The Biden administration has announced several nominations of Indian-Americans to key posts in the administration July 13, 2021. President Biden’s list of nominations includes Dr. Rahul Gupta, nominee for Director of National Drug Control Policy; Dr. Atul Gawande, nominee for Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Global Health, U.S. Agency for International Development; and, Michigan Circuit Court Judge Shalina Deborah Kumar in Oakland County to the position of U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Gupta, MD, MPH, MBA, FACP, is the Chief Medical and Health Officer and Senior Vice President at March of Dimes. He provides strategic oversight for March of Dimes’ domestic and global medical and public health efforts, the press release from the White House said. Dr. Gupta currently also serves as clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine as well as adjunct professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Leadership in the School of Public Health at West Virginia University and visiting faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
A practicing primary care physician of 25 years, Dr. Gupta previously served under two Governors as the Health Commissioner of West Virginia. As the state’s Chief Health Officer, he led the opioid crisis response efforts and launched a number of pioneering public health initiatives, including the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Birthscore program to identify high-risk infants. Dr. Gupta also led the development of the state’s Zika action plan and its preparedness efforts during the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak.
The White House described Dr. Gupta as “A national and global thought leader and a driver of innovative public policies on health issues.” Dr. Gupta serves as an advisor to several organizations and task forces on local, national and international public health policy. The son of an Indian diplomat, Gupta was born in India and grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. At age 21, he completed medical school at the University of Delhi. He earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and a global master’s of business administration degree from the London School of Business and Finance. He is married to Dr. Seema Gupta, a physician in the Veterans Administration for over a decade.
Dr. Gawande, MD, MPH, is the Cyndy and John Fish Distinguished Professor of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Samuel O. Thier Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is also founder and chair of Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and of Lifebox, a non-profit organization making surgery safer globally.
During the coronavirus pandemic, he co-founded CIC Health, which operates COVID-19 testing and vaccination nationally, and served as a member of the Biden transition COVID-19 Advisory Board. From 2018 to 2020, he was CEO of Haven, the Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase health care venture. He previously served as a senior advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services in the Clinton Administration. In addition, Gawande has been a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine since 1998 and written four New York Times best-selling books: Complications, Better, The Checklist Manifesto, and Being Mortal.
He is the winner of two National Magazine Awards, AcademyHealth’s Impact Award for highest research impact on health care, a MacArthur Fellowship, and the Lewis Thomas Award for writing about science. Shalini D. Kumar whose nomination for U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan has been sent to the U.S. Senate today, would if confirmed, replace retired judge Victoria A. Roberts. Judge Kumar was appointed to the Oakland County Circuit Court in August 2007. Prior to that she had civil litigation experience in private practice from 1997 to 2007, which included medical malpractice, wrongful death, and complex litigation trial practice.
In private practice, Judge Kumar was an Associate Attorney at Weiner & Cox P.L.C., 2004-2007; Sommers, Schwartz, Silver & Schwartz P.C. from 2000-2004. Admitted to the Bar in Michigan in 1997, Judge Kumar is a graduate of the University of Michigan and got her JD at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, Michigan Association for Justice, Federal Bar Association, and was in the Sylvan Lake City Council from 1992-1993
Bhima Koregaon incidence took place in 2019, 1st July. As thousands of dalits were returning after paying homage to dalits who lost their life in battle against Peshwa army in 1818, they were attacked. This battle had taken place between the Peshwa Baji Rao’s upper caste army against the East India Company’s army constituted mainly by Mahar community. Mahars saw it as a defeat of casteist forces and celebrated the victory, a victory pole was erected and annually dalits started visiting the place as a mark of defeat of Brahmanical forces. Babasaheb Ambedkar also visited the place in 1928. It became an ideological identity booster for the dalit community.
A spelling bee is a contest in which participants must spell aloud words announced by a judge. The high-profile Scripps National Spelling Bee is closely followed by students and their parents across the US and the finals are broadcast on prime-time television. This year, the winner got a cash prize of $50,000. Of the 11 finalists of the Scripps spelling bee held in the ESPN Sports Complex in Florida’s Orlando, Florida, nine were Indian-Americans. In the final round, Avant-garde was pitted against Chaitra Thummula from California, who dropped out after being unable to spell “neroli oil” correctly. Avant-garde scored her victory after spelling the word “Murraya”, a genus of tropical Australian trees.
Pastor Wilson Jose, Pastor of the Grace International Church in Mineola, said while we have gathered here to celebrate Father Stan’s life, we would like to express our indignation as Pravasis, the way the political leaders and the judiciary treated him in India. Father Stan represented Christ’s teachings to its core and did his best to uplift the neglected ones by a caste system that is in place over centuries. Jesus said, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, and Fr. Stan’s life exemplified those principles. During the freedom struggle, Mahatma Gandhi was jailed many times by the British authorities. However, they respected his ideals and made sure no harm happened to him. Sadly today, the Government of India lacks even that basic level of humanity in the treatment of its own citizens!
Dr. Jonnalagadda, who had assumed office a year ago during a virtual convention, told the AAPI delegates, “Despite the Covid pandemic and the many challenges AAPI had to face, “I am proud of the many accomplishments under my leadership. I am grateful for the immense and life changing moments, probably the best of my life ever, that came with my association with and leading AAPI.” Describing how his own life has changed over the past years, he said, “Working with many physicians motivated me to be a better physician myself. I understood the higher meaning of being a physician, especially even more now during the COVID pandemic. AAPI has given me so much — networking, advocacy, and education — and I am honored to serve this noble organization. I sincerely appreciate the trust you placed in me as the President of AAPI, and I am deeply committed to continue to work for you.”
Dr. Jonnalagadda enumerated several programs under his leadership AAPI had undertaken in the past one year. “AAPI and the Charitable Foundation has several programs in India. Under my leadership with the pioneering efforts of Dr. SurenderPurohit, Chairman of AAPI CF, we have been able to strengthen the programs benefitting our motherland, India.” AAPI has been actively involved in community awareness programs like Obesity prevention, sharing medical knowledge at the weekly webinars on team building activities such as the Share a Blanket program, medical education programs such as CPR training, and educating the public and creating awareness on healthcare issues through ZeeTV and ITV Gold, NDTV, BBC, and CNN. Almost all the ethnic publications from coast to coast across the US and several leading publications in India have run timely stories on AAPI‘s several initiatives and programs.
AAPI has raised over $ 5 Million towards Covid relief funds for India and has purchased, shipped and coordinated with local authorities the supply and distribution of medical supplies to several parts of India. AAPI has shipped over a thousand Oxygen generators, masks, PPPs and essential supplies, and our pipeline will continue until the pandemic is overcome. As with anyone else, our doctors believe that they can best carry out our service to God through our service to our fellow humans.
Delivering a spiritual discourse at the Convention, SadhviBhagawatiSaraswati, Author of “Hollywood to the Himalayas” led the AAPI delegates into an experience of peace and serenity. In her keynote address, Sadhviji inspired the participants to engage in the scholarly exchange of medical advances, to develop health policy agendas, and to encourage legislative priorities professionals in the field of medicine. She emphasized the important and critical connection between mind and body by saying “As the Bhagavad Gita reminds us: the mind is the cause of all problems and the mind is, therefore, the solution.” She offered them a “Mantra” which she called, CURED, where C stands for Connections – Connect with your inner self; U stands for Understand that you are a tool in the hands of God; R stands for Reconnect with your inner self day in and day out; E stands for Equanimity – stay balanced in all you do; and, D stands for “Dhanyavad or Devotion” that is being grateful which will lead one to enjoy happiness kin life.
Dr. Sudhir Parikh, CEO of Parikh Media introduced the keynote speaker, AnandibenMafatbhai Patel, an Indian politician serving as the 28th and current Governor of Uttar Pradesh. She also served as Governor of Madhya Pradesh. She has served as the former Chief Minister of Gujarat. She was the first female chief minister of the state, he said. In her virtual address, she congratulated AAPI for organizing the convention and thanked them for their selfless services to India, the US and the humanity. Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, Chair of BOT at American Medical Association shared with nostalgia his long association with AAPI, growing up as a child and now, be leading the largest Medical Association in the US. Aaishwariya A Gulani, Valedictorian from The International Bolles School and a 3rd year Medical Student having held leadership roles from academia as recognized by the United Nations to community service globally as the reigning Miss India USA participated in the Fashion Show.
The concluding day of the convention had the usual pomp and show displayed in music and dance by the local organizing committee of the Convention headed by Dr. SreeniGangasani, who and his team were praised for their hardwork, dedication and creative ideas in putting together aan amazing convention in less than three months. “We are delighted to have been able to plan and organize the convention in record time,” said Dr. Gangasani. Calling it a historic convention, the Cardiologist from Atlanta said, “For the first time ever, we had to stop registration as we had reached the required number of participants for the convention, disappointing many who wanted to come and join the annual meet. Thank you for joining the AAPI community as we celebrate the victory of science over calamity while paying tribute to all the fallen healthcare workers including some from AAPI family. We also want to show the world that we can start socializing with precautions once you are vaccinated,” added Dr. Gangasani.
AAPI recognized the current Executive Committee Members, BOT members and several others who have worked hard to make the vision and mission of AAPI come alive. Prominent among them are: Dr. Radhu Agrawal was bestowed with AAPI Lifetime Achievement Award; AAPI Most Distinguished Physician Award was given to Dr. DhanireddyRamasubbareddy; AAPI Most Distinguished Service Award was given to Dr. Suresh Gupta; AAPI Most Distinguished YPS Award went to Dr. Purvi Parikh; and, AAPI Most Distinguished Community Service was bestowed on Dr. Sujatha Reddy. Dr. Raghu Lolabhattu, Convention Vice Chair shared with the delegates about how in a matter of less than three months the Atlanta Chapter has put together a fabulous convention. He later on called on stage every member of the convention committee, while Dr. Lonnalagadda and Dr. Gangasani recognized them with a plaque. The past Presidents of were called on state on the 2nd night’s gala and were recognized for their leadership and continued guidance.
In her inaugural address after she was administered the oath of Office, Dr. Gotimukula reminded the AAPI members about our origin. “We came to the US pursuing the American Dream. Through hard work and a bit of luck, most of us achieved that dream and have become successful and caring doctors who play a crucial role in the American healthcare system. We serve patients. Raise money for local causes. Contribute to our education system and improve the lives of millions of Americans. We joined AAPI to socialize and meet others like us and in that journey learned that through this wonderful organization, we were able to make a bigger impact with the many academic, philanthropic and social initiatives.”
A resident of San Antonio, TX, Dr.Gotimukula is a board certified Pediatric Anesthesiologist, practicing since 2007, is affiliated with Christus Santa Rosa, Baptist and Methodist Healthcare systems in San Antonio. After graduating with distinction from Kakatiya Medical College, NTR University of Health Sciences in India, she did Residency at University of Miami & University of Illinois, and Fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology at University of Michigan.
New York’s second Black mayor if he is elected in November’s general election over the Republican nominee, radio host Curtis Sliwa, because winning the primary in the heavily Democratic city is tantamount to winning the election. This was the city’s first major primary to use a ranked choice voting system meant to avoid costly runoffs and in which voters could order their top five choices, with their ballot moving to their next pick if their previous one was eliminated until one candidate claimed 50 percent support. Adams had led by nearly 15,000 first-choice votes after in-person voting concluded, and held on after about 125,000 thousand absentee ballots were counted and ranked choices tallied in an election run in the shadow of the pandemic that ravaged the city last year.
Police figures last month showed crime in the city rose by 22% in the past 12 months and shootings were up 73%. Adams, 60, is a moderate Democrat who denounced the “defund the police” movement during the campaign. On the stump, he sought to tread a fine line between promising to reform the New York Police Department (NYPD) and keeping New Yorkers safe from crime. Adams told supporters on the night of last month’s primary election: “If black lives really matter, it can’t only be against police abuse. It has to be against the violence that’s ripping apart our communities.”
Five main factors account for Biden’s success.
Shri Shirdi Sai Mandir, Rolling Meadows kicked the month-long Shri Venkateswara and Navagraha Praana Prathistha Mahotsavam- July 2021 with the Jaladhivasam event on Sunday, July 4 th, 2021 During Jaladhivasam, the Vigrahas are completely immersed in water in a reclining position. This is done to emphasize centrality of water in the Vedas. Water is the essence of Jyothi or light. The essence of the mantras chanted during this ritual is that all entities including vital air, animals and food are a form of water. Water shines brilliantly by itself and cannot be ruled over by any other entity. Truth is also considered as a form of water. Devotees sang “Govinda, Govinda” accompanied by sounds of temple bells, conch and musical instruments during this event and poured water over Lord Venkateswara and Navagrahas to immerse them in water completely.
The event was organized by the founder and President of the International Ahimsa Foundation Dr. Neeta Jain. Due to her persistent hard work and networking, Dr. Jain has been elected as an Indian American female Democratic District Leader in New York, at present representingAssembly District 25 Part B in Queens. She is an accomplished educator and civic & community leader. Being a Jain, she is a passionate advocate for non-violence and peace. To promote these values, she founded and presides over the International Ahimsa Foundation, a domestic non-profit organization founded in 2012 to promote the study and practice of non-violence and peace in educational institutes.
The Honorable Bishnu Prasad Gautam, Consul General of Nepal, NY, who spoke from the heart about the positive relationship and similar values between the Nepali and Indian diasporas and the importance of non-violence, peace, and unity. Sister Sabitha Geer, representative of the Brahma Kumaris to the United Nations, who spoke about the connection between awareness, attitude, vision, action, and the world, and guided the audience through some mindful meditation. Community leader Ashok Sancheti, who emphasized the importance of sharing and spreading happiness for prosperity and community success. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio ofFice was represented by Mr. Rohan Narain, who read his letter to the audience and Queens borough President Donavon Richards office was represented by Mr. Brent Weitzberg.
Jaswant was born in Mumbai, India on May 20, 1938. After attending the University of Bombay, he followed his dream to come to the United States of America for freedom and opportunity. Jaswant worked and saved for the fare, and after 1 months of traveling by passenger ship, he arrived in New York. He then began his American Dream. Jaswant attended universities in Utah, Ohio, and New Jersey. Jaswant married and settled down in New Jersey and worked as an engineer for over 5 decades. He retired in 2012 from the DEP of NYC after working there for over 25 years.
Dr. Smitha Lodha, widow of Dr. Ajay Lodha addressed the AAPI members, thanking them for their support as the late President of AAPI suffered Covid related complications and succumbed to the deadly virus. She praised AAPI and the medical fraternity for their courage and selfless service to bring health and well being to millions across the US and around the world.
After inaugurating the Convention with traditional prayers and blessings by Hindu Priests, Congressman Buddy Carter, representing the 1st District in Georgia, said, “If there is anything that the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare it is that our country is too dependent on foreign sources of critical pharmaceutical and medical supplies. I reintroduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to retake control of America’s health care supply chain. For America’s national security, the legislation incentivizes the domestic manufacturing of drugs and other medical supplies to make the U.S. supply chain less dependent on foreign countries like China.” The only pharmacist in the US Congress, Rep. Carter referred to how the middlemen hike up the prize of drugs by upto 47% in the US, and urged the AAPI fraternity to advocate for more patient-centered care.
Dr. Kulkarni spoke about the many programs and plans offered by the Government of India to alleviate the sufferings of the people of India during the pandemic. Dr. Kulkarni stressed the importance of Indo-US Strategic Alliance, especially in the health sector, while pointing out India’s contributions providing the world with quality drugs for cheaper prizes.
The Women’s Forum led by Drs. Anjana Samadhar, Uma Jonnalagadda, and Udaya Shivangi featured eminent women leaders, including Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor of Atlanta, Dr. Swati Kulkarni, India’s Consular General in Atlanta, Prof. Amita Sehgal, Professor of Neuroscience at UPENN, Dr. Nahid Bhadella, Director of Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy & Reasearch; and, Dr. Mona Khanna, Emmy Award Winning Journalist.
Her advice for younger generation if they want to follow her, Sherawat said, “If you want to be an actress, I would say, start with your dance training and relaxing training.”
During the nearly 2 hours long live performance. She showcased the influences of her Indian-American heritage to create music that is refreshingly unique and contemporary, seamlessly fusing together the intricacies of Indian music with elements of electronic and hip-hop for an undeniably catchy sound.
Known to be a leading ethnic medical organization that represents nearly 100,000 physicians and fellows of Indian Origin in the US, and being their voice and providing a forum to its members to collectively work together to meet their diverse needs, AAPI members are proud to contribute to the wellbeing of their motherland India and their adopted land, the United States. The convention is forum to network, share knowledge and thoughts, and thus, enrich one another, and rededicate ourselves for the health and wellbeing of all peoples of the world. For more details, please visit: 
“Remembering and memorializing the brave AAPI Warriors and thousands of healthcare workers, who have sacrificed their lives at the service of humanity, especially during the Deadly Covid Pandemic is the major theme during the Convention,” said Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, President of AAPI. “This convention is a tribute to those who have lost their lives and to the frontline medical professionals who are at the forefront, combating the pandemic around the globe,” he added.
The annual convention this year is being organized by AAPI’s Atlanta Chapter, chaired by Dr. Sreeni Gangasani. The inaugural Nite’s Gala was hosted by Georgia Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPI), during which several leaders of GAPI, including Drs. Indrani Indrakrishnan, Raghu Lolabhattu, Manoj Shah, Yogesh Joshi, Arvind Gupta, PB Rao, Dilip Patel, Uma Jonnagalada and Tarun Gosh addressed the audience. In her address, Dr. Indrani Indrakrishnan shared with the audience of GAPI’s educational, philanthropic, humanitarian, political, entertaining and social activities. Educational scholarships were presented to deserving students from the region.
Dr. Kulkarni shared with the audience about the many programs and plans offered by the Government of India to alleviate the sufferings of the people of India during the pandemic. Dr. Kulkarni stressed the importance of Indo-US Strategic Alliance, especially in the health sector, while pointing out India’s contributions providing the world with quality drugs for cheaper prizes. Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux representing the 7th Congressional district of Georgia was introduced to the audience by Dr. Sreeni Gangasani. Sharing her own close association with the South Asian community, Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux said, her district is home to the largest South Asian population in the South East. “I have so many wonderful friends in this community for many years I have had many friends who are from South Asia,” she said. “I have been in Washington for about 6 months and I have worked very hard to Advocate on behalf of the South Asian Community.”
Describing herself as a friend of India and Indian Americans, the Congresswoman said, she is an active member of the India Caucus in the House, she said, “India is a very very important strategic partner to the United States,” and promised to work with the federal government in helping India especially during the pandemic. The inaugural nite’s star attraction was the young and energetic artist Vidya Vox who entertained the audience with song, music and dances. During the nearly 2 hours long live performance. She showcased the influences of her Indian-American heritage to create music that is refreshingly unique and contemporary, seamlessly fusing together the intricacies of Indian music with elements of electronic and hip-hop for an undeniably catchy sound. The delegates were presented with live performances of Bhartanatyam, Thillana and fusion dances by local artists, displaying unique talents in Indian classical dance forms. The popular and much loved Mehfil E Khaas provided AAPI members and families a platform to showcase their talents impromptu, in music, dance, jokes and Shero Shayari in an informal setting.
Physicians of Indian Origin in the United States are reputed to be leading health care providers, holding crucial positions in various hospitals and health care facilities around the nation and the world. Known to be a leading ethnic medical organization that represents nearly 100,000 physicians and fellows of Indian Origin in the US, and being their voice and providing a forum to its members to collectively work together to meet their diverse needs, AAPI members are proud to contribute to the wellbeing of their motherland India and their adopted land, the United States. The convention is forum to network, share knowledge and thoughts, and thus, enrich one another, and rededicate ourselves for the health and wellbeing of all peoples of the world.
Dr. Turner says the research team followed 41 people who received an mRNA vaccine over the course of six months. Of those, 14 participants provided periodic samples of their lymph nodes in order to measure the immune reaction set in to motion by the vaccine. What they found caught them a bit off guard.
And even after lymph node activity returns to normal, Dr. Turner says those specially trained cells are likely to remain for years. “We know that these cells can migrate to the bone marrow and persist for decades, generating antibodies,” he said. Dr. Turner says there is still a chance that booster shots could be needed if a variant escapes our immune response.
Besides the executive and board members of FIA, in attendance was Deputy Consul General of New York Shatrughna Sinha who took inventory of the shipment. He praised the efforts of FIA in taking charge of the cargo and handling the logistics for its timely shipment and thanked the City of New York, Maersk Air India and all the sponsors for their contributions. Parveen Bansal, general secretary and executive committee member of FIA Tristate who was appointed to lead the logistical efforts, said, “It is a privilege to be part of such an unprecedented relief effort and to serve our motherland”. Prabir Roy, the senior-most FIA board member in attendance, said, “The successful engagement of FIA in seeing this medical cargo through has turned the page in its history and made a statement with its work in service of the motherland.”
S R Dance Academy was first launched on April 28th, 2020 and is a dance school open to all ages and skill levels ranging from beginner to advanced. The main objective of S R Dance Academy is to connect our community with our rich cultural heritage and provide a platform for kids and adults to learn Bollywood Dance and Bolly Zumba from the best Bollywood Choreographer and dance teacher. They have partnered with two incredibly talented Choreographers Elizar Rodriguez and Shirley Rodriguez who have extensive experience working in Bollywood for the past 20 years. They have worked with iconic superstars such as Salman Khan, Varun Dhavan, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, and many more, and have performed at prestigious events, such as The IIFA Awards. Not only are they talented dancers, but also have a love for teaching dance.
The In-Person Recital started with our Junior Troupe Team offering their Prayers to Lord Shree Ganesha. It is common in Indian tradition to start an event or a new beginning with a Prayer Song to invoke the blessings of God. Their youngest 4-7 years age category kids showcased their talents with a Bollywood Act on Baby Ko Cake Pasand Hai song which was a treat to the eyes with their charming dance movements. Bolly-Hop by 12-21 years group showcased a vivacious act through The Jawani Song. Dangal Song was performed by 8-11 years group kids which has a great message conveyed through the song – ‘Whenever fate gives you a chance to do something and prove yourself, work at it and you’ll reap the reward’ and Adult Filmy Act had the parents dancing their heart-outs for a mix of Bollywood Songs. Adults proved that age is just a number when it came to dancing their hearts out. The Bolly-Hop & Semi-Classical act was performed in the 12-21 years category. Act 13 had our own Choreographers showing their prowess as to why they are the best in the town.
The new vaccination policy, which took considerable prodding and criticism from the Supreme Court before the Centre decided to act, will see the government purchasing 75% of the vaccines produced by the manufacturers and distributing it free to states, based on their population, disease burden and vaccination progress, with the remaining 25% production allocated for private hospitals. However, experts say that India needs to administer a minimum of 1 crore doses a day in order to inoculate its 95-crore strong adult population by December. Moreover, vaccine availability is still patchy. That also explains why over 82% of the doses administered are the first shot.India’s vaccination record has been middling among the world’s 30 most populous countries with a rank 16 among them in terms of doses per 100 population. At 19.6 as of June 19, India’s level is less than a fifth of what the UK has achieved.
You normally must have earned income to claim the child tax credit. For this year, you’re entitled to the credit even if you were not employed and had no earned income. And whereas the usual $2,000 credit is only refundable up to $1,2000, the entire expanded credit is refundable. What “fully refundable” means is that if your total federal income tax liability is less than the credit amount, you receive the difference back as a refund. For example, if your total tax liability is $0 and your credit is $3,600, you’ll receive $3,600 back. If your tax liability is $2,000 and your credit is $3,000, you’ll receive $1,000 back. The income threshold to receive the full credit is $75,000 for a single filer.
Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, the Chief Guest, commented “Yoga is a way of life. The idea of Yoga is truly universal and it must be heard, celebrated and promoted in each and every part of our society and community. The key is to not just celebrate Yoga as a health practice, for it needs to be celebrated in its entirety,” asserted Jaiswal. He highlighted how the International Yoga Day has evolved into in major annual event that’s celebrated across the globe ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the idea during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly back in September 2014.
The event was inaugurated by all attendees by chanting “Om” and Acharya Performing Arts Academy students performed the “NrithyaYogasana” which is “Dance Yoga” invented by artistic director guru Asha Adiga Acharya by combining yoga and Indian classical dance moves together, to benefit the Pada (Feet), Anga (Body) and Mudra(Fingers). “NupuraGeetha” dance ensemble team started the performance with beautiful Ganesha dance, pure Alaripu, Mallari dance, expression filled dance based on Vachana, Anathapurageethe dance and ended the program with Charishnu dance which was choreographed creatively with yoga poses.
Consul General of India NY Randhir Jaiswal, who briefly attended the event with DCG NY Shatrughan Sinha, appreciated and encouraged the participants.Celebrity yoga instructor, Reiki healer, and health coach Thara Natalie gave yoga lessons for all ages. She also shared health tips during the one-hour session. Singer and song writer Jay Sean was the guest of honor while former Miss America and American public speaker and actress Nina Davuluri, also a yoga practitioner, compered the event.
“Last year was tough for everyone. Now, the community is slowly reeling out of the pandemic. The benefits of yoga are known to the entire world. We hope this event can give a positive push to our attempts to get back to the pre-pandemic days,” said FIA chairman Ankur Vaidya. He expressed his gratitude to CGI NY Jaiswal and DCG Sinha for their continued support in making the Yoga Day celebration a success.FIA provided complimentary coffee, munchkins, water, T-shirt, and yoga mat to all participants in attendance and held an attendee raffle in which 5 Google home devices were raffled as thank-you giveaways to the attendees.
Asked what he thought about civil rights in India under the current administration there, he told the media, “Democracy cannot just be a word; democracy is about who you care for, your people and education. We are human beings … in jeopardy. I think in India the government is stable but people are poor – too poor… We need to make it right,” Jackson said. Sounding hopeful about working with the Narendra Modi government, he said, “I think the moment we talk [with Modi], we can act together on economic policy and democracy. Modi and I should work together on democracy,” Jackson said. He asked the Indian diaspora to support the poor in India with no homes, work or jobs, saying, “We members of the diaspora are blessed to be in good shape.”
“In the age group of 1-10 years, 3.28 per cent of children contracted COVID-19 infection in the first wave while 3.05 per cent during the second wave. 8.03 per cent were infected in 11-20 years of age group in the first wave and 8.5 per cent in the second wave, ” said Agarwal. He added that prioritising vaccination should be the focus in the country and added that Covid-19 safe behavior should be followed despite low Covid-19 numbers to contain the virulent variants of Coronavirus.
Samip Joshi won the Democratic party Primary in his run for the Mayor of Edison Township. Joshi had many high-profile endorsements party high-ups favored him with, from U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, and Gov. Phil Murphy downwards, and was engaged in a battle with fellow Democrat Mahesh Bhagia. Joshi won 5,995 votes to Bhagia’s 3,185, according to centraljersey.com reporting based on Middlesex County Board of Elections.
“This District is a purple district till a few years ago when it was all Republican,” she said. “I am very confident of winning the seat,” and she attributes that to the hard work done during the pandemic to keep the public informed and working as a team to marshal local and state resources and help small business and others. At the local grassroots level, Jaffer developed a Crisis Plan, and networked with very diverse communities. Jaffer’s ancestry goes back to the Kutch region of India and to Pakistan.
Hirsh Singh, a Republican lost in a four-way primary for the Governor’s seat, but did not do too badly, securing 21.49 percent of the vote. Bina Shah, another GOP candidate for the State Assembly from District 14, along with her partner on the slate Andrew Pachuta, will be pitted against Wayne DeAngelo and Daniel Benson. One of the difficult races is the one from District 21, that saw Anjali Mehrotra, a community organizer and is President of the National Organization for Women of New Jersey. “This is a very competitive district,” Mehrotra told Desi Talk, with incumbents being all Republicans for the longest time, but with a trend favoring Democrats over the last decade.
India peaked at adding more than 400,000 cases a day in May, but new infections and deaths have declined across the country since then. There were 85,801 new cases of Covid-19 across India on Monday, the first time fewer than 100,000 infections were added since April 5.The number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in Delhi reduced further on Monday, dipping below the 300-mark for the first time since March 4. The Capital reported 231 new cases of the viral infection, showed Monday’s health bulletin.
The annual convention this year is being organized by AAPI’s Atlanta Chapter, chaired by Dr. SreeniGangasani. “The convention team is working hard and over time, to provide a delightful three days of events packed with educational CME credits, world-class entertainment, leadership seminars, networking opportunities, exhibits, and more,” Dr. Gangasani said. “This meeting offers a rich educational and entertainment programs featuring the latest scientific research and advances in clinical practice. In addition, physicians and healthcare professionals from across the country will convene to develop health policy agendas and encourage legislative priorities for the upcoming year.”
Planned to have a limited number of participants due to the ongoing Coivd pandemic and taking into account the safety of those attending, including Physicians, Academicians, Researchers and Medical students, “the annual convention offers extensive academic presentations, recognition of achievements and achievers, and professional networking at the alumni and evening social events,” said Dr. Sajani Shah, Chair of AAPI BOT.
Dr. AnupamaGotimukula, President-Elect of AAPI, said, the delegates at the convention will have Eight Hours of CMEs, coordinated by AAPI CME Chair, Dr. Krishan Kumar, Dr. Vemuri Murthy, Advisor & CME Program Director, and Dr. Sudha Tata, Convention CME Chair, focusing on themes such as how to take care of self and find satisfaction and happiness in the challenging situations they are in, while serving hundreds of patients everyday of their dedicated and noble profession, said Dr. Raghu Lolabhattu, Convention Vice Chair.
The popular and much loved Mehfil E Khaas will give the AAPI members and families a platform to showcase their talents impromptu, in music, dance, jokes and SheroShayari in an informal setting,” said Dr. Amit Chakrabarty, Secretary of AAPI and coordinator of the Mehfil E Khaas. “Pick up the Mic and you are the Star,” he added. Dr. SatheeshKathula, Treasurer of AAPI said, “The Future of Healthcare” will be discussed at the popular CEO Forum with expert participants from Healthcare, Technological, and Finance industries and moderated by Dr. N. Neealagaru, will share their expertise in ways to establishing and leading successful businesses, healthcare practice, managing investment and creating an ideal lifestyle.
The Women’s Forum, led by Drs. AnjanaSamadhar, Uma jonnalagadda, and UdayaShivangi, will feature Ambassador Nikki Haley, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor of Atlanta, Dr. Swati Kulkarni, India’s Consular General in Atlanta, Dr. Susan Bailey, President of American Medical Asociation, Dr. RenuKhator, President & Chancellor of University of Houston; Adv. Sheela Murthy, Founder & President of Murthy Law Form; Prof. Amita Sehgal, Professor of Neuroscience at UPENN, Dr. NahidBhadella, Director of Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy &Reasearch; and, Dr. Mona Khanna, Emmy Award Winning Journalist.
Dr. Thomas Abraham, GOPIO Chairman; said “GOPIO International has been raising funds and GOPIO Connecticut and Manhattan chapters have sent Oxygen concentrators to India while other chapters in the US and around the world are providing medical supplies and food for the needy.” Dr. Abraham complimented GOPIO-Manhattan, NYC for taking this initiative and organizing several other programs during the covid period in the last one year.ShivenderSofat, President GOPIO-Manhattan; thanked the singers for making the evening lively and supporting the charitable event. He shared few pictures and slides of health kiosks to be set up in five villages in India that will be supported from the donation proceeds collected by GOPIO-Manhattan.
The 25 percent vaccination procurement which was being conducted by the states would now be conducted by the central government, he said, adding that vaccines would be directly purchased by the Centre and given to the states for free.”From June 21, Tuesday, all citizens of India above 18 years of age will be given free vaccination,” Modi added.The Centre, as part of the new vaccination strategy, would procure 75 percent of the vaccines, whereas, the private sector would be allowed to purchase 25 percent of the vaccines, the prime minister said.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti,50, is likely to be nominated as U.S. ambassador to India by President Biden. The Associated Press reported last week that Biden is 
Garcetti’s popularity has slipped in recent years, and Black Lives Matter protesters had banged drums outside his official residence earlier this year to urge Biden not to choose Garcetti for a Cabinet position. Garcetti was overmatched by a crisis of homelessness that became a national embarrassment despite the massive jump in government spending to fight it. Many streets and sidewalks remain cratered and crumbling, despite his early pledge to make fixing them a cornerstone of his administration.In picking Garcetti, the president would be rewarding a loyalist who was one of his national campaign co-chairs, who served on the committee that vetted his pool of vice presidential contenders, and who served as one of several co-chairs for Biden’s inaugural committee.
Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Chicago hosted a Holi celebration at the Mall of India in Naperville, Illinois on Sunday May 23, 2021. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Congressman Danny Davis, suburban Mayors, several Indian American elected officials and community members attended the event, according to the press release from FIA Chicago.The organization hosted the celebration with the principal mission to bring awareness about the covid crisis in India and the need to lend them assistance. FIA had taken the lead in mobilizing resources, oxygen concentrators, portable ventilators and other life-saving medical equipment and shipping them to India.
Students of S R Dance Academy and Saloni Shah Dance Group performed Bollywood inspired folk and fusion dance performances.Suresh Bodiwala, chairman of Asian Media USA encouraged the audience to support and donate to FIA- Chicago’s India Covid Relief Fundraiser with the target of $50,000.Several keynote speakers were also present at the event. FIA Chicago President Kamal Patel, in his speech, talked about the importance of Holi celebration and the gravity of the covid situation in India.
My childhood was mostly normal with one main exception: Since both my parents did theater, I spent a lot of evenings alone at home with domestic help or at the rehearsals with one of them. The weekends again would be spent backstage or dozing in the auditorium. Living in an apartment complex eventually introduced me to lots of friends, whose houses became another good option for weekends. When they toured for plays, I spent a lot of time with my maternal grandparents. While I didn’t see my parents often, being surrounded by people 24/7 definitely gave me a supportive environment to grow up in. Although I grew up in a vibrant theater background, the theater bug did not really bite till much later in life after I met my Husband Chandu Shah, who is also from a similar background.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Reddy said, “As a practicing physician, I will use my training and experiences to ensure that appropriate and effective health policies are approved by the board and implemented by our village staff. There are many expert doctors and medical professionals in our community. I will find ways to engage them through informal work groups or more formal committees if needed to ensure the safety of our residents.”
Having a population of nearly 10,000 people, the city of Oak Brook is located 15 miles west of the 
A dynamic leader, Dr. Reddy has devoted a greater part of his life to numerous initiates within the United States , in addition to serving his people back in India, As part of his community service, Dr. Reddy has facilitated and organized numerous health camps and workshops, with special emphasis on CPR training , obesity prevention in conjunction with Chicago Medical Society.
Sonal Shah, the foundation’s president, and TAAF board members were at the White House, where they briefed administration officials, including domestic policy adviser Susan Rice. They discussed how the foundation plans to spend the $1.1 billion in donations to fight back against hate crimes directed at these communities, according to a statement from the foundation. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris dropped by the meeting to express their support, the foundation said.
He also welcomed the passage of the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act along with the Covid-19 Hate Crime Act that was signed by President Biden. The NO HATE Act was named in honor of two victims, Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer, whose murders were prosecuted as hate crimes but not appropriately included in hate-crime statistics. “This marks the first necessary step towards resolving the longstanding problem of hate in our nation,” Singh said, referring to the Jabara-Heyer Act. He said it was made possible after years of advocacy by civil rights organizations.
On April 16th, during the meeting, Governor Reeves welcomed IAICC’s initiative to improve the economic situation in the State. Mr. Kumar appreciated the support of Governor Reeves for IAICC and said the Chamber’s partnership with Mississippi will not only benefit businesses across the State but also the adjoining States. Dr. Kulkarni told Governor Reeves that the delegation was very pleased with the meeting and hoped there will be a positive momentum in terms of economic development in Mississippi. She also said that she is looking forward to IAICC and the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) to coordinate a plan for Governor Reeves to visit India soon.
In light of the CDC guidance, the Pentagon announced on Friday that fully vaccinated Defense Department personnel no longer need to wear masks indoors or outdoors at Defense facilities.The CDC and the Biden administration have faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people — those who are two weeks past their last required COVID-19 vaccine dose — in part to highlight the benefits of getting the shots. The country’s aggressive vaccination campaign has paid off: 
BAPS has been accused of human trafficking and wage law violations. An FBI spokesperson confirmed that agents were at the temple on “court-authorized law enforcement activity,” but wouldn’t elaborate. One of the attorneys who filed the suit said some workers had been removed from the site May 11.The lawsuit has been filed a month after New Jersey labor authorities halted work by a contractor at the Robbinsville temple and at a BAPS temple in Edison. The new lawsuit is a proposed class action complaint, alleging around 200 workers on religious immigration visas endured forced manual labor for the ongoing construction and expansion of the religious property on the 100-acre site.
BAPS is a global sect of Hinduism founded in the early 20th century and aims to “preserve Indian culture and the Hindu ideals of faith, unity, and selfless service,” according to its website. The organization says it has built more than 1,100 mandirs — often large complexes that essentially function as community centers. BAPS is known for community service and philanthropy, taking an active role in the diaspora’s initiative to help India amid the current COVID-19 surge. According to the website for the Robbinsville mandir, its construction “is the epitome of volunteerism.”“Volunteers of all ages have devoted their time and resources from the beginning: assisting in the construction work, cleaning up around the site, preparing food for all the artisans on a daily basis and helping with other tasks,” the website says. “A total of 4.7 million man hours were required by craftsman and volunteers to complete the Mandir.”
The new organization aims to harness the momentum of its grassroots efforts during the 2020 election, which propelled President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to the White House, and flipped the Senate with the wins of Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in Georgia. SAFA is now aiming to get behind Democratic candidates in the House and Senate who are contesting in the 2022 midterm election.
Last year, Ekal’s successful initiative against covid was based on self-monitoring, self-reliance, education and cooperative-exchanges. It included a wide-spread awareness campaign about the hygiene, social distancing, food distribution, mask-making and restrictive movements. The new offensive has not only incorporated all these steps in the direct-action roadmap, but also, has started a proactive counter campaign against the misinformation about the vaccine, the danger posed by covid and voodoo- treatments. With extensive reach well beyond its footings, Ekal has mobilized tens of thousands of its school teachers for this information campaign. ‘Ekal-Arogya (Health Foundation)’ has established 24-hr Telehealth lifeline (# 011 41236457) for professional medical counselling.
He also pledged that the Indian Americans in Chicago would have grand India Independence Day celebrations and other major Indian festivals such as Diwali, Christmas, and Baisakhi after the departure of the Covid. Joined at the EID reception includes Babu Marsha Patel, Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, SanhitaAgnihotri, Suresh Bodiwala, Satish Dadepogu, Sainath Reddy Boyapalli, BhanuSwargam.Each of them greeted the family of Iftekhar Shareef and thanked the Shareef family for hosting a pleasant EID reception.
Hindu American community leader Dr. Barai addressed the gathering and said that they are here today to stand with the people of Israel who are targeted by constant rocket attacks from Gaza. He also said that Hamas terrorists have not only destroyed houses and killed innocent civilians in the state of Israel but are also terrorizing people of Gaza. After decades of experiencing wars, people of Israel and Gaza deserve to live in peace, and Dr. Barai expressed the solid commitment of the Hindu community to continue supporting Israel and the demand for peace in the region through this difficult situation.
“Firstly, every NGO in the country had to set up an FCRA designated account at the main branch of State Bank of India in New Delhi to receive all foreign donations. Earlier, donations could be received in any bank where the NGO had a designated FCRA account.
Those who participated in the prayer include Guru jiGarud Gopal Prabhu, Father John Thomas of Jackson Heights Orthodox Church, Imam Muhammad Waliullah of Hillside Islamic Center, Ashok Vyas of ITV, Hemanth Shah of FBIMA, Suhag Mehta of Ganesh Utsav, Kripal Singh, VirendraVora, Paul Karukapally, Ashok Vora, Philipose Philip, V.M. Chacko, Varghese Abraham, Mercedes Buchanan and George Abraham of IOCUSA.
the US and back home in India, spearheading numerous initiatives to help, guide and support the people and the physician community in India on ways to combat and overcome the deadly virus.
In the letters sent to the 100 US Senators, while acknowledging the respect and influence each of them command on Capitol Hill, Dr. Shivangi said, “we seek your strongest effort to convince the White House to permit more vaccine raw material to be released immediately for local vaccine production, as well as increasing all types of assistance, in a catastrophe of such magnitude.”
“We are continuing to interact with the physicians back in India to answer their questions. AAPI as a group and individual physicians are reaching out almost on a daily basis with doctors on ground in India,” Dr. Ravi Kolli, Vice President of AAPI said, adding that it is in addition to the calls being received from their friends and families back home.
Ms. Banerjee is an award-winning and bestselling author, poet, activist and teacher of writing. Her work has been published in over 50 magazines, including the 
India has a daily production capacity of at least 7,100 tons of oxygen, including for industrial use, which appears to be more than enough to meet current demand. The problem is not a shortage of medical oxygen but the supply chain of delivering it to the patient bedside in a hospital. A routine site at all major Indian hospitals is the large oxygen cylinders delivering oxygen to patients at the bedside. Yet this is something you never see in a western hospital. All American hospitals have central piping, which delivers oxygen to the patient bedside from a Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Oxygen Plant attached to each hospital. This is one of the building permit requirements for a new hospital in the USA. Medical oxygen can easily be manufactured from surrounding air.
AirSep Corporation of New York has installed PSA Medical Oxygen Systems in more than 4,500 hospitals in nearly 50 countries worldwide, including several hospitals in India, to meet their central pipeline and other oxygen needs. These generators and plants operate automatically to supply patient, surgical, and critical care units in medical facilities, military field hospitals, on-site emergency preparedness centers, and disaster-relief efforts. There are several other manufacturers with similar technologies.
Let this be the Last Medical Oxygen Crisis in India. Let us not scramble our resources; purchasing compressed liquid oxygen from Russia or China, which at best is a temporary fix but will arrive too late for our patients’ bedside in Delhi. Let us retrofit our hospitals with central oxygen piping
“On behalf of AAPI leadership, we would like to have a series of educational messages to the communities on Covid to address the concerns of the public and medical community during the pandemic time as we recognize our role is to educate communities. Through this voluntary project from our members, we can help educate the people first. Allay their fears. Explain and educate them about the disease and on ways to combat the virus.”
Maharashtra reported 62,919 infections, followed by Karnataka (48,296), and Kerala (37,199). Maharashtra also recorded 828 casualties, followed by Delhi (375) and Uttar Pradesh (332). The country has so far reported a total of 1,91,63,488 cases and 2,11,778 deaths.
ASEI Michigan chapter president Muthu Sivanantham introduced and facilitated discussion with the next two speakers. Dr Raj Ramesh, a TEDx speaker who happens to have a doctorate in AI was the next author to speak. He has broad experience with digital transformation and helps organizations bring together complementary strengths of machines and humans to effect grand change. His talk featuring interesting doodles and interactive audience participation surveys was patterned on his recent book, “AI & You” and he advised how to co-exist with machines by sharing how to think, thrive, and transform in an AI driven future.
The Appreciation letter from the Governor concluded: “On behalf of the people of the State of Illinois, it is my pleasure to thank you for your ongoing work of Vaccination. Your dedication and leadership have created a lasting impact in your community and you have been an asset to all of Illinois in our collaboration to overcome the Pandemic. “J.B. Pritzker, Hon. Governor of Illinois.
Dr Kapadia and his wife Seema Kapadia thanked each member of the team including Gujarati Seniors of Chicago team who made the vaccination camp a huge success. Dr Kapadia mentioned how his wife Seema Kapadia and his sons have been a driving force behind all these campaigns to ensure smooth execution. He added that Ms. Seema Kapadia has been present at many vaccination camps from the beginning till the end to ensure a safe, timely and equitable administration of the vaccine.
Aniayan George, President of FOMAA (Federation Of Malayalee Associations of Americas), characterized Koshy Thomas as someone who identifies with the community regardless of their background and someone who has the energy, willingness, and capacity to elevate his contributions further as an NYC Councilman. “ I believe Koshy Thomas can win this election, and he will be our first Asian Indian representation in the City Council,” he added.
V.M. Chacko, a leading community activist in Queens over four decades, pointed out the potential the community has in this upcoming election and said, “this is not the time to be lackadaisical, and please get involved for the sake of the safety and wellbeing of our community.” Mr. V. Abraham (Raju) described the success the campaign has had in terms of timely submission of the nomination forms and increased awareness of Koshy’s candidacy across the District. Mr. George Parampil, who has been urging Koshy Thomas to run over the years, applauded his dedication to the community and threw his full support behind him.
“India is in the ICU and those who put her there now spend their time trying to shift the blame. The change from ‘victory’ over Covid to gasping for oxygen began in the last week of January this year when the Prime Minister proudly declared that India had not only defeated the 
In many ways, Asian Americans are a perfect metaphor for understanding the American experience in the 21st century. A 
When I joined Asia Society in 1990 as director of the Asia Society Museum, I was the first department head of Asian origin — there was only one other Asian American person in the senior ranks. We made up lost ground in the succeeding decade by developing an institution-wide initiative to increase Asian American programs, audiences, staff, and board members. With a large grant from the Wallace Foundation, we were also able to develop a robust plan for the study and assessment of Asian American views of the institution. It was shocking, if not surprising, to hear that many Asian Americans didn’t feel welcome to the Park Avenue-based institution before, but were beginning to feel the effects of the changes we were making. “We thought Asia Society was really for white people’s experience of Asia, as an exotic and far way place, not for people like us who may mess up their idea of an unadulterated and pure Asia,” one viewer said.
India has now recorded more than 15 million infections and more than 178,000 deaths. Experts agree that even these figures are likely undercounts. New Delhi imposed a weeklong lockdown Monday night to prevent the collapse of the Indian capital’s health system, which authorities said had been pushed to its limit amid an explosive surge in coronavirus cases.
“We will invest significant resources into toppling those who seek to destroy our families, communities, and identity. The senseless gun violence that we’re seeing in this country is reflective of all of the spineless politicians who are beholden to the gun lobby. Period. End of story,” said Nikore. “They will be hearing from us — instead of offering thoughts and prayers, it’s time to mobilize for direct action and vote them out. That is what we’re doing today. We will end the violence, only when we have leaders who have the guts to do so.”