliminary Tax Policy Center analysis, the top 1% of earners — those taking home more than about $900,000 a year — were set to reap about 60% of the total tax cut, for an average of more than $32,000 annually apiece. The top 0.1% — those earning $5 million or more — were to get an extra $200,000.

The GOP’s Senate tax bill, which passed in a close party-line vote, could give President Donald Trump his first legislative victory after Congress failed to overhaul the nation’s health system earlier this year.

It’s too early to tell precisely how the GOP tax plan would affect individual taxpayers. That’s because, in an effort to muster votes, Republicans continued tinkering with the tax bill behind closed doors up until a few hours before it actually passed, and the economists who typically crunch the numbers on new legislation haven’t had time to examine the tax bill’s results.

Like the House tax bill, passed earlier this month, the Senate version is largely built around reorganizing and lowering what corporations and other businesses pay in taxes in hopes of spurring economic growth. That said, middle-class Americans could be able to count on a tax cut too, at least during the next few years — assuming, that is, that the Senate bill can be reconciled with the House version and become law. You’ll probably see a tax cut, but maybe only in the short term.

Senate Republicans initially repealed the Alternative Minimum Tax, but have brought it back now in order to pay for some other additions. The AMT is intended to be a minimum tax on the wealthy. In this version, the GOP raises the income levels where it hits so it will affect fewer people. For individuals, the minimum threshold goes from $50,600 to $70,600. For those filing jointly, the threshold rises from $78,750 to $109,400.

Trump campaigned on a promise to cut middle-class taxes. And the Senate is delivering — sort of. One analysis of the tax plan, by the Tax Policy Center, a centrist think tank, found the average middle earner (someone taking home about $50,000 to $90,000) would reap an $850 tax break in 2019, benefiting in part from a standard deduction that would double to $12,000 for singles and $24,000 four couples.

Another preliminary analysis, this one by The New York Times, defined middle-class earners as those making $40,000 to $140,000 — and found that many of those, particularly the people that rely on the state and local tax deduction, could actually see a tax increase next year. However, the last minute, at the instance of Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins, would allow taxpayers to continue to deduct up to $10,000 in property taxes, would likely soften the blow for at least some of these middle-income taxpayers.

For most of the Americans, the benefits of the tax cuts are also likely to be temporary, as the tax breaks for them will expire in 2026, while the huge tax cuts for the corporations are made permanent. The bill also uses a new way to account for inflation, which could push some taxpayers into higher brackets. By 2027, savings for the average taxpayer earning roughly $50,000 to $90,000 will have shrunk to just $50, the Tax Policy Center found.

During the campaign Trump promised a tax cut that would be “revenue neutral.” The idea was that, while government receipts might initially fall when rates were cut, economic growth would boost American’s incomes enough to replace the lost revenue despite the lower rates. Howver, even accounting for economic growth, the Senate plan will add about $1 trillion to the debt over the next decade, according a report from non-partisan Joint Committee On Taxation.

Many economist believe that piling still more debt on top of what the government already owes — currently $14 trillion — could eventually lead investors to sour on U.S. bonds. The result would be higher interest rates, which would push up borrowing costs for everyone from the government itself to most U.S. businesses. That in turn could choke off whatever extra growth the tax cuts spurred in the first place.

The stated goal of tax reform is improving the economy, and the right-leaning Tax Foundation predicted in November that the bill (as it stood at the time) could ultimately help the U.S. add almost a million new jobs over the next decade. But economists are divided about whether that growth will in fact play out as hoped.

The Tax Foundation tends to see rates remaining low, even as the deficit increases — hence its rosy job forecast. But many economists disagree. Earlier this month, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania estimated the tax cut could add as little as 0.03 to 0.08 percentage points to annual GDP growth over the next decade, which would presumably bring far fewer jobs.

the big winners in the GOP bill that the Senate passed early Saturday morning are corporations and the wealthy. Trump himself ― a billionaire ― stands to gain millions through the elimination of certain taxes. Far from being a middle-class tax cut, the measure is a massive corporate giveaway, a bill that recycles decades of Republican ideology on trickle-down economics and trusts that executives will hand over their new gains to average-income workers. “If my friends here want to give a tax cut to the middle class,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) asked on the Senate floor Thursday, “why don’t we give a tax cut to the middle class?”

And the bill makes other changes that reach far beyond the tax code itself. It repeals the individual mandate from the Affordable Care Act, a major change that was added in recent weeks as part of a broader GOP effort to dismantle the Obama-era law. The measure is expected to leave 13 million more people uninsured. It authorizes oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. And by curtailing deductions for state and local taxes, it will put pressure on some state and local spending on education, transportation and public health programs.

The tax package still must clear a couple more hurdles before it can become law. There are numerous differences between the House and Senate versions, ranging from when certain tax cuts expire to how the estate tax is handled, and though none are seen as showstoppers, complications could arise.

“The bill is investing heavily in the wealthy and their children — by boosting the value of their stock portfolios, creating new loopholes for them to avoid tax on their labor income, and cutting taxes on massive inheritances,” Lily Batchelder, a New York University professor who worked as an economist under President Barack Obama, said. “At the same time, it leaves low- and middle-income workers with even fewer resources to invest in their children, and increases the number of Americans without health insurance.”

America’s rich have gotten richer for decades, while the middle class and poor have seen meager gains. Since the mid-20th century, the top 1 percent have more than doubled their share of the nation’s income, from less than 10 percent to more than 20 percent. The tax overhaul the Republican Party passed through the Senate would make America’s income inequality worse. Maybe a lot worse, economists say. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on the Senate floor that this day would be remembered as one of the “great robberies in U.S. history.”

Ambassador Nikki Haley warns “N. Korean regime will be utterly destroyed” if war breaks out

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

Echoing the sentiments expressed by President Donald Trump during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in August this year, The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations warned on Wednesday November 29th that the North Korean regime “will be utterly destroyed” if a war breaks out, a day after that country launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in a new provocative test.

Haley’s comments are a continuation of the Trump administration’s responses to North Korean military displays. The president stated in August that he would unleash “fire and fury” on North Korea if it continued threatening the US and its allies.

Nikki Haley ratcheted up talk of war with North Korea in reaction to the isolated country’s most recent intercontinental ballistic missile test, warning that Kim Jong-un’s government is on a road to ruin.

“We have never sought war with North Korea, and still today we do not seek it,” ambassador Nikki Haley said at an emergency UN Security Council meeting. “If war does come, it will be because of continued acts of aggression like we witnessed yesterday.”

“And if war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed,” Haley said. “The nations of the world have it within their power to further isolate, diminish and, God willing, reverse the dangerous course of the North Korean regime.”

During an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Haley asked the members of the panel to increase the sanctions imposed on North Korea and to implement penalties established by the council earlier in the year, The Hill reported. Haley also warned the panel that North Korea’s latest missile test has brought Pyongyang and Washington “closer to war.”

If war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed,” Haley said. “The dictator of North Korea made a choice yesterday that brings the world closer to war, not farther from it,” Ambassador Haley added.

Also on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said that he would put forth “additional major sanctions” against North Korea in reaction to the recent ICBM test. Trump added that “the situation will be handled.”

North Korea’s latest ICBM test on Tuesday was its first in more than two months, and the rocket that was launched flew further than any previous launches. The distance of the launch allegedly put the US mainland into the range of the missile, according to North Korean state media. It is the third ICBM test conducted by North Korea, which has also carried out six past nuclear tests. In all, the North Koreans have test-fired rockets 18 times since Donald Trump took office in January. Of the missiles tested before that, one was intermediate-range, two were medium-range, eight were either short-range or medium-range and the range of one is unknown, according to various North Korea watchers. Four fired on June 8 were believed to be surface-to-ship cruise missiles. U.S. military officials said that the missile tested Tuesday appears to be a new variant.

As a result of the continuous pressure the US has put on Pyongyang, on November 20, Trump officially declared North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism. While speaking of the designation, Trump said: “In addition to threatening the world with nuclear devastation, North Korea has supported international acts of terrorism including assassinations on foreign soil.”

On November 15, as tensions between the two countries continued to heat up, the US military stated their B-1 bombers are capable of dropping nuclear weapons, and the US possesses “secret silos” of nuclear hardware.

“As long as there is a continuous hostile policy against my country by the US and as long as there are continued war games on our doorstep, then there will not be negotiations,” Pyongyang’s ambassador to the UN, Han Tae Song said.

In October, North Korea mimicked the the Trump administration’s tough talk and threatened an “unimaginable” strike on the US, as tensions further ramped up over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, North Korean state media reported.

A missile capable of reaching the United States topped with a nuclear warhead is considered to be Pyongyang’s ultimate goal. They want it because they believe the US will eventually try to remove Kim Jong Un from power. But would the United States try to topple the Kim regime if North Korea could respond with a nuclear attack?

Pyongyang believes Washington wouldn’t, and that’s why the country sees nuclear weapons as the key to sparing Kim Jong Un from a fate similar to that which befell Moammar Gaddafi in Libya and Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

The long-range missile is what really scares the United States because it means there is an existential threat of a nuclear attack, according to John Delury, a professor at Seoul’s Yonsei University’s Graduate School of International Relations.

“We are in a somewhat dangerous period of a threat perception gap, as Americans adjust to the sense of vulnerability to North Korean retaliation that South Koreans and Japanese have lived with for quite some time,” he said.

Nandan Nilekani, wife Rohini to donate half their wealth

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

Infosys co-founder and tech billionaire Nandan Nilekani and his wife Rohini Nilekani have joined ‘The Giving Pledge’, an elite network of the world’s wealthiest individuals committing half their wealth to philanthropy. A Forbes report pegged the Nilekanis’ wealth at $1.7 billion.

The Nilekanis are the fourth Indians after Wipro chairman Azim Premji, Biocon chairman Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Sobha Developers Chairman Emeritus P N C Menon to sign up for The Giving Pledge.

The Giving Pledge website uploaded Nilekanis’ letter signing up for the cause. The letter said, “We thank Bill and Melinda for creating this unique opportunity to realise a moral aspiration inspired by the Bhagwad Gita – ‘Karmanye Va dhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana, Ma karma phalaheturbhurma Te Sangostvakarmani’.”

“We have a right to do our duty,but no automatic right to the fruits from the doing. It is critical that we do not slip into inaction fearing that we may not be able to reap direct reward. It is to this ideal that we pledge,” it added.

Later Bill Gates tweeted on his handle about Nilekanis’ pledge on his twitter handle. “I’m amazed by how @NandanNilekani has lent his entrepreneurial passion to philanthropy. I’m delighted to welcome him and his wife Rohini to the Giving Pledge,” Gates tweeted.

The Giving Pledge was created by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett in August 2010 following a series of conversations with philanthropists around the world about how they could collectively set a new standard of generosity among the ultra-wealthy.

“Our philanthropic journey of two decades has been led by Rohini’s passion and commitment!” Nilekani tweeted. Talking about their initiatives as EkStep, Nilekanis’ letter said, “We are excited by our initial experimentation with societal platforms in early education and see immense potential for scaling up diverse solutions.”

The couple also said their philanthropic efforts would be directed at societal platforms, which are open, technology enabled ecosystems or nurturing networks. Nilekani recently returned to Infosys as Non-Executive Chairman after the exit of Sikka as Infosys CEO.

Modi remains popular: PEW Research

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

Indians’ approval of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and their satisfaction with both their country’s direction and the state of its economy have grown in recent years. Three years into Modi’s five-year tenure, the honeymoon period for his administration may be over but the public’s love affair with current conditions in India is even more intense.

Nearly nine-in-ten Indians hold a favorable opinion of Modi, comparable to their view of him in 2015, after a year in office. Roughly seven-in-ten say they have a very favorable view of the prime minister, again similar to public views in 2015.

These are among the main findings of a Pew Research Center survey conducted among 2,464 respondents in India from Feb. 21 to March 10, 2017.

Modi’s overwhelming popularity extends across India. At least nine-in-ten Indians in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana and in the western states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh hold a favorable view of the prime minister. The same is true for more than eight-in-ten in the eastern states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and the northern states of Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Since 2015, Modi’s popularity is relatively unchanged in the north, has risen in the west and the south and is down slightly in the east. Modi remains by far the most popular national figure in Indian politics tested in the survey. His favorable rating is 31 percentage points higher than that of Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the Congress party, and is 30 points more than that for Rahul Gandhi, who led the Congress ticket in the last Lok Sabha election.

The public’s positive assessment of Modi is buoyed by growing contentment with the Indian economy: More than eight-in-ten say economic conditions are good, up 19 percentage points since immediately before the 2014 election. And the share of adults who say the economy is very good (30%) has tripled in the past three years.

Overall, seven-in-ten Indians are now satisfied with the way things are going in the country. This positive assessment of India’s direction has nearly doubled since 2014. Support for Prime Minister Modi is a partisan affair. Backers of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) express stronger support for the prime minister than do backers of the rival Indian National Congress party (INC), as might be expected. The 2017 partisan gap in favorable approval of Modi is 32 percentage points, larger than the 20-point divide in 2015 but relatively unchanged from 2016.

The Indian public, happy with its prime minister, believes the national government is doing the right thing for the country. More than eight-in-ten (85%) voice trust in the national government, including 39% who express a lot of trust. BJP supporters (90%) are more trusting of the government than Congress backers (76%).

The public is also quite satisfied (79%) with the way their democracy is currently working. This includes 33% who are very satisfied. Again, this is a partisan issue. BJP supporters (84%) are significantly more satisfied with Indian democracy than are Congress backers (65%).

Many Indians do not express an opinion about international affairs. One-third or more of those surveyed express no opinion about other countries or Prime Minister Modi’s handling of relations with prominent players on the world stage.

About half of Indian adults hold a favorable view of the United States, down 21 percentage points since 2015. Only 40% express confidence in President Donald Trump to do the right thing regarding world affairs, down 34 points from their faith in his predecessor, Barack Obama, in 2015. Both declines began in the last year of the Obama administration and continued in 2017. The falloff in support for the U.S. has been greatest among Congress party supporters. The decline in confidence in the U.S. president has been roughly comparable among both BJP and Congress adherents. At the same time, Indian assessment of Americans (56%) remains positive and largely unchanged since the last time this question was asked.

Newton Wins Two Honors At Asia Pacific Screen Award

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

India’s Oscar entry “Newton” won two awards at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Brisbane last week, with Rajkummar Rao winning the best actor and Mayank Tewari and Amit V. Masurkar claiming the best screenplay honor. Manipuri movie “Lady of the Lake” won a special mention.

Ecstatic over the win, Rajkummar Rao tweeted: “Won the best actor award at the most prestigious APSA 2017. Thank you Maa. Thank you team ‘Newton.’ Don’t stop chasing your dreams because they really do come true.”

He also posted a photograph in which the actor is seen kissing the trophy. The winners’ names were being updated on the event’s Twitter handle, which also gave a glimpse into Rao’s acceptance speech.

“Let’s keep doing this beautiful work, let’s keep making these wonderful stories. Here’s to cinema,” Rao said and thanked his late mother for blessing “Newton,” read a post on the official APSA Twitter page.

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta and actor Manoj Bajpayee congratulated the movie’s team. “Congratulations my darling Rajkummar Rao and amazing talents Mayank Tewari, Amit Masurkar. A win at the APSA is a huge achievement and should make India super proud,” tweeted Hansal Mehta, who has worked with Rajkummar Rao multiple times.

“Newton” is India’s official entry for the foreign language film category at the Academy Awards 2018. Produced by Drishyam Films and directed by Masurkar, the movie revolves around a young government clerk who is sent on election duty to a Maoist-controlled town and how the ideological struggle puts him in an awkward situation.

As for “Lady of the Lake,” directed by Haobam Paban Kumar, the APSA awarded it “a special mention for the Cultural Diversity Award under the patronage of Unesco.” The award represents the shared common goals of APSA and Unesco, to promote diversity of cultural expression and raise awareness of the value of culture at local, national and international levels.

Shehnad Jalal stood a chance in APSA’s achievement in the cinematography category for “Lady of the Lake,” but lost it to a Russian movie.

Indian director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan was nominated in the achievement in directing category for his Malayalam movie “S Durga,” which is in the news for being excluded from the Indian Panorama section of the ongoing 48th International Film Festival in Goa.

According to variety.com, Warwick Thornton’s Australian movie “Sweet Country” was named best film while Russia’s Andrey Zvyagintsev was named best director for “Loveless.”

Technology pioneer Vanu Bose dies at 52

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterProfiles 0

Vanu Bose, the Indian American who re-imagined cellular networks and extended service to people living in remote areas of the world, died at the age of 52 on Saturday, Nov. 11 in Concord, Massachusetts, from a pulmonary embolism that he had suffered in a hospital emergency room.

Born into one of Greater Boston’s most prominent technology families, Vanu Bose became an entrepreneur in his own right, founding a company that uses cellular base stations to help provide wireless infrastructure globally, including in sparsely populated areas from Vermont to Rwanda.

“Nobody’s been able to find a way to make rural developing-market coverage economically viable,” he told MIT Technology Review for a profile published three weeks ago.

Dr. Bose was 52 when he died Saturday of a pulmonary embolism, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced. His death comes four years after his father, Bose Corp. founder Amar G. Bose, died at 83.

Bose was the son of Amar Bose, the founder of the Bose Corporation, known for its high-quality audio systems and speakers, but instead of following through with the family business, Bose founded his own company, Vanu Inc.

The company has been able to develop durable cellular sites that could run on solar power by focusing on the radio components of wireless networks, which is used in many rural areas around the world.

Having already taken this technology to Africa, Bose’s latest venture took place in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria by donating more than three dozen cellular base stations, where it was used to help residents locate their family members. “It’s been so motivating for our employees, because everyone watches the news and says, I wish I could do something to help, suddenly we have a way to help,” Bose told the Boston Globe, nearly a month before he died.

“He always wanted to address the needs of people who did not have a voice, either politically or economically,” Andrew Beard, the chief operating officer of Vanu Inc., told the New York Times.

While he was an undergraduate at M.I.T, Bose told an M.I.T. publication, that he was always interested in wireless technology and even assisted his father in writing a paper about modifications to FM radio broadcasting.

Community Connect, a small base station developed by the company, weighing about 20 pounds, is designed to withstand grueling conditions, including temperatures of up to 132 degrees Fahrenheit, and runs on solar power rather than diesel fuel, making it better for both the economy and the environment.

This specific technology allows residents living in rural areas, to make calls or send a text message to friends and family living in nearby towns, as well as have them gain access to medical information, digital banking services and solar lighting systems. He is survived by his wife, Judy Bose, along with his daughter Kamala, 8, his mother formerly known as Prema Sarathy and his sister Maya Bose.

Indian-American Republican Committee in New York holds annual gala

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterCulture/Religion 0

The 2016 presidential race saw the birth of a powerful Republican Indian-American voting bloc, reversing a long history of Democratic loyalty.

The 2010 Census pegged the U.S. Asian Indian population at over 2.8 million, a ten-year growth of 69 percent that makes this one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the nation.

Indian Americans are known to be Democratic leaning. However, a powerful section of the community has supported Trump in the last general elections. The Indian American Republican Committee wing of New York State Republican Party held it’s annual gala on November 16, in White Plains, New York.

Several high-ranking New York state Republican party leaders were present at the event Westchester County, N.Y. Indian-American Republicans gathered along with people from other states. Edward F. Cox, chairman, New York state GOP, was the chief guest. He lauded the Indian-American community for its ideals of hard work, family values, and commitment to education, which he said, are akin to the values of the Republican Party.

New York City Finance Chairman Chele Chivacci Farley appreciated members of the Indian-American community’s commitment to GOP and their support to President Trump who is building special relationship with India and Prime Minister Modi.

New York state Senator Dr. Terrance P. Murphy, presented a proclamation from the N.Y. Senate, honoring Dr. Sampat Shivangi of Mississippi, as 2017 Person of the Year award for his contributions to the GOP. Shivangi has attended the last 4 Republican Party conventions, served as advisor to the U.S. Health & Human Services Department in the President George W. Bush Administration, and as chairman of Mississippi State Board of Mental Health, apart from other recognitions. Also honored were attorney Anand Ahuja, Prof D. Amar, and Chicago businessman Shalab Kumar, founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition. Ven Parameshwaran, IARC vice chair, welcomed the gathering and introduced the guests. Thomas Koshy, the chair of IARC presided.

SIAEA announces new scholarship in honor of Bansi Shah

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

The Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects (SIAEA) Scholarship Program is introducing a special Grand Scholarship in addition to the ten scholarships which are given annually to Indian American students pursuing degrees in the fields of Engineering and Architecture.

The announcement of this year’s Grand Scholarship worth $5,000, comes after the demise of the program’s former president Bansi Shah who passed away in August. Shah was a very popular, friendly and a strong community leader, who took the Society of Indo American Engineers and Architects to greater heights and worked in the construction business, IT sector, security systems and real estate.

The Bansi Shah Memorial Trust-Foundation will award one Indian American student a $5,000 scholarship along with awarding ten Indian American students, a scholarship worth $2,000 each.

To qualify for a scholarship, a student must have the following: Must be enrolled as a full time student in a college or university, who is working towards an undergraduate degree, a graduate degree or is enrolled in a master’s program in an Engineering or Architecture related field.

Preferences will be given to students who are in their third or fourth year of college as well as graduate students, Merit and need based. The student must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and be able to provide transcripts certifying the above, which will be attached to the application.

As scholarship checks will be made payable to the institution and not to students individually, a preference will be given to institutions located within the Tri-State region, though students outside of the Tri-State region are also eligible to apply. Students must be a member of SIAEA; membership forms can be sent with the scholarship application.

The Scholarship Application Form must be submitted by Dec. 1 with a permanent email address, NOT a student email address. Previous scholarship recipients are NOT eligible to apply again.

Awardees must be present to receive the Scholarship Awards during SIAEA Annual Gala on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 16 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. Scholarship Applications can be submitted to: Ketan.icc@gmail.com or mailed to:

SIAEA Scholarship Committee
SOCIETY OF INDO-AMERICAN ENGINEERS & ARCHITECTS
P. O. Box 596, Tarrytown, NY 10591
Attn: Ketan Shah, Chair

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to chair 2018 World Hindu Congress in Chicago

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterCulture/Religion 0

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, the first Hindu on Capitol Hill, was named last week (Nov. 9) as chairperson of the World Hindu Congress. The WHC is held every four years and this will be the second one. Gabbard is the first Hindu elected to Congress, and the first legislator to take her oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita in 2013.

A Vaishnava Hindu, Gabbard follows the teachings of karma yoga (selfless service) and the path of bhakti yoga (loving devotion to God), according to a press release from her office. Despite India’s economic boom, Gabbard’s press release says, “Hinduphobia and antiquated stereotypes still continue to pervade western culture, which the congresswoman has decried throughout her career as a prominent female leader in the Vaishnava Hindu community.”

In a video message shared with the media, Gabbard thanked the organizers for choosing her, adding that the Chicago congress would be a “global platform where Hindus will be able to come together and share ideas and inspiration, and seek ways to positively impact the communities around us and around the world.”

“With all that’s happening in the world, the universal message of aloha – love, peace, respect, and unity – is so needed. I am looking forward to working with you and seeing you soon,” Rep. Gabbard said in a video message to the WHC organizers, ending with “Jai Shri Krishna. Namaste.”

Golden Temple awarded ‘most visited place of the world’

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterIndia 0

The Golden Temple has been awarded the ‘most visited place of the world’ by ‘World Book of Records’ (WBR), a London-based organisation that catalogues and verifies world records. General secretary of India chapter, Surbhi Kaul, and president of Punjab chapter, Randeep Singh Kohli, gave this award to SGPC chief secretary Roop Singh and other senior officials at Teja Singh Samundari Hall, on Friday.

Kaul said her organisation gives the award after every three months and the Golden Temple has been conferred this award on the basis of observations made from September onwards.

“Lakhs of devotees visit this holy shrine, and the footfall is increasing by the day. This is why the WBR has awarded it,” she said, adding, “So far, eight places, including Shirdi Sai Baba, Vaishno Devi and Mount Abu, have received this award.”

Kohli said the Punjab chapter recommended Golden Temple for this award two months ago to Santosh Shukla, president of WBR’s India chapter. “This award is like paying obeisance here”, said Shukla.

Kohli said they are planning to give these awards to Durgiana Temple at Amritsar and Attari-Wagah border, which also witnesse a huge footfall.

The WBR team, however, could not give satisfactory answers to questions regarding the criteria that determine this award.

Speaking on the occasion, the SGPC chief secretary said though the shrine has been hugely popular ever since its foundation, the footfall has increased since the live telecast of gurbani kirtan. He said on average more than one lakh devotees visit the shrine every day.

“The heritage street, a project of the SAD-BJP government, has contributed a lot to attracting devotees and visitors to this holy shrine,” he added.

He said the SGPC was trying its best to facilitate the devotees under the guidance of its president Kirpal Singh Badungar. Later, he honoured the WBR team with ‘siropas’ and a model of the Golden Temple.

Save country from nationalist forces, says Gandhinagar Archbishop ahead of Gujarat elections

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterIndia 0

Archbishop Thomas Macwan of Ganshinagar in the state of Gujarat in a letter says “secular and democratic fabric of our country is at stake” and terms the election as “significant” for the “course of our country”.

Ahead of Gujarat assembly election, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar has written a letter urging Christians across India to “pray” for the victory of “humane” leaders to “save” India “from nationalist forces”.

In the letter dated November 21, Archbishop Thomas Macwan said the “secular and democratic fabric of our country is at stake” and termed the election as “significant” for the “course of our country”.

Without naming any party, the letter states, “… The results of this election are significant and it will have its repercussion and reverberation throughout our beloved nation. It will influence the future course of our country. We are aware that the secular and democratic fabric of our country is at stake. Human Rights are being violated. The constitutional rights are being trampled.

“Not a single day goes without an attack on our churches, church personnel, faithful or institutions. There is a growing sense of insecurity among the minorities, OBCs, BCs, poor etc. Nationalist forces are on the verge of taking over the country. The election results of Gujarat State Assembly can make a difference!”

The letter adds, “The Bishops of Gujarat state request you to organize prayer services in your parishes and convents so that we may have such people elected in the Gujarat State Assembly who would remain faithful to our Indian Constitution and respect every human being without any sort of discrimination.”

Challenges Facing Academia — Restoring Understanding and Harmony

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterEducation 0

Dr. Ravi P Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service

20 Nov 2017 – After schooling, students have to decide what stream or subjects they should pursue in higher education. There are broadly four streams of studies for College students in many countries including India: Liberal Arts comprising Languages—English, Hindi and world languages such as German, French, Russian etc., Philosophy, Psychology etc.

Mathematics and Science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology etc. Commerce and Economics comprising these subjects in addition to Business Economics or Management. Social sciences consisting of Political Science, History, Sociology, Geography

The classification is not fixed – there may be variation in some of these areas but generally science and Mathematics also comprise engineering subjects, Statistics, Computer Science; related fields in Biology include bio-physics and environmental biology among others.

Again, Mathematics is generally excluded for students of liberal arts as also from social science subjects. The rationale is that first these subjects do not really require its knowledge except a very perfunctory one and secondly if students started devoting time to study of Mathematics, they would not be able to devote concentrated time to the main subjects of their study. Some people also argue that study of these liberal arts subjects require skills that are not compatible with Mathematics skills and the reverse is also true.

These arguments or rationale have some validity but as educational knowledge and academic competencies spread, one has to come out of the box thinking and make appropriate changes.

Take the example of economics – while its knowledge requires that students study formal courses in micro, macroeconomics, international trade relations and so on, the contemporary situation is that everybody is affected by the economic policies of the government — issues of wages or salary, price rise (inflation), taxes and interest rates and so on. In other words, willingly or otherwise, we must have a basic knowledge of the subject so that we may be able to adjust to the prevailing economic situation and live comfortably in our wages or salary or earnings failing which we could go into debt or be unable to meet our basic requirements. Of course, this basic knowledge also demands a minimal idea of mathematics in order to understand the concept of savings or of inflation, and so on.

Thus, basic knowledge of mathematics – beyond counting and percentages is also required by College or University students in order to better appreciate the situation that we see around us. To take another example, in today’s world, elections are a regular feature of our lives. We would like to know what various parties are promising in their manifestos and how their vote share is increasing or decreasing in the elections. Many graphical and quantitative techniques – pie charts, bar diagrams and similar devices are being increasingly used by commentators in newspapers or television programs to inform the public about the chances of victory of any political party or of the various candidates in the elections – local, state or national that occur frequently. Again a general idea of quantitative techniques and a broad understanding of numbers and percentages and graphics helps to understand the electoral scene better.

On a lighter side, a senior professor of Political Science whom I know, always gets confused between the numbers million or billion and the corresponding numbers used in India – lakh (one hundred thousand) one crore (ten million) etc. When one explains the relationship between these numbers he begins to understand but after a few days is again confused about the relationship. To continue in the lighter vein, familiarity with numbers and basic mathematics also helps in the solution of the Sudoku puzzles.

Similarly, other subjects – sociology or even history are increasingly utilizing quantitative techniques for explaining the situation at hand. For example, the outstanding French sociologist Emile Durkheim took the help of tables and charts to explain the problems of suicides being committed by people belonging to different religions and different regions – urban or rural in Europe. Texts apart, these charts and figures have helped students as well as lay persons to understand the concepts related to suicides that Emile was trying to discuss and explain. Again, the subject of geography, especially agricultural, also has to take recourse to simple mathematical concepts for better understanding of the issues involved.

Environmental pollution that includes pollution of air, rivers or seas and soil has become a very serious issue that is resulting in global warming, climate change as well as in adverse effects on the health of people especially children. In many countries of Asia especially India and China, the air quality today is extremely poor leading to aggravating asthma and lung problems as well as in advancing the risk of cancer and other diseases. Many species of plants birds or animals are also facing extinction as a result of these factors. Social media informs us that this (pollution) is due to excess CO — Carbon Monoxide in the air and particulate matter of certain thickness (PM 2.5 or PM 10). Understanding these statements – about gases or numbers in mm or microns again necessitates a certain amount of knowledge of Chemistry and mathematics respectively.

Simple ideas of Science and Technology (S and T) have also penetrated our lives although these subjects are abstract and technical. We are flooded with technical devices in our lives – home appliances, cars or bikes or smart phones based on advanced technologies resulting in our unconsciously acquiring some ideas of these subjects. Then there is the question of atomic energy and atomic bombs that are talked of in our newspapers and social media. Any person who is mildly curious tries to understand why atomic bombs are dangerous – acquiring in the process an idea of minerals such as uranium and plutonium and radioactivity. Pakistan, India and China in Asia all have atomic or nuclear bombs that this makes the region particularly dangerous and unstable politically. Whether we are students of science or of politics, the issue of nuclear weapons and how to curb their proliferation have become crucial.

Thus a clear cut demarcation of various subjects and the topics to be studied is no longer desirable or possible in today’s educational scene. An idea of mathematics, simple economics, science or S and T etc. helps us to better face the challenges we encounter in everyday life.

The foregoing situation is interesting as well as poses academic challenges as to how to modify or adjust the curricula and syllabi of different subjects in order to give a more grounded and balanced idea of the changes in local situations in diverse fields occurring in the contemporary world. These challenges are new but similar problems have occurred earlier also that scholars and academics have successfully overcome. An idea of our earlier efforts at adapting our academic curricula to the changing social scenario will help us to meet the new challenges we are facing academically. This may require a study of mathematics or science for liberal arts students or basic economics or S and T for students of other disciplines in order to promote better understanding and harmony and more fruitful lives.

Modi’s ‘Gujarat Model’ of development: a reality check’

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics 0

By George Abraham

Narendra Modi rode the wave of ‘Gujarat Model of development’ in 2014 to catapult himself to the most powerful office in India. The social media campaign, most probably waged with the help of Madison Avenue agencies, that heralded the State’s economic performance nothing short of spectacular and credited its success to the visionary leadership of Narendra Modi started years earlier.

Is the ‘Gujarat Model’ of development a myth or reality? As the Gujarat state elections scheduled for December are only a few days away, it is an imperative that the voters are better informed and the cloud of doubts that is hanging over the claims and counterclaims be removed.

Mr. Maitreesh Ghatak, a professor at London School of Economics, characterized as such: ‘Gujarat is a proverbial case of darkness under the lamps”. According to an article written in Scroll.in, “Over the years, the high growth figures have covered up a dark underbelly of poverty, inequality and poor performance on human development indicators” said Mr. Ghatak.

To Gujarat’s credit, the World Bank has listed it as the top state on the ease of doing business. In the early 90’s, during the Congress rule, Gujarat has been at the forefront regarding both level and growth rate of income as well as infrastructure development.

However, an analysis of social data reveals the true underbelly of Gujarat, which is far behind other States in Human Development Index. If states are ranked in terms of people below poverty line, Gujarat is No.13 and has made it quite obvious that the prosperity from the high growth rate is not trickling down fast enough to make any substantial difference.

Looking at other social indicators such as Infant mortality rate and life expectancy, Gujarat ranks 17th and 10th respectively. In terms of sex-ratio, Gujarat is at 21st and in literacy, it ranks at 7th. Overall, if states are compared on the Human Development Index, Gujarat only stands at number 10. If one examines the entire period in which Modi was the CM of Gujarat, these numbers more or less remained the same.

On the other hand, a study conducted by Bangalore-based NGO Public Affairs Center rates the three south Indian States Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as the best-governed states in India. The ranking was done by the Public Affairs Index computed on ten equal parameters including human development, law and order and basic infrastructure.

In a story on the State of States awards reported by India Today, Kerala grabbed the number 1 position as the best state topping three categories such as Law and Order, Health and Environment. It topped all States in categories for Literacy, Life Expectancy, Infant Mortality and Sex-ratio. Tamil Nadu was reported to be the most improved state in eight of the ten categories and developed into an innovation-based economy with a strong performance in Manufacturing and Services.

Even when it came to economic growth, states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Haryana increased their growth performance by a bigger margin than Gujarat. Modi may have a higher rate of economic growth than the national average, however, he may not stake any claim to the fame as it has also been true during the pre-Modi era. Why then there are no Maharashtra or Tamil Nadu models of development?

If the high economic growth and development does not translate into the better living conditions for its ordinary citizens by creating more jobs, increasing their wages, improving educational opportunities for the poor and the disadvantaged or providing better healthcare to its citizens and in general succeeding in poverty reduction as a goal; what is there to boast about? It might have been at best simple ‘crony capitalism’ favoring a group of powerful people with capital-intensive industries that did not generate necessary jobs for the masses.

When it comes to infrastructure development, one needs to take a look at the borrowing the Government has been engaged in the Modi-era. When Narendra Modi stepped into the State’s Chief Ministership in October 2001, Gujarat debt stood at roughly around 53,000 crore rupees. When he left his post to become the Prime Minister, the public debt of the state was 165,000 crores. These figures once again question the much acclaimed ‘Gujarat Model’ of development especially considering all the ongoing social upheavals in the state particularly among the Dalits and the Patidars.

In today’s Gujarat, 49% of the Children are malnourished, and 6 million Gujarati youth including 80 percent of the Engineering graduates are unable to find suitable jobs, and the unemployment rate stood at around 6.8% which is above the national average. As a matter of fact, conditions in Gujarat have only deteriorated for the workers in rural and urban areas. The major increases in the agricultural income that was accounted in the growth story in the previous years appeared to have leveled off. Meanwhile, small and medium-size industries suffered heavily under the disastrous demonetization policies and half-baked implementation of the GST. The state also has seen the closure of more than 60,000 small scale industries in 10 years and a massive mounting of debt.

Although much of the nation and the majority of the Diaspora have bought into the ‘Gujarat Model’ story in 2014, there was plenty of early skepticism, including from this very author (http://www.pravasi.com/varthaFull.php?newsId=65667). However, the opposition parties including Congress were unable to capitalize on the available information from Gujarat government’s own Department of Economics and Statistics.

According to Alpesh Thakor, leader of ‘Ekta Munch’ in Gujarat who has once announced plans to boycott the vibrant Gujarat Summit at Gandhinagar, “ Vibrant Gujarat was always media hype and a flawed model of Gujarat was highlighted as the development model”.

The ‘Gujarat Model’ of development was a mythical and fictitious tale that is not in sync with the reality. It was primarily the result of the large incentives given to big corporate houses in terms of land, water, and other resources with little regard to environmental concerns or even adverse fiscal consequences that almost left the state treasury almost empty to spend on uplifting of masses from basic poverty and inequality.

(Writer is a former Chief Technology Officer at the United Nations and Executive Director of the Indo-US Democracy Foundation)

Indian American Couple Donates $1 Million to Kennedy Center for Cultural Events

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

An Indian American couple has donated $1 million to Washington’s landmark cultural institution, the Kennedy Center, to create a fund for organizing a series of Indian cultural events for several years.

The money donated by Ranvir Trehan and Adarsh Trehan will be used to organize events on India’s history, traditions, literature, music, dance and culture at the top American institution for performing arts.

“There is a need and desire for sustained India programming at the Kennedy Center for many years to come and I see this as a broad based effort by individuals both in the Indian American community and others interested in Indian culture from foundations and MNCs,” Ranvir Trehan said.

India’s Ambassador to the U.S. Navtej Sarna said the Trehans’ initiative was “the encouragement that we need.”

“The Indian arts are at a very interesting phase… It surprises me constantly because we are all used to a certain vision of Indian culture, but if you now put on a new film or you see a new dance performance, you are always surprised because people are always crossing borders in different directions,” Sarna said.

According to an earlier report by IANS in India-West, Trehan came to the U.S. in 1964 after receiving a BS from BITS. He is chairman of the Trehan Foundation, a philanthropic organization he founded for giving primarily for international development in 2003. It is focused on global poverty, as well as a performing arts center and human services.

Previously, Trehan was vice chairman of Apptis Holdings, Inc. from 2005 to 2011 and was founder and CEO of SETA Corporation from 1987 to 2005, according to the White House.

Trehan was a department head of Information and Communications Systems from 1985 to 1987 and a member of the technical staff from 1969 to 1985 at The MITRE Corporation.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of CARE and a former member of the board of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. He holds an MSE from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the University of Dayton.

Glittering Congressional Award Gala in Chicago honors prominent ethnic figures

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

By Asian Media USA ©

Chicago IL: The Multi-Ethnic Advisory Task Force [MEATF] of the United States Congressman Honorable Danny Davis [D-7th Dist.] held its glittering Congressional 7th Annual Award Gala with the theme “Congressional Salute to our Community Heroes” on Sunday October 29, 2017 at the Meadows Convention Center in Rolling Meadows, IL replete with flavorful ethnic extravaganza of music, dances and large culinary ethnic feast. Importantly, this black-tie gala featured Chicago’s most prominent awardees highlighting the commitment of Congressman Davis to recognize individuals who have exemplified excellence and distinction and for those who made significant contributions to society in ameliorating in social, cultural, charitable, intellectual, educational, medicine, academic, public service leadership, business endeavors.

The MEATF 7th Annual Congressional Awards Gala is popularly known as Community Oscars and was organized with red carpet walk for Awardees & Presenters, TV media interviews and a grand ten member Mexican Mariachi Band welcoming the guests during the reception .The Congressional salute gala was joined by a large number of guests representing business, community, civic, religious leaders and some of the most prominent recipients of the awards included Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle received Woman of the Year award, Dr. Bharat Barai, Renowned Oncologistreceived Man of the Year award, Edward M Brotonel received the Veteran of the year, Reza Deghati, National Geographic Photo-Journalist from Paris, France received the International Photographer of the Year award ,and Dr. Sriram & Dr. Sarada Sonty Lifetime Achievement award, to name a few. The most highlighted award of the evening went to Lagos State Assembly Speaker from Nigeria, Mr Obasa who received Golden Eagle Award and the Danny K Davis Peace Award was presented to Dr. Clyde Rivers, Founder President, iChange Nations, California.

The prominent presenters who introduced the awardees at the Community Oscars included 28th Ward Alderman Jason Ervin from Chicago, Mayor of Waukegan Sam Cunningham, Chief of Police, Maywood Valdimer Talley , State Rep Melissa Conyears-Ervin , 16th Ward Committeeman Ms Stephanie Coleman, 20th Ward Committeeman Kevin Bailey, President, International American Friendship Society, Ms. Leontine Horne, Honor Roll Sophomore of Perspective Charter School , Shimya Moorer, Peter Gariepy, Democratic Candidate for Cook County Treasurer,Mrs Santosh Kumar , Executive Director, Metropolitan Asian Family Services, Ms. Padma Mehta, Successful lady entrepreneur, First lady of MEATF and well-known singer of Chicago, Ms. Bushra Jawed, President Bushra Beauty Bar, Mr Sam Ma, Founder American Asian Association, Mr. Phil De Garro, President Buddy Car Wash., Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, FIA Trustee, Begum Chand Jamshad Nasim, MEATF Vice Chair, Assyrian Singing Legend Linda George, Arizona’s Animal Rights Activist Crystal Killian ,Ukraine’s Women Representative Marya Pylpiv and Ms. Galdys Loggin Folorunsho, President, USA Africa Chamber of Commerce, among others.

A grand entry of Congressman Danny Davis set the stage for an evening of fervor and gaiety as he waltzed in with his wife , Ms Vera to the beautiful strains of Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely song ,followed by Dr. Shoba Chokkalingam, Women’s Chair, MEATF taking to the podium with elegance and masterful eloquence in carrying forward the evening gala. Dr. Zenobia Sowell, Gala Czar gave a reflective invocation with Kishor Mehta, Chairman MEATF welcoming the guests. Kishor Mehtadescribed MEATF as an organization committed to bring under one united umbrella the people of African American, Hispanic, Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Chairman Mehta expressed his gratitude for Congressman Davis and Dr Vijay Prabhakar for their excellent leadership and said that Congressman Davis has established a unique way of communicating and interacting by setting up advisory task force to address the wide spectrum of ethnic issues and concerns related to public policy.

Congressman Danny K Davis recognized and presented Congressional citations to the International dignitaries who had specially flown down to attend the Gala : Mr A Kriishnamohan, Vice President, National Human Rights Council of India, Captain Arun K Chakrabortty, Kargil War Hero & National Convener, National Human Rights Council of India , and the Member of Parliament From Ghana, Mr. Samuel Nartey George.

Dr. Vijay G Prabhakar, Founder-Chair of the Congressman Davis’s Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force presided over the gala presenting at the outset, an in-depth historical overview of the genesis of MEATF and how it has evolved over the last seven years gathering greater momentum and significance. Dr. Vijay G Prabhakar stridently described the awards gala as an enduring symbol of unity and empowerment of the burgeoning ethnic communities and a glorious acknowledgement of the spirit of human triumph manifested in each ethnic community. Dr. Vijay G Prabhakar thanked Mr. Clarence Beal, Dr. Sowell and Gerard Moore and especially thanked Congressman Davis for his unfailing devotion to uplift the ethnic community and the awardees for highlighting their role of significance in shaping the American society.

The elegant evening gala recognizing excellence and distinction was beautifully interspersed with colorful ethnic dance presentations, inspiring acceptance remarks bringing to the forefront the inspiring ideals of the individuals who embodied merit in various fields of human endeavors.The Latin American Singer, MS Samantha Cortez awesome rendition of the popular song : “How Great Thou Art “, got a standing ovation. Hollywood singer and songwriter, Hadiya Nelson Moorer powerful rendition of the American National Anthem in the beginning set the tone for the evening.

The following were the awardees: Light of the Year Award :Deepak Kant Vyas; Physician of The Year Award : Dr Raja Rajan Gopaldas; Outstanding Child of the Year : Master Zohair Ahmed; Outstanding Child of the Year: Master Samuel Yousefzai; Student of the Year : Miss Nikita Basu;Youth of the Year(F) : Ms. Aishwarya Katiki; Youth of the Year (M) : Syed Moiz Ali Community Activist of the Year : Ms Michelle Lura White; Inter Faith Leader of The Year : Mr Sohail Bakhsh; Humanitarian of the Year : Dr Kirit Patari; Filmmaker of the Year :Parthiban Shanmugam; Rising Star of the Year : Rep Christian L Mitchell; Journalist of The Year : Isaac Lewis; Organization of the Year : Women Association Forum; Architect of the Year : Raffi Arzoumanian; Distinguished Leadership Award : Dr Chowdury Jampala; Style Icon (Female) of the Year:Hema Potla; Style Icon (Male) of the Year : Albert Memi; Sportsperson of The Year : Ms. Dorothy Gators; Digital Marketing Professional Of the Year: Thomas B Varghese;Media Person of the Year : Biju Zachariah; Businessperson of the Year : Dr Chirinjeev Kathuria; Corporate of the Year: Ram Talluri; Dentist of the Year : Dr.Amit Kumar; Community Leadership Award : Very Rev Father Bogdan Kalynyuk; Mother of the Year : Mrs Prema Chokkalingam; Father of the Year : Babu Verma; Community Service Award (M): Sadruddin Noorani; Community Service Award (F): Ms Amy Moy-Ng; ; Entrepreneur of the Year: Iman Bambooyani; Golden Eagle Award : Michael Strotter; and International Man of the Year : S. V. Anchan , CEO SafeSea Group, New Jersey.

Clarence Beals, Awards Chair thanked the entire team of MEATF and especially recognized Jerome Athishtam, Nagendar Sripada, Lawrence Pedapatti. Vijender Doma, Daniel Ravury, Colby Smith, Mayra Hinojosa,and Dr Siva Madesan for their tireless efforts as A-V Logistics, Exhibit, Stage, Souvenir, Food Court & Reception Co- Chairs. The Community Oscars was elegantly emceed by Dr. Shoba Chokkalingam, Ms. Rani Yousefzai, Ms. Joyce Doma, Ms. Starr Gadson and Ms. Shannon Baksh. Ms Vandana Jhingan of TV Asia, Parthiban Shanmugam of FB TV, Atlanta, Saurin Thakkar of Desiworld TV and Shirley Kalvakota of Flowers TV, India were the TV anchors that interviewed the Awardees at the Red Carpet and also during the Reception.

Congressman Danny K Davis in his Closing Remarks said that he was overwhelmed by the support of all his constituents especially from the ethnic communities from 24 different countries present at the Gala. Rep. Davis said that the record turnout at this event has encouraged him and inspired him to continue serving the 7th Congressional district for many more years to come as the 7th Congressional District’s Congressman and he has no plans to retire. Davis paid a special tribute to Dr Vijay Prabhakar, Founder of the Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force for his visionary and indefatigable efforts in establishing the Task Force and relentlessly nurturing the group to become a formidable force in the Sate of Illinois by showcasing the right persons from different ethnicities to lead. Today, the MULTI ETHNIC ADVISORY TASK FORCE has become a movement charged with the goal of promoting, protecting, and empowering minorities under the Chairmanship of Kishor Mehta, he added. Davis said that under Kishor Mehta’s Chairmanship, MEATF is a force to reckon with and is playing a vital role in City, State and Federal arena on all fronts. Davis congratulated all the awardees and the presenters whose contributions were equally impressive, Congressman Davis concluded that he is proud to be associated with this 7 Star Community Oscars which was inclusive of all and truly represented the diversity of America.

India loses billions to air pollution: UN

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterEnvironment 0

India had the highest share of welfare costs (or a loss of income from labour), of about $220 billion (about ₹1.4 trillion), in South and South-East Asia — of a combined total of $380 billion from mortality due to air pollution, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The global mortality costs from outdoor air pollution are projected to rise to about $25 trillion by 2060 in the absence of more stringent measures. At regional and national scale, China’s welfare costs from mortality were the highest at nearly $1 trillion followed by the Organisation for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD) countries with a combined total of $730 billion, the report added quoting a 2016 projection by the OECD.

Although certain forms of pollution have been reduced as “technologies and management strategies have advanced,” approximately 19 million premature deaths are estimated to occur annually as a result of the way societies use natural resources and impact the environment to support production and consumption, it notes.

“If consumption and production patterns continue as they are, the linear economic model of ‘take-make-dispose’ will seriously burden an already-polluted planet, affecting current and future generations,” the report’s foreword concludes.

To curb pollution in various forms, the UNEP called for strong high-level political commitment and engagement of the local government, civil society and other stakeholders. “Pollution is a universal challenge [but] the good news is that we already know what we need to do to prevent and reduce it,” UNEP Executive Director Erik Solheim said in a statement, stressing that “now the responsibility is on governments, businesses, cities and local authorities, civil society and individuals around the world to commit to act to beat pollution in all its forms.”

To achieve high level political commitment in key economic sectors, there is a need to go beyond the environmental ministries and include other relevant ministries such as finance, agriculture, industry, urban, transport, energy and health.

There is also a need to engage the local government, civil society organisations, business leaders, industries, trade unions and citizens at large. Reporting on the progress that comes from acting on pollution – whether through voluntary measures or formal laws – is a crucial step in this transition.

The report, ‘Towards a pollution-free planet’, was launched during the first Conference of Parties for the Minamata Convention, which addresses mercury issues, and ahead of the annual U.N. Environment Assembly, to be held in early December.

Akshay Kumar starrer PADMAN Opening on January 26

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

Superstar Akshay Kumar is a new kind of hero in the first must-see film of 2018, PADMAN, releasing in North American cinemas on January 26^th, 2018. The brand new poster has premiered for this important new film from writer/director R. Balki which also stars Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte, and is produced by Twinkle Khanna.

PADMAN is inspired by the life of Indian entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham, who invented a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine and brought cost-effective female hygiene to India’s rural poor.

The 69^th Republic Day celebrations in the country will also see the release of the unconventional film Padman that is based on the real life story of Arunachalam Muruganatham.Padman traces the struggle of a man who makes his mission to find affordable and hygienic alternatives for sanitary pads for women in his village thereby helping the improvement of sanitation facilities especially for women during menstruation.

THE WELLIN MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS TWO EXHIBITIONS IN 2018

November 30, 2017 Staff ReporterCulture/Religion 0

THAT EXAMINE ISSUES OF HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, AND CULTURAL IDENTITY

Clinton, NY—In early 2018, the Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College will present concurrent exhibitions that aim to generate dialogues around world issues including but not limited to history, geography, boundaries, immigration, citizenship, community, and culture. This Place explores the contested spaces of Israel and the West Bank through the eyes of 12 acclaimed photographers from around the world who present various perspectives on the region. Margarita Cabrera: Space in Between examines the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America, presenting the stories of people from throughout Latin America who have crossed the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Both exhibitions will be on view at the Wellin from February 10 through June 10, 2018.

Tracy Adler, Johnson-Pote Director, Wellin Museum of Art, notes: “As a teaching museum within a liberal arts college, the Wellin is uniquely positioned to exhibit artworks that address challenging subjects and can serve as a point of departure for an open dialogue about the political and cultural climate today, on both a global and local level. This involves visiting artists, scholars, and curators engaging with faculty, students and the community in an exchange of ideas that supports an understanding of differing perspectives. BothThis Place and Margarita Cabrera: Space in Between incorporate pedagogical approaches to explore issues of community, identity, and history in two distinct parts of the world. These exhibitions are examples of how artists negotiate the difficulties presented by spaces that are fraught with complexities while taking into consideration multiple viewpoints and modes of expression.”

Exploring academic tie-ins that are created through artistic collaboration, the Wellin will present This Placeconcurrently with the Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College, the Picker Art Gallery at Colgate University, and the University Art Museum at the University at Albany, SUNY. The exhibition is made possible in part through a Teagle Foundation grant focusing on pedagogical collaborations in higher education. Robert Knight, associate professor of art, is the Hamilton College faculty liaison for the Teagle Foundation initiative. The exhibition is organized by independent curators Frédéric Brenner, Matthew Brogan, and Charlotte Cotton.

This Place explores Israel and the West Bank as both place and metaphor through the work of 12 photographers: Frédéric Brenner, Wendy Ewald, Martin Kollar, Josef Koudelka, Jungjin Lee, Gilles Peress, Fazal Sheikh, Stephen Shore, Rosalind Fox Solomon, Thomas Struth, Jeff Wall, and Nick Waplington. The exhibition is divided into four parts, hosted by the Wellin, the Tang, SUNY and Colgate. Artists whose work will be featured at the Wellin Museum include Frédéric Brenner, Wendy Ewald, Fazal Sheikh, andStephen Shore.

Between 2009 and 2012, each of the photographers in This Place spent an extended period of time in Israel and the West Bank. The photographers produced wide-ranging work, both in content and approach. Whether rendered as large-format color, black-and-white photographs, or documentary images that span pictorial genres of landscape, architecture, and portraiture, the works in This Place speak to the complexities of the region and to the expansiveness of photography itself.

The four host institutions exhibiting This Place are participating in a three-year project titled Teaching and Learning with Museum Exhibitions: An Inter-Institutional Approach, in which faculty and students engage cross-institutionally with museum exhibitions over several semesters. At the Wellin, the works in the exhibition will be placed alongside an experimental classroom in the Dietrich Exhibition Gallery entitled WellinWorks to explore new pedagogical approaches and curatorial issues.

This Place was previously exhibited at DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague (October 24, 2014 –March 2, 2015); Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv (May 14 – September 6, 2015); Norton Museum of Art, Florida (October 15, 2015 – January 15, 2016); Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York (February 12 – June 5, 2016). For more information visit http://www.this-place.org/exhibitions/.

Space in Between is a collaboration between artist Margarita Cabrera, the Arizona State University Art Museum, and the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. A continuation of Cabrera’s ongoing work with Latino communities, the project centers on the creation of artworks and promotion of cultural dialogues around community, craft, immigration, cultural identity, and labor. The works on view are fabric forms that resemble desert plants and incorporate stories—stitched into the material itself—of the often-harrowing experiences of Latin Americans crossing the U.S. border.

Space in Between uses traditional sewing and embroidery techniques from Los Tenangos, Hidalgo, Mexico, which employs colorful narrative traditions reflecting popular culture, traditional rituals, and myths of the Otomi indigenous communities. Sometimes appropriating, and other times reclaiming these techniques, immigrant workers relay their own personal border-crossing experiences. The title chosen by Cabrera is inspired by the term Nepantla, which is a Nahuatl Aztec Language term referencing “the space in the middle” as it relates to marginalized cultures and their resistance strategies for survival.

Space in Between was first presented as a workshop in early 2010 at BOX 13 Artspace in Houston, Texas and select works are currently on view as part of Prospect.4: The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp, the New Orleans triennial art exhibition. Participants in the workshop were immigrants to the United States from Mexico and Central America, who produced numerous sculptural replicas of desert plants indigenous to the Southwestern United States. Subsequent workshops took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of The Knight Artist in Residence at the McColl Center for Visual Arts; at Santa Fe Art Institute; and in Phoenix at Combine Studio, with the collaboration of Arizona State University and Desert Botanical Gardens.

Margarita Cabrera was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and grew up in Mexico City, Salt Lake City, and El Paso, Texas. She received an MFA in Combined Media from Hunter College, CUNY. In 2012, she was a recipient of the Knight Artist in Residence at the McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. Cabrera is also a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant, and the Artspace Residency. She is an Assistant Professor of Art at Arizona State University in Tempe.

Designed by Machado Silvetti, the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College opened in October 2012. Through its exhibitions, public programs, and educational outreach, the Museum promotes interdisciplinary approaches and the cross-fertilization of concepts and ideas vital to a liberal arts education. The Museum works with emerging and established artists and collaborates with Hamilton students and faculty to develop programming exploring a wide range of disciplines. The Museum features a 27-foot-high visible archive, 6,200-square-feet of exhibition space, and other amenities that foster common exchange and learning. http://www.hamilton.edu/wellin

Manushi Chhillar of India crowned Miss World

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterFashion 0

Manushi Chhillar, 20, from India was crowned with the coveted “Miss World 2017” title at a glittering pageant, ending 16 years of drought for India at the international pageant. “The feeling is still sinking in and I am very excited to make India proud too. I’m also looking forward to the year ahead,” Manushi said in a statement after the win. Following her win, Chhillar tweeted, “Thank you, everyone, for your constant love, support. This one’s for India.”

It is estimated 126 women from all around the globe took part in the pageant which occurred in the Sanya, China. But only one lucky lady could walk away with the crown, which eventually went to a 20-year-old medical student from Haryana, India. Miss Mexico Andrea Meza was announced the first runner up, while Miss England Stephanie Hill was declared the second runner up at the event, held at Sanya City Area in China last Saturday, .

Apart from the main title, Manushi also won the “Beauty with Purpose” award. A medical student, Manushi, is the sixth Indian winner of the prestigious competition, following in the footsteps of Bollywood actresses Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai. Her win means that India is now level with Venezuela as they both hold six victories over the course of the pageant’s 67 years.

Manushi was born to doctor parents in the northern Indian state of Haryana, which once ranked the worst among all states in sex ratio in India. “My parents have always been my pillar of support and having them here tonight by my side has only brought me more strength and joy.

Manushi studied in St. Thomas School in New Delhi and Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical College for Women in Sonepat, Haryana. According to her profile on the Miss World website, the winner of the Miss World title aims to be a cardiac surgeon and has plans of opening non-profit hospitals in rural areas. A trained classical dancer, Manushi has a passion for outdoor sports like scuba diving, snorkelling and bungee jumping. Manushi enjoys painting hopes to open a chain of non-profit hospitals in rural areas, according to the Miss World website.

“My final answer also came to me by having them here with me in front of me,” said Manushi, whose family members, including a brother and a sister, were present at the gala. In the question-and-answer round after she was shortlisted among the top five, Manushi was asked: “Which profession deserves the highest salary and why?” She said a mother deserves it most.

Manushi was ecstatic and emotional when she was announced the winner from among contestants from 108 countries. She was crowned by Miss World 2016 winner, Puerto Rico’s Stephanie Del Valle.

Priyanka Chopra, the previous winner of the title from India, was joyous about having a “successor”. “And we have a successor! Congratulations Manushi Chhillar on becoming Miss World 2017. Cherish and learn, and most importantly enjoy it. Bravo,” she tweeted.

Former Miss World Sushmita Sen wrote: “India wins Miss World 2017! Congratulations Manushi Chhillar. Yipeeeee, about time! Super proud! Jai Hind.” Neha Dhupia, a former beauty queen and who mentored India’s Miss India pageant contestants this year, tweeted: “Congratulations Manushi Chhillar. We knew you had all the qualities to conquer the world ever since we met you for the first time! You go girl!”

Manushi did her schooling in the national capital Delhi and became a student of medicine in Sonepat. In an interview during her grooming, she said: “The only thing I believe is certain in life is uncertainty, and this is what is amazing about the pageant.” She was always confident about winning the crown. The first Miss World crown was won for India by Reita Faria in 1943, followed which Aishwarya Rai (1994), Diana Hayden (1997), Yukta Mookhey (1999) and Priyanka Chopra (2000).

The competition returned to Sanya, on China’s Hainan Island for the seventh time, where the event was last held in 2015.

AAPI To Hold 11th Annual Global Healthcare Summit In Kolkata, West Bengal

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterHealth 0

The groundbreaking Summit from December 28-31, 2017 will discuss ways to bring the most innovative, efficient and cost-effective healthcare solutions for India

New York, NY: November 20, 2017: The 11th annual Global Healthcare Summit (GHS) organized by the Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs & Indian Ministry of Health and the government of West Bengal, with the participation of over 50 world renowned speakers from India, US and from around the world, and industry leaders will be held at the famous JW Marriott, Kolkata, West Bengal, India from December 28th to 31st, 2017, Dr. Gautam Samadder, President of AAPI, announced here today.

With over 200 physicians from the United States, the Summit is expected to be attended by nearly 1,000 delegates from around the world. According to Dr. Samadder, who was in India recently and had held series of meetings with several Federal and State level Ministers and government officials in Kolkata and New Delhi, said, “To be held for the first time in Kolkata, this year, AAPI Global Healthcare Summit (GHS) will have many new initiatives and also will be carrying the torch of ongoing projects undertaken by AAPI’s past leaders. In addition, several prominent leaders both from India and abroad will be addressing the Summit, including the President of India and the Chief Minister of West Bengal.”

According to him, GHS will have several prominent leaders from India and the US, who will address the conference and interact with the delegates. With world renowned artists performing on stage, the delegates at the Summit will be treated to an exceptionally high quality cultural extravaganza. The Summit will also result in the inauguration of the first ever free AAPI sponsored health clinic in the state of West Bengal, serving thousands of people from the north eastern region of India.

Dr. Naresh Parekh, President-Elect of AAPI, “Many of the physicians who will attend this convention have excelled in different specialties and subspecialties and occupy high positions as faculty members of medical schools, heads of departments, and executives of hospital staff. The GHS offers an opportunity to meet directly with these physicians who are leaders in their fields and play an integral part in the decision-making process regarding new products and services,” he said.

This international healthcare summit is a progressive transformation from the first Indo-US Healthcare Summit launched by AAPI USA in 2007. Providing a forum for innovative opportunities for learning, networking and giving back to our motherland that have now enabled us to plan ahead and prepare for an outstanding event with 200 very prominent and talented physicians and surgeons from abroad, in addition to the hundreds of physicians from India, who are very passionate about serving their homeland, mother India, Dr. Parikh added.

Dr. Ashok Jain, Chair of BOT, AAPI, said, “The Summit will also feature a CEO Forum, where a galaxy of CEOs from around the world from hospitals, teaching institutions and major healthcare sectors, including pharmaceutical, medical devices and technology, will join to explore potential opportunities for collaboration. The CEO Forum will focus on the changing trends in the healthcare sector and they impact the providers, hospitals and corporations as well as the patients. The Forum will also offer insights into managing efficiently the growing costs in the delivery of healthcare services. With the changing trends and statistics in healthcare, both in India and US, we are refocusing our mission and vision, AAPI would like to make a positive meaningful impact on the healthcare delivery system both in the US and in India,” he added.

According to Dr. Suresh Reddy, Vice President of AAPI, “The essence of AAPI is educational. That translates into numerous Continuing Medical Education and non-CME seminars by experts in their fields. CME will provide comprehensive and current reviews and guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of various disease states to reduce morbidity and mortality and achieve cost effective quality care outcomes. At the end of the activity, it is expected that attendees will gain an understanding of the causation, diagnosis and the best clinical practices for the management of the diverse group of diseases discussed during this program.”

Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, Secretary of AAPI, pointed out some of the major highlights of the Summit: “Other major highlights of the Global Healthcare Summit include, interactive roundtables, clinical practice workshops, scientific poster/research session and meet-the-expert sessions. The Summit will facilitate dissemination and exchange of best practices including a special session on Public-Private Partnership featuring AAPI Healthcare Charitable showcase & innovation,” he said.

Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, Treasurer of AAPI, said, “The much anticipated Women’s Leadership Forum scheduled for Dec 30, 2017 is designed to conduct a “Town Hall” session with a group of highly successful Women Leaders representing a diversity of professions, involving public, private and government organizations. The theme for the forum is Women Empowerment in the 21st century, with the speakers planned to be discussing the role and opportunity for Women to address a major challenge presented by high rates of infant and maternal mortality, areas around public awareness, education and access to healthcare.”

The Young Physicians Research Forum will be held on Dec. 28th at the oldest medical college of Asia, Calcutta Medical College. International Poster Presentation Session, Two Full Days Scientific Sessions (Dec. 29-30), Workshops, CEO Forum, Women’s Forum, Specialty Workshops on Dec. 31st.

Continuing its tradition of providing the much-needed training to First Responders, American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine will offer the AUA’s Emergency Medicine Training Centre (EMTC) developed a First Aid and CPR courses for first responders, including fire fighters, policemen, and EMTs from West Bengal at the KPC Medical College. According to Dr. Samadder, AUA President and Co-founder, Neal Simon will participate in the panel discussion at the Summit’s Healthcare & Hospital CEO Forum, which[PPK1] will discuss how to establish and maintain a patient-centric approach on the operational and academic levels of organizations.

Panelists will generate a white paper with recommendations to the Ministry of Health and the Government of India for broader implementation. “The nation of India has contributed greatly to the field of medicine internationally. In light of this and in keeping with AUA’s commitment to increasing diversity in the medical field, we consider India’s medical community to be a major component of our institution’s success” said Simon.

According to Dr. Ajay Lodha, immediate past-President of AAPI, “GHS 2017 will include a scientific programs developed by leading experts with contributions by the Scientific Advisory Board and International Scientific Committee, which will includes high priority areas like Cardiology, Diabetes, Oncology, Surgery, Mental Health, Maternal and Child Health, Allergy-Immunology and Lung Health, Health Information Technology (HIT), and the impact of co-morbidities.”

This Summit will display how well the Indian doctors have shown themselves as an effective force in the medical world in USA. With the objective of enabling people in India to access high quality, affordable, and cost-effective world class health services, the Summit to be held in collaboration with the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs & Ministry of Health, will have participation from some of the world’s most well-known physicians and industry leaders.

Many of the physicians who will attend this convention have excelled in different specialties and subspecialties and occupy high positions as faculty members of medical schools, heads of departments, and executives of hospital staff. The GHS offers an opportunity to meet directly with these physicians who are leaders in their fields and play an integral part in the decision-making process regarding new products and services.

The GHS Pre-Summit (DUBAI) at the Hyatt Regency from December 24-28, 2017, will provide a unique Christmas Dinner Cruise, City tour to Palm Island, Khalifa Tower, Burj Hotel, Dubai mall, Dubai Museum, etc. Desert Safari including camel ride and belly dancing shows. The Post GHS TOUR to the heavenly Bhutan fromJanuary 1-4, 2018, will take delegates to the world renowned and ancient Takshang Monestary, Hike in Tiger’s Nest, Buddha Dordenma, National Heritage museum & Dochula. For those who want to enjoy the beautiful Assam, can tour this beautiful state of Assam from January 4-8, 2018, touringf Kaziranga National Park including Rhino Park, Nehru Stadium, Assam Rajyik State Museum, Guwahati Market, Kamakhya Temple and dinner at the Governor’s Mansion. The Summit will also offer everyday Guided Tours and Evening Entertainments to the delegates, and will conclude with a special New Year’s eve gala party, welcoming the New Year 2018 with family, fun and entertainment.

“With the changing trends and statistics in healthcare, both in India and US, we are refocusing our mission and vision of GHS, and AAPI would like to make a positive meaningful impact on the healthcare in India,” Dr. Samadder said. “In our quest to fulfill the mission of AAPI, we are proud to share best practice and experiences from leading experts in the world and develop actionable plans for launching demonstration projects that enable access to affordable and quality healthcare for all people. To accomplish this mission, AAPI is backed by leading healthcare experts and professional associations, including Indian Affairs and Indian Development Foundation Overseas Indians,” he added. For more information on Global Health Summit, please visit www.aapiusa.org

Justice Dalveer Bhandari of India beats Britain to win at International Court of Justice

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

Justice Dalveer Bhandari of India was elected by over two thirds of the world’s nations at the United Nations to be a member of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after a hard-fought battle with the UK last week, which is considered a victory for India and all Indians. His election, hailed as a diplomatic win for India, was more than a matter of prestige for India.

The 70-year-old was elected to the world court securing 183 of the 193 votes in the United Nations General Assembly and all 15 in the security council after Britain pulled out its candidate, Christopher Greenwood.

“The election this time was more eventful in the sense that it went on and on. And my re-election is more a victory of all Indians and the country,” Bhandari told the media from New York a few hours after the polling.

Britain decided to withdraw its candidate, Christopher Greenwood, after it became clear that besides European partners such as Germany and France, the United States too had informed its mission at the UN that it faced a deadlock and loss of face due to growing support for the Indian candidate, Dalveer Bhandari.

The former Supreme Court judge was talking about 11 rounds of voting spread over several days, as the UK did everything possible to push Greenwood’s candidature. “This is the first time that I witnessed election to the world court in the general assembly. Last time I was appointed against a seat that fell vacant,” said Bhandari, who joined the ICJ in 2012.

His second term begins February 2018 and he will be with the ICJ for nine years. “My re-election will ensure representation of Indian legal system and civilization at the world court,” said Bhandari, whose orders as an SC judge ensured that those living below the poverty line got a bigger share of food grain.

Bhandari, who started out as a lawyer in the Rajasthan high court, was also instrumental in states setting up night shelters for the homeless. The ICJ is hearing India’s plea against the death sentence awarded to former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav by a Pakistani military court. The next hearing in the case, which has worsened ties between the two neighbors, is in December. Asked about the impact his re-election would have on the case, Bhandari said, “No comments. The issue is pending in the world court.”

The 15-member ICJ is the UN’s top judicial organ that settles disputes between countries. Five judges are elected every three years and serve for nine years. Bhandari is the fourth Indian to be a permanent ICJ judge. The other three were Sir Benegal Rau, Nagendra Singh and RS Pathak.

Sunil Shah, Anil Loomba, Dr. Anuja Gupta honored at Bollywood Sargam festival of light

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

By Asian Media USA ©

Chicago IL: Pratibha Jairath (Bollywood Sargam) and Altaf Bukhari (A. B. Entertainment) organized an astounding Diwali Party on the evening of Nov 3rd at Ashyana Banquets in Downers Grove with an attendance of close to 500 people dressed in vibrant and stunning outfits. The venue was buzzing with excitement as people started to walk in half hour before the party time.

The best part of this event was that it was not merely a musical extravaganza and variety show but it included people from different religions, states, and communities of India to once again show unity in our diverse India. After all, the festivals are about celebration and bringing out the good spirit, friendships and alliances.

Pratibha Jairath, the host and organizer of the event opened the evening with welcoming guests and presenting a prayer and Diwali Badhai in a creative style. For Lamp lighting, she started out by first inviting Mr. Sunil Shah from New York Life to say a few words followed by Mr. Anil Loomba (Home Mortgage Solutions), Dr. Anuja Gupta (project Veranda), Sponsor Mr. Anil Kumar Sharma, Co-organizer Mr. Altaf Bukhari. Shen then proceeded further and invited her consistent supporters and well known generous personalities like Mr. Brij Sharma (IEM President and UPA BOARD), Dr. Surinder Jain of Ashyana and Mr. Om Dhingra (UPA and HTC BOARD)..

The musical segment began by Pratibha Jairath who started with Diwali segment of Piya Tose continuing with both classical and new numbers such as Thode Badmash from Sanwariya and other hits like Channa Mereya. Within 15 minutes, the dance floor was full with energetic folks ready to rock.

Anil Sharma, a well-known established singer with a powerful voice mesmerized folks with Kishore kumar classics such as Neele Neele Amber, Dil kya kare and Arjit Singh’s hits like suno na sangemarmar.

Raju Bankapur, another well-known multi-talented singer kept folks on dance floor with lots of new and Bollywood hits such as Bacnha ae haseeno. His rendition of Badan pe sitare brought Sunil Ji and friends on dance floor.

Raju Bankapur’s flute numbers and Anil Sharma’s Mahobbat barsa and some unique numbers were applauded by all. The slide show of excerpts from films matching with song being performed was a great touch, thanks to Mr. Virender Kothari. Ms Jairath thanked her several friends for showing awesome support by bringing different circles and special mention to decoration and reception team starting with Vandana Bankapur and Asha Mehta.

Pratibha Jairath’s Qwali item with her friends became the talk of the town. It was a mix of few Qwaalies. It is such things that made this party a multi-dimensional variety show. Hitesh Masters’ Saregama Orchestra team with talented duos Kafi Khan and Richard Christian added ‘Char Chand’ to this musical Diwali party. The Ashiyana banquet food was sumptuous and appreciated by all.

Anil Loomba commented ‘Pratibha how do you bring people from different walks of life?’ She said “It is not me, the total credit goes to my friends that bring tables after tables, generous sponsors, a number of associations such as FIA, UPA and A.B entertainment of Altaf Bukhari and so many other alliances.

Sikh Religious Society Organizes Conference in Chicago to Implement Mool Nanakshahi Calendar

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterCulture/Religion 0

Chicago, IL: Sikh Religious Society hosted a two-day Mool Nanakshahi Calendar Implementation Conference at 1280 Winnetka St, Palatine, IL 60067, IL. The conference kicked off with a welcome dinner attended by the distinguished speakers of the conference as well as guests from various Sikh organizations in the US, Canada, India, and Australia. The welcome dinner, managed by S. Amardev Singh, featured a brief snapshot of what issues the speakers will cover during the conference.

The focus of the conference was how to preserve the unique Sikh heritage and prepare the Panth for the next millennia. The expert speakers explained the history and importance of the Mool Nanakshahi Calendar. Sardar Pal Singh Purewal, the brain behind the Mool Nanakshahi Calendar talked about the efforts he has made to create awareness about the practicality of the calendar and emphasized how important it is for next generations to adopt it.

Bibi Jasbir Kaur (Ohio) threw light on the need of passing the heritage on to the next generation in order to secure Sikh identity. She talked about how important it is for kids to understand Gurbani, and apply it in their day to day life. Other speakers at the conference were S. Sarabjit Singh (Sacramento), Prof. Niranjan Singh Dhesi, S. Surinder Singh (Talking Punjab) and Harkirat Singh Ajnoha (Australia).

The speakers stressed upon the role of overseas Sikh community in accomplishing this mission. The conference featured a presentation explaining how the Mool Nanakshahi Calendar works and helps maintain the consistency of the Sikh observations like Gurpurabs, Vaisakhi and so on. Accurate recurrence of these Sikh historical dates and preservation of Gurbani’s relevance has profound implication for Sikh generations to come.

According to the speakers, the Mool Nanakshahi Calendar forever fixed drifting Sikh historical Bikrami dates and synchronized these dates with the Common Era (CE) tropical calendar. The resolutions passed in conference entailed that, in 1999, the Sikh scholars and SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) introduced the Mool Nanakshahi Calendar, a tropical calendar; on 300th anniversary of Khalsa’s Saajna conforming to Gurbani.

Whereas, many Sikh organizations have already been following Nanakshahi Calendar for many years, except for the three dates of : Guru Nanak’s Gurpurab , Bandee Chhorrd Divas, and Holla-Muhalla. So the Chicago conference emphasized to fully adopt and forever follow The Mool Nanakshahi Calendar and its methodology to observe Sikh historical events on following fixed annual dates. A. Guru Nanak’s Parkaash purab on April 14th (1-Vaisaakh), Vaisaakhi; B. Bandee Chhorrd Divas onFebruary 12th (1-Phaggan); and, C. Holla Muhalla on March 14th (1-Chet), Mool Nanakshahi New Year Day

At the end of the conference, all the speakers unanimously requested all social, cultural, and religious (Panthak) organizations to unify to cherish the unique and blessed heritage ignited by Baba Nanak; and forever preserve it, by making every attempt to fully adopt and implement the Mool Nanakshahi calendar. Heeding the call of the conference, many Midwest gurdwaras also adopted these resolutions simultaneously.

Association of Indian Pharmacists in America celebrates Annual Banquet and Business Expo

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterHealth 0

Asian Media USA ©

Chicago IL: Harish Bhatt, President of the Association of Indian Pharmacists, Board of Trustees and Volunteers of America (AIPHA), organized an exciting Annual Banquet and Business Expo on Sunday, November 11, 2017 at the Meadows Club, 2950 W Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, IL to commemorate annual business network opportunities, Diwali and the holiday season with members and their families. The program was a sold out event attended by many dignitaries.

The evening started with a social hour featuring some tasty appetizers and premium drinks. Masters of Ceremonies for the occasion, Mr. Tushar Mehta, kicked off the program by welcoming everyone to the gala.

To encourage NRI entrepreneurs to set up new manufacturing plants in India, Consul General Mr. Debandhu Bhati explained that “Annual growth of the industry by an average of 15% per year to reach twenty billion to fifty five billion dollar industry from the span of 2020 to 2030, producing world class pharmaceuticals products dwarfs with average of 5% growth of other non-pharmaceutical industries. This phenomenal growth will contribute towards significant contributor to Prime-minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Made by India’ goal. Now, due to availability of 100% approval of FDA for production of medical devices in India”

Rupesh Manek, AIPHA Executive Director and NIPA board member, encouraged all pharmacists in Illinois get involved and become members of National Indian Pharmacist Pharmacist Association (NIPA). He congratulated AIPHA for exemplary work in organizing such a breathtaking social evening . Elaborating the mission of NIPA, he indicated that NIPA is dedicated to the construction of networking opportunities and the promotion of our cultural heritage for pharmacists of Indian origins in the United States of America by ways of interaction through a common forum. The national Indian association is committed to supporting AlPHA in all of their struggles. He congratulated Harish Bhatt and team for this wonderfully planned evening, and the entire pharmacist community practicing in Illinois under some of the hardest times that have been experienced. He informed attendees that NIPA membership now spans over 19 states in the continental United States of America, and looks forward to its presence in all states of the country, as well as increased involvement from Illinois members.

Harish Bhatt, Lifelong President of the Association of Indian Pharmacists took the stage. Welcoming everyone, he elaborated past achievements of AIPHA along with future challenges and goals requiring co-operation of each and every members.

Top shelf cash bar& delicious gourmet dinner was prepared and served by the Chefs and staff of the Meadows Club. The program concluded with some great memories of an evening which was educational, fun and entertainment by Babra and party. Sponsors: Amneal, Dick Drugs, HD Smith, McKesson, Cardinal Health Smith Drugs, DAA, Micro Merchant, TCGRX, IPC, Langerman. Executive Board: President: Harish Bhatt Vice President Ambalal Patel Secretary Mahendra Patel Joint Secretary Manu Patel Treasure Tushar Mehta Joint Treasure Snehal Bhavsar Executive Director Rupesh Manak.

The AIPHA Annual Banquet and Business Expo offers a platform in which members can network amongst themselves, as well as giving them an opportunity to meet and greet with the decision makers that influence change. The Association of Indian Pharmacists of America is an organization dedicated to increasing cultural awareness and promoting diversity through various pharmaceutical services, promotional, and social events.

Indo-US Democracy Foundation’ launched on Nehru’s Birthday

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterU.S. 0

By George Abraham

‘Indo-US Democracy foundation,’ a Think Tank was inaugurated on November 14 – Nehru’s birthday – at a function held in Bayside, New York. Mr. Paul Vallone, a New York City Council Member, lighted a lamp and inaugurated the organization. He lauded the creation of the think tank and expressed hope that it will facilitate constructive dialogue between communities while promoting democratic values and principles.

“The mission of the Indo-US Democracy foundation is to create awareness on threats to democracies in India and U.S. and to educate the public. Towards that end, we will be analyzing developing trends and informing our audience of the increasing danger to our way of life” said George Abraham, the Executive Director of the think tank. “The primary reason we have done the inauguration on November 14 is quite significant. Our mission fits well within the Nehruvian vision for India and that is to be a strong advocate for individual liberty and human justice to all citizens regardless of color, caste, creed, religion or gender” Abraham added.

Prof. Manu Bhagavan, Professor at Hunter College, the keynote speaker lauded the contribution of Nehru to India and reminded the gathering that Nehru’s vision of ‘Progressive internationalism was premised on the principle that free people everywhere should determine their future—together—under the aegis of forged common ideals. Differe¬nce and the will of the locality had to be respected, under the proviso that neither could serve as an excuse to oppress’.

Dr. Jit Chandan, Professor at City University, noted Nehru’s contributions in the area of higher learning such as establishing IITs and IIMs and asked the new generation to seize the opportunities and create history.

Dr. Joseph Cheruvelil, a retired Professor at St. John’s University pointed out that the Nehruvian vision transformed India and the Institutions he has helped to create are continuing to provide stability and strength to Indian democracy.

Mr. Yuvaraj Singh, a graduate student at Columbia University who was also a panel member, highlighted Nehruvian perspective on Democracy that it isn’t about propagating one set of ideologies or relying on one source of ideas. It’s about paying heed to your opposition, collaborating with those who you might not agree with you, and adopt the best of all ideas wholeheartedly for the advancement of the common goals and objectives. “Nobody embodied that better than Pt. Nehru. So the key lesson is that Democracy thrives on the opportunity to collaborate and not on the ambition to beat the opponent” Mr. Singh added.

Mr. Harbachan Singh, Secretary-General of INOC, USA in his welcoming address said “In this very complex and fast-moving geo-political world environment and the nuclear age, it is essential for a think tank like body to be constantly up to speed and monitoring the world developments in every field of endeavor. It is to appraise national and international governments and to figure out which way the political and environmental winds were blowing through various technological means to forestall detrimental effects and calamities of war or natural disasters.”

Mr. Bipin Sangakar, the President of Jawaharlal Nehru foundation recollected the story of Martin Luther King’s visit to India upon Nehru’s invitation and how the civil rights movement in U.S. got transformed with Gandhian principles going forward.

Professor Inderjit Saluja, Chief Editor of the Indian Panorama Newspaper moderated the meeting and added ‘the progressing India of today, ready to assume economic leadership of the world , is the gift of a visionary who knew it was important to strike a balance between the harsh realities of struggles facing a nascent nation and the need to take bold leap forward in the realms of economy and technology, notwithstanding the challenges of ensuring basic needs for the billions, to take the nation on a path to progress. He was acutely aware of the dire need to protect the fledgling democracy and attendant values of freedom, justice, and peace. Nehru’s legacy is a bright star on the horizon of India’s history, impossible to be overlooked or ignored”. Malini Shah thanked all the supporters and well-wishers at the meeting and urged close cooperation with the Think Tank.

No China-type easier UK visa for Indians soon

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterTravel 0

Immigration minister Brandon Lewis said there is “no limit on the number of international students who can come to the UK, and nor is there any plan to impose one”. A pilot scheme launched in January 2016 offering easier, longer and cheaper British visas to Chinese citizens is likely to be made permanent, but immigration minister Brandon Lewis has confirmed there is no plan to extend it to Indian citizens in the near future.

Questioned on the issue in the House of Commons by senior Labour MP Virendra Sharma on Monday, Lewis said the situation with India is different from that with China, reflecting Prime Minister Theresa May’s statement in New Delhi in November 2016 that linked improving the UK visa offer to the number and speed of return of illegal Indian citizens in the UK.

To Sharma’s demand that the same visa scheme be extended to India, “our best allies in trade post-Brexit”, Lewis said: “I was in India just a couple of weeks ago and I had some conversations about the pilots we are running in China.

“The honorable gentleman is a little premature, because the pilot with China is still running. It is based on a different situation from the situation with us and India, but we will look at that pilot, and I will feed back after it has ended and we have a chance to review it.”

Answering questions by MPs on removing international students from overall migration statistics – a demand by several stakeholders in higher education and supported by some cabinet ministers – Lewis refused to commit, but said the situation has improved in recent years.

He said: “I can be very clear: there is absolutely no limit on the number of international students who can come to the UK, and nor is there any plan to impose one. What we have seen this summer is that students are now compliant, and that means their effect on the net migration figures is marginal.

“The key thing with students is that, thanks to the work that this government have done since 2010 in shutting down about 920 bogus colleges, students are now complying, so the effect on migration is marginal, at best.”

Indian student numbers coming to UK higher education institutions have dwindled by more than half since 2010, when immigration reforms were introduced by the David Cameron government. In 2012, the post-study work visa popular with Indians was abolished.

There are suggestions that the drop of Indian students is partly due to the closure of bogus colleges, which were recruiting Indian and other international students allegedly for purposes other than education.

Radhika Jones to lead pre-eminent celebrity-driven magazine ‘Vanity Fair’

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterSocial Media, U.S. 0

Radhika Jones, 44, has been chosen to be the chief editor of Vanity Fair, the world’s celebrity driven magazine announced here on November 13^th. Jones will take over as editor-in-chief of the celebrity-driven magazine that takes a splashy view of America and the world.

Jones garnered high praise from the likes of Anna Wintour, the editor in chief of Vogue and artistic director of Conde Nast which owns Vanity Fair. She becomes only the second woman to helm the magazine, and follows in the giant footsteps of the British media icon Tina Brown, who launched the new incarnation of the magazine as its editor in chief from 1984-1992. Jones succeeds current editor Graydon Carter, who has been there since 1992, and is known for raising the celebrity-driven bar of the magazine, which also however, carries serious political and economic pieces.

“In Radhika, we are so proud to have a fearless and brilliant editor whose intelligence and curiosity will define the future of Vanity Fair in the years to come,” Wintour said in a statement about Jones who lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and son. “I’m honored and excited to succeed Graydon Carter as editor in chief of @VanityFair,” Jones tweeted Nov. 13.

The New York Times, where Jones has been the editorial director of the books department for the past year, broke the story about her appointment. The Times called Jones a “surprise choice” to lead Vanity Fair.

In an interview with Vanity Fair the day the announcement was made Nov. 13, Jones talked about her inspirations and hinted at where she may take the magazine. But not much about her parents, one of whom happens to be Indian, her mother, and Robert L. Jones, her father, a well-known singer and guitarist from the 1950s and ’60s, according to his biography on a folk music website.

Jones will lead Vanity Fair through its 24th annual Oscar Party in March, the fifth annual New Establishment Summit, the brand’s 105th anniversary and the continued digital expansion of The Hive, the title’s newest brand launch.

Jones, who takes over officially Dec. 11, previously held senior editorial roles at The New York Times, Time and The Paris Review. She joins Vanity Fair from the Times, where since November 2016 she was Editorial Director, Books, overseeing daily and Sunday reviews and expanding the desk’s digital coverage at the intersection of books, news and ideas. At Time, Jones led all arts and entertainment coverage for the brand.

“Radhika is an exceptionally talented editor who has the experience and insight to drive the cultural conversation—balancing distinctive journalism with culture and humor,” Bob Sauerberg, president and CEO of Condé Nast is quoted saying in the press release. “Her experience covering news and entertainment has given her a thorough understanding of the importance of chronicling and celebrating the moments that matter. With her expansive worldview, I know she will guide Vanity Fair’s history of provocative and enduring storytelling well into its future.”

Prior to The New York Times, Jones spent eight years at Time rapidly rising through the ranks to become deputy managing editor in 2013. Prior to joining Time in 2008, Jones was the managing editor of The Paris Review, managing editor at Grand Street, an editor at Artforum, and the arts editor of The Moscow Times, where she began her career.

Jones has a B.A. from Harvard University and holds a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia, where she has also taught courses in writing and literature. Born in New York City, she grew up in Cincinnati and Connecticut. “There is nothing else out there quite like Vanity Fair,” Jones is quoted saying.

Santhigram Wellness Kerala Ayurveda USA to celebrate 10 years in January, 2018

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

The Santhigram Kerala Ayurvedic Company USA will be celebrating their 10h anniversary on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at the Edison Hotel Banquet and Conference Center in New Jersey.

Santhigram is a leading provider of authentic Kerala specific ayurveda therapies in 12 locations in the United States, including New Jersey, New York, Texas, Illinois and Wisconsin.

The company is expecting more than 500 people to attend this occasion which will feature a series of programs, including the launch of the Ayurveda training School, Santhigram Herbal products and “Santhigram Foundation.”

The Santhigram Foundation is a charity wing of Santhigram, which advocates and promotes the health, wellness and awareness of the benefits of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) based on “Ayurveda” principles that nurture the human mind, body and spirit and extend the benefit of cost-efficient Ayurveda treatments and medicinal herbs for chronic ailments to low-income patients.

The theme of the celebration is “Celebrating the Spirit of Life and Good Health” and will walk the attendees through various chores involved in daily life and focus on realizing the supreme importance of staying healthy. Distinguished community members and employees will also be honored at the event which will also include dinner and entertainment.

Rep. Krishnamoorthi leads 237 lawmakers urging Senate to move job-training act

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics 0

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, lead Democratic sponsor of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, joined Republican sponsor Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson of Pennsylvania in leading 235 other Members of the House of Representatives in urging the Senate education committee to take up the bill which passed the House unanimously in June.

The Thompson-Krishnamoorthi act would modernize career, technical, and vocational education through increasing local control and employer involvement to focus curricula on in-demand skills. By requiring educators to work directly with local employers to identify the skills needed in the work force, the Thompson-Krishnamoorthi Act will ensure that career and technical education programs prepare students not just for their next job, but for a good-paying, family-sustaining career. The bill will also benefit employers through providing the skilled workforce they need to help their businesses thrive and grow.

“It’s not often these days that we see a piece of serious legislation pass the House with bipartisan support, never mind unanimously, but that’s exactly what happened with this bill because Democrats and Republicans agree that we need to modernize our career and technical education system,” said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. “The House has done its part by passing this legislation unanimously and through our letter, my colleagues and I are calling upon the Senate to do the same. A four-year degree may not be for everyone but an education must be and this bill will help make that a reality.”

Pope Renews Call for Care of Planet

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterCulture/Religion 0

“I would like to reaffirm my urgent call to renew dialogue on how we are building the future of the planet,” Pope Francis said in a message released by the Vatican on November 16, 2017. “We need an exchange that unites us all, because the environmental challenge we are experiencing, and its human roots, regards us all, and affects us all.”

The Holy Father’s renewed call to action came in a message he sent Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of the Fiji Islands, President of the 23rd Session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-23), taking place in Bonn from November 6-17, 2017. The message was read during the November 16 session.

Pope Francis listed “four perverse attitudes” that “do not help honest research and productive dialogue on building the future of our planet:” Denial; Indifference; Resignation; Trust in inadequate solutions.

The Pope stressed that economic and technological approaches are important, but “it is essential and desirable to carefully consider the ethical and social impacts and impacts of the new paradigm of development and progress in the short, medium .and long term.” And he continued: “…it is increasingly necessary to pay attention to education and lifestyles based on an integral ecology, capable of taking on a vision of honest research and open dialogue where the various dimensions of the Paris Agreement are intertwined.”

Assaults against Muslims in U.S. surpass 2001 level

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterU.S. 0

By Katayoun Kishi

The number of assaults against Muslims in the United States rose significantly between 2015 and 2016, easily surpassing the modern peak reached in 2001, the year of the September 11 terrorist attacks, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of new hate crimes statistics from the FBI. In 2016, there were 127 reported victims of aggravated or simple assault, compared with 91 the year before and 93 in 2001.

But assaults are not the only form of hate crime carried out against Muslims and other religious groups. The most common is intimidation, which is defined as reasonable fear of bodily harm. Anti-Muslim intimidation also increased in 2016, with 144 reported victims, compared with 120 the previous year. These numbers, however, are still dwarfed by the 296 victims of anti-Muslim intimidation in 2001.

Certain types of crimes that damage or destroy property, including vandalism, also have risen, from 70 cases against Muslims in 2015 to 92 last year.

Overall, there were 307 incidents of anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2016, marking a 19% increase from the previous year. This rise in hate crimes builds on an even sharper increase the year before, when the total number of anti-Muslim incidents rose 67%, from 154 in 2014 to 257 in 2015.

As in previous years, the largest number of all types of hate crime incidents against religious groups targeted Jews. In 2016, there were 684 anti-Jewish hate crime incidents, marking a slight increase from 664 in 2015. By comparison, in 2016, there were 62 hate crimes against Catholics and 15 against Protestants.

Amid the recent rise in incidents of hate crimes, most Muslims in the U.S. say their community faces discrimination. In a Pew Research Center survey conducted in early 2017, three-quarters of Muslim American adults (75%) say there is “a lot” of discrimination against Muslims in the U.S., a view shared by nearly seven-in-ten adults in the general public (69%).

In addition, half of U.S. Muslim adults (50%) say that in recent years it has become more difficult to be a Muslim in the U.S., with 10% of this group attributing this to discrimination, racism and prejudice. In general, nearly a quarter of U.S. Muslim adults (23%) view discrimination, racism or prejudice as the most important problem facing American Muslims today.

The FBI collects hate crime data from about 15,000 law enforcement agencies that voluntarily participate, which means the annual statistics likely undercount the number of hate crimes in a given year. Still, the report is a useful tool for comparing hate crimes over time and tracking the minimum number of these crimes that have occurred in a given year.

Several Indian Americans on New Jersey Gov.-Elect Phil Murphy Transition Team

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics 0

New Jersey’s Governor-elect Phil Murphy’s Transition Team reveals his close connections to the Indian-American community which he courted during his election campaign. The vast team, named in various focus areas, was announced in a news release Nov. 13, with Indian Americans Jay Bhatti, Balpreet Grewal-Virk, Ehsan F. Chowdhry and Lt. Col. Kamal Singh Kalsi being included.

Barely a week after winning his seat to lead the state Nov. 7, Murphy has selected an Indian-American veteran, Lt. Col. Kamal S. Kalsi to his Transition 2018 leadership team, in the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. Bhatti, the co-founder of BrandProject, was named to the government technology and innovation team.

Grewal-Virk, the director of community engagement at Hackensack Meridian Health’s Department of Population Health, was named to the healthcare team. Chowdhry, the president of the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association, was named to the law and justice, social justice subcommittee team.

“I pledged to build my administration to mirror the diversity, talent, and potential of New Jersey, and my transition will be no different,” Governor-elect Murphy is quoted saying in a press release. Murphy won by a 13-percentage point lead over his Republican opponent Kim Guadagno. “To a person, this transition is full of incredible talent and experience, and I’m thrilled to see them serve. Together, we’ll start the difficult job of building a stronger, fairer economy that works for all nine million New Jerseyans,” Murphy added.

Hindu groups raise conversion controversy ahead of pope’s Asia visit

November 23, 2017 Staff ReporterCulture/Religion 0

Pope Francis wanted to visit India but switched to Myanmar after Hindu nationalists stalled an expected official invitation.

Leaders of right-wing Hindu groups are reigniting the controversial issue of Christian missionaries converting Hindus, ahead of Pope Francis’ historic Asian visit that will see him travel to Myanmar instead of India.

They have feigned ignorance about the pontiff being blocked from a planned India visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The “Vishwa Hindu Parishad” (VHP, Council of Hindus) and other right-wing groups such as the Bajrang Dal, a hard-line Hindu group opposed to Christian missionary work, have been demanding a moratorium on the church’s conversion activities. They also opposed Pope John Paul II’s visit to New Delhi in November 1999.

Pope Francis “will have to clarify how conversion of people from other religions is justified,” said Bajrang Dal activist Angad Prasad from Assam state in northeastern India.

VHP sources told ucanews.com they would have a few questions for the pope, in an obvious reference to the conversion issue that Hindu groups have been steadfastly opposing.

Church leadership “lost hope” for a 2017 papal visit to India when Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay, who will now be celebrating Mass with Pope Francis in Yangon on Nov 29, indirectly told media that until June this year New Delhi had issued no invitation to the pope — a necessary condition for a head of state visit under international diplomatic protocol.

“We are already in June. Even if they suddenly say, ‘come’ … (it) will take several months for the dioceses to prepare the people,” the president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences was quoted in the media as saying.

The leader of the Asian bishops then hinted a change of place saying: “We have to find a good spot where we can give the Holy Father his due importance and respect.”

Neither the government nor the Vatican has issued any statement explaining why India was dropped, but it is widely understood that Modi’s pro-Hindu government did not issue the required invitation.

Pope Francis told media a year ago that he was “almost sure” of visiting Bangladesh and India in 2017 but in August the Vatican made the surprise announcement of a Nov. 27-Dec. 2 papal trip to Bangladesh and Myanmar.

“I am not sure whether he (Pope Francis) was ready to come or was keen enough,” said Pravin Togadia, international president of the VHP. I also do not know why he is not coming … so I would not like to comment on the matter,” Togadia told ucanews.com.

Modi has had a number of diplomatic engagements in the past fortnight meeting global leaders including the US President Donald Trump and the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Manila. At home, Modi has also been meeting several visiting dignitaries including French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

December is also election month in Gujarat, a crucial western Indian state for Modi’s ruling pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party and where Modi was chief minister before launching his successful foray into national politics. Observers say Modi and the BJP avoided a November papal visit as it could endanger the party’s election prospects.

Asia Game Changers honored at Asia Society Gala

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

Asia Society honored nine extraordinary individuals and organizations at the 4th annual Asia Game Changer Awards last week in New York, recognizing those who have made a positive and transformative difference in Asia and throughout the world. The Asia Game Changer Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to His Highness the Aga Khan, a religious leader and philanthropist, who has embodied the values of the Asia Game Changer awards through his six decades in public life.

“Any leader of a global community prays for one thing: peace,” Aga Khan said, following an introduction from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sharon Rockefeller. “So men and women can live in safety and build with strength and courage and wisdom.”

The Aga Khan’s award capped off an evening honoring those from a wide range of ages, professions, and nationalities. It was little surprise, then, that Dev Patel — the telegenic star of films such as Lion and Slumdog Millionaire — began his acceptance speech by describing his awe of the other honorees. “I feel like I have impostor syndrome being among all these individuals,” he said.

It was a night that, as Game Changer presenter and former First Lady Laura Bush noted, recognized the power of young girls and women to change the world. Consider Aisholpan Nurgaiv, a 15-year-old Mongolian girl who shattered gender barriers by excelling in the traditionally male-dominated sport of eagle hunting. Or the young Sonita Alizadeh, who, after fleeing her native Afghanistan to escape an arranged marriage, achieved widespread recognition for rapping about female empowerment.

Alizadeh performed a special English-language version of her rap in front of an astonished crowd. But it was only one element of what became a joyfully musical evening. Wu Tong, her fellow Asia Game Changer, performed a gorgeous song on the sheng, an ancient Chinese instrument he popularized through his involvement in the internationally celebrated Silk Road Ensemble. And the night concluded with a three-person performance by the Aga Khan Music Initiative Ensemble that brought the audience to its feet.

The Asia Game Changer Awards also recognized two exceptional leaders from the world of business. Jean Liu, a co-founder of Didi Chuxing, was honored for revolutionizing the car service industry in China. And Japan’s Tadashi Yanai, whose Uniqlo brand rose from humble beginnings to become a global retail force, received an Asia Game Changer award for his philanthropic efforts in helping his country recover from the devastating Fukushima tsunami in 2011.

A person who stole the show last night wasn’t even a person at all — but a muppet. During the presentation of an Asia Game Changer award to the Sesame Workshop, whose educational programming has made a tremendous difference in promoting literacy in Asia’s poorest countries, the organization’s Executive Vice President Sherrie Westin brought along Zari, a new muppet from Afghanistan, who has become a source of inspiration in a country where two thirds of girls do not attend school. “I’m so excited to be here!” Zari said. “I love to learn.”

GOPIO members host reception to Rep. Pramila Jayapal in New York

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics 0

GOPIO Members, during a reception hosted in honor of the first Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal in New York on Nov. 3rd, 2017. Several community issues were discussed at the meeting including the current anti-immigrant atmosphere, H1-B Visa, DACA and Dreamers.

Rep. Jayapal emphasized the importance of everyone getting involved in the political process. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal elected in 2016 election, represents Washington’s 7th District. She is the Vice Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee and also serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

Congresswoman Jayapal is committed to ensuring that every resident of the district has economic opportunity; fairness and equity; and safe and healthy communities. She is proud of the district’s role in leading the country on issues like the minimum wage, racial equity and innovation, and will work to support that work and lift it up as a model for the rest of the country.

Her focus is on ensuring income equality; access to education, from early learning to higher education, including debt-free college; expanding Social Security and Medicare; protecting our environment for our next generation; and ensuring immigrant, civil and human rights for all.

Jayapal will relentlessly challenge systems that corrupt our democracy, pushing for campaign finance reform, tax reform, voting rights and an end to institutionalized racism. In all of these endeavors, she’ll continue to build the movement to expand our democracy and create the political space for policy change that benefits working families and responsible businesses.

The first Indian-American woman in the House of Representatives, Jayapal has spent the last twenty years working internationally and domestically as a leading national advocate for women’s, immigrant, civil, and human rights.

She came to the United States by herself at the age of 16 to attend college at Georgetown University and later received her MBA from Northwestern University. She has worked in a number of industries in both the public and private sector.

Jayapal was elected to the Washington State Senate in 2014, becoming the first South Asian American ever elected to the State Legislature and the only woman of color in the Washington State Senate. As a Washington State Senator, serving in a Republican majority Senate, Jayapal fought for gender equity, expanded access to contraceptives for all women, including those on Medicaid, and introduced legislation to increase the statewide minimum wage and provide free community college. She stood up to members of her own party against giveaways to predatory payday lenders, and secured $5.25 million into transportation pre-apprenticeship programs for women and people of color. She played a leading role in the push to pass the Washington State Voting Rights Act – blocked, unfortunately, by the Republican majority in the State Senate. She received a Champion award from the Children’s Alliance for her work on ensuring equity as the state invested millions into early learning.

Under Trump, US hate crimes rise, Hindus and Sikhs among those targeted

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterU.S. 0

The FBI has reported an increase in hate crimes in the US for a second consecutive year, with Hindus and Sikhs among those targeted in the more than 6,000 incidents of crimes motivated by biases towards religions, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

There were 10 incidents of hate-crimes against Hindus and seven against Sikhs in 2016 — the year of the rise of Donald Trump as a politician and his election as president.

The maximum number of hate crimes were related to race or ethnicity in 2016— 3,483 — with more than half against African Americans. Religion-related hate crimes came second, with Jews and Muslims targeted the most. Another 1,076 hate crimes were linked to with sexual orientation, while other incidents were linked to disability, gender and gender-identity.

Hate crimes against Muslims— a group targeted by Trump — saw a steep rise, increasing to 307 incidents in 2016 from 257 in 2015 and 154 in 2014.

The Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC), an organization that tracks hate-crime and discrimination, said the rise in hate crimes “coincides with Donald Trump’s racist, xenophobic campaign and its immediate aftermath”.

The FBI and the justice department did not make that connection. “The department of justice is committed to ensuring that individuals can live without fear of being a victim of violent crime based on who they are, what they believe, or how they worship,” attorney general Jeff Sessions said in a statement.

The SPLC contends that the actual number of hate crimes may be much higher. In a report, they said that the “actual number of hate crimes may be as high as 250,000 – more than 40 times the 6,121 incidents that the FBI reports for 2016. But the FBI figures do serve as a rough barometer for what’s occurring in our country”.

The number of hate crimes against Hindus, whose numbers are estimated to be around of 2.1 million, were not listed separately in the 2014 FBI report, but have figured independently in the next two annual reports —with five in 2015 and 10 in 2016.

The number for hate crimes against Sikhs, whose population is estimated to be 500,000, went up from six in 2015 to seven in 2016. The community has been a victim of hate crimes as they are usually mistaken as Arabs due to their turbans. The targeting of Hindus is also usually due to their being mistaken as Arabs.

Diwali festival celebrated as Family Fun Day in Chicago

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

By Asian Media USA ©

Chicago IL: From the moment visitors walked through the Field Museum’s east entrance doors Saturday, October 28 Beyond Bollywood Family Fun Day promised delight. Pre-schoolers and their parents joined Bollywood Groove story teller Ajanta Chakraborty in vigorous movement to enliven the story of “Five Days of Diwali.” In the Crown Family PlayLab children created sparkly Diyas, clay lamps which brighten the darkest night of the year when millions of people world-wide celebrate Diwali, the festival of light. Others tackled Indian board games including Carom and Snakes and Ladders.

Before noon the entire museum resounded with the rhythm of Kalakshetra Drummers as they brought a tradition from Kerala, India to Stanley Field Hall, then led visitors up the South Staircase to the Marae Gallery to tour BEYOND BOLLYWOOD: INDIAN AMERICANS SHAPE THE NATION. There visitors viewed videos about members of the local Indian American community, and examined local treasures displayed with banners from the Smithsonian Traveling exhibition of Beyond Bollywood.

After lunch entranced children flanked by mesmerized adults formed a huge semi-circle in Stanley Field Hall as an Indian classical dance performance upstaged the Field’s famous African elephants and Tyrannosaurus Rex Sue. Kathak exponent Gauri Jog displayed intricacies of the dance form and the Indian Dance School troupe displayed perfect coordination in group performance.

The Family Day event was organized by Indo-American Heritage Museum Beyond Bollywood Committee Members Amita Banerji and Dorothie Shah with vital cooperation from Field Museum Childhood Learning Center staff, Alyssa Harsha and Eduarda Briseno IAHM Beyond Bollywood Docents Happie Datt, Nita Gangwal, Soumya Patala, Padma Rangaswamy, Vinkel Thakkar, Padma Rangaswamy, and volunteers Zach Tyler and Dhruv Mehta assisted in supervising activities and promoting visitor participation.

Museum in NYC to host The Namaste Express

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan will host an exhibition on Indian culture The Namaste Express, in the summer of 2018, media reports here stated. The Namaste Express will be the latest exhibition in an ongoing series of the museum’s exhibitions devoted to world cultures which have already included Ancient Greece, China, Japan and Jazz in NYC, with America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far as their current cultural exploration.

An artifact in the America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far exhibition at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Through these exhibitions, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan is able to teach children the importance of different cultures around the world and they do this by providing interactive, hands-on activities that the children can participate in, at their will, so they are able to gain a deeper understanding of the culture and its people.

In their upcoming exhibition, The Namaste Express, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan wants to celebrate the beauty and diversity of India’s different cultures and languages along with its history and technological advancements.

The exhibition will be “conceptualized as an interactive train journey through the country. The exhibition layout will allow children and families to make multiple stops at states and cities in India and sample the variety of architectural styles, cultures and environments through colors, shapes, structures and landscapes,” said Lizzy Martin, the Director of Exhibition Development and Museum Planning, at a meet to launch the exhibition, on November 6.

A depiction of an Egyptian spice market in the America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far exhibition at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Some of the activities that are already underway include a Rajasthani puppet show, a Bollywood stage, a Chaat Cart (wheeled street cart), rolling rickshaws, a yoga center and a majestic Indian architectural fort, but the Children’s Museum of Manhattan wants more.

“We want families to feel like they are in India, so that is why we are asking members of the Indian American community to help us bring this cultural experience to life,” said Andrew Ackerman, the Executive Director of the museum, speaking at the meet.

“As an Indian American and a mother of two boys, I would love for my kids to learn about India while living in New York,” said Anu Shegal of Culture Tree, who also brought Diwali to the museum this year in their one day special.

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan plans to run the scheduled three-month exhibition in the summer of 2018 and depending upon the response, may plan to extend The Namaste Express exhibit for four years, in a much bigger location.

GOPIO members discuss issues of NRIs with Sushma Swaraj

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics 0

A delegation from GOPIO, the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin met with India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on recently in New York and discussed several Indian Diaspora issues and avenues of cooperation.The delegation was headed by GOPIO International Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham. Other members included GOPIO Intl Vice President Ram Gadhavi, Chief of Board of Advisors H.R. Shah, International Coordinator for North America Dr. Rajeev Mehta, GOPIO Intl. Chamber of Commerce Co-Chairman Prakash Shah, New York Area Coordinator Lal Motwani, GOPIO-Connecticut Past President Shelly Nichani, GOPIO-New York President Beena Kothari, GOPIO-North Jersey President Rajul Shah, Health Council Chair Dr. Asha Samant, Science/Tech Council Chair Shailesh Naik and Media Council Chair Nami Kaur.

OPIO delegation brought the following issues to the Minister Swaraj: PIO youth participation in Know India Program (KIP) from the developed countries (currently only PIO countries have larger participation) – GOPIO asked for a program in the Summer (July/August) timeframe.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, 2019 and GOPIO’s Active Participation – GOPIO provided the largest Overseas Indians registration at the last PBD. GOPIO has the largest network among NRIs/PIOs. GOPIO should be involved from the beginning for PBD-2019 planning. Minister agreed to have representative in every pre-planning meeting of PBF 2019.

Launch of GOPIO International Chamber of Commerce (GICC) – Launched in Mumbai this year on Jan. 10th and inaugurated in New York on April 28th. GOPIO would like to work closely with her ministry to develop this global Indian business people network.

Demonetization Issue- OCIs and PIOs are still holding demonetized currencies since RBI did not allow them to deposit and Diaspora Indians have close to Rs. 7,500 crores still lying with them in small amounts. What should the NRIs do with the old currencies? Minister Swaraj informed that the Govt. had provided the time window for NRIs who are Indian citizens to deposit their currencies earlier. However, that window was not open for Diaspora Indians with foreign citizenship and the government would not be able to provide another such chance.

Aadhaar Card policy confusion for NRIs – NRIs do not have Aadhaar card for linking with their bank accounts. Minister Swaraj clarified that NRIs won’t require Aadhaar card to operate their bank accounts. GOPIO suggested that Indians citizen living anywhere in the world should have an Aadhaar card similar to all US citizens having a social security number, whether staying in the US or outside.

The Middle East NRI issues – NRIs stuck in the Middle East, returned NRIs without any opportunities in India, etc. – GOPIO complimented Minister Swaraj and the Indian Missions worldwide for their pro-active role in helping Indians living outside India in time of distress. However, as more Middle East NRIs are returning home, we need to develop programs to help resettle them. Minister Swaraj said that there are many programs for skills development as well as money available from different ministries for starting a business or technology related outfit. GOPIO offered to be facilitator between the returned NRIs and the government.

Diaspora Women’s Issues – GOPIO, like Indian Missions, take a proactive role on issues of Indian women in the western countries especially the newlyweds who arrive in their new adopted lands and find themselves in financial distress or other crisis mode.

NRI/PIO Participation in Make in India, Clean India, Pooling/Transferring New Technologies for India, etc. – GOPIO can be catalyst to motivate participation of the Diaspora to collaborate with Indian professional and community groups to find creative solutions in these arenas.

Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty also participated in the meeting which ended with a positive discussion on how GOPIO can play an instrumental role to support the Indian Government’s objectives with respect to their nationals living abroad. Minister Swaraj encouraged the GOPIO officials to continue engagement with their local congressmen and other legislative officials to advocate for the Diaspora rights and position within their adopted homelands.

Gandhi Peace Walk to commemorate Gandhi Jayanti

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

By Asha Tewari

GOPIO-Amsterdam in Netherlands has organised the first Gandhi Peace Walk Europe on October 7th starting from the Peace Palace in The Hague where the International Court of Justice is also located. On October 8th the participants arrived at the gates of the European Parliament in Brussels (Belgium) where they handed over their Gandhi Peace manifesto to the representative of a EU-based think tank that advises the parliament and local MLA’s.

The Peace Walk has been previously organised in The Hague by a local resident Frank Kanhai who is active in sports walks for a couple of years. GOPIO has acknowledged his enthusiasm and decided to uplift the ambition of peace and non-violence promotion by organising a larger audience of 60 dedicated participants who were willing to walk the 162 kilometers in teams during 2 days to Brussels. The Peace manifest was meant to promote Gandhian philosophy of Swaraj, Ahimsa and Satyagraha in the contemporary debates in Europe on Brexit, migration of labor and refugees, and Eastern European political tension combined with international politics.

The EU commissioner for foreign affairs Mrs. Frederica Mogherini recognised this effort by mentioning this in the EU-India Summit in New Delhi and has applauded GOPIO for using this Peace Walk to promote Gandhian values.

On October 28th, GOPIO Netherlands organized an interactive session with a special speaker from India Dr. Suman Khanna Aggarwal in the Humanity House, The Hague. The theme of the session is: Resolving Conflict in Community Relationships through Nonviolence: Creating harmonious relationships in and between communities through Nonviolence

Dr. Suman Khanna Aggarwal is a Gandhian scholar, peace researcher and Founder President of Shanti Sahyog – a Gandhian NGO & of Shanti Sahyog Center for Peace & Conflict Resolution – a unit of Shanti Sahyog. She has been Associate Professor of Philosophy in Delhi University and has lectured extensively – both in India and abroad and taught courses on Gandhian views in Universities in North America, Japan, Denmark, Middle East and Asia, for instance, in the Universities of John Hopkins, McMaster & Bradford: she also taught in the UK, Scandinavian Universities, and Al Quds University – Palestine/Israel. She has delivered multiple lectures during the International Days for Nonviolence before.

Dr. Abhay Deshpande to lead Center for Frontiers in Nuclear Science

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterScience & Technology 0

Physicist Dr. Abhay Deshpande has been appointed to lead the Center for Frontiers in Nuclear Science (CFNS), a new research center formed to lead the efforts to resolve one of the deep mysteries of the Universe. For the last 5 decades, physicists have known that protons and neutrons, the building blocks of the entire visible universe, are formed out of quarks and gluons. The interactions amongst quarks and gluons are governed by a theory called Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). However, exactly how the interactions happen inside protons and neutrons to make them what they are: how their properties emerge from the collective interactions of quarks and gluons, is still a mystery, and one of the most challenging problems in physics today. A new collider accelerator facility called the Electron Ion Collider (EIC) is needed to address some of these questions.

Two world class research organizations, Stony Brook University, a top public university in the US, and one of the premier nuclear physics labs of the US Department of Energy, The Brookhaven National Laboratory, have come together under the leadership of Dr. Deshpande, to form this Center. A generous grant from the Simons Foundation and a complementary one from the University/NY State together, have made this Center possible.

Most difficult problems in Physics have in the past been solved by the collective wisdom and effort of a great many scientists working together, on research problems. With his new role, Dr. Deshpande hopes exactly this to happen. The Center will be the hub for scientists around the world interested in helping the realization of the EI Collider, and eventually solving the mystery of matter.

Dr. Deshpande, who dedicated his entire life to understand aspects of nature that were most intriguing to him. The problem of the proton and neutron structure emerging from quarks and gluons has been on his mind for the last 25 years. During these years, he has performed experiments at CERN (the European Nuclear & Particle Physics Laboratory) in Geneva, Switzerland, at the German national laboratory called DESY, in Hamburg, Germany, and in the past few years he has been experimenting at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, NY and at the Thomas Jefferson Laboratory in Newport News, Virginia. What he learnt in all these experiments has resulted in the proposal for the Electron Ion Collider which he hopes to help realize in the next decade.

Abhay grew up in Vile Parle, Mumbai. He is a graduate of Parle Tilak Vidyalaya, and the Mumbai University. He did his M.Sc. from IIT Kanpur and Ph.D. from Yale University in New Haven, CT. This doctoral thesis was focused on understanding some of the rarest decays in (the Universe) of a particle called Kaon, which carries some very strange quarks.

Vikas P. Sukhatme appointed new Dean of Emory University School of Medicine

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterEducation, Health 0

Emory University has appointed Vikas P. Sukhatme, MD, ScD, a distinguished physician-scientist, as the new Dean of Emory University School of Medicine. He also will serve as Chief Academic Officer of Emory Healthcare and as Woodruff Professor. Sukhatme will join Emory Nov. 1, 2017. Emory President Claire E. Sterk joined Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Emory Healthcare CEO Jonathan S. Lewin and Emory Provost Dwight A. McBride in making the announcement.

Sukhatme is currently Chief Academic Officer and Harvard Faculty Dean for Academic Programs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and the Victor J. Aresty Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

“I am delighted to join President Sterk and Provost McBride in announcing this new appointment,” says Lewin. “Dr. Sukhatme is a highly recognized and exceptional biomedical scientist, clinician, and teacher. I am confident that under his leadership, the medical school will continue its upward trajectory in reputation and impact and will further enhance the Woodruff Health Sciences Center’s place as one of the world’s premiere academic health centers.”

Sukhatme’s appointment is the culmination of a nearly year-long national search. He succeeds David S. Stephens, MD, who has served as interim dean and will continue his roles as vice president for research in Emory’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center and as chair of the Department of Medicine in Emory University School of Medicine.

“Dr. Sukhatme’s eclectic academic background as a basic science researcher, a clinician, and a translational scientist will be a major asset to the School of Medicine, the University at large, Emory Healthcare, and to the full array of diverse communities with which Emory interacts,” said McBride. “We look forward with great excitement to the future of the School of Medicine under his stewardship.”

“I am deeply honored to have been selected as the Dean of Emory University School of Medicine,” Sukhatme says. “With a stellar leadership team, an extraordinary faculty, an outstanding cadre of staff, trainees and students, and distinguished alumni and supporters, Emory’s future is bright. Now is the time to take on some of the most challenging problems in medicine and biology, and to tackle them through innovative, interdisciplinary approaches.”

Sukhatme was born in India and raised in Rome, Italy. He completed a bachelor’s degree and then a doctorate (ScD) in theoretical physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1979, he received an MD from Harvard Medical School in the Harvard-MIT program in Health Sciences and Technology. Following his residency in medicine and a clinical fellowship in nephrology at Massachusetts General Hospital, he spent two years at Stanford in immunology research.

His first faculty appointment was at the University of Chicago, where he was also appointed an assistant investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In 1992 he moved to Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) as chief of the renal division in the Department of Medicine, and he subsequently received an appointment in the hematology-oncology division. He is also the founding chief of the Division of Interdisciplinary Medicine and Biotechnology at BIDMC. For eight years, he has been the Chief Academic Officer and Harvard Faculty Dean for Academic Programs at BIDMC.

Sukhatme’s research spans numerous areas of medicine in both fundamental science and clinical care. He has over 200 scientific publications that have been cited more than 31,000 times. His longstanding interest in cancer currently centers around tumor metabolism and tumor immunology and on “outside-of-the-box” approaches for treating advanced cancer. He has conducted studies on genes important in kidney cancer and polycystic kidney disease.

Sukhatme’s laboratory played a key role in the discovery of the cause of preeclampsia, a blood vessel disorder and a major cause of morbidity in pregnant women. His research also has provided insights into how blood vessels leak in patients with severe infections, and on how new vessels form to feed growing tumors. He has elucidated mechanisms by which statins can cause muscle damage.

Sukhatme is known to be equally passionate about teaching medicine and educating communities outside of medical school. He initiated a course to bring MD/PhD students up to speed as they returned to the clinic after their graduate studies, as well as a mini-medical school series for the general public, and one for industry scientists highlighting unsolved clinical problems.

According to Alan Garber, provost of Harvard University and himself a physician, “Vikas is a superb researcher with remarkable breadth and sophistication, all in the service of improved human health. He has a deep, discerning intellect and is dedicated to the success of his colleagues and students. Emory is fortunate to have attracted him as dean.”

Sukhatme also is an entrepreneur, having cofounded several biotechnology companies based on discoveries from his laboratory. Along with his wife, Vidula Sukhatme, he is co-founder of a not-for-profit organization, GlobalCures, to conduct clinical trials on promising therapies for cancer not being pursued for lack of profitability.

A church in India among seven Indian sites awarded by UNESCO

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterIndia 0

With seven out of 16 awards, India bagged the highest number of awards among all the participant nations in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation for 2017.

While the award for merit was given to three Indian historical sites, the others four sites were given honorable mentions in the UNESCO awards, announced on November 1. Four of the awards winning structures are in Mumbai.

The award recognizes work done by individuals and organizations to restore adapt and conserve structures and buildings of heritage value.

Recognizing this, UNESCO seeks to encourage private sector involvement and public-private collaboration in conserving the region’s cultural heritage for the benefit of current and future generations.

The Awards of Merit were given to Christ Church in Mumbai’s Byculla, the Royal Bombay Opera House in Mumbai and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tiruchirappalli.

Byculla’s Christ Church opened to worship in 1833. This Neo-Classical church structure was restored in two phases.

According to the UNESCO report, the church had suffered from earlier inappropriate repair works that disguised and diminished its cultural value. The panel appreciated the fact that Artisan skills were revived during the renewal of the elegant interior with its gilded columns, memorial stained glass windows and lath and plaster ceiling.

Royal Bombay Opera House was restored from a near-derelict state. It opened in 1916 and was called the finest theatre in the East; the century-old building was shut down over two decades ago.

The panel acknowledged the extensive restoration of its decorative features using expert knowledge and research, to ensure that India’s only surviving opera house could make its mark again.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple has revived through a major public-private initiative. It is said that the use of traditional methods in renovating temple structures and re-establishment of rainwater harvesting and historic drainage system, to augment water and prevent flooding, were the main reasons for the temple to achieve the award.

Honourable mentions were given to the Bomanjee Hormarjee Wadia Fountain and Clock Tower in Mumbai, the Wellington Fountain in Mumbai’s Colaba, Gateways of Gohad Fort in Bhind and Haveli Dharampura in Delhi.

“The Jury was impressed by the heroic nature of the conservation projects, especially those that underscore the importance of protecting the heritage that is rooted in the least powerful segments of society,” said Duong Bich Hanh, Chair of the Jury and Chief of UNESCO Bangkok’s Culture Unit. The 16 winners of the UNESCO award are from six countries: Australia, China, India, Iran, New Zealand and Singapore.

UNHCR to get Mother Teresa Award 2017 for social justice

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been named as the recipient of the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice, 2017 as an acknowledgement of its exceptional work worldwide, it was announced here on Thursday.

The UNHCR provides humanitarian aid to innumerable people internally displaced by conflicts and helping stateless people all over the world, said Harmony Foundation Chairman Abraham Mathai, which has instituted the only official award in memory of Mother Teresa, who attained sainthood in September 2016.

“The UNHCR has and continues to showcase to the world the true essence of humanitarianism through the life-changing works it does globally. We salute its committed, compassionate and courageous humanitarian work in dangerous and challenging regions of the world,” Mathai told IANS.

Referring to Harmony Foundation’s theme for 2017 – Compassion Beyond Borders, he said UNHCR epitomizes the theme so beautifully with the sheer bravery of its workers and volunteers who tirelessly work in crisis areas globally.

Instituted in 2005, the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice will be presented to the UNHCR at a function here on December 10, celebrating the unique legacy and global imprint of the woman known as the Saint of The Gutters during her lifetime, said Mathai.

As part of the awards ceremony, a Harmony International Conference to create awareness and action in the international community will be organized that day, with the participation of leaders from different fields.

Some of the past awardees include The Dalai Lama, Malala Yousefzai, Medicine Sans Frontiers, Anna Hazare, Colin Gonsalves, among many other individuals and organisations working in different fields in India and globally, said Mathai.

Abhijit Das to Run for Massachusetts Congressional Seat

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

Abhijit Das, the president and CEO of Troca Hotels, has announced he is running for the 3dr District Congress in Massachusetts. The Democrat candidate made the official announcement on his birthday amidst friends, family and community members at the Stonehedge Hotel and Spa in Tyngsborough. The seat ib being vacated by Niki Tsongas in November, 2018.

“As most of you know, I’m not a fan of [President] Donald Trump,” Das said, adding that the unequivocal denunciation of hatred, bigotry and racism should be a prerequisite to running for president. “That notwithstanding, we should not demonize those who voted for him nor can we simply ignore their voices. It is by engaging other viewpoints that we ultimately achieve understanding, compromise and progress,” he said.

Das attended the Brooks School in North Andover and earned a BA in political science from Middlebury College in Vermont. He later earned a law degree at the University of Michigan’s law school, focusing on constitutional law and the American political sector.

“It was there (at the University of Michigan) that I learned the power of democracy,” he said.

Early in his career, Das served as law clerk to U.S. District of Maryland Judge Benson Legg. There, Das said he was witness to the power of the federal government, its compassion and its injustice.

Before starting Troca Hotels in 2011, Das was senior director of development for Hilton Hotels in South Asia, resurrecting 28 hotels in India from none. With Troca Hotels, Das’ mission is to revitalize communities.

“Our state of the economy is troubling,” Das noted. “Something is not working and we need to fix that. We must work diligently to turn this place to one of opportunity and innovation.”

Das says his platform includes the economy, innovation, education and the mental health crisis, among other issues.

“Washington is broken. I entered the possibility of this race because I saw friends (on both sides) shouting at each other,” Das said. “True dialogue is what we need. We need someone who is going to cross over that line and say, ‘let’s talk.’”

The Democrat is among eight individuals from his party, as well as two Republicans, who hope to be victorious next November for the seat being vacated by Lowell-based Democratic incumbent Niki Tsongas, who is retiring after the current term.

“Our state of the economy is troubling. Something is not working and we need to fix that. We must work diligently to turn this place to one of opportunity and innovation,” Das said at the time in his announcement. His platform, he said, will focus on the economy, innovation, education and the mental health crisis, among other issues.

The 44-year old Das was born in Woburn, and grew up in North Andover. He went to Brooks School, studied political science at Middlebury College in Vermont, and took two semesters of classes at UMass Lowell, where his mother Mitra Das is in her 45th year teaching sociology, the Eagle-Tribune reported.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Chair of Indian Studies at University of Pittsburgh established

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterBusiness 0

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the University of Pittsburgh for the establishment of a Chair of Indian Studies at University of Pittsburgh. ICCR’s Director General, Riva Ganguly Das, and University of Pittsburgh’s Chancellor Emeritus, Mark Nordenberg and Vice Provost for Global Affairs, Ariel C. Armony, signed the MoU at New Delhi on 13 November 2017.

The ICCR Chair at the University of Pittsburgh is the second such Chair of Indian Studies in the USA, the first being the current Chair at Rutgers University. The academic partnership with the University of Pittsburgh has been signed for a period of five years.

Under the MoU, a distinguished visiting professor from India is to be hosted by the University of Pittsburgh for one semester each year to teach courses, conduct lectures, seminars and workshops on various subjects related to different aspects of India like sociology, economy, polity, art and culture. The MoU is another firm step towards deepening cooperation and further strengthening of relations between India and the United States.

Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor shine in PADMAVATI

November 15, 2017 Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor shine in the new video for the song Ek Dil Ek Jaan, an epic love ballad between a brave king and a courageous queen, from the year’s most anticipated film PADMAVATI. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, this special motion picture event will be released in North America in 3D on December 1.

Set in 1303 AD medieval India, Padmavati is the story of honour, valour and obsession. Queen Padmavati is known for her exceptional beauty and is the wife of Maharawal Ratan Singh and pride of the Kingdom of Chittor, a prosperous kingdom in the north west of India. The legend of her beauty reaches the reigning sultan of Hindustan – Allaudin Khilji. The sultan who is a tyrant, is fixated with wanting anything that is of exceptional beauty for himself.

He lays siege on the impregnable fortress of Chittorgarh. After a gruelling 6 months, He returns back to Delhi empty handed. He becomes obsessed and now wants to capture Chittor and its Queen at any cost. He returns back with a bigger army and raging fury. He attacks Chittor with brutal force and a bloody and fearsome battle takes places between the righteous Maharawal Ratan Singh defending his kingdom and the honour of his queen and Sultan Allaudin Khilji. Khilji manages to breach the fortress but in vain as the Queen chooses to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect her dignity.

Indian Americans score major victories in elections across the US

November 10, 2017 Staff ReporterU.S. 0

The November 7, 2017 elections across the United States underscored the growing influence of the Indian Americans and their coming of age and assuming greater roles in key states in the greatest democratic nation in the world’s political history. Indian Americans, a community of about 4 million people, who are now aggressively pursuing public office and a role in the country’s politics, matching their economic clout and academic advancements, also scored major victories, including to two state senates: Manka Dhingra in Washington on the west coast, whose victory flipped control of the senate to Democrats, and Vin Gopal’s victory on the east coast, flipping a long held Republican seat in New Jersey to the Democratic column.

Indian Americans Ravi Bhalla and Phalguni Patel easily won their respective races in New Jersey in which they had been targets of anonymous flyers that sought to portray them as a terrorist and an outsider, in the case of Patel, from a cricket-crazy immigrant community.

Manka Dhingra, the Indian American Democratic candidate for the Washington 45th Legislative District state Senate seat, won the Nov. 7 general election convincingly and, in turn, flipped the majority party of the state from Republican to Democrat.

Dhingra ousted her Republican counterpart, Jinyoung Lee Englund, to the tune of 55.4 percent to 44.6 percent in retaking control of the state. The former King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office senior deputy prosecuting attorney received 16,156 votes to Englund’s 12,997.

“I was proud of and excited about the result,” Dhingra said. “It reinforces the message from the beginning to make it about the people. It was about honesty, integrity and compassion. From the beginning I was clear I wanted a campaign run on values and not one that does attack ads. You are what Democracy looks like. And when Democracy wakes up, justice wins,” she said in her speech.

Vin Gopal, the former Monmouth County Democratic chairman with deep roots in the party there, defeated longtime state Sen. Jennifer Beck in the state’s 11th legislative district. According to unofficial results from the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, Gopal defeated Beck 28,750 votes to 25,108 votes.

Beck, an 11-year legislator, conceded to Gopal on Tuesday night, dealing a blow to Republicans in the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature. The race was one of the most expensive and closely watched in the state. “I have been so honored to serve you and I want to wish Vin Gopal the best as he now takes the reins in District 11,” Beck told her supporters. “I wish him the best of luck and offer him any assistance I can lend him in the transition.”

Another major victory for the NRI community was, despite an 11^th hour racist attack which depicted him as a terrorist, Indian American Ravi Bhalla emerged victorious, as he was elected the first Sikh mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. “I’m very humbled and honored to represent a great city and the Indian American community,” The Sikh-American City Council member topped five other candidates on Tuesday and succeeded Dawn Zimmer, who decided not to seek a third term.

While campaigning for the mayoral race, the Indian-American born and raised in New Jersey was called a “terrorist” in targeted racist attacks. Anonymously distributed flyers featured a picture of Bhalla with the message “Don’t let TERRORISM take over our Town!”

The 44-year-old politician responded to the flyers, saying last week they were troubling but “we won’t let hate win”. “I want to use this incident as an opportunity to affirm to each other and our children the value of living in a diverse community where we are judged by the content of our character — not by the color of our skin or how we worship,” Bhalla wrote in a Facebook post.

Phlaguni Patel was elected to the education board of New Jersey’s Edison county, a major hub where Indian Americans live. The fifth big win of the night was Dimple Ajmera, to City Council, Charlotte, North Carolina.

“H(Y)UGE day yesterday,” wrote Shekar Narasimhan, a top Democratic strategist in an email to a request for response. The word “H(Y)UGE” was borrowed from Bernie Sanders, who ran against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016. That was his way to describe something massive, momentous.

Elections were held on November 7 for the state executive, including governors, legislative, municipal and school boards in New Jersey and Virginia and for other state bodies, local boards, judicial bodies and vacancies in other states.

The victories give Democrats a huge psychological boost that could help their fundraising and candidate recruitment. It could also accelerate the pace of Republican retirements, as Republican Bob McDonnell’s win in the 2009 Virginia governor’s race did for Democrats.

Buoyed by the November 7, 2017 victory, Democrats declared the start of their comeback with the goal of reclaiming control of the two chambers of Congress—the Senate and the House of Representatives—from Republicans.

“The door is certainly open for us,” said Nancy Pelosi, top Democrat in the House, going over the election results with reporters and the implications for the 2018 congressional races.

Pelosi said she was reminded of victories in similar elections in 2005 that led to Democrats taking the two chambers in 2006.

Democrats posted victories in an entire range of elections held on Tuesday to governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, legislatures, municipal and judicial bodies, using an unprecedented demographic and cultural mix of candidates that were so representative of the new America.

“Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation” raises 2 Million in a glittering Gala

November 10, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

By Prakash Waghmare

Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation’s (‘EVF’) glittering ‘Gala’ on Saturday, Nov. 4 at the majestic ‘Cipriani’ on Wall Street in New York City was a grand success. The response for this highly anticipated event was simply overwhelming, not only in terms of capacity-attendance, but also donor’s enthusiasm to support EVF’s worthy cause. The evening raised more than $2 Million. ‘Ekal’ as ‘EVF’ is popularly known, had been raising funds in USA through series of concerts mainly directed at grass-root level, until now.

This gala was an added innovative effort to reach out to the Corporate world and high net-worth individuals and bring mainstream America into its fold. This impeccably organized spectacular evening’s main architect was Mohan Wanchoo (Chairman, Founder of EC Infosystems). He was ably supported in this affair by Chirag Patel (CO-CEO & Chairman of ‘Amneal Pharmaceuticals’), Soner Kanlier (CEO Jasmine Universe) and Rajesh Gooty (Founder, Pres.-CEO of M Corp). Since its inception 29 years ago, Ekal had been setting new records, year after year in fund-raising.

Last year, even without any high-end gala event, this largest NGO, with chapters in ten different countries including in Middle-eastern countries, raised $7.2 Million in USA alone. The evening started with the salutation to American and Indian flags with national anthems on the big screen. Welcoming the guests, Mohan Wanchoo, briefed the gathering about Ekal’s multi-dimensional approach to uplift rural and tribal areas of India through emphasis on literacy, healthcare, integrated village development and empowerment of village folks. He informed the gathering that Ekal currently has 58,000 schools, spread all over India supporting 1.56 Million children – more than half of which were girls. He further stressed that the project cost, including administration and monitoring was only $1-a-day or $365 per year per school.

Chirag Patel thanked all the teachers working at grass-root level in India and imparting life-sustaining education to the children facing various hurdles. Vinod Jhunjhunwala, the President of Ekal-USA paid tribute to Ekal leadership in USA as well Ekal-India team, which had flown in specially for this occasion. Under Ekal-USA leadership Ashok Danda, Subhash Gupta, Ranjani Saigal and Ramesh Shah were acknowledged while for Ekal-India Dr Subhash Chandra, Bajrang Bagra, Laxmi Goel, and Naresh Jain were recognized.

Ranjani Saigal, the Executive Director touched on the whole range of Ekal mission in remote areas through couple of brief ‘reality videos’ that also depicted use of digital technology, organic farming, and skill-training centers which are empowering rural life.

Mitzi Perdue, the heiress to ‘Sheraton Hotel chain’ and ‘Perdue Poultry Farms’, was one of the keynote speakers of the evening along with Dr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman of ZEE-TV and Chairman of Ekal-Global. Ms. Perdue, regaled the audience with three heartwarming stories about Ekal, that also reflected the importance of education for better achievements in life. Her speech enthused so many people that live mission-based auction for raising funds had a jump start with pledging process reaching one million mark within first 15 minutes.

Three generous donors – Chirag Patel, Ajay/Ranjini Poddar, Sant Singh Chatwal – each donated $250,000 each. There was amazing synergy and excitement during the pledging process – so much so that it was hard to keep the tab on all auction ’paddle-cards’. The frenzy to give donations was simply astonishing. Dr. Subhash Chandra, praised Mohan Wanchoo and Chirag Patel for putting up the magnificent fund-raising show and challenged economically blessed group of people to shoulder responsibility of those in need.

Lauding the generosity of big donors, he further elaborated that numerous small donors were equally important as they had larger stake in building any Nation by their sheer number. The evening was interspersed with fabulous Indian dances. With this awesome success, Ekal plans to make such ‘Galas’ an annual affair going forward and host them at various Metropolitan places like LA, Chicago, and Houston.

Kenneth Juster unanimously confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to India

November 10, 2017 Staff ReporterU.S. 0

Kenneth Juster, who has worked to cement India-U.S. relations over the past 16 years, was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on November 2nd as the next U.S. Ambassador to India. Juster takes over from Indian American Richard Verma, an Obama appointee who was asked to step down Jan. 20, before President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The post has been vacant since January. Trump nominated Juster Sept. 5.

Juster currently serves as the deputy assistant to the president for international economic affairs and deputy director of the National Economic Council. “I was proud to support Ken’s nomination to be our country’s representative in India, one of our most important defense partners in the region,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, who co-chairs the Senate India Caucus with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

“I have known Ken since we were in law school in the 1970s. As Ambassador, I trust his decades of work on critical issues like trade, cybersecurity and defense will help advance the U.S.-India relationship in a positive direction,” said Warner, who also serves as vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, in a press statement released shortly after Juster was confirmed.

Juster is seen as a veteran India hand. He founded and served as the U.S. Chair of the U.S.-India High Technology Cooperation Group, and was one of the key architects of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership initiative between the United States and India.

“His work related to India played an important role in the transformation of the U.S.-India relationship and helped provide the foundation for the historic civil nuclear agreement between the two countries,” noted Warner.

Juster has also served at the State Department and at the Commerce Department. His first call of duty will be to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad Nov. 28-30. After Trump was elected to office, several Indian American business leaders expressed concern as to whether the summit, co-hosted by India and the U.S., would occur this year.

Later this month, Trump’s daughter Ivanka will be leading a powerful delegation of business luminaries to the GES. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the three-day event. On Sept. 28, Juster sailed through his hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, handily fielding questions on bonded labor on human trafficking. The nominee emphasized that both countries could continue to work together to combat climate change, despite Trump’s pull-out of the Paris Agreement this summer. Juster noted that India has expressed great interest in clean technology and energy from renewable sources. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Oct. 26.

Juster was nominated by President Trump in September, and is in time to join the ongoing preparations for the Global Economic Summit end of November, being hosted jointly by Washington and New Delhi, where the U.S. delegation will be led by the President’s daughter Ivanka Trump.

A key player in the making of the U.S. – India civil nuclear agreement back in 2005, Juster will be pushing forward the administration’s ambitious agenda of strengthening the strategic alliance with India particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. This in the midst of a rare asymmetric drumbeat from Washington about India’s emerging global power status and Pakistan’s harboring of terrorists.

In his testimony at the Committee hearings, Juster said he looked forward to advancing “our strategic partnership with India – a relationship that is critical to promoting U.S. national security and economic interests.” He also spoke of the contributions of the nearly 4 million Indian-Americans, and stressed that as a democracy, India’s government and its civil society community was already “grappling” with issues like bonded labor and human rights as well as sex trafficking. He said he would find the right “interlocutors” to address American concerns in every area of concern.

US to give $500,000 to any NGO that promotes religious freedom in India

November 10, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

The Department of State said that through its $493,827 India program, it seeks to “reduce religiously-motivated violence and discrimination in India”. The US has announced a grant of nearly $500,000 for a non-governmental organisation to come up with proposals to develop early warning systems for “reducing religiously-motivated violence and discrimination” in India.

The US State Department also announced a similar grant for Sri Lanka. The Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, in its notice of funding opportunity, said through its $493,827 India programme, it seeks to “reduce religiously-motivated violence and discrimination in India”.

The State Department said the NGOs applying for the grant should come out with proposals to develop and implement early warning systems to mitigate large-scale violence and implement conflict mitigation programmes between minority and majority groups.

The applicants also need to come out with ideas for successful programme activities to counter hateful or discriminatory public messages with positive messages.

They should also have proposals to educate civil society and journalists about legal protections for religious freedom, particularly for members of religious minorities; document and report religious freedom violations to authorities; and educate law enforcement on human rights standards.

Among other proposals could be ideas to engage law enforcement to better protect rights of religious minorities, including preventing incidents of discrimination and violence and holding perpetrators accountable, the State Department said.

The State Department did not respond immediately to a set of questions on the necessity of such a grant amounting to nearly $500,000. Recipients of grants for India and Sri Lanka would be announced after screening of applications.

According to the information available on the State Department website, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor supports over 28 democracy, human rights and labour programmes in South and Central Asia (SCA).

Current funding for these programs in South and Central Asia exceeds $17 million. Program topics include media innovation and development, gender advocacy and equality, and improving protections for political, labour and human rights.

India is not among the countries listed by the State Department as recipient of these funding programs. The countries currently receiving grants from US in the region are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhastan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

For Sri Lanka, the State Department notice of funding opportunity said it seeks to ensure that authorities at all levels of government in Sri Lanka effectively implement national laws and policies protecting religious freedom.

Non-Buddhist religious groups have reported discriminatory restrictions imposed by local government officials on religious minorities, the State Department said. In its latest International Religious Freedom report, the State Department said Christian and Muslim activists stated the government was not doing enough to protect them against religiously motivated attacks.

There were reports of religiously motivated killings, assaults, riots, discrimination, vandalism and actions restricting the right of individuals to practice their religious beliefs and proselytise, it said.

There was an increase in violent incidents by cow protection groups against mostly Muslim victims, including killings, mob violence, assaults, and intimidation. Hindus threatened and assaulted Muslims and Christians and destroyed their property, it added. During his confirmation hearing last month, the new US Ambassador-designate to India, Ken Juster said that human rights and religious freedom would be one of his priority areas during his assignment in New Delhi. Juster was confirmed by the Senate last week.

Nishant Pandey becomes CEO of AIF

November 10, 2017 Staff ReporterBusiness 0

Nishant Pandey, who has been the India Country Director for three years, has become the American Indian Foundation’s (AIF) CEO in New York, the high profile non-profit organization announced Nov. 1. He is expected to build on the important programmatic, institutional development and fund raising successes that he has achieved in India, a press release from AIF said, thus providing strategic leadership to AIF’s operations spanning the U.S. and India.

Pandey began his career as a banker but soon realized that the development sector was his calling. He joined the global charity, Oxfam, as the program officer for South India where he designed and developed value-chain programs on the theme of ‘power in markets’.

Subsequently, he moved to Oxfam’s global headquarters in Oxford to lead on program development and management in 12 countries including Russia, Tajikistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Albania, Yemen, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Jordon, according to the AIF website. His ability to link high-level policy with projects on the ground during his work on the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area and its impact on small farmers in the European neighborhood, earned him the opportunity to lead the entire policy and campaigns portfolio for Oxfam in the region.

Before moving back to India with AIF, Pandey was based in Jerusalem where he led one of Oxfam’s most complex and challenging country programs in Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel as the Country Director.

“I am thrilled about the prospect and promise of taking AIF to greater heights and the opportunity for me to contribute to this journey. I am confident that working together, we will achieve our ambition of touching the lives of 5 million women, men and children over the next 5 years,” Pandey said in the press release.

“Nishant firmly believes in the power of win-win partnerships. In his career spanning 20 years, he has forged several multi-stakeholder initiatives involving civil society, governments and corporate partners, big and small, global and local,” AIF said. “He believes that in the history of humanity, we have never had so much resources, connectivity and promise to make a positive difference to the underprivileged and marginalized women, men and children,” it added.

Pandey has a Master’s degree in International Development & Finance from the University of Leicester in the U.K. after he won the British Chevening Scholarship. He also has a Master’s degree in Economics as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Economics.

Mukesh Ambani tops Forbes’ 2017 list of India’s 100 richest tycoons

November 10, 2017 Staff ReporterBusiness 0

With a net worth of $38 billion, Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped Forbes’ annual list of India’s 100 richest tycoons of 2017, a statement said here on Thursday.

“Reliance Industries Ltd. chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped Forbes’s annual list of India’s 100 richest tycoons, with a net worth of $38 billion. To put it in context, this is equal to the entire GDP of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, as per World Bank Data 2016 estimates,” the statement said.

Forbes India will release the 2017 India Rich List by way of a special issue that hits the stands on November 6, 2017. The richest newcomer in the list is Wadia Group of companies Chairman Nusli Wadia (No. 25, $5.6 billion).

At $19 billion, the net worth of Wipro’s Azim Premji — who jumped two places up over last year to become the second richest Indian on the list — is almost equal to Afghanistan’s GDP of $19.4 billion, the statement said.

The Hinduja family maintained the third position ($18.4 billion) in the list. Last year’s second richest Indian, Dilip Shanghvi of Sun Pharmaceuticals (No. 9, $12.1 billion) is the biggest dollar loser on the list as his net worth fell by $4.8 billion.

“The Indian economy is still grappling with the impact of demonetization and GST. This makes The Forbes India Rich List 2017 edition special since it features those who have faced the challenges head on and continued to deliver phenomenal results. The list has come to stand as a testament to brand India and also puts many emerging successful entrepreneurs on the global map,” said Forbes India CEO Joy Chakraborthy.

According to the list, the total wealth of India’s top 100 billionaires, which stands at a whopping $479 billion, is more than the country’s foreign exchange reserves estimated at $402.5 billion in September 2017. The entry point to the list is at its highest ever, at $1.46 billion. Last year, the minimum amount required to make the list was $1.25 billion, 17 percent lower than this year. The aggregate wealth of the top 100 has risen 26 percent over last year.

Gandhi Statue unveiling at World Headquarters of Lions Internationalin Chicago – Deepak Kant Vyas Foundation and Consulate of India

November 10, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

Chicago IL: Consulate General of India under the leadership of Consul General Ms. Neeta Bhushan would be unveiling larger than life size bronze sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi at World Headquarters of Lions International in Oak Brook, Illinois on October 30, 2017.

Gandhi Sculpture is 5.1” high. It is made of bronze and has been designed by world renowned artist Philip Jackson from Europe and installed on white marble pedestal with Inscription “Mahatma Gandhi”. The total height of the sculpture is 7.1” together with the pedestal while its total weight is about 2200 lbs. The Consulate in coordination with Redberri Earth Foundation and Mr. Deepak Kant Vyas family Foundation is planning for permanent installation of the sculpture at an appropriate location in Chicago to mark the 150^th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Mahatma Gandhi is fondly called “Father of the Nation” by India. He was a legendary figure who led India to independence through the means of peace and non-violence . Albert Einstein had once said about him “Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth.” Mahatma Gandhi had inspired several world leaders including Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. His philosophy has been a beacon of hope and peace around the world.

Gandhi Statue will be on display at Lions Clubs International World Headquarters. Lions Club is one of the largest service based organization in the world and is celebrating its centenary year in 2017 under the leadership of Mr Naresh Agarwal from India who is currently the President.

AAHOA Applauds House Passage of the Save Local Business Act

November 10, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8—AAHOA President and CEO Chip Rogers applauded the passage today of H.R. 3441, the Save Local Business Act. H.R. 3441 clarifies the legal definition of the joint-employer standard under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the National Labor Relations Act in response to a 2015 National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision that ambiguously expanded the previous definition.

“Today’s passage of H.R. 3441 marks a monumental step forward in the fight to restore clarity for America’s small business owners, including AAHOA’s 17,000 hoteliers,” Rogers said. “Since the NLRB’s 2015 joint-employer decision, AAHOA members have written thousands of letters and held hundreds of meetings with their elected officials, urging swift action to reinstate the long-standing, unambiguous, joint-employer definition.”

“Prevalent uncertainty has run rampant throughout the franchising and hospitality industries since the 2015 ruling, and is a detriment to local job creators, local jobs and local economies in every single congressional district. If enacted, H.R. 3441 would restore the commonsense definition of joint employer, a move that would allow AAHOA members to focus on expanding their businesses and creating new jobs.

On behalf of AAHOA, I commend the leadership of Chairwoman Foxx, Congressman Byrne, and the bipartisan group of lawmakers whose vote today signaled commitment to protect and defend local businesses and the American dream. We strongly support immediate action by the Senate in moving companion legislation with urgency, and look forward to working with Senate leaders to that end.”

AAHOA is the largest hotel owners’ association in the world. The more than 17,000 AAHOA members own almost one in every two hotels in the United States. With billions of dollars in property assets and hundreds of thousands of employees, AAHOA members are core economic contributors in virtually every community in the United States. As an association, AAHOA is a proud defender of free enterprise and the foremost current-day example of realizing the American dream.

Mudita Bhargava to run for Governor of Connecticut

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

“I am a different kind of Democrat and why — because I’ve not been a politician and I am a pro-business progressive:” Bhargava says

Mudita ‘Dita’ Bhargava, 45, the vice chair of the Connecticut Democratic Party and a former Wall Street banker, has declared her candidacy for governor, becoming the only woman in a field of four men vying in the primary to replace Democrat Dannel P. Malloy. Malloy announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election.

“I am a different kind of Democrat and why — because I’ve not been a politician and I am a pro-business progressive. And, if we don’t put a different kind of Democrat in the general election, it’s going to be very difficult for us to win,” she said. “Now, there is too much at stake for our state to turn into a red state. I am very focused on making sure that we keep it a Democratic state.”

According to reports, Bhargava, a Greenwich-based businesswoman, has raised more than $53,000 in the 18 days since she announced formation of an exploratory committee for her candidacy. Bhargava, who describes herself as a “pro-business progressive,” has raised well in excess of funds raised by any other candidate in that period of time, owing to contributions from the state’s Indian-American community. She is pledging to invite new business investment in Connecticut and create a welcoming job market for college graduates.

Bhargava said she is wearing her identity as an Indian-American woman on her sleeve. “About 3 percent of Connecticut’s population is Asian, and I am a very proud Indian-American and am quite close to the South Asian Community in Connecticut,” she said. “Five years ago, I co-founded the India Cultural Center of Greenwich which has a wide reach in Southern Connecticut. I have a good relationship with Dr. Abraham, and he was very supportive during my State Rep run and is also supporting me for my gubernatorial exploratory campaign and he did say that he will host an event for me.”

Bhargava told the media that she saw Connecticut at an economic and fiscal crossroads. “I want to bring to the state ideas that need to be implemented immediately,” especially in the areas of good-paying jobs and a thriving business sector. Bhargava made an unsuccessful bid for state Representative from Connecticut’s 151st District last year, going up against a Republican incumbent in a majority GOP district. She said that despite the loss, the contest gained her name recognition — helping win her election this past January to be vice chair of the state’s Democratic Party.

She said her experience as a Wall Street banker and her business acumen bring much to the table. “I have more than two decades of financial sector experience. It took courage, perseverance and hard work to break down barriers and be successful as an ethnic woman in a male dominated field. I plan to bring that same tenacity to help our state overcome its current challenges.”

She wants to see the tax base and industry base expanded. “So, I want to make sure that the businesses that are here — the small and large businesses —especially the small businesses because they employ more than 90 percent of our population across the country — feel empowered to stay and continue to do business in Connecticut. And, I want to attract new businesses and new industries to the state,” she said.

Born in Ontario, Canada, Bhargava grew up with two sisters, raised by a single mother following their parents’ divorce. She has a degree in electrical engineering from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She moved to the U.S. with her mother and sisters and became a citizen in 2004. Bhargava moved to Connecticut in 2007 from New York, after marrying her husband, Dan Pelletier. The couple has two children — Arya, 8, and Kalyan, 7.

Bhargava’s last private sector job was with RBS, but she also worked as a Wall Street trader and portfolio manager at Bear Stearns, Citadel Investment Group, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, and Dillon Read Capital Management.

She said she has reached out to the Indian-American community’s leaders, including Dr. Thomas Abraham, the co-founder of the National Federation of Indian American Associations and the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin.

She said the modest-sized Indian and South Asian-American communities were nonetheless politically active in Connecticut and she has found them supportive. “A good portion of the funds I’ve raised so far have come from Indian-Americans, and I expect to continue to receive that support,” she said. She said she has been happy to receive donations from citizens and even green card holders and that state financing requires candidates to raise at least $250,000.

“I come from a family with a lot of history and a lot of knowledge about Indian culture and history, and my grandfather — the late Dr. P.L. Bhargarva — was a renowned professor in Sanskrit and History, and he was awarded the President’s Medal in India for his scholarly work. He’d written 14 or 15 books and so in our family, Indian culture as very much an integral part of our upbringing,” she said. “I used to go to India almost every other year and spend the summer with my grandparents in Jaipur. So, I am very close to the culture and I am very proud of that — of my heritage. My kids are half-Indian, but they both understand and speak Hindi.”

Bhargava said the reason she founded the India Cultural Center of Greenwich was to continue that legacy. “A lot of the people who come to our events — about 30 to 40 percent — are non-Indian and we are very happy to share our culture with the broader community,” she said. She said she was also motivated by the bigotry, xenophobia and misogyny often associated with the presidential campaign and administration.

“When I was campaigning last year, I avoided talking about Donald Trump —I wanted to talk about the issues in Connecticut, and I am still focused on that,” she said. “But there came a time when my opponent had said that he supports Donald Trump and after that Access Hollywood tape came out, he still, when asked, two days later, whether he still supports Trump, he said, yes.

Then it became very personal to me, because this was a direct attack on women, and then I made it a point to say, ‘Listen, this is not the first and last time that Donald Trump is going to do this.’ He wants to be the leader of the country and people will follow his lead and he sets an example, and his xenophobic, misogynistic behavior, he’s giving people and open ticket, because there a lot of people out there who do carry insecurities, who are hateful, but there wasn’t this license to express it.”

She said he has “emboldened” racists and bigots. “And, so, when I was campaigning last year, I made the point that he is going to open this up …and, I said, we’ve come so far but I can assure you that this will happen again, and not surprisingly, and literally very soon after, I had made this point, I got this mail sent to my home with my walk-card—my campaign material defaced—and my face defaced and it said, ‘Go back to where you came from.’

“We’ve come way too far in our country and we stand on the shoulders of leaders who have made it a point to educate our folks that diversity makes us stronger, but this will make us weaker as a country and there’s way too much at risk for us not to double-down and stand up to this type of rhetoric and this kind of behavior.”

The publication, in a recent report, said that Bhargava took a step towards a possible run for governor in 2018 when she resigned from her post as vice chair of the Connecticut Democratic Party. Bhargava had held the post since January and resigned Aug. 15 in a letter to party chair Nick Balletto, the report noted. In her resignation letter to Balletto, Bhargava said she was considering a run for statewide office, the Time report added.

“Our state is facing some deep challenges,” Bhargava said last month, the Greenwich Time reported. “I’m trying to determine how I can help in the best possible way. My resignation is the first step, and the next step is talking to people throughout the state, hearing their concerns and seeing how I can best help.”

“We simply can’t afford to keep doing things the same way and expect a different outcome,” Bhargava wrote in her letter to Balletto, the Time reported. “We need new solutions to overcome Connecticut’s fiscal and economic challenges while advancing progressive goals.”

“We have to significantly improve the economic environment in Connecticut for our businesses and families to stay and to thrive,” she added in the Daily Voice report. “There needs to be a fresh, proactive and effective approach to how we deal with the challenges facing our state, starting with the budget.”

8 killed in ISIS-linked terror attack in NYC

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterU.S. 0

Eight people were killed and about a dozen more were injured on Halloween Day when a motorist in a rented pickup truck deliberately drove down a bike path in lower Manhattan and mowed down several people before crashing into a school bus. Officials said it was a terrorist attack — the deadliest in New York City since Sept. 11, 2001.

The man hopped out of the truck and shouted “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is great,” before firing a BB or pellet gun, four senior law enforcement sources told the media. A police officer on patrol in the area returned fire, hitting the suspect in the abdomen and ending the Halloween horror less than a mile from the World Trade Center.

Law enforcement sources said the man left a note in the truck claiming that he committed the attack for the Islamic State terrorist group, although it was not known whether he was imitating other IS-inspired road attacks in Europe or was under the group’s control.

“This was an act of terror and a particularly cowardly act of terror,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a briefing. “We know this action was intended to test our spirit.”

The suspect was identified as a 29-year-old Uzbek immigrant named Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, who entered the United States in 2010, law enforcement officials said. Records revealed that Saipov had lived for a time in Paterson, New Jersey. The weapons investigators recovered turned out to be a pellet gun and a paintball gun.

“Today, there was a loss of innocent life in lower Manhattan,” Police Commissioner James O’Neill said. “This is a tragedy of the greatest magnitude.” The attack began unfolding at 3:05 p.m. when the southbound truck veered onto a bike path on West Street near Houston Street. “He entered the bike path at Houston Street and exited the bike path when he collided with the bus at Chambers Street,” O’Neill said.

Argentina’s foreign affairs minister said five of the victims were Argentine, and the group had been celebrating the 30th anniversary of a school graduation. The official identified them in a statement as Hernán Mendoza, Diego Angelini, Alejandro Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferruch. Belgium’s foreign affairs ministry said one of the victims was a national of that country.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the attack appeared to be the work of a “lone wolf.” “There’s no evidence to suggest a wider plot,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of today’s terrorist attack in New York City and their families,” President Trump said in a statement. “My Administration will provide its full support to the New York City Police Department, including through a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We offer our thanks to the first responders who stopped the suspect and rendered immediate aid to the victims of this cowardly attack.

Gopal Vin hopeful of flipping Senate seat in NJ

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

Vin Gopal, an Indian American and a former Monmouth County Democratic Party chairman, is running for the 11th District state Senate seat representing Monmouth County in New Jersey, hoping to clinch it away from the Republican Party. Gopal’s announcement is a direct challenge to state Sen. Jen Beck, a Republican, who currently holds the seat. Beck will be seeking re-election. If Gopal succeeds in flipping the 11th District seat held since 2012 by Republican incumbent Jennifer Beck this November 7, he would become the first Indian-American State Senator in New Jersey’s history.

Gopal was unopposed in the June 6 primary, receiving the Democratic Party’s nod for the state’s 11th district. Gopal is running on a ticket with the two Democratic Assembly representatives who currently represent the district and will also be running to keep their seats, Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling (D, Neptune Township) and Assemblywoman Joann Downey, (D, Freehold Township).

Gopal served for four years as the chair of the Monmouth County Democratic Party, a perch from where he is credited with engineering several electoral victories to mayoral, city councils and the state assembly. In an interview over the weekend with Desi Talk, Gopal said his campaign has raised $600,000 so far out of a target of $2 million he estimated earlier was needed to win the race. “I have personally knocked on 3,500 doors and have another 300 volunteers” doing the same. “I am working hard to unseat a long-time incumbent,” Gopal acknowledged.

The American Federation of Teachers, New Jersey chapter has endorsed Gopal. The teachers union represents about 30,000 education workers across New Jersey. “I am proud to endorse Phil Murphy, Christine Lui Chen and Vin Gopal,” said Meng. “All are exceptional candidates who will fight tirelessly for New Jersey’s hard-working middle-class families,” Rep. Meng said in a press release. “I look forward to working with each of them to strengthen our economy, create jobs and ensure equal pay and affordable health care for all.” Gopal has held rallies with other candidates running for office, including most recently in Asbury Park, N.J., Democratic gubernatorial favorite Phil Murphy. New Jersey’s only Indian-American State Assemblyman Raj Mukherjee has also actively campaigned for Gopal.

“As a proud small business owner and life-long Monmouth County resident I love the State of New Jersey and I believe it is headed in the wrong direction,” said Gopal. “I have volunteered as a board member for our county chamber of commerce, as president of my town’s business owners association, as a volunteer EMT and a volunteer member for the county’s Big Brothers, Big Sisters Board. As your Senator, I will fight for every taxpayer in the 11th District.”

Garden State Equality, the state’s largest and most active gay and lesbian rights advocacy organization, has formally backed Vin Gopal for state senate in the battleground 11th District. “We consider Vin Gopal a friend, and we know he will have our back with Phil Murphy in Trenton,” Christian Fuscarino, executive director of Garden State Equality, told InsiderNJ. “We know we will have two allies. Vin Gopal is someone we can count on, and we know we can take him at his word,” Fuscarino said.

“I’m hoping everyone will take this seriously and if they do this could have a major impact on this race,” the Vin Gopal said of the endorsement. “There are not many districts where we can sway an election, but this is one.”

FIA welcomes Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterU.S. 0

The Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, in a welcome reception hosted in honor of the new Consul General, Sandeep Chakravorty, on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at Royal Albert’s Palace in Edison, NJ, offered full cooperation to the Indian Ambassador.

While addressing the FIA leaders, Chakravorty said that this is the best time for the U.S.-India bilateral relationship, “on October 18th, Secretary Tillerson gave a speech in Delhi, which plays out the roll path for the next 100 years in U.S.-India relations.”

“There are 4.2 million Indians here; I think that number will grow because Indians are very welcome in this country. Indians are contributing enormously to the development of this country and I think the responsibility of the consulate will increase in time. The consulate is here to service the U.S.-India relationship and to service the Indian Diaspora here and if we are not able to do that successfully then I think there is a problem with us,” he said.

Chakravorty also addressed the many issues that the Indian American diaspora face including the OCI problem of having to go back and forth with FedEx, “the consulate is working on the matter and we are thinking of sending text messages now instead of emails to notify that the service has been delivered” because sometimes those messages tend to go into the spam folder of one’s email account.

He stated that today, we don’t have the luxury of having one-on-one meetings anymore like back in the day, since the population of Indians in America have increased, but that should not stop us from finding a solution to the problems that already exist and said that in order to tackle these problems; the consulate has been and will be holding an open house every other Wednesday each month along with the consulate coming to you wherever you are.

Among the many dignitaries who had come around to welcome the new Ambassador to New York included the FIA Board and Committee members including the Chairman, Ramesh Patel, who said he is hopeful that the ambassador will work with the FIA to solve the various ongoing problems regarding visa statuses, as well as Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh of Parikh Worldwide Media, who welcomed the Consul General to New Jersey and Padma Shri H.R. Shah of TV Asia.

“I have had an opportunity to interact with Ambassador Chakravorty several times since his arrival, of course we all know that he is a remarkable and brilliant young man. He has achieved high office early in his travel career. He has been a deputy high commissioner in Dhaka and before coming to New York, he was the ambassador in Peru and Bolivia. I’m sure the day is not too far that we will have to go to Washington D.C. to meet him as he will be the U.S. Ambassador of India,” Dr. Sudhir Parikh said.

H R Shah told the audience that Chakravorty’s “job is a big job and he has so many difficulties” as Consul General of India in New York because he has to cover 11 states containing of 1.7 million people, which is not easy at all, “he has to work, we have to salute his work and keep high hopes that he will do a great job. Don’t ask him what you are going to do for us, ask him what we can do for you.”

Others who spoke on the occasion include Albert Jhasani, owner of Royal Albert’s Palace; Shobna Patel, former president of FIA; the Deputy Consul General of Israel Amir Sagie; Kenny Desai, chairman of tax group; Dhiren Amin, President of the Indian Business Association and Deepak Patel from Dunkin Donuts.

According to the Indian Envoy, “I’m here to serve you, I’m here to help you in your activities in your presence in the United States and through you I want to leverage you and your presence for the betterment on the U.S.-India relationship and the betterment of my country.”

Tillerson Meets Modi, Swaraj; discusses H1 visa, terrorism, trade, technology, Indo-Pacific

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterFinance/Economy, India, Travel, U.S. 0

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, on his first visit to India as a cabinet member, discussed expanding and solidifying U.S.-India security and strategic cooperation in various regions of the world, including North Korea, as well as in trade, economic development, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his meeting with Tillerson, praised Washington for the upward trajectory of bilateral relations between the two democracies and shared the resolve “on taking further steps in the direction of accelerating and strengthening the content, pace and scope of the bilateral engagement,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement reported by Indo Asian News Service.

While in New Delhi, Tillerson continued exhorting Pakistan for harboring terrorist groups within its borders. “There are too many terrorist organizations that find a safe place in Pakistan from which to conduct their operations and attacks against other countries,” Tillerson said at a joint press conference with Swaraj, according to the video available on the MEA website. These terrorist groups threatened Pakistan’s own stability, he added, reiterating what he had said in a major foreign policy speech before embarking on his tour to several countries including India and Pakistan.

Dr. Kiran Patel sells Health Insurance Company Freedom Health to Anthem

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterBusiness, Health 0

Dr. Kiran Patel, an Indian American cardiologist, entrepreneur and philanthropist, has announced the sale of his Tampa, Fla.-based healthcare services company Freedom Health Inc. to Anthem Inc., the second largest health insurer in the United States.

Anthem did not disclose financial terms for the purchase of the company, which had combined revenues of $1.4 billion and net income of $10.1 million in 2016. The deal will close in the first quarter of 2018. This is Anthem’s second acquisition of a Medical Advantage company in Florida. Last month Anthem, which has a market cap of $54 billion, acquired HealthSun, which has 40,000 Medicare Advantage members in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. In acquiring America’s 1st Choice, Anthem said it had also scooped up the company’s Florida Medicare Advantage brands which include Patel’s Freedom Health as well as Optimum.

Patel told the Tampa Bay Business Journal: “In life, there comes a time where one has to decide personal capacity and capabilities. I’m an entrepreneurial type and the company has grown to a level where now, to grow to next level, you need a disciplined approach, a corporate type-approach and I don’t survive in that type of environment…. I like to grow things and then it’s time to pass it on to someone who has a more corporate structure.”

Patel, who said the sale process started about four months ago with several suitors, ended with Anthem winning out because it aligns properly with how he foresees his company heading. In a letter he wrote to more than 1,000 employees, Patel said, “Many corporations can provide the governance and capital but I wanted a partner that was philosophically aligned with my thoughts. After discussion with multiple players, I found Anthem to be uniquely aligned with my thoughts and visions.”

The Indian American entrepreneur said he is confident Anthem will take care of every employee who works hard and can adapt to Anthem’s culture. With this company sold, Patel told the Tampa Bay Times he hopes to shift his focus to philanthropic efforts.

In a company press release, Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish said: “The acquisition of America’s 1st Choice, which has strong technology tools and expertise designing and implementing engagement programs, fits well with our growth objective and will also enhance our ability to deliver a broad variety of cost-effective, high quality plans to meet the diverse needs of the Medicare population.”.

“I want to focus on the other things that I have started, from hospitality to different funds and technology companies,” Patel told the publication. “But more of my time will go to the philanthropic side.”

Patel and his wife Dr. Pallavi Patel have donated millions to philanthropic efforts across the Tampa Bay area and built hospitals in India and Zambia, according to a Tampa Bay Times report. Among their donations include $26 million to the University of South Florida, $5 million for a conservatory at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, and $3 million for a research institute at Florida Hospital Tampa, the report said. The couple recently announced they had made a $200 million commitment to Nova Southeastern University for a regional campus in Clearwater that would focus on medical education, the report added.

He is also starting a university in India, which is called the Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel University, with a medical school, and he hopes to exchange students between India and the U.S. He’s working on health care initiatives in Zambia and Jamaica, while “passing the torch” on other business involvement to his children.

Trump Admin policy makes H-1B Visa extension harder to get

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterTravel, U.S. 0

With a recent move, the Trump administration has made it more difficult for the renewal of non-immigrant visas such as H-1B and L1, popular among Indian IT professionals, saying that the burden of proof lies on the applicant even when an extension is sought. Rescinding its more than 13-year-old policy, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said that the burden of proof in establishing eligibility is, at all times, on the petitioner.

USCIS said the previous memorandum of April 23, 2004, appeared to place this burden on this federal agency. “This memorandum makes it clear that the burden of proof remains on the petitioner, even where an extension of non-immigrant status is sought,” USCIS said in an Oct. 23 memorandum.

Under the previous policy, if a person was once found to be eligible for a work visa initially, they would usually be considered for extension of their visa. Now during every extension, they need to prove to the federal authorities that they are still eligible for the visa they apply for.

William Stock, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said that the change is being made retroactively to people already living in the country and not just to new visa applicants.

“In adjudicating petitions for immigration benefits, including non-immigrant petition extensions, adjudicators must, in all cases, thoroughly review the petition and supporting evidence to determine eligibility for the benefit sought.”

The new policy is in line with the Trump administration’s goal to protect American workers from discrimination and replacement by foreign labor, NumberUSA website said. This new policy will make sure that only qualified H-1B workers will be allowed to stay in the U.S. and will help crackdown on visa fraud and abuse, it added.

Indians get most of the H-1B visas although there are no national quotas for the facility. The new directive is in sync with the Donald Trump administration’s goal to protect American workers from discrimination and replacement by foreign labour, NumberUSA website said.

India to probe into Sherin Mathews’s adoption process

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterIndia 0

India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has sought a thorough probe into adoption process of the three-year-old Indian American girl Sherin Mathews who has died in Texas last month.

Sushma Swaraj tweeted that she has requested Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi “for a thorough investigation into the adoption process of Baby Saraswati Sherin Mathews who has been killed by her foster father Wesley Mathews in the US.”

She also said that she has asked Anupam Roy, Consul General of India in Houston, to ensure that the murder of Sherin was taken to a logical conclusion. Police in Texas charged Wesley Mathews after he admitted that the child choked while he was making her drink milk and died in their home in Texas, according to court documents.

He had earlier told police that Sherin disappeared when he made her stand in a lane behind their house in Richardson city at 3 a.m. on October 7 as punishment for not drinking milk. After nearly two weeks of searching by police using drones, her body was found on Sunday in a ditch near their house in the city near Dallas. While the search was going on, Mathews stuck to the story about Sherin’s punishment and mysterious disappearance.

Mathews, who was arrested on Monday, was charged with causing injury to a child which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. He was being held in jail with bail set at $1 million. Mathews, 37, who works in IT, is of Indian origin. He and his wife Sini, a nurse, had adopted Sherin from an orphanage in Bihar.

According to court documents, Mathews came to the police with his lawyer and said that he “physically assisted” Sherin with drinking milk in the garage of their house after she had earlier refused to drink it. The child began coughing and choking, her breathing slowed and then there was no longer any pulse, he told police.

In separate tweets, Sushma Swaraj also said that in view of the Sherin Mathews case, “we have taken a decision that passports for adopted children will be issued only with prior clearance by Ministry of Child Development in all cases.”

John Kapoor, Billionaire and Founder of Insys, arrested in alleged opioid scheme

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

On the same day President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency, the co-founder of a prominent opioid medication manufacturer has been arrested on fraud and racketeering charges. John Kapoor, former CEO of Insys Therapeutics, has been charged with conspiring to push the company’s signature drug for unacceptable uses through a series of bribes and kickbacks.

Subsys, as the drug is known, transmits the extremely powerful narcotic fentanyl in spray form, allowing it to be placed beneath the tongue for fast, potent pain relief. It is meant only for treating cancer patients suffering from severe pain.

But according to prosecutors, Kapoor and several other former high-ranking executives at the company conspired to bribe doctors to write “large numbers of prescriptions for the patients, most of whom were not diagnosed with cancer.” They also allegedly “conspired to mislead and defraud health insurance providers who were reluctant to approve payment for the drug when it was prescribed for non-cancer patients.”

Kapoor, 74, of Phoenix, Ariz., was charged with leading a nationwide conspiracy to profit by using bribes and fraud to cause the illegal distribution of a Fentanyl spray intended for cancer patients experiencing breakthrough pain, the attorney’s office said in a news release.

The entrepreneur, who currently serves as a board member at Insys, was charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Law. He was scheduled to appear in federal court in Phoenix Oct. 26 and then at the U.S. District Court in Boston, Mass., at an unspecified date in the future.

Six other former Insys executives and managers had allegations levied against them, all of whom were indicted in December last year. “The medication, called ‘Subsys,’ is a powerful narcotic intended to treat cancer patients suffering intense breakthrough pain,” the attorney’s office statement read. “In exchange for bribes and kickbacks, the practitioners wrote large numbers of prescriptions for the patients, most of whom were not diagnosed with cancer,” it added.

The indictment also alleges that Kapoor and the six former executives conspired to mislead and defraud health insurance providers who were reluctant to approve payment for the drug when it was prescribed for non-cancer patients, doing so by setting up a “reimbursement unit,” which was dedicated to obtaining prior authorization directly from insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, the attorney’s office said. An attorney for Kapoor told CBS News that Kapoor “is innocent of these charges and intends to fight the charges vigorously.”

Golmaal Again smashes more records

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

Grosses Worldwide Box Office of Rs. 203 crore (US$ 31.2 million) in Week 1

Mumbai, October 27, 2017: Smashing several box office records, Golmaal Again, has now achieved yet another distinction, grossing worldwide box office collections of Rs. 203 crore (US$ 31.2 million) in the first week of release. The movie now enters Week 2 of release, poised to become the highest grossing Bollywood film of the year 2017.

The Producer and Director of the film, Rohit Shetty, said, “We waited more than 7 years for the right subject to take the Golmaal franchise forward. What we have achieved is very exciting and humbling, all thanks to the love showered upon us by fans across the globe.”

Shibasish Sarkar, COO, Reliance Entertainment commented, “Golmaal Again has been an incredible journey for all of us. Our friend and partner, Rohit Shetty and his team, have outperformed every benchmark, and we are delighted with their unprecedented success.”

Golmaal Again, the fourth part in the Golmaal series released worldwide this Diwali on October 20. The ensemble cast includes Ajay Devgn, Parineeti Chopra, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Kunal Kemmu and Tabu. The film is presented by Reliance Entertainment in association with Manglmurti films and Rohit Shetty Picturez.

Reliance Group, led by Anil D. Ambani, is among India’s major business houses, with a leadership position in telecommunications, power, infrastructure, financial services, and media and entertainment. The Group has over 250 million customers, serving 1 in every 5 Indians and has over 8 million shareholders, amongst the largest in the world.

Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of Reliance Group and is engaged in the creation and distribution of content across film, television, digital and gaming platforms. Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered since 2009 with iconic film producer and director, Steven Spielberg, in the formation of DreamWorks Studios, and thereafter, Amblin Partners.

This relationship has produced several highly successful films such as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln, The Hundred Foot Journey, The Girl on the Train, Office Christmas Party and A Dog’s Purpose. Reliance Entertainment is releasing “Thank You For Your Service” in November, 2017 and also Steven Spielberg directed “The Post” starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep on January 12th, 2018.

KLM resumes Mumbai operations after 16 years

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterBusiness 0

World’s oldest scheduled airline, KLM Dutch Royal Airlines has reconnected with Mumbai with Mumbai –Amsterdam service from October 30, 2017. This move will further enhance the seamless air connectivity offered to flyers. GVK’s Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL), the company that operates Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), welcomed the Dutch Carrier – KLM which touched down in Mumbai on Monday.

The airline will operate thrice weekly service with a 294-seater Boeing 787-9 aircraft with 30 World Business class, 45 Economy Comfort Class and 219 Economy Class. Earlier, Mumbai and Amsterdam route was served with daily services offered by Jet Airways. Now along with KLM, Mumbai-Amsterdam route will be served with a total of 10 services per week.

The start of operations by KLM is a manifestation of CSIA’s commitment to continuously strengthen the connectivity enhancing Mumbai’s rapidly developing trade and commerce relationship with Netherland and rest of the globe.

Last week, CSIA welcomed Thai Smile’s maiden flight on the Mumbai-Bangkok route, the second airline after Thai Lion to start services in the sector within a month. Mumbai International Airport serves as a key gateway to India and has 52 airlines operating to 100 destinations from the city to various parts of India and the World. In FY 2017, CSIA, Mumbai welcomed 45.2 million air travellers (12.4 million international passengers) registering an annual growth of 8 percent.

New York City Council holds Diwali celebration

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity, Culture/Religion 0

New York City Council Member Rory I. Lancman, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and eleven other City Council Members hosted a Diwali Celebration in the City Council Chambers that featured a lamp lighting ceremony, dance performances, and the presentation of proclamations to distinguished South Asian leaders.

Diwali, or Deepavali, has a deep significance to Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists. Each legend of Diwali has the significance of the victory of good over evil; light over darkness; and knowledge over ignorance. During Diwali each year, homes are illuminated with light to celebrate this triumph. “Diwali is a special time when millions of South Asians all across the world rejoice and fill the world with light and love,” said Council Member Rory I. Lancman. “I am honored to join the many Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists in our city who celebrate this important holiday.”

Four prominent South Asian leaders were recognized at last night’s celebration: Shaanti Bhavan Mandir, who was honored with a proclamation from Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito; Harshit Chugh, who was honored with a proclamation from Council Member Dromm; Jarnal Singh, who was honored with a proclamation from Council Member Grodenchik; and Renee Mehrra, who was honored with a proclamation from Council Member Lancman.

Other program participants included: Anandita Guha, who performed the U.S. National Anthem; Dr. Krishna Pratap, who recited the World Peace Prayer; and dance performances by Brinda Dixit, Erika Dhawan, and Masala Bangra. Democratic District Leader Dr. Neeta Jain delivered welcome remarks at the top of the program.

“May this Diwali light up peace & harmony in everyone’s life,” said Dr. Neeta Jain.

The City Hall event was organized in conjunction with Council Members Costa Constantinides, Elizabeth Crowley, Daniel Dromm, Barry Grodenchik, Corey Johnson, Peter Koo, Karen Koslowitz, I. Daneek Miller, Donovan Richards, Paul Vallone and Jimmy Van Bramer. Other prominent leaders who had attended the event included, Council Member Dromm, Council Member Grodenchik, Assemblyman Weprin and Sandeep Chakravorty, Consul General of India.

BJANA of New Jersey holds first Chhatth festival

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity 0

The Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America (BJANA) held its first Chhatth festival in New Jersey last week. More than 300 members of the organization and their family members from the Tri-State area came together at the lakeside of Thompson Park in Monroe Township to offer their prayers to the rising and setting sun.

Chhath is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival historically native to the Mithila region of Nepal and the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. The Chhath Puja is dedicated to the Sun and his wife Usha to thank them for bestowing the bounties of life on earth and to grant certain wishes. Volunteers got together in advance to make prasad for the members attending the Puja. The women kept a fast and despite the cold, devotees stepped into the water to offer the ‘Arag’ to the Sun God.

Keeping the Chhatth festival in New Jersey was a dream come true for everyone as they were already attending it elsewhere for decades, the organizers said in a press release. The organizers said they planned to continue the tradition annually from here on.

Explosive Fact-finding Investigation of Pehlu Khan’s murder shows high-level Police cover up of murderers

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterUncategorized 0

By Indian American Muslim Council

IAMC is pleased to have been an active supporter of the momentous fact-finding investigation of the gruesome mob lynching of dairy farmer, Pehlu Khan, and the subsequent cover-up by Rajasthan police. The investigation’s report was endorsed by IAMC and several human rights organizations in India, US and UK and is making waves in India for its shocking expose of police complicity in cow terrorism.

The report’s release was the culminated of a four-month investigation by independent journalist Ajit Sahi. During the press conference organized at the Press Club of India in the nation’s capital New Delhi, human rights defenders and activists referred to the report’s findings as a watershed moment in the struggle to bring Pehlu’s killers to justice. The report highlights the role played by the Rajasthan Police in systematically sabotaging the case against the perpetrators of Pehlu’s cold-blooded murder and facilitating their “exoneration.” The report is a powerful declaration by human rights defenders that the pursuit of justice will not be deterred. Widespread coverage of the report and the press conference has again brought Pehlu’s brutal killing, and the subsequent cover-up by the Rajasthan police back into the national conversation in India.

The report has exposed blatant acts by the Rajasthan police and government institutions that has led to an intentional miscarriage of justice, with the killers not being arrested despite six of them being named in Pehlu’s “dying declaration.”
The report and its impact on mainstream discourse in India has given a boost to Indian civil society as well as the Indian Muslim community to stay the course in demanding justice and equality before the law within the framework of the Constitution of India. Additionally, it has encouraged all in the pursuit of justice to push forward with other cases of lynching such as those perpetrated against Hafiz Junaid and Mohammed Akhlaq.
The press conference with India’s top human rights advocates exposed the high level coordination and strategy used by cow vigilantes (gau rakshaks). It also demonstrated complicity between criminals and fanatics and individuals at the highest levels of state law enforcement machinery.
The press conference and the ensuing social media campaign following the report’s release has put Indian Muslim issues on the global radar and influenced mainstream discourse in a positive direction. IAMC remains committed to the struggle for peace, pluralism and justice.

India jumps to 100th spot on World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business list

November 1, 2017 Staff ReporterBusiness 0

India jumped into 100th place on the World Bank’s ranking of countries by Ease of Doing Business for the first time in its report for 2018, up about 30 places, driven by reforms in access to credit, power supplies and protection of minority investors.

The report, based on data from the capital New Delhi and the financial hub of Mumbai, ranked India among the top 10 “improvers” globally, having done better in eight out of 10 business indicators.

“Today’s result is a very clear signal from India to the rest of the world that not only has the country been ready and open for business, as it has been for many decades, it is now competing as the preferred place to do business globally,” Annette Dixon, World Bank’s vice president for South Asia, told reporters in New Delhi.

“Starting a business is now faster,” Dixon said, adding that India had strengthened access to credit system and made it easier to secure to procure construction permits.

However, the agency noted that India lags in areas such as “starting a business”, “enforcing contracts” and “dealing with construction permits.”

The report excluded the impact of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s shock withdrawal of high-value banknotes last year and the implementation of a nationwide multi-rate goods and services tax (GST), steps that affected businesses and dragged the economy to a three-year-low in the April-June quarter.

“In the case of GST, we know that this is a very complicated reform,” Dixon said, adding that the agency would observe the GST for the next two or three years to see its full implementation.

This month Modi eased tax rules for small and medium-sized companies in a bid to address growing criticism of his stewardship of Asia’s third-largest economy.

The World Bank report, covering the period from June 2 last year to June 1 this year, ranked India top among the South Asian nations.

“This year’s remarkable results are the culmination of efforts that have taken place over the past three years, so you can extrapolate forward and see that steps that are taken this year may take 2-3 years to show up in the results,” Dixon said.

President Trump celebrates Diwali at the White House

October 26, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity, Culture/Religion 0

Following with the tradition started by his predecessors, President Donald Trump celebrated his first Diwali at the White House on October 17th lighting the ceremonial diya with nearly two dozen prominent Indian-Americans in attendance.

Trump and his daughter Ivanka was joined by senior Indian-American members of his administration including Nikki Haley, his Ambassador to the United Nations and Seema Verma, Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Ajit Pai, Chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission and Raj Shah, Trump’s Principal Deputy Press Secretary also joined Diwali celebrations yesterday.

In front of Trump’s presidential desk was a special table covered with a tricolor cloth on which a tall silver diya stand was placed encircled by a red and yellow garland of flowers, mostly marigolds, the traditional flower used in Hindu religious ceremonies.

While the Lighting of the Diya is typically celebrated by families in their homes. Trump said, “Today, we proudly celebrate this holiday in THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE. In so doing, we reaffirm that Indian-Americans and Hindu-Americans are truly cherished, treasured and beloved members of our great American FAMILY.”

President Trump hailed the incredible contributions of the Indian-American community and said he valued his very strong relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his remarks, Trump said Indian-American neighbors and friends have made incredible contributions to the country — and to the world. “You have made extraordinary contributions to art, science, medicine, business and education. America is especially thankful for its many Indian-American citizens who serve bravely in our armed forces and as first responders in communities throughout our great land,” he said.

Diwali, he said, is one of the most important celebrations in the Hindu religion. “A time of peace and prosperity for the New Year, it is a tradition that is held dear by more than 1 billion Hindus worldwide and more than 2 million Hindus in the United States.

“As we do (celebrate Diwali) so, we especially remember the People of India, the home of the Hindu faith, who have built the world’s largest democracy,” Trump said in a Facebook post along with a video of his Diwali celebrations inside the Oval Office. Trump said he greatly valued his “very strong relationship” with Prime Minister Modi. Trump said he was deeply honored to be joined by so many administration officials and leaders of the Indian-American community in celebrating Diwali — the festival of lights. Diwali, the festival of lights, is also celebrated by millions of Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains in America, India and around the world,” he said.

Vice President Mike Pence and several lawmakers send greetings to the people of Indian origin on this festive day. “Happy Diwali to those celebrating with friends and family. May we all strive for peace, prosperity and the triumph of light over darkness,” US Vice President Mike Pence said in a tweet.

“Wishing Hindus, Sikhs and Jains around the world a joyful Diwali. Saal Mubarak to all! Looking forward to my visit to India for GES2017,” Ms. Ivanka tweeted along with a picture of President Trump celebrating festival of lights in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson started his major India policy speech by sending Diwali greetings to all friends in the US, India and around the world celebrating the Festival of Lights. “Generally, fireworks accompany that. I don’t need any fireworks; I’m getting too many fireworks around me already. So we’ll forgo the fireworks,” he said, amidst laughter from a Washington audience.

America’s top corporate leadership too joined the festivities. “Happy Diwali! May the festival of lights spread love, peace & prosperity to all!” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a tweet. “Today, let’s light up the world with the glow of our diyas and the warmth in our hearts. From my family to yours, best wishes for Diwali!” tweeted Pepsico Chairwoman Indra Nooyi.

Diwali is one of the most important celebrations in the Hindu religion, he noted, a time of peace and prosperity for the New Year for the billion Hindus worldwide and the more than 2 million Hindus in the United States. It is also celebrated by millions of Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains in America, India and around the world, the President said.

The tradition of Diwali celebration at the White House was first started by President George Bush. During his term it was celebrated mostly in the India Treaty Room of the adjacent executive office building, which is part of the White House complex. President Bush never personally participated in the White House Diwali celebrations.

In the first year of his presidency, former president Barack Obama lit the ceremonial Diya in the East Room of the White House. In his last year in office in 2016, Obama for the first time observed the festival of lights in the Oval Office.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, who sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly Sept. 26 urging Trump to celebrate Diwali, did not attend the celebration. Hatch sent the letter at the behest of Indian American businessman Shalabh ‘Shalli’ Kumar, founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition. Kumar and his adopted daughter, actress Manasvi Mamgai, stood by Trump’s side as he lit the traditional diya in the Oval Office. During the 2016 presidential election cycle, Kumar and his wife donated $1 million to Trump’s campaign.

“We wish all of America’s Hindus and everyone who celebrates Diwali a joyous holiday and blessings of light, goodness, and prosperity throughout the New Year. And now we will light the Diya,” said the President as he proceeded to light the traditional lamp.

Rohit Chopra nominated as Commissioner of Federal Trade Commission

October 26, 2017 Staff ReporterBusiness, Finance/Economy 0

Rohit Chopra, a senior fellow at the Consumer Federation of America, is expected to be nominated by President Trump as the commissioner of the US Federal Trade Commission, according to an announcement by the White House on October 19^th.

Interestingly, the Indian American resident of Brooklyn, N.Y., was part of Hillary Clinton’s transition team. A financial services expert, currently, Chopra is currently a Senior Fellow at the Consumer Federation of America, where he focuses on consumer protection issues facing young people and military families, the White House said in a press release. If confirmed, he would serve the remainder of a seven-year term that expires Sept. 25, 2019, according to the White House.

According to a report in Politico, Chopra was hired at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau early in Elizabeth Warren’s tenure when she headed that agency during the Obama administration. In an Aug. 30, 2016 report, the news outlet said, “Politico has learned that Hillary Clinton has named a progressive with close ties to Elizabeth Warren to her transition team in a move that seems aimed at mollifying liberals unhappy with earlier choices.”

The Secretary of the Treasury also appointed him as the agency’s student loan ombudsman. In 2016, Chopra served as special adviser to the Secretary of Education. Chopra it said, “battled for-profit colleges and loan servicers as the student loan ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau…”

The FTC works with the Justice Department to enforce antitrust law and pursues companies accused of deceptive advertising. It is an independent agency that is headed by a chairman and four commissioners. No more than three commissioners can come from any one party.

The agency is currently headed by Acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen, a Republican, with Democrat Terrell McSweeny the only other commissioner. The president has long been expected to name a permanent chair and fill the three empty commission seats, two Republican and one Democrat or independent, according to a zeebiz.com report.

Before he joined government service, Chopra was an associate at McKinsey & Company, where he served clients in the financial services and consumer technology sectors. Chopra holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s in business administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship.

India is a top source and destination for world’s migrants

October 26, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity, Finance/Economy, Tourism, Travel 0

India has a long history of migration. More than a century ago, large numbers of Indian migrants – many of them involuntary ones – moved to Africa, the Caribbean and within the Indian subcontinent itself. Some of the top destinations of Indian migrants in more recent decades include Persian Gulf countries, North America and Europe.

Most recently, Indians have looked towards the West with US as the top-most destination. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, considered a “low immigration” think tank based in Washington, D.C., India has sent the largest number of immigrants to the U.S. over the past six years – more than 654,000. The report released on October 16^th stated that the overall immigrant population in the U.S. is currently 43.7 million, and will reach 72 million by the year 2050. The report did not distinguish between documented and undocumented residents.

As per a Pew Research report, as of 2015, 15.6 million people born in India were living in other countries. India has been among the world’s top origin countries of migrants since the United Nations started tracking migrant origins in 1990. The number of international Indian migrants has more than doubled over the past 25 years, growing about twice as fast as the world’s total migrant population.

Nearly half of India’s migrants are in just three countries: the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and the United States. About 3.5 million Indians live in the UAE, the top destination country for Indian migrants. Over the past two decades, millions of Indians have migrated there to find employment as laborers. Pakistan has the second-largest number of migrants, with 2 million.

Almost 2 million more live in the U.S., making up the country’s third-largest immigrant group. Among Indian Americans, nearly nine-in-ten were born in India. As a whole, Indian Americans are among the highest educated and have some of the highest income among racial and ethnic groups in the U.S.

Parsing data from the federally-mandated 2016 American Community Survey and the national census, CIS noted that immigration from India has grown by 37 percent from 2010 to 2016. Currently, more than 2.4 million Indian immigrants reside in the U.S., up from approximately 1 million in 2000. The Indian immigrant population is almost equivalent to the Chinese immigrant population, which is estimated at approximately 2.7 million in 2016.

The biggest jumps in immigration percentages were primarily from South Asian countries. Immigration from Nepal jumped a whopping 86 percent; currently, more than 129,000 immigrants from Nepal reside in the U.S., a huge leap from 1990, when only 2,000 Nepalis immigrated to the country.

Bangladesh also had a substantial increase in immigration over the past six years – 56 percent – with a total population of almost 235,000 Bangladeshi immigrants in the U.S. in 2016. The population of Pakistanis in the U.S. increased by 28 percent over the last six years to almost 383,000.

By contrast, immigration from Mexico – traditionally thought of as the greatest contributor of immigrants to the U.S. – has just about stopped, to a negative 1 percent last year. Latin American countries – excluding Mexico – collectively had an immigration growth rate of 13 percent over the past six years.

California is home to the largest number of immigrants – more than 10 million – of any state in the nation, but Texas and Florida had the biggest numbers of immigrants moving to the states.

CIS is headed by Mark Krikorian, described by The Washington Post as “the provocateur standing in the way of immigration reform.” The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled CIS a “hate group.”

In an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, Steven Camarota, one of the authors of the report, decried the growth in the immigrant population, and noted that there were no policy discussions to potentially stem the growth of legal immigration.

Both Carlson and Camarota said they had not met an immigrant they didn’t like, but Camarota also noted that the influx of immigrants uses up the nation’s resources, contributes to heavy road traffic, and the housing crisis. “One-third of all children in poverty live in immigrant households,” he said, adding that the U.S. must exercise its capacity to control the influx of new immigrants.

In addition to immigrants, there were slightly more than 16.6 million U.S.-born minor children with an immigrant parent in 2016, for a total of 60.4 million immigrants and their children in the country, noted CIS, adding that immigrants and their minor children now account for nearly one in five U.S. residents.

Nisha Desai Biswal heads the U.S.-India Business Council

October 26, 2017 Staff ReporterBusiness 0

India is “one of the most significant and fastest growing markets” says the newly appointed head of the U.S. – India Business Council Nisha Desai Biswal, who took over as President of the organization on October 23rd. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce had appointed Nisha Desai Biswal as the President of the U.S.-India Business Council.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nisha Biswal to the U.S.-India Business Council and to the U.S. Chamber team,” said Myron Brilliant, U.S. Chamber executive vice president and head of International Affairs. “She is a driven, visionary leader who has a strong record of advancing United States business across the growth markets of Asia and throughout India. Under her strong leadership, we’re confident the U.S.-India Business Council will play a critical role growing commercial partnership, investment, and innovation across the world’s oldest and largest democracies.”

Biswal served as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs in the U.S. Department of State from 2013 to 2017, where she oversaw the U.S.-India strategic partnership during a period of unprecedented cooperation, including launching the U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. In recognition of her efforts, Biswal was awarded the prestigious Bharatiya Samman Award by the President of India in January 2017. She previously served as Assistant Administrator for Asia at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Biswal also spent over ten years on Capitol Hill, serving as staff director on the State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee and the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives. ‎ Most recently, she was a senior advisor with the Albright Stonebridge Group, where she helped expand the firm’s India and South Asia practice.

“I am honored and excited by the opportunity to lead the U.S.-India Business Council and to join the leadership of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce during a period of historic opportunity for both countries,” said Biswal. “As one of the most significant and fastest growing markets, India is an important economic partner for the United States. Likewise, Indian companies are investing in ever greater numbers here in the United States. I am proud to be part of an organization which will play such a critical role shaping U.S.-India relations, and I am thrilled at the chance to help our companies deliver a brighter, more prosperous future for the citizens of the United States and India.” Biswal has served on the board of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, and is a current member of the U.S. Institute of Peace International Advisory Council and the Institute for Sustainable Communities Board of Directors.

“UPS applauds Nisha being named as the new president of the U.S.-India Business Council,” said Jim Barber, president of UPS International. “At this critical time, she will bring dynamic leadership and well-established economic expertise to the mission of improving the U.S.-India relationship.” Biswal will join the U.S. Chamber beginning October 23, 2017.

Formed in 1975 at the request of the U.S. and Indian governments, the U.S.-India Business Council is the premier business advocacy organization, comprised of 350 top-tier U.S. and Indian companies advancing U.S.-India commercial ties. USIBC is the largest bilateral trade association in the United States, with liaison presence in New York, Silicon Valley, and New Delhi. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations. Its International Affairs division includes more than 70 regional and policy experts and 25 country- and region-specific business councils and initiatives. The U.S. Chamber also works closely with 117 American Chambers of Commerce abroad.

The USIBC went through an internal spat that culminated in June-July with a virtual walkout by top Indian-American and other CEOs from the organization, including former head of USIBC Mukesh Aghi, PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi, Mastercard Worldwide chief Ajay Banga, and Cisco’s John Chambers, in a bid to form a separate organization. According to news reports those who quit the Council had differences with the US Chambers of Commerce and other members of USIBC who pushed for a stronger stance against India on trade and other matters. How Biswal tackles these differences will be a test for the new leader. Biswal has served on the board of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, and is a current member of the U.S. Institute of Peace International Advisory Council and the Institute for Sustainable Communities Board of Directors.

America’s “Top Young Scientist” Gitanjali Rao is all kinds Of awesome

October 26, 2017 Staff ReporterEducation, Youth 0

Gitanjali Rao, 11-yr-old Indian American from Lone Tree, Colo. was declared the winner on October 18, of the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, for inventing a cheap device that rapidly tests water for lead contamination, she’s been granted the accolade of “America’s Top Young Scientist”. Her discovery has netted $25,000 as a result. She has explained to journalists that she hopes to become a geneticist or an epidemiologist in the future.

Considered the premier national middle-school science competition, which is administered by 3M (@3M) and Discovery Education (@DiscoveryEd) chose the Indian-American girl for her work to develop Tethys, a sensor-based device that can detect lead in water faster than other current techniques.

Following the Flint water pollution tragedy, Gitanjali began working on this project which, rather than using expensive equipment for testing, uses a cost-effective approach to water safety using a mobile app that populates the water’s status almost immediately, a press release from organizers said. The portability of the devise makes it easy to carry and used whenever needed. Gitanjali hopes to solve the water contamination crisis and decrease long-term health effects from lead exposure.

Every year, the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge asks kids up and down the country to explain in a short video a new scientific idea or invention – one that solves an everyday problem. Ten finalists are chosen, and the caliber is nothing less than spectacular. This year, a robot that helps reduce water wastage and a biodegradable material made from fruit that can clean up oil spills were just two of entries that made it to the last round of judging.

“I like finding solutions to real problems,” she said in a demo video for her product, which is called “Thethys” after the Greek goddess of fresh water. Gitanjali, a student at STEM School and Academy in Highlands Ranch, Colo., was inspired to make the device after studying major water crises in places like Flint, Mich., for two years.

“Imagine living day in and day out drinking contaminated water with dangerous substances like lead,” she said. She came up with the idea after reading about new nano technologies being used to detect hazardous substances on the MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering’s website, and wondered whether it could be adapted to detect lead.

A seventh-grader at STEM School and Academy, Gitanjali competed alongside nine other finalists during a live competition at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minn. She was awarded the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” as well as a $25,000 prize. There were five other Indian-Americans/South Asian Americans among the top 9 finalists –
Rithvik Ganesh, an eighth-grader at C.M. Rice Middle School from Plano, Texas, received second place; Laalitya Acharya, a ninth-grader at William Mason High School in Mason, Ohio; Anika Bhagavatula, a ninth-grader at Wilton High School in Wilton, Conn.; and Samu Shreshtha, a ninth-grader from Highlands Ranch High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo.

During the past three months, Gitanjali and the other finalists worked directly with a 3M scientist to develop their innovations as part of a unique summer mentorship program. Gitanjali was paired with Dr. Kathleen Shafer, a 3M research specialist who develops new plastics technologies that have real-world applications in dentistry and other fields.

Each of the students collaborated with some of 3M’s leading scientists, who provided guidance as they worked through the scientific method to advance their ideas from a theoretical concept into a physical prototype. During the final competition, the finalists presented their inventions to a panel of 3M scientists, school superintendents and administrators from across the country.

Mira Nair gets fellowship from Ford Foundation

October 26, 2017 Staff ReporterCommunity, Entertainment 0

Indian American filmmaker Mira Nair has received an Art of Change Fellowship from the Ford Foundation for 2017. Mira Nair was born and raised in Rourkela, India, and went on to study at Delhi and Harvard Universities. She began as an actress before segueing into documentary filmmaking. Her narrative feature debut, Salaam Bombay! (1988), won the Caméra d’Or and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

A resourceful and determined independent filmmaker who casts unknowns alongside Hollywood stars, Nair went on to direct Mississippi Masala (1991), The Perez Family (1995), Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996), Hysterical Blindness (2002), Vanity Fair (2004), The Namesake (2006), Amelia (2009), and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012).

Her most recent film, Queen of Katwe (2016), starring Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo, is based on the true story of the Ugandan chess prodigy, Phiona Mutesi. Nair’s acclaimed film Monsoon Wedding (2001) was recently brought to the Berkeley Repertory Theatre as a musical, where it completed an extended, sold-out run this past summer.

A long time activist, in 1998, Nair used the profits from Salaam Bombay! to create Salaam Baalak Trust, which works with street children in India. In 2005, she established Maisha Film Lab in Kampala, Uganda, a nonprofit training initiative for emerging East African filmmakers. Maisha is currently building a school with architect Raul Pantaleo, winner of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and his company Studio Tamassociati.

In 2012, Nair was awarded the Padma Bhushan—India’s second-highest civilian honor—by the president of India.

India looking forward to visit by US secretary of state Rex Tillerson

October 26, 2017 Staff ReporterIndia, Politics, Travel, U.S. 0

India says it is looking forward to a visit by US secretary of state Rex Tillerson to New Delhi next week to further strengthen a partnership based on a shared commitment to a rule-based international order. External affairs ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar welcomed a recent statement by Tillerson calling for an expansion of strategic ties.

“We appreciate his positive evaluation of the relationship and share his optimism about its future directions,” Kumar said. In an address at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank on October 18th, Tillerson has said the world needs the U.S. and India to have a strong partnership as he pointedly criticized China, which he accused of challenging international norms needed for global stability.

He said the United States and India shared goals of security, free navigation, free trade and an international rules-based order which is increasingly under strain.

Tillerson’s remarks come as a boost to India at a time when its ties with China have suffered a setback following a recent border standoff. Declaring, “We share a vision of the future,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has unveiled a centennial roadmap marking a “profound transformation” in United States-India cooperation “in defense of a rules-based order” with New Delhi “fully embracing its potential as a leading player in the international security arena.”

The Secretary pointed to what he considered a “more profound transformation that’s taking place, one that will have far-reaching implications for the next 100 years: The United States and India are increasingly global partners with growing strategic convergence.”

“Our nations are two bookends of stability – on either side of the globe – standing for greater security and prosperity for our citizens and people around the world,” he said. “President (Donald) Trump and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi are committed, more than any other leaders before them, to building an ambitious partnership that benefits not only our two great democracies, but other sovereign nations working toward greater peace and stability,” he said.

The speech gave form and substance to the administration’s policy towards India and not just South Asia, but the broader Indo-Pacific region stretching from the vulnerable western flank of the U.S. It touched on a wide range of areas of cooperation ranging from military and defense to economics and trade, and from promotion of democracy to freedom of navigation.

“Tillerson’s speech was one of the most thoughtful and forward leaning speeches from this administration,” asserted Jeff M. Smith, research fellow on South Asia at The Heritage Foundation. The core of the cooperation between the U.S. and India and New Delhi’s enhanced role that Tillerson outlined lies in the Indo-Pacific region where the “world’s center of gravity is shifting” — an area where the Washington and its allies confront China, which he said “subverts the sovereignty of neighboring countries and disadvantages the U.S. and our friends.”

In effect, President Donald Trump’s point-man for foreign policy, just dramatically ratcheted up U.S. support for India’s role in the Indo-Pacific region vis-a-vis Beijing, delivering a clear message of preference for the democracy just as the Chinese Communist Party Congress was getting underway in Beijing, and days before Trump’ was scheduled to visit China.

India, Tillerson said in no uncertain terms, weighed heavier on the scale of strategic security and economic cooperation in Asia. “We’ll never have the same relationship with China, a nondemocratic society, that we have with India,” asserted Tillerson during questions and answers after a speech. Tillerson outlined the game-plan for an Indo-Pacific region where Washington was already engaged with India and Japan, and hopes to rope in Australia to make a quartet countering China’s aggressive stance in the South China Sea.

“We need to collaborate with India to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is increasingly a place of peace, stability, and growing prosperity – so that it does not become a region of disorder, conflict, and predatory economics,” clearly pointing at China.

“The emerging Delhi-Washington strategic partnership stands upon a shared commitment upholding the rule of law, freedom of navigation, universal values, and free trade,” he said, asserting further that, “Our nations are two bookends of stability – on either side of the globe – standing for greater security and prosperity for our citizens and people around the world.” Experts see this as the clearest statement of U.S. objectives vis-a-vis Asia and India, coming from this or previous administrations.

Nikki Haley calls Russia’s interference in US elections as ‘warfare’

October 26, 2017 Staff ReporterPolitics, U.S. 0

Nikki Haley , the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations called Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 election “warfare” — wording that President Trump repeatedly has shied away from. Nikki Haley blasted Russia’s efforts to “sow chaos” in elections across the world during a conference hosted by the George W. Bush Institute.

“The Russians, God bless them, they’re saying, ‘Why are Americans anti-Russian? And why have we done the sanctions?’ Well, don’t interfere in our elections and we won’t be anti-Russian,” Haley said. “When a country can come and interfere in another country’s elections, that is warfare.”

Trump has never used such bold language when discussing Russia. The President has instead consistently questioned the U.S. intelligence community’s assesment that the Kremlin interfered in the election. US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia used cyber-enabled means in an attempt to help President Donald Trump win the White House, an allegation the Kremlin has denied.

“We have to be so hard on this and we have to hold them accountable,” Haley said during a panel discussion with former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice held by the George W. Bush Institute in New York last week.

“When a country can come interfere in another country’s elections that is warfare. It really is, because you’re making sure that the democracy shifts from what the people want,” she said. “This is their new weapon of choice and we have to get in front of it.”

Congressional committees and special counsel Robert Mueller are investigating alleged Russian interference in the election, including whether there was any collusion between Trump associates and Moscow. Trump has denied that there was any collusion between his campaign and associates and Russia.

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