Category: Community

Longtime Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin announced here on Monday, August 29th that she and former US Rep. Anthony Weiner are separating after new reports surfaced that he sent sexually suggestive photos again.

“After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband. Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy,” Abedin said in a statement.

Abedin was “furious and sickened” by the picture of Weiner and their 4-year-old son, Jordan, according to two people close to the family. Media reports quoting the sources said she did not know about it or details of the latest sexting exchange until this weekend.

Photos published by The New York Post late Sunday show the man completely and others feature Weiner’s face, but the photo of the boy has been partially blurred out, and the woman’s face is blurred out in her photos. The Post, which did not completely identify the woman, said she provided 12 selfies from Weiner. The paper described her as a 40-something divorced woman from the West.

Abedin and Weiner have been “essentially” separated for months, a close friend to Abedin said after she officially announced their separation on Monday. Weiner had resigned from Congress in 2011 after he accidentally posted a lewd photo of himself on his Twitter account. In the midst of Weiner’s first sexting scandal, it became known that his wife was expecting their first child.

Two years later he was caught again, sexting with an aspiring porn star from southwest Indiana named Sydney Leathers. During his run for mayor, Weiner, had adopted the online pseudonym “Carlos Danger.”

Weiner, who torpedoed his own political career five years ago with a sexting scandal and whose wife is Clinton’s closest adviser, deleted his Twitter account after the latest report surfaced.

Reports stated that the two of them exchanged racy photos over the course of about a year, including one exchange where she alleges that he sexted her with his son apparently sleeping next to him.

“Someone just climbed into my bed,” Weiner allegedly wrote in a message, sent July 31, 2015, according to the New York Post. He then is alleged to have sent a picture of a barechested man with white boxers and a bulge, while a small child is asleep beside him. “Your do realize you can see you(r) Weiner in that pic??” the woman replied, according to the Post.

Abedin and Weiner had been distant and “heading on a path apart” for a few months, but she was reluctant to leave, according to the two sources close to the family. Her faith is a big part of that, as she has told friends and even Vogue magazine, and she knew it would draw headlines. “She did not want this to be another distraction for Hillary,” one friend was quoted to have said. Abedin is reportedly Clinton’s most well known aide.

Renu Khator, chancellor of the University of Houston System and president of the University of Houston, will be inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. Gov. Greg Abbott announced the 2016 inductees last week.

“I am honored to welcome these five extraordinary women into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame,” Abbott said. “Whether in public service, the arts, business or education, these leaders have inspired generations of Texans to reach new heights, achieve new goals and elevate the Lone Star State.”

The Texas Women’s Hall of Fame honors native or current Texas residents, living or deceased, who have made significant contributions to the state. The honorees are selected by a panel of judges after Texas residents submit nominations.

“This honor must be shared with my family members, who have given me such support over the years, and with the University of Houston, which provided me with an opportunity to fulfill my dream of leading a great institution of higher learning,” Khator said. “I am flattered and humbled to be included with these accomplished and remarkable women.”

In addition to Khator, 2016 inductees include aviation pioneer Emma Carter Browning, who died in 2010; entrepreneur Susie Hitchcock-Hall, founder of Susie’s South Forty Confections in Midland; Ginger Kerrick, division chief of the Flight Operations Directorate Integration Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and Grammy Award-winning Latin recording artist Selena Quintanilla, who died in 1995. The 2016 induction ceremony is set for Oct. 21 on the campus of Texas Woman’s University in Denton.

Appointed in 2008, Khator is the first Indian immigrant to head a comprehensive public research university in the United States and the first female chancellor of a Texas higher education system. In announcing her selection for the Hall of Fame, the governor’s office noted that UH earned Tier One status and has seen record-breaking research funding, enrollment and private support during her tenure.

She also has been named to serve as the American Athletic Conference representative on the NCAA Division 1 Presidential Forum and is chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Board of Directors. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and several Houston-area boards and recently served as chair of the American Council on Education.

Indian American former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta’s latest bid to have his insider-trading conviction overturned should be rejected, prosecutors have told an appeals court here, asserting that he got a fair trial and the jury convicted him for his “criminal” conduct.

In a lengthy brief filed before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit this month, Indian American U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara said Gupta’s conduct of repeatedly tipping his business partner Raj Rajaratnam with material non-public information in “ways that furthered Gupta and Rajaratnam’s shared financial interests” remains “criminal” and he is “not actually innocent.” Bharara said Gupta’s appeals from an order denying his motion to vacate, set aside, or correct his sentence should be rejected and he is not entitled to the relief he seeks.

In May, Gupta, 66, had filed an exhaustive brief in the appeals court, arguing that the judgment of the Manhattan district court finding him guilty of insider trading “should be reversed” and his “conviction should be vacated.”
India-born former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta, a free man now after a 2-year jail term on insider trading charges, has approached a US court to overturn his conviction, arguing that there is no evidence to show that he “received even a penny” for passing confidential boardroom information to his friend.

In an exhaustive brief filed in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday, 66-year-old Gupta’s team of lawyers argued that the judgement of the Manhattan district court finding Mr Gupta guilty of insider trading “should be reversed” and his “conviction should be vacated.”

Mr Gupta’s appeal comes on the back of a landmark ruling by the Manhattan appeals court that for an insider trading conviction prosecutors must show that a defendant received a personal benefit for passing illegal tips.

Mr Gupta’s lawyers have cited the ruling that led to the reversal of insider convictions of hedge-fund managers Todd Newman and Anthony Chiasson in December 2014.

“As this Court has noted, not every disclosure of corporate information violates the insider trading laws. Given the stakes in a criminal case, and the apparently boundless use being made of the securities laws by prosecutors, this Court in Newman imposed a clear rule: The tip must be shown to have been part of a quid pro quo agreement,” the lawyers wrote in the brief.

“Rajat Gupta was severely prejudiced by the erroneous instruction. The government lacked evidence showing Mr Gupta received even a penny from his alleged wrongdoing. There was no quid pro quo,” they said. Gupta was convicted in 2012 of passing confidential boardroom information to now jailed hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam.

The Swaminarayan Temple of Secaucus, New Jersey, celebrated its 15th anniversary last week with hundreds of followers, and members from the local Indian-American community attending the Aug. 6-7 event.

The celebrations Aug. 6 kicked off with a flash mob dance to welcome Acharya Swami and also commemorate the 25th anniversary celebrations of the SmrutiMandir, an all-marble, hand- carved temple located in Ghodasar, India. The religious discourses, prayer services, a youth skit, and religious hymns were also part of the first-day celebrations.

The Aug. 7 program commenced with religious discourses as well as a grand annkut, a large offering of food. MuktjeevanSwamibapa Pipe Band escorted Acharya Swami, Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli, Secaucus Councilman Rob Constantino, Secaucus Councilwoman Susan Pirro, and Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari to the entrance of the temple for the opening of Penhorn Avenue which has been renamed ‘Swamibapa Way’ to honor MuktajeevanSwamibapa, the religious leader who was the first to bring the Swaminarayan sect to the United States in the late 1970s. Balloons and white doves were also released to commemorate the occasion.

The program continued in the temple’s community hall, with over 500 individuals in attendance. The Swaminarayan GadiSansthan donated $1,000 to the Secaucus Fire Department and $1,000 to the township’s office of emergency management. Acharya Swami delivered a sermon preaching peace, love, devotion, and unity.

“Anyone who travels on Swamibapa Way will be on their way towards salvation,” he said. “All of this devotional love that we practice should be done selflessly. Our talents are given to us by the Lord as vehicles of devotion” he added.

The two-day festival featured religious discourses about peace and unity, performances by North America’s First Indian American Pipe Band – Swamibapa Pipe Band, cultural concert and skit, traditional Indian feasts, and more.

A few thousand devotees of Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Loyadham in Raritan, New Jersey, gathered for the 2nd anniversary celebrations of the temple July 26-31 that coincided with the 58th birthday of its founder GhanshyamMaharaj , popularly known as guruji.

The five-day celebrations were held at the facility of Temple Beth-El. It was attended, among others by Mayor of Raritan Borough Charles McMullin along with his family. One of the highlights of the celebrations was the surprise announcement by the mayor to hand the symbolic key of the town of Raritan to GhanshyamMaharaj. The mayor noted that the religious guru has been a resident of Raritan for 40 years and said that he was privileged to give the township’s key to the spiritual master. The attendees were overjoyed at the announcement and gave him a big round of applause.

On the opening day after the ceremonial worship of the holy scriptures brought to Beth-El were performed, GhanshyamMaharaj began the holy discourse on the SatsangiJivan.

After the discourse, devotees and saints made offerings to mark his birthday celebrations. Pure gold ornaments weighing 2.25 kg for GhanshyamMaharaj was also offered by the devotees.
On July 29, female devotees of Loyadham of all ages performed cultural dances and various religious plays for all the attendees. A newly prepared idol of NeelkanthVarni was installed the next day for the well-being of all the devotees. Abhishek will be performed on the idol once every month.

GhanshyamMaharaj offered Mayor McMullin and distinguished guests, including philanthropist Piyush Patel, with a royal turban as an honor. Dr. Sudhir Parikh, publisher of Desi Talk and a Padmashri award winner, was honored as well for his contribution to the community and his philanthropy. The honors recognized individuals and companies that have made extra achievements in their fields.

On July 31, the ritual of Abhishek of PiyudaGhanshyamMaharaj started in the early morning with recitation of Vedic mantras followed by worship of GhanshyamMaharaj adorned in gold ornaments and with an offering of an enormous annakut.

Stamford, Conn. – August 5, 2016 – AmeriCares is deploying medical teams to Assam and Bihar, where relentless flooding has killed more than 90 people and forced nearly 1 million into relief camps. The first teams, organized by the AmeriCares India office in Mumbai, are already on the ground in some of the worst-affected areas, delivering medicines and treating survivors.

AmeriCares is focused on ensuring families affected by the floods have access to critical primary care services, including medication, as well as health and hygiene products that will help prevent the spread of communicable diseases. The emergency response and global health nonprofit is also delivering water purification supplies in areas without access to clean water.

“Waterborne diseases are always a major concern after severe flooding,” said Shripad Desai, managing director of AmeriCares India. “We are working to ensure survivors have access to essential medicine and safe drinking water to help prevent the spread of infectious disease.”

After two straight years of drought, heavy monsoon rains uprooted trees, damaged swaths of land and snapped telephone lines. Landslides and heavy rains have blocked highways and submerged homes in several feet of water.

AmeriCares has been aiding survivors of natural disasters, political conflict and extreme poverty around the world for nearly 40 years, saving lives and building healthier futures for people in crisis. AmeriCares India provides emergency medical and humanitarian aid in response to floods, cyclones, earthquakes and other disasters. Most recently, the AmeriCares India team responded to the Nepal Earthquake, the 2015 flooding in Tamil Nadu and the 2014 flooding in Jammu and Kashmir. AmeriCares India also provides health education, supports health workforce safety programs and operates seven mobile medical clinics that provide free primary care services at 130 locations throughout the slums of Mumbai. To make a donation to AmeriCares India Disaster Relief Fund, please go to americares.org/IndiaRelief

AmeriCares is an emergency response and global health organization committed to saving lives and building healthier futures for people in crisis in the United States and around the world. Every day, AmeriCares puts critically needed medicines and supplies in the hands of frontline health workers and develops innovative, sustainable health improvements in their communities. For more information, visit americares.org

Last year “Peepli Live” co-director Mahmood Farooqui was accused of raping an American woman pursuing a Ph.D from Columbia University who was in India for research work. On July 30, a Delhi court convicted Farooqui of raping her.

Farooqui, who was out on bail, was taken into custody immediately after the pronouncement of the judgement. Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain held Farooqui guilty of offence under section 376 (punishment of rape) of the Indian Penal Code.

The court fixed the matter for hearing arguments on sentence Aug. 2. The offence of rape entails a minimum of seven years of rigorous jail and a maximum of imprisonment for life.

The woman, in her complaint, had alleged that Farooqui was drunk when he raped her at his house where she had gone to get his help for her research work last year.

The police had lodged the FIR against Farooqui on the woman’s complaint on June 19, 2015 after which he was arrested.

Police had filed a charge sheet against Farooqui on July 29, 2015 alleging that he had raped the research scholar at his Sukhdev Vihar house in south Delhi on March 28, 2015. The court had started the trial in the case after framing rape charges against Farooqui on Sept. 9, 2015.

An Indian American chef was attacked outside of his workplace in Omaha, Neb. in what authorities are classifying as an apparent hate crime.

Suthahar Subburaj, 30, a chef at Kurry Xpress in Omaha, told police he was attacked just before 11 p.m. on July 15 as he was taking out the trash, according to a report from the Omaha World-Herald.

A man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt punched Subburaj in the face and kicked him in the leg. He also told Subbraj, who said he was punched multiple times in his forehead, face and mouth, “ISIS (expletive), get out of my country,” according to a police report, which used an acronym for the Islamic State.

The man fled the scene as one of Subbraj’s coworkers called police.

“He knocked me out,” Subburaj told local news network, KETV. The bone above his teeth may have been fractured, according to the Herald’s report.

The chef has lived in Omaha for about two years but doesn’t have any family in the United States. He hopes his attacker is caught and punished, but is also educated about the differences in religions and races.

“His motivation and why he beat me, I don’t have an answer for that,” Subburaj said. He’s Hindu, he said, not Muslim.

Police deemed the attack a hate crime against religion. They have no leads on a suspect.

After getting word of the alleged hate crime, the Anti-Defamation League Omaha chapter issued a statement condemning the attack.

“When a person is targeted for a crime because of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, it not only harms the individual victim, but also deeply affects entire communities, chapter director Mary-Beth Muskin said. “We must all stand together against bigotry, hatred and prejudice. We urge law enforcement to investigate this incident as a possible hate crime, and hope that the perpetrator will be apprehended swiftly and brought to justice.”

The Maheshwari Mahasabha of North America, founded in 1983 by a small number of Maheshwari families mainly in the Northeast, held its 8th biennial convention at Stamford Hilton, in Stamford, Conn., from July 1-4.

Riva Ganguly Das, consul general of India in New York, the event’s special guest of honor, delivered a message of goodwill towards the community and said she looked forward to working with the community leaders.

A lifetime achievement award was given to Hanuman Das Lahoti of Detroit, Michigan, for dedicated lifetime service and for helping in the advancement of the Maheshwari community, the report said.

“We were pleasantly surprised with the number of youth who not only attended the convention this year, but also actively engaged in our Rajasthanis Abroad Youth Samaj events! After months of hard work and planning, this weekend definitely exceeded our expectations,” Priya Malani Manchanda, president of RAYS, was quoted as saying.

Diya TV, a South Asian broadcast TV network reported that other guests included Vinod K. Agrawal, special chief secretary, Telangana government and Govind Chandak, a prominent businessman who addressed the crowd.

MMNA President Parag Bajaj was given a special excellence in leadership award for his many initiatives, including launching a matrimonial website and for his inclusive leadership style.

The report said that Mridula Sinha, governor of Goa who was slated to be the chief guest, could not make it but set a video message complimenting the work of MMNA in bringing the community together to keep Rajasthani culture present in America’s younger generation.

In response to the youth turnout, one of the founding members of MMNA, Vimal Sodhani of Sodhani Foundation, declared a major initiative to assist MMNA in providing seed money to develop young entrepreneurs, the Diya TV reported.

The foundation plans to donate $100,000 each year to MMNA. “I felt that there is great potential of developing a few of our youths as entrepreneurs by helping them financially,” Sodhani was quoted as saying. MMNA has an existing educational fund that has helped needy students. Over $40,000 was raised during the convention to augment this fund, according to news reports.

An airline passenger has been charged with sexually touching a sleeping woman aboard a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced on August 2.

Veerabhadrarao Kunam, 58, of Visakhapatnam, was charged by complaint with one count of abusive sexual contact. He appeared August 1 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court and was released on $50,000 secured bond.

The abusive sexual contact charge carries a maximum potential penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Kunam was arrested on July 30, the day his flight arrived in Newark, and was taken into federal custody by the FBI.

According to the complaint, Kunam was seated next to a woman who occupied a middle seat on a Virgin America overnight flight from Los Angeles to Newark. While the plane was in the air, the woman fell asleep. She awoke to find Kunam massaging her genitals and rubbing his bare feet against her bare feet.

The victim alerted her male travel companion who traded seats with the victim and confronted Kunam.  Kunam allegedly told her companion that he wanted everyone to forget about the incident and offered to buy her companion a drink for any trouble he may have caused. The companion declined Kunam’s offer and alerted a flight crew member about what had occurred.

A member of the flight crew then moved Kunam to another seat and instructed him not to return to his original seat. Kunam allegedly told the flight crew member that he would not touch the victim again.

Sheetal Ranot, an Ozone Park, Queens woman charged with starving and beating her pre-teen stepdaughter faces 25 years in prison after she was convicted Friday of assault and child endangerment.

Sheetal Ranot, 35, was found guilty of slashing the girl, then 12, with a shattered metal broom handle that cut the girl’s wrist to the bone – and coldly leaving her in a pool of blood, authorities said. Ranot and her husband Rajesh tortured the child for nearly two years in their Ozone Park house of horrors, said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

The duo have allegedly locked the girl in her bedroom without food or water for extended periods, with her weight dropping to 58 pounds, officials said. Rajesh Ranot, the victim’s biological father was also charged with second- and third-degree assault, first-degree unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child. The husband and wife’s case was severed at the start of Ranot’s trial. Rajesh Ranot will be tried at a later date.

“A jury weighed the evidence, which included the once-undernourished victim’s testimony in court, and found the defendant guilty of abusing the girl for more than a year and half. The pre-teen was locked in her bedroom by her step-mother without food or even water for extended periods of time,” District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in a statement.

“The victim was struck with a metal broom handle and a wooden rolling pin until she was bloody and still carries these scars and others on her body to this day. No child deserves to be treated in this manner,” Brown said.

The girl, identified in published reports as Maya Ranot, weighed a skeletal 58 pounds because of the escalating violence. She, however, survived to tell the tale of her suffering and torture at the hands of her parents in their Ozone Park home.

After a day of deliberations, a jury convicted Ranot of first-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter, who presided over the three-week-long trial, set sentencing for September 8.

On May 6, 2014, when medical personnel arrived at the family residence after Sheetal Ranot hit Maya with a broken metal broom handle, they found Maya lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen with the tendons to her left wrist cut to the bone.

At that time, Maya was transported to Elmhurst Hospital where she underwent surgery for her wrist and received stitches to her knee. Doctors observed several bruises, marks and scars in various stages of healing throughout Maya’s body during that hospital stay.

“Thank God! It’s about time they locked him up. Everyone is afraid of him . . . How could he do this to his own daughter?” the Daily News quoted one of Rajesh Ranot’s former in-laws who was not identified by his name as asking.

Maya was beaten with everything from a rolling pin to a baseball bat to a broken metal broom handle — but never said a word because she feared her four step-siblings would be sent to foster care, officials were quoted as saying. “Fortunately, she found the courage to speak up,” Brown said. “It is not too hard to imagine that this case would have ended in the child’s death.”

A September 2014 New York Times report said Maya’s ordeal started in 2011, when a custody dispute placed her with her father. Relatives and a friend of her mother, Ramona Roy, said Ranot fabricated claims that Roy abused Maya. Their contention could not be verified by the newspaper because family court records are not public.

At that time the Times report said quoting neighbors that they noticed that Maya’s clothes were often dirty and that she was always doing chores and caring for her four stepsiblings,  who looked healthier and cleaner. “I was told this is normal — stepmothers don’t like stepkids in India,” neighbor Bematie Singh from Guyana told the newspaper.  “Maya was like the maid.”

Erasing Borders is a richly provocative exhibition by artists of the Indian diaspora who confront issues of sexuality, terror, disease, the environment, racial and sectarian politics in painting, prints, installations, video, and sculpture. With great technical mastery and diversity of theme and style, these works combine traditional Indian aesthetics with Western elements, and speak to the powerful experience of personal and cultural dislocation in the global village. In its twelfth year, Erasing Borders is curated by Vijay Kumar and produced by the Indo-American Arts Council.

Participating Artists include, Anna Bradfield, Anujan Ezhikode, Arun Prem, Bivas Chaudhuri, Bolo, Delna Dastur, George Oomen, Indrani Nayar Gal, Mansoora Hassan, MD Tokon, Nipun Manda, Norbert Gonsalves, Padmini Mongia, Parul Mehra, Quinza Najm, Pooja Gupta, Radhika Mathews, Rahul Mehra, Reeta Gidwani Karmarkar, Renuka Khanna, Rochana Dubey, Sejal Krishnan, Tara Sabharwal, and Uday K Dhar

The Exhibition remains open from July 14 – August 17, 2016  from 11 am – 5 pm Monday – Friday at the Kapoor Galleries, 34East 67th Street (between Madison & Park), NYC. Exhibitions are Free and Open to the Public.

The Indo-American Arts Council is a 501 ©3 not-for-profit secular arts organization passionately dedicated to promoting, showcasing and building an awareness of artists of Indian origin in the performing arts, visual arts, literary arts and folk arts. For information please visit www.iaac.us.

The President of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft, has helped spearhead a push for a more open and transparent selection process for the next UN Secretary-General.

Media spoke with Lykketoft one week after the 15 members of the UN Security Council cast their first votes in a straw poll to indicate which of the 12 candidates for the UN’s top job they support.

The results of the informal initial vote, which took place on Thursday 21 July, were not publicly released, but were leaked almost immediately. On behalf of the 193 members of the UN General Assembly, Lykketoft publicly called for the Security Council to convey the results to the other UN member states soon after the vote took place.

However Lykketoft also noted that the straw polls are an initial vote and that the positioning of candidates may well change, noting that new candidates may also emerge.

“It’s much too early to draw conclusions from the straw polls,” said Lykketoft. “Positioning and tendencies … can change over time.”

“The real influence from the membership is now to express to their colleagues in the Security Council if they have preferences among the candidates,” — Mogens Lykketoft.

A second straw poll is planned for next Friday August 5, he added. However one potential further candidate, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced on July 29 that he would not be running, as he did not receive an endorsement from the Australian government.

“We’ll try to arrange as quickly as possible, if a new candidate comes forward, the same kind of hearings that we have had with the 12 candidates,” he said.

However while the informal dialogues have opened up the selection process for the next Secretary-General to the 193 member General Assembly, it is still likely that the UN Security Council will ultimately decide a single candidate to put forward to the assembly for endorsement.

There have been calls for the Security Council to break with this custom and put forward more than one candidate to the General Assembly, however Lykketoft noted that any change to the current system was up to the Security Council, and that it wasn’t even clear whether the “majority of the General Assembly would ask for more candidates.”

“The real influence from the membership is now to express to their colleagues in the Security Council if they have preferences among the candidates,” said Lykketoft.

“Because we’ve had these informal dialogues, these hearings, we much better know the personalities and the priorities of candidates than one did at any previous occasion, simply because all the other times there wasn’t an established list of candidates, we didn’t even know outside the Security Council which names were brought to the table.”

“That has changed and that means also that all the friends, allies and colleagues of the members of the Security Council can express to them their priorities and that gives a real possibility for influence.”

“I have also said continuously if among the many candidates (there are) clear favourites, I don’t think the Security Council would come up with some quite different names. But we’ll see.”

In addition to consultations with the General Assembly as a whole, candidates for Secretary-General had separate consultations with the 134 members of the Group of 77, as well as with the regional groups, which Lykketoft described as a “very useful” addition to the selection process.

He noted that members of the Group of 77, which represents 134 developing countries at the United Nations including China, see development issues and climate change as priorities.

This was reflected in questions posed to the 12 candidates for the role of Secretary-General on behalf of the Group during the informal hearings in the General Assembly. Each of the 12 candidates also held closed hearings with the 134 members of the Group of 77 at the UN on 13 and 14 July 2016.

Reflecting on his own role, Lykketoft touched on changes to the office of the President of the General Assembly. Fiji has been elected to hold the 71st Presidency of the UN General Assembly, when Denmark’s term finishes in September 2016.

Lykketoft noted that as a Small Island Developing State, Fiji does not have the same resources to draw on to support the office of the President as other richer and bigger countries. The office of the President of the General Assembly relies on contributions from member states. Lykketoft particularly highlighted the importance of member states seconding staff to the office.

“There’s been 35 people from 26 different countries working in the office of the President of the General Assembly, which is a very interesting and very well functioning operation,” said Lykketoft.

There are currently 12 candidates for the position of UN Secretary-General. They include former heads of state and high-level UN officials. According to leaked reports, Antonio Guterres, former Prime Minister of Portugal and former head of the UN High Commission for Refugees, topped the first straw poll, with Danilo Turk, former President of Slovenia, placing second and Irina Bokova, of Bulgaria who is currently Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) placed third. Other candidates which received “encourages” from 8 or more members of the SC include Srgjan Kerim, of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Vuk Jeremić of the Republic of Serbia and Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of  New Zealand and Administrator of the UN Development Programme.

In addition to the push for the selection of the next Secretary-General to be more open and transparent, there have also been calls for the ninth Secretary-General to be the first to come from Eastern Europe or the first to be a woman.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 1, 2016– Press freedom is essential pillar of the UN human rights system guaranteed through Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (freedom of opinion and expression) and a part of customary international law which means that every UN member is duty bound to enable the exercise of this right.

“The UN plays an important role in shaping norms and setting agendas so it is an important the UN put journalist safety and press freedom at the heart of its work, from human rights to sustainable development and everything in between,” Radsch told IPS.

But in reality far many UN member states continue to undermine press freedom through restrictive laws, by jailing and killing journalists or not properly investigating attacks on journalists and bringing perpetrators to justice.

An UN Committee responsible for giving non-government organisations (NGOs) UN accreditation has had one of its decisions overturned by other UN member states as it seems to be restricting NGOs which are perceived to be critical of governments.

On Monday 25 July, a larger meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) voted to give ECOSOC consultative status to The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) a United States based NGO, after its application was rejected by the smaller ECOSOC committee for the fourth time.

The only reason CPJ was finally accepted was because a vote by the Economic and Social Council was forced by supportive member states, overriding the previous denial from the NGO committee, Courtney Radsch, CPJ’s Advocacy Director told IPS.

“It’s ironic that that the NGO Committee has no NGO participation and comprises several governments that are actively persecuting NGOs.” — Mandeep Tiwana, CIVICUS.

U.S. Ambassador to  the UN, Samantha Power told ECOSOC on 25 July that during the four years that CPJ was denied accreditation 863 journalists have been imprisoned, 19 have gone missing, and 304 have been killed, quoting CPJ figures.

“The UN NGO committee seems less interested at ensuring the voices of civil society are present to contribute to matters of great concern, and rather at excluding these voices because of the uncomfortable truths they espouse about member states.” Radsch told IPS.

“Being granted consultative status is a highly politicized process that is aimed less at ensuring that our CPJ meets the criteria for membership, such as supporting the world of the UN and working on relevant matters, not to mention our recognized standing in the field,” said Radsch.

Mandeep Tiwana, Head of Policy and Research at CIVICUS, told IPS that the Committee to Protect Journalists’ long and bruising struggle to gain ECOSOC status shows how the UN is not taking press freedom seriously, and that the UN NGO Committee is excluding NGOs simply because they are critical of governments.

Chicago IL: First time in the History of the Indian community in America, a crowd of more than 200 supporters gathered today outside at Daley Plaza, Chicago on July 29th, 2016 to show support and peacefully protest for the pending case of “Justice of Pravin”. This event was heavily publicized on social media platforms for 3 months after a few leaders from the US Indian community noticed that the case for Pravin Varughese was being unfairly handled by the authorities involved in the case.

Pravin Varughese was a 19 year old bright kid from the Chicago suburbs, who went to SIU Carbondale University to study Criminal Justice. He went missing the night of Feb 12, 2014 on his way back home from a party with his cousins. He went missing for a week and was found deceased in a wooded area in Carbondale. The police said they didn’t expect foul play and the difficult terrain and low temperatures were believed to have contributed to Pravin’s difficulty finding his way out of the wooded area. But the bruises on Pravin’s body that his mother and family found told a very grim story.

“Pravin Action Council” was formed in 2014 to assist the family in seeking justice. In July 2016, the first winner of Pravin Varughese Memorial Scholarship was announced on Facebook. It is a $1000 scholarship for a High school senior intending to pursue a degree in Criminal justice or law.  “Pravin Action Council” is headed by Mariamma Pillai and Gladson Varghese, both community leaders from Chicago.

For the past two years, the family and friends of Pravin Varughese have been working tirelessly to get justice and the truth behind Pravin’s death. The unfairness and the falsified reports with innumerous accuracies and blatant attacks on Pravin’s character showed unfairness.  With the help of community leaders from the US Indian Community in Chicago and this initiative by the Kerala Community in Chicago and around the US, bought together leaders and supporters to peacefully protest for the Justice of Pravin on July 29th, at Daley Plaza,

Organizers said, the main goal of this protest was to get rightful attention of the officials such as Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan as well as the Governor of Illinois, Bruce Rauner on Pravin Varughese’s case.  They are the officials who can take action on the investigators and officials of the Carbondale Police Dept., the Illinois State Police and Jackson County State’s Attorney Michael Carr whose conclusion and claim did not present key evidence in this case.

Michael Carr’s report did not say that the toxicology report was negative even though a toxicology report conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. James Jacobi showed Pravin Varughese had no drugs in his system and no alcohol other than ethanol produced during post-mortem bodily changes. Again, the family commissioned a second autopsy that was performed by Dr. Ben Margolis of the Autopsy Center of Chicago in February of 2014. Margolis found multiple deep bruises on the forehead and right arm of Pravin Varughese and determined blunt-force trauma was an underlying cause of death. The findings in the second autopsy were not shown to the grand jury. The officials unfairly covered up this case while the poor parents continued to look for answers to their dear son’s death.

Carbondale police on the other hand did not suspect foul play at the time of Pravin’s death and criminal charges were never filed. In Feb 2015, a Jackson County, IL grand jury determined there will be no criminal charges in the death of SIU-Carbondale student Pravin Varughese even though there was a dashcam evidence from an Illinois State Trooper with the suspect in the case on that fateful night.  The family representatives strongly believe that the grand jury did not receive all the relevant information from the officials in this case.

For over the last two years, Monica Zukas, a radio host/media personality from Carbondale has helped the family by sharing a lot of pertinent information to the public on this case on her Facebook page. You can read about some of the most recent findings on this case published by her on her Facebook page.

Under the leadership of Jiby Thomas Moloparambil, a community empowerment call was organized on June 30th, 2016 for the Indian/Kerala community to bring together individuals from across the nation to brainstorm ideas for next steps for this protest. About more than 500 individuals and personalities from different states across the US and India, joined the call to input their opinion and suggestions. For more info and for ways to get involved, please go to http://www.justiceforpravin.org

(New York, NY July 14, 2016) – As the fourth anniversary of the tragic Oak Creek, WI shooting nears, sangat members across the nation are coming together to join in National Day of Seva.

On August 13-14, as the nation will be holding the fourth annual National Day of Seva (selfless community service), the Oak Creek sangat is organizing their annual Chardhi Kala 6K Memorial Walk and Run, which will be held on Saturday, August 6, 2016, in Oak Creek, WI. We strongly encourage the community to attend the 6K walk/run, and to participate in the blood drive hosted by the Oak Creek sangat if you can get there.

For those who cannot attend the walk/run in Oak Creek, the Sikh Coalition is honored to host National Day of Seva on the weekend of August 13-14, 2016 so communities across the nation can show their solidarity with all those impacted by hate crimes. Community leaders in Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Sacramento, New York, Orlando, Detroit, and Charlotte are organizing seva events in their cities. Can we count on you to organize one in yours?

If you have any questions about organizing a National Day of Seva event in your city, please email our Community Development Manager, Harjit Kaur, at harjit@sikhcoalition.org.

The Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Center of Plainview, New York (the “Temple”) filed, on June 30, 2016, a lawsuit against the Town of Oyster Bay, N.Y., its Town Board, and the individual members of the Board challenging the Town’s zoning regulations and the Board’s targeted “Resolution” effectively prohibiting the Temple’s constitutionally protected religious worship.

The Complaint alleges violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (“RLUIPA”) and the New York Constitution. It describes the Town’s arbitrary, capricious and illegal actions taken to prevent the Sikh congregation from continuing to worship as it has since 1987, on the same property in a new replacement Temple building.

In 2014, the Temple applied to the Town to replace its aging house of worship with a modern facility, located at 1065 Old Country Road, Plainview, NY. In 2014 the Town approved the Temple’s site plan and a building permit was issued on March 7th, 2014. The Temple then demolished its existing building, and in October 2014, construction of the new Sikh Temple building commenced.

In direct response to local residents’ complaints, the Town issued a Stop Work Order on July 2, 2015, when construction was nearly complete. The Complaint asserts that such unfounded order was generated by local resident hostility against the Temple and its congregants. In order to accommodate a resolution, the Temple submitted a new site plan that was approved and then nullified by the Town Board, which then directed the Temple to re-apply for site plan approval. This would have left the Temple and its Congregation without a house of worship for several years.

Paul Savad, lead attorney for the Temple said: “Unless the Town can quickly come to terms with the Temple, we will proceed to a jury trial, and will recover substantial money damages, with the plaintiff’s legal fees also reimbursed by the Town.” “The Town issued illegal and improper stop work orders based upon political, biased, improper, non-existent offsite parking and environmental review issues.” “The approved site plan, for which a building permit was issued, provides 64 onsite parking spaces, although the Town Zoning Ordinance requires 21 onsite spaces; and no environmental review for the project was or is required because the new temple is a nearly complete replacement of a structure, in kind, on the same site”

Roman Storzer, co-counsel for the Temple said: “I’ve never seen a violation of RLUIPA as blatant as this.” “To process the Temple’s applications, accept their fees, approve the building, allow them to spend enormous sums for construction, and then to prevent its completion, is as significant a burden on constitutionally protected religious worship as I’ve ever seen.”

Religious land uses are protected from undue burdens, discrimination and arbitrary treatment under RLUIPA, which was passed by Congress in 2000 to prevent discrimination against religious institutions in land use regulation.

Along with litigator and trial lawyer, Paul Savad of Savad Churgin, LLP, based in Nanuet, New York, Plaintiff is represented by Roman Storzer of Storzer and Associates, P.C., based in Washington, DC. Mr. Storzer has successfully represented scores of religious entities in RLUIPA and First Amendment cases throughout the United States. He is also the former Director of Litigation for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

Hindus are urging West Hartford (Connecticut) to permanently rename its LaSalle Road as “Om Street”; where the popular sixth annual “Om Street: Yoga on LaSalle Road” event is being held on July 23.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, urged West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor, Deputy Mayor Leon Davidoff and Town Council to seriously look into renaming LaSalle Road as “Om Street” to honor the passionate yogis of the region who had been converging here in hundreds and informally converting it as “Om Street” annually for part of a day since 2011.

“Om” was the mystical and powerful Sanskrit seed syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism was used to introduce and conclude religious work, Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out.

Moreover, renamed “Om Street” might inspire residents of West Hartford and neighboring towns to adopt yoga lifestyle; as, according to US National Institutes of Health; yoga may help one to feel more relaxed, be more flexible, improve posture, breathe deeply, and get rid of stress; Rajan Zed indicates.

Zed further said that Yoga, referred as “a living fossil”, was a mental and physical discipline, for everybody to share and benefit from, whose traces went back to around 2,000 BCE to Indus Valley civilization.

Various yoga studios and allied businesses of Connecticut in Avon, Bristol, Brookfield, Collinsville, Danielson, East Hartford, Glastonbury, Hartford, Harwinton, Litchfield, Manchester, Middletown, Naugatuck, New Haven, Newington, North Haven, Old Wethersfield, Plainville, Simsbury, South Windsor, Southington, Torrington, West Hartford, Wethersfield; besides Vermont’s Northfield; are reportedly supporting/assisting in this event. Besides yoga display, it also plans to include live music on drums-gongs-didgeridoo. Two mats are suggested to protect knees on LaSalle Road (“it’s still a road and not quite the cork, wooden, or carpeted floor of your regular yoga studio”, an announcement says). There will be few dozen instructors of the area on hand to lead the yoga practice.

According to reports, about 1800 yogis turned out for this free community event last year to celebrate yoga in the street in West Hartford. This year the expectations are of 2000 participants spread over a full city block.

Rockwell Gajwani, a former CEO of a real estate investment company was arrested July 12, in Connecticut on allegations of wire fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion.  Rockwell Gajwani was presented the same day in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank Maas, according to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

Gajwani, 52, of Darien, Connecticut, is charged with one count of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and three counts of tax evasion, each of which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

“As the chief executive officer of a Manhattan real estate company, Rockwell Gajwani was supposed to put the best interests of his company first.  Instead, as alleged, he abused his position of authority to embezzle over a million dollars of company money,” Bharara is quoted saying in a press release. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the IRS were involved in the investigation.

From October 2011 through March 2013, Gajwani was the chief executive officer and president of a real estate investment company based in Manhattan where he is alleged to have taken more than $1 million in company funds, making wire transfers from the company’s bank account to his personal bank account, writing company checks to himself, and making cash withdrawals from the company’s bank account,. Investigators also allege Gajwani attempted to conceal his $700,000 salary through various means, including trying not to provide that information to the parent company.

By the time he left the company, Gajwani is alleged to have taken $1,300,000 more from the Manhattan Real Estate Company’s bank account than he was entitled to under his employment agreement.  He is also alleged to have not paid taxes on his legitimate salary or the proceeds gotten by other means.

New York: Seniors and delegates of various Indian associations celebrated 240th Independence Day of the US on July 4th at an event organized by Shashikant Patel/Gopi Udeshi at Sri Saneeswara Temple New York with Chief Guest Hon. Ushir Pandit Durant, newly elected Judge for Civil Court of New York.New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo awarded a proclamation honoring Bruhud NY Seniors for their dedication to the betterment of their community.

NYS Senator Tony Avella awarded a proclamation to Bruhud New York Seniors, Shashikant Patel and Gopi Udeshi for betterment of their community. NYS Assemblyman Andrew D. Hevesi awarded a citation honoring  Bruhud New York Seniors, Shashikant Patel and Gopi Udeshi for their dedication of betterment of their community.

Colorful performance by Eesha, Prisha, Kanisha and  Anishka dance on patriotic song and English Mari beautiful song sung by Prisha Dass. Gopi Udeshi narrated Time magazine front cover of 240 reasons to celebrate I day with pride and joy. She described history of flag was remarkable.  Diversity is one of America’s greatest strengths. Shashikant Patel presented with moral ethics and his indomitable spirit and compassion.

Spectacular speeches  by Hon. Ushir Pandit, Mukund Mehta, Subhash Patel, Pritam Shah, Urvik Trivedi,  Labhubhai Upadhaya,  Neela Pandya  and Rohit Pandya narrated  240 years of Independence of USA progress were remarkable. Participants took pledge to keep ancient cultural heritage to make strong by walk together, Move  together, think together  and resolve together.

The body of Chandan Gavai, an Indian man, who died in a road accident in the New York on July 4, is likely to be buried as his wife is in a coma and cannot give consent for his cremation, reports say.

According to India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Indian Consul General in New York Riva Ganguly has proposed that the body of Chandan Gavai, who died along with his parents when a pickup truck crashed into their car in New York on July 4, be buried till his wife, Manisha Surwade, came out of the coma.

IT professional Gavai, 38, and his parents Kamalnayan Gavai, 74, and Archana Gavai, 60, were killed when a pickup truck crashed into their car while they were returning after watching Fourth of July fireworks. The truck driver also died on the spot.

Both vehicles burst into flames immediately after the accident which happened at Yaphank in Suffolk County, New York. Surwade, 32, sustained life-threatening burns and head injuries while their 11-month-old son sustained non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

The family hails from Kalyan in Maharashtra. Stating that the bodies of the parents will be buried in the U.S., Sushma Swaraj tweeted: “Burial of Chandan as his wife Manisha is in coma and she alone can give consent for his cremation.”

According to U.S. laws, the spouse’s consent is needed for the cremation of a body. “Burial only till his wife Manisha recovers from coma. Once she gives consent, Chandan will also be cremated,” she said in another tweet.

She said that death certificates would be issued for all the three who died and the family would be helped in getting insurance money.

Sushma Swaraj added that all members of the family, including of Manisha, who are in the U.S., are agreeable to the consul general’s proposal. According to a report by WABC in New York, law enforcement source said the driver, Gustave Geyer, was drunk and had a blood alcohol content of .16, which is twice the legal limit.

The India Society at Stony Brook, meanwhile, an Indian American community organization in Long Island, New York, has set up an online fundraising effort “to secure the future of the baby,” at www.gofundme.com/2czk3bra. “We are in the process of creating a trust to hold the funds, until it is clear who gets the custody of the baby or when the mother recovers enough to take charge of everything. All expenditure will be made directly to the end service providers by way of a bank check to keep everything 100% transparent,” ISSB said in a statement. It has raised over $200,000 thus far toward a goal of $300,000.

Gundam Sankeerth, 25, from Hyderabad, was allegedly stabbed to death by his roommate in Austin, Texas on Monday, July 18th night. The Austin-based techie was stabbed by Kurremula Sai Sandeep Goud (27), also from Hyderabad, has been taken into custody by the Austin police.

Sankirth’s father, G Vijay Kumar, said the family members got the news from relatives on Tuesday morning that he was stabbed in his flat in Quarry Oaks apartment complex in North Austin. “We do not know what exactly happened. My son recently got a H1B visa. Our relatives in the US are going to hospital to find out more details,” a distraught Vijay Kumar said.

While the reason behind the killing is not known, Sankirth’s family members and friends said Sandeep used to tease him about his frail body. No one could provide much details about Sandeep. “We know that Sandeep is from Hyderabad and just 10 days ago he joined Sankirth in the flat. We came to know that Sandeep assaulted Sankirth with a kitchen knife,” Sankirth’s relative Ajay told the media.

Yahya Farooq, an Indian origin man in Ohio, who had previously been charged with providing support to Al-Qaeda was handed a three-count indictment in Toledo, Ohio on Wednesday, last week for soliciting the murder of the federal judge presiding over his case.

Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 37, was charged with attempted first-degree murder of a federal officer, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and use of interstate commerce facilities in commission of murder for hire, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

He was accused of soliciting someone to kidnap and murder U.S. District Court Judge Jack Zouhary after he told an inmate at a county jail in April that he was willing to pay $15,000 to carry out the act, the Toledo Blade reports.

Farooq Mohammad was in jail for a case in which he was indicted last year, involving charges for conspiring with three men to travel to Yemen in 2009 to give thousands of dollars in support of jihad against U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. That case still remains pending in the U.S. District Court of Northern Ohio.

“According to the charges in the indictment, this defendant not only attempted to have a federal judge murdered, but he did so to obstruct justice in a terrorism case against him,” U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade for the Eastern District of Michigan said in a statement Wednesday. “This prosecution seeks to hold the defendant accountable for attempting to victimize the judge and for trying to undermine our criminal justice system.”

The indictment said the inmate reported that information to the FBI and later introduced Mohammad to an “undercover employee” of the FBI. Mohammad was willing to pay $15,000 to have Zouhary killed. He then arranged for his wife to make a $1,000 down payment, which she did on May 5, it said. “When asked when he wanted the murder committed, Mohammad stated, ‘The sooner would be good, you know,’” the indictment said. The delivery of money to carry out the plan was handed to an FBI employee who was undercover.

Mohammad, who has been in jail since conspiring with three others including his brother Ibrahim Zubair Mohammad to travel to Yemen to provide $29,000 to known al Qaida leader Anwar Al-Awlaki to support violent jihad against U.S. military personnel throughout the world, was indicted July 6 on charges including first degree murder of a federal officer, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire.

Mohammad’s attorney, Thomas Durkin, said they will “vigorously contest these highly orchestrated and preposterous charges.” Two of the new charges carry maximum sentences of 20 years in prison, while the third charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Mohammad was extradited to the U.S. from the United Arab Emirates in 2015 following the indictment being unsealed Nov. 5 of the conspiracy to commit terrorist acts. Mohammad has pleaded not guilty in the case regarding Al-Awlaki.

Naperville, IL:  Naperville Indian Community Outreach in association with City of Naperville and Indian Consulate General will be hosting the second grand India Day Parade and Celebration on August 14, 2016 (Sunday) to mark the 70th anniversary of India’s independence. Several thousand people from Chicago and the suburbs are expected to attend the event which is being held in downtown Naperville.

With Bollywood celebrity Sunidhi Chauhan as the Grand Marshall, the India Day Parade will serve as a showcase of India’s rich and diverse culture with estimated 100 parade entries. Colorfully decorated floats organized by Indian cultural associations, local businesses and political organizations along with multiple colorful dance performers will be the highlight. Spectators will be treated to a rich variety of Indian cuisine, ethnic arts, apparel, and jewelry. This event has the distinction of being the 2nd India Day Parade backed by any city in America.

The Parade will be followed by a concert headlined by top Bollywood singer from India, Sunidhi Chauhan and her troupe. This concert is historical as this will be the first India Day in America with a concert of this kind with the free entry for everyone.

The ICO is a non-partisan and a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and promote the cultural heritage and contributions of Indian Americans while promoting their integration in the growth of Naperville. Its chairman, Krishna Bansal, has been appointed by, and reports to the Mayor of Naperville.

Bansal said that his team and him are excited to have the ICO organize this pioneering event. “Indian Americans are now a significant part of Naperville’s population, both in numbers and impact,” he said. The community which saw a dramatic growth since the nineties, now comprises of over 10 percent of the suburb’s total population. Moreover, with the recent influx of information technology workers and other professionals from India, over 70 percent are first generation immigrants.

Viral Shah, board member and treasurer of ICO described that several South Asian community leaders, restaurants, businesses and cultural organizations have come forward to support the event. While Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico and Consul General of India in Chicago, Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, will be chief guests, Sunidhi Chauhan, Indian’s sensational singer will be the Parade Marshal.

Among the other dignitaries invited and are attending include the Governor, Senator, Congressman State and Local elected representatives and prominent leaders of the Naperville community. The parade may be seen as a symbol of the rapid growth of the Indian American community in the Chicago suburbs. From 1990 to 2010, Indian-Americans became the largest Asian ethnic group in Illinois, according to data from the last census. Demographers and Indian community leaders say they expect that the figures will increase even more as highly educated Indians continue to fill jobs in the computer industry and change the face of the suburbs.

Additional information about the parade and celebration including applications to participate in the parade and celebrations as well as sponsorships is available on our web site www.napervilleindian.com.

Chicago IL: After celebrating Mother’s Day & Father’s Day, now was the turn to celebrate & showcase the talent of our young, budding artists, with dedicated Youth of Hari Om Mandir, who put up a grand show of cultural performances.

A Gala Evening of Music, Dance, Fun and Entertainment was organized by the Hari Om Mandir on Saturday, July 16, 2016 at Lake Park high school east campus, 600 Medinah Rd, Roselle, IL. The entire program was put together by the children ranging from 7 to 17 years of age. MC’s Tushar Sharma and Divya Maheshwari led the program from start to finish in a very professional way. They handled the whole show with great finesse…making sure the items were lined up in a manner that presented a true Variety Show….a colorful Rainbow of performances.

The Program started with the traditional lighting of the Diya and offering prayers to Ganesh Ji by the temple Priest, Pt Dinesh Kumar. Once, the ball was set rolling, there was no looking back….from Classical Bharatanatyam to Bollywood Dances, from Punjabi Folk to Modern Hip Hop, from Vocal Singing to Instrumental Music……the kids had sooooo much to offer!!!!

Each and every performance was of a high class standard and clearly showed the amount of practice & the long hours these kids had spent in preparation. Kudos to the Parents who had worked equally hard to encourage the kids, bring them for rehearsals, arrange for the costumes etc. etc. The Children & their Parents left no stone unturned to exhibit their Energy and Love for the rich Cultural Heritage of India.

As the rocking, young MC’s of the evening, walked up the stage, the whole atmosphere was charged with energy and was abuzz with excitement. They kept the audiences glued to their seats with their crisp comments and witty jokes. The chemistry between Tushar & Divya was very pleasing, as they had a sweet interaction on “Girls being the Best” and “Boys being the Best”, alongside the Indian & the American comparisons on foods, traditions, practices etc.

As the evening progressed, extra-ordinary talent was exhibited amongst huge applause and appreciation. Srikar Gangadharni, played and sang the old classic “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” on the piano. The special highlight of this rendering was that this 8yr old kid had learnt this Bhajan from his Grandfather in India thru Skype!!! Thanks to Technology! Another memorable performance was the recitation of the Nursery Rhyme, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” by Shriya Lakshminarasimhan who presented this in various Indian Languages….from North to South… and portrayed the theme of Unity in Diversity. The whole auditorium echoed with laughter and clapping, as people rose to give her a standing ovation!!!!

After the Dinner Intermission, the program advanced to a grand finale with a Fashion Show put up by all the participants and their proud parents. Young kids and teenagers, very elegantly walked the stage and posed for pictures. Mr. Satpal Salwan, Chairman Board of Trustees thanked everyone for their hard work and congratulated the Youth for putting up a great show.

The President of the Executive Board, Vipan Wadhera also expressed great hope in the Youth, who are the bright future of our Nation. On this occasion, he presented a Plaque to the Youth Co-coordinator, Tushar Sharma, honoring him for his services and attachment to the Hari Om Mandir, since he was a 3yr old kid! He has truly carried forward the baton of our rich cultural heritage, and as he advances into the next phase of his life for college studies, HOM wishes him good luck and a bright future. The program concluded with the National Anthem and the awards ceremony.

Chicago IL: Punjabi American Organization (PAO) organized their 12th annual event, Teeyan Da Mela held on Sunday – July 24, 2016 at Waterford Banquet, 933 S Riverside Dr, Elmhurst, IL. Dedicated to Bibi Jaswant Kaur Dhaliwal, mother of Sardar Dhaliwal from Milwaukee, the much awaited event was showcased for “Ladies only” where even very bashful timid ladies have opportunity to come forward and show their hidden talents. Teeyan is an honorable word in Punjabi Culture which gives a great reorganization and respect to women as mother, daughter, and daughter-in-law.

Teeyan is the dance festival of Punjabis, celebrated by women in the month of Sawan. One sees the finest Giddha performances as a part of the festival celebrations. The festival continues from the 3rd lunar day in the month of Sawan till the full moon day. Punjabi Americans Organization aims to promote unity and progress and preservation of age old rich culture and tradition of Punjab.

Under the leadership of Naiha Walia, President of PAO, who the youngest woman President of any such organization in Midwest Area,  the banquet hall was crowded with over 500 attendees composed of ladies and children dressed in multicolored Indian time-honored clothes. The organizing Committee welcomed the audience and thanked all the sponsors for their generous donations. The event started with the traditional open Dholki, where the audience was invited on to the stage to participate in group singing of Punjabi traditional opening “Saun da mahina” songs.

This was followed by dynamic MC and Punjabi singer, Deepika Singh who took the stage. She is from Van cure Canada, Actor, Singer and excellent Master of Ceremony. Cultural vibrant Dance Punjabney Shaukeen Kudiye was performed by Noor, Amneet, Seerat, Shubreet, Jasmine and Aman. Next, singers from Midwest region Mrs. Pooja Dhaliwal, sing song “Saanu Ik Pal Chain Na Aavey” entertained the crowd by their on stage talent. Followed by Pooja Dhaliwal there was Dance by Saroj Berry and Dhol Play, and Two Songs by Sabrina Sappal. Sabrina Sapal she is young tenanted girl came to entertainment to Chicago. She rising star among youngster

This year PAO introduced ‘Mrs. Punjaban contest determined by individual personality, beauty and talent. Total 7 contestant participate for Mrs. Punjaban Contest. Jeewan Dhami, Gurjit Kaur, Navneet Kaur, Prabh Khiara, Satinder Kaur, Simran Kaur and Jas. First (winner) Mrs. Panjaban name is Prabh Khaira and Second winner (runner up) is Simran kaur. Prabh Khaira won the crown of Mrs. Punjaban.

Fashion show was chorerographed by Naiha Walia and Sim Multani. Models walked the ramp with a mixed blend of custom designed outfits and dresses which had Swaroski work, hand embroidery, detailed thread work, crystal stone patterns, gotta patti by elite designers of GetEthic.com. Beautiful and budding models namely Avneet Singh, Gurneet Singh, Mehar Parmar, Karen, Hundal, Jazmin Diaz, Hannah Singh, Aman Natt, Jasmine Kaur, Seerat Kaur, Simran Walia, Simran Khanna, Samar Kaur sparkled with their amazing catwalk and attitude on ramp. Fashion show displayed outfits such as stunning suits, spectacular sarees, splendid lehengas, trousseau collection and heavy pure silk gorgeous bridal wear as the showstopper worn by none other than Miss Illinois.

Organizers decorated the event hall with Punjabi pupates, saris, and other traditional Punjabi dresses as well as with colorful clothes, flowers, and garlands. It appeared like a rainbow spread across everywhere in the event hall. The upcoming event for Punjabi American Organization will be Diwali Night in October 2016.

A horrific tragedy struck an Indian family returning home after watching July 4th fireworks when a pick-up truck crashed head-on into their sedan trapping them in a deadly fire that killed three of them, left one fighting for her life, yet miraculously left an 11-month old baby almost unscathed, thanks to firefighters.

Chandan Gavai, 38, of Middle Island, was declared dead in hospital after the crash in Yaphank around 10:45 p.m. His father Kamalnayan Gavai, 74, and mother Archana Gavai, 60, were killed instantly in the crash. His wife, Manisha Surwade, 32, is fighting for her life at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue as of July 11, with critical burns and head injuries, Suffolk police told Desi Talk. But the infant, identified as “Baby Ibhan,” who only had minor injuries is at Stony Brook University Hospital. Yaphank firefighters rescued the baby from the burning vehicle when they heard cries from inside the car, news reports said. The elder Gavai’s were visiting from India according to the police.

The crash that took place in front of 275 Yaphank-Middle Island Road in Yaphank, in Suffolk County on New York’s Long Island, also killed Gustave Geyer, 25, the driver of the 1990 Chevrolet truck, who according to police was driving recklessly. He hit the 2014 Nissan Altima head-on in a no-passing zone.

Suffolk County Seventh Squad detectives are continuing their investigation into the incident “It’s still an active investigation,” an officer who said he could not comment on the case, told Desi Talk. He also said he could not put a timeframe on Geyer’s autopsy results that might indicate his blood-alcohol level.

Manish Sandbhor, a family friend of the Gavais, told Newsday, the Indian family was returning after watching July 4 fireworks. He also said that Surwade, who was “fighting for her life” was a “very strong person.” He described Chandan Gavai as a close friend and an “easy going” man, with whom he had been on many adventures organized by Surwade, such as indoor sky diving in New Hampshire where Sandbhor lives. “We had really good memories,” Sandbhor told the newspaper.

Chandan Gavai, a graduate of University of Mumbai according to LinkedIn, was a senior programmer and analyst at Broadbridge Financial Services of Edgewood, N.Y., since July 2011. He had worked at several IT companies in Masachusettes as a software engineer since 2007. Surwade studied at the University of Pune, according to her LinkedIn profile.

A July 6 CBS News New York report quoting unnamed sources said Geyer had a blood alcohol level that was twice the legal limit. But police refused to confirm that to Desi Talk. “That information was not generated from our office,” the spokesperson for Suffolk County Police Department said. Geyer’s body has been taken to the medical examiner’s office but no results have been made public yet.

Police said they received several 911 calls about the accident, and many of the callers said Geyer was driving “erratically,” CBSNews reported, adding that investigators believe he was returning from a party when he crashed into the Gavais’ vehicle.

The India Society of Stony Brook has set up a GoFundMe page “To Help Baby Ibhan Gavai.” Dutt Tarigoppula, president of the India Society, said on the site, “In the midst of this tragedy we need to come together and raise as much money as possible to help secure baby Ibhan’s future.”

“Many of you in the community have already begun helping by providing residence and food for the grieving family,” he said. Meanwhile, members of the Gavai family are arriving from India to conduct the funeral, according to media reports.

Chandan Gavai’s Facebook page and GoFundMe site saw an outpouring of sympathy and memories. An old friend, Shauna Brettschneider, said on Facebook that she was feeling heartbroken. “I will miss you buddy… RIP,” she said. “We are praying for her (Manisha) with every breath we take..” said a friend, Renu Punjabi, on the GoFundMe page.

The ATA Convention hosted by American Telugu Association [ATA] was marked by breathtaking spectacle drawing record-breaking attendance inundating the sprawling convention center with vibrant Telugu fervor at the silver jubilee festivities held on a grand mega scale showcasing the rich Telugu cultural heritage and its burgeoning Telugu constituency in America at the 3-day ATA Convention held on July 1-3, 2016 at the Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.

The Rosemont city wore a colorful Telugu look as unprecedented number of attendees preliminarily estimated at 10,000 thronged the convention center to experience ostentatious showcasing of rich Telugu culture through music, dance, pageantry surpassed only by dazzling fashion shows, contemporary cinematic music and colorful epic dance presentations eclipsed by celebrities, large contingent of political leaders, Telugu icons and eminent personalities overwhelmed only by the presence of Tollywood movie stars.

Convener Chandrasekhar Reddy Palvai praised the unwavering dedication and hard work of the entire ATA chairs & co-chairs that truly brought such phenomenal results. Convention Director K.K. Reddy characterized it as a magnificent journey of 25 years culminated in such an extraordinary convention and added this as a symbol of triumph of the towering Telugu spirit. ATA President Sudhakar Perkari lauded the remarkable ATA team work that brought about this splendid outcome. ATA Founder/President Hanumanth Reddy expressed the gleeful joy at the presence of such huge masses of Telugu people under one roof and added is a shining testament to innate culture of Telugu people; while Convention Co-Convener Krishna Mushyam saluted the rallying spirit of Telugu fellowship in such magnitude.

The convention was set in motion with a grand gala banquet on Friday July 1st with Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu inaugurating the 3-day celebrations paying rich accolades to the Telugu culture in their remarks as ecstatic gala attendees rendered prolonged applause. Governor Bruce Rauner issued a proclamation declaring July 2nd and 3rd 2016 as American Telugu Association Day in the state of Illinois. Governor Rauner commended the Telugu community for keeping up the great cultural heritage and added if he gets an opportunity he would love to visit India. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in his address inspired the families to stay rooted in Telugu culture while appreciating the other languages and cultures. Venkaiah Naidu stressed on the ripe climate in India ideal for global investments. Dinkar Karumuri exhaustively introduced Governor Rauner and described him as an outstanding champion of the Indian American community and added his presence at ATA gala is a shining testimony of his steadfast goodwill to the Telugu community.

With the invocation dance, the gala banquet in its splendor showcased the outstanding success stories of Telugu people in the United States who were applauded for their valuable contribution to the societies both in India and America. Some of the prominent attendees include Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, Consul General of India, Democratic Nominee for U.S.Congress Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Prominent MP Kavitha Kalvakuntla, Deputy Telangana Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari, Cook County Commissioner Tim Schneider, GMR Chairman Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao ATA Benefactors Dr. Prem Reddy and Dr. Paila Malla Reddy joined by a large contingent of MPs and MLAs from A.P and Telangana state represented by all political parties including TRS, YSRCP, TDP and Congress. Other Prominent Leaders from USA include Maryland Delegate Aruna Miller, Ambassador Vinai Thummalapally, Ex-Nasscom chair BV Mohan Reddy.

On Saturday July 2nd, the ATA Convention set the stage on fire with a huge 100-group dance troupe presenting an epic inaugural dance presentation ‘Jyothi Prajwalana’ that evoked applause and standing ovation. Key note address by Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu was stirring as he inspired Telugus in America to instill and nurture Telugu language to the succeeding generations. Venkaiah Naidu said that the most successful people in North America are Indians and added half of them are Telugu’s. Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti presented Illinois Governor’s proclamation to ATA leaders. Rasamayi Balakrshinan Troupe provided an upbeat ‘Dhoom Dham’ Telangana traditional dance and musical presentation. Youth forum was inaugurated by ATA founder Hanumanth Reddy, convener Chandrasekhar Reddy Palvai and Director K.K. Reddy. Re-enactment of ‘Bahubali’ movie with its huge cast held the audience in rapt attention. TV hosted event ‘SYEATA’ had youth performing colorful cultural and western presentations.

Kuchipudi dance by Padmaja Reddy displayed wide swath of emotions. Kavitha Kalvakuntla, Telangana Member of Parliament applauded the sense of unity of Telugu people showcased at the convention. Iftekhar Shareef, Reception Chair introduced Kavitha Kalvakuntla, Telangana MP and the Telangana MPs and MLAs giving an eloquent summation of their role in continuously steering the newly-formed 29th Indian state towards the trajectory of success. Earlier, Swami Chidatmananda spoke. Kamala Chimata, Convention Coordinator who presented the overview said the convention is replete with exhaustive schedule of close-fitting events meaningfully designed for the families.

On Sunday July 3rd, the convention drew wall-to-wall crowds to witness the spectacular fashion show, contemporary dance presentations and grand musical show presented by Mani Sharma and group that send the crowds ecstatic at every song belted out. In the afternoon, heated debates with political leaders participated by TRS, YSRCP, TDP & Congress party reached a fierce pitch battle between the party leaders held by Chalma Reddy and moderated by renowned TV host Venkata Krishna and managed by Vikram Kattamreddy. Some of the politicians participated in the Political Forum include Telangana Dy CM Kadiam Srihari, L. Ramana, Pedireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Jithender Reddy, Madhu Yashki, Keshav Rao, Roja, Ambati Rambabu, Srikanth Reddy, Malla Reddy and others.

The evening segment began with youth-centric dance and musical presentations. ATA felicitated their past presidents, its board and trustees. Chandrasekhar Reddy lauded the undying commitment of over 60 committees; while K.K.Reddy expressed jubilation having such a fine contingent of committed teams.

Some of the Tollywood movie actors who attended the convention included Actors Kajol Agarwal, Jagapathi Babu, Nani Babu Ghanta, Rashi Khana, Bhanu Sree, Lavanya Tripathi, Rashmi Gautam, Jyothi, Ramya Sree Neeliya,Rachna Mourya.

Some of the prominent political elected leaders who attended included Ganta Srinivas Rao, Nayani Narasimha Reddy, Dr. Venugopala Chary, Ambati Rambabu, Roja and Jatinder Reddy.

The Youth committee organized Lake Michigan dinner cruise for youth 16 and above and 200 Youth participated. The business forum included workshops by CEO’s and Entrepreneurs who presented workshops about doing business in India and the US. The Women’s Forum workshops were designed to empower and motivate women.

Health and wellness seminars focused on preventive health screening and medical advice from leading medical experts, Matrimonial services were provided to parents of prospective brides and grooms. Seminars for Senior Citizens were organized to educate seniors about Government benefits, health Insurance options and navigation and dealing with the loss of a partner as they grow older in America. Yoga and meditation sessions were conducted throughout the day and many attendees took advantage learning and practicing these relaxation techniques. Vendor’s booths carried mouth-watering Telugu delicacies, jewelry, fashion apparels and accessories and real estate companies promoted their housing projects in India. Convention attendees were treated a great shopping experience and were able to support participating vendors. Painstaking efforts were made to serve authentic native Telugu cuisine for record number of guests.

The leaders of the American Telugu Association and the Convention team received glowing accolades for their remarkable dedication in securing runaway success of the silver jubilee convention. The convention drew to a grand conclusion with high decibel musical concert rendered by well-known Tollywood music director Mani Sharma along with a team of singers and musicians belting out exciting tunes until the wee hours past midnight which served as a grand finale to a memorable Telugu convention.

“Another area of international concern involves Indian call centers, which like their Jamaican counterparts, continue to be the source of various imposter frauds that have reached consumers throughout the English-speaking world,” Lois C. Greisman, associate director, Division of Marketing Practices, Bureau of Consumer Protection at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, said.

According to reports, Greisman said this in her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee said certain types of scams are more likely to impact older Americans, such as prize promotion and lottery schemes and imposter schemes purporting to provide technical support to “fix” non-existent computer problems. Listing the various areas of concerns, Greisman listed fraud calls originating from India as one of them.

“In addition to our enforcement cases, the FTC has organized three stakeholder meetings, including two in India, to develop a coordinated and multi-pronged approach to this threat,” she said.

Indian call centers continue to be the source of various frauds, the U.S. government told lawmakers on June 29, and said American officials were training Indian law enforcement agencies to act against the fraudsters.

The most recent event, held in May in Washington, DC, included representatives from several major technology companies; the U.S., Canadian and UK law enforcement; the Indian call center industry group, and Indian government officials, Greisman said.

“One result of this collaboration is a four-city law enforcement training in India this summer, in which the FTC is participating, aimed at developing Indian law enforcement’s capacity to arrest and prosecute the India-based individuals who perpetrate these frauds,” she said.

The FTC will also continue to develop cross-border initiatives with our sister enforcement agencies in Canada and the United Kingdom, Greisman told lawmakers.

Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said criminals have found deceptive ways to “set the hook” on a particular victim and then return for more. One study found that seniors who had been scammed out of just $20 ended up losing an additional $2,000 in other scams over the next five years.

“But the most devastating impact of these crimes goes beyond seniors’ bank accounts. Victims of financial exploitation can experience loss of independence, deteriorated health and psychological distress—all of which diminish the quality of life,” Grassley said.

“In my home state of Iowa, we’re hearing more and more about sweetheart scams, where fraudsters cultivate a romantic relationship with a lonely elder—typically online—and then convince the senior to part with his or her hard earned money,” he said.

The Justice Department would strenuously pursue hate crimes and prosecute them, Vanita Gupta, chief of the Civil Rights Division, promised while delivering the keynote address at the Hindu American Foundation’s Inaugural Policy Conference event in Washington, DC on June 20.

Gupta, an Indian American holding top position at the Obama administration was responding to the recent massacre in Orlando where 49 people were killed in a club frequented by LGBTQ people, by a man who claimed to be driven by extremist Islamic ideology.

“Our conversation comes at a trying time.  Just eight days ago, we suffered a horrific terrorist attack in Orlando, Florida.  And as we continue to pray for the victims and their families, I want to assure you that – as the Attorney General said many times this past week – the Department of Justice continues to use every resource at its disposal to investigate this appalling attack,” she told the audience.

While lauding the The Hindu American Foundation’s motto – “promoting dignity, mutual respect and pluralism” – represents the very best traditions of people from many different faiths, beliefs and backgrounds around the country, Gupta said, “whether we worship another faith or whether we consider ourselves non-religious, in this country, our laws protect the rights of all people to live free from violence, discrimination and harassment.  The First Amendment of the Constitution lists religious freedom as the first right.  And today, in the 21st century, with people of many different beliefs calling America home – the values of diversity and pluralism continue to define our national identity.  In my own life – as the daughter of Indian immigrants, as the wife of a Vietnamese refugee and as a longtime civil rights lawyer – I have seen the profound power of our laws to advance America’s promise of equal protection, equal justice and equal opportunity for all.”

The FBI and different government agencies continue to lead a range of enforcement efforts in the area of religious discrimination, she said. “To further improve our efforts to combat hate violence, along with our U.S. Attorney partners and the FBI, last year we organized a series of regional hate crimes trainings – in Mississippi, California, Oregon, Kansas and Florida.  These sessions helped to train local and federal law enforcement in how to recognize, investigate and prove hate crimes.  They helped to educate communities and engage them in the process of ensuring public safety.  And they helped to encourage better hate crime reporting and data collection.”

Gupta urged the members of the group to “ask the tough questions, to tackle the hard issues and to confront the real challenges that exploit differences in our communities.  In so doing, you will help bring our country closer to its founding promise of a land that protects all people.  You will advance the values that define us as a nation.  And day-by-day, you will shape America into a more just and more free union.”

New York City, N.Y.  – June 27, 2016 – With the theme “Strengthening Connections between India and Indian Diaspora through Business,” GOPIO International, Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (www.gopio.net), is held its 27th Anniversary Celebrations and GOPIO Biennial Convention 2016 in New York, USA at the Marriott LaGuardia Hotel with evening banquet held at World’s Fair Marina on June 24-25, 2016. Over 200 delegates from 20 countries participated. GOPIO’s New York Area Coordinator Lal Motwani served as the Convener along with Dr.  Asha Samant, Kenny Desai, Shelly Nichani, Nohar singh and Jayant Baxi as Co-Conveners.

The convention was inaugurated at the World’s Fair Marina on June 24th evening by welcome remarks by Convention Convener Lal Motwani and by GOPIO President Niraj Baxi and at a welcome dinner. The chief Guest was Guyana Prime Minister and First Vice President Moses V. Nagamootoo, a freedom fighter for Guyana. PM Nagamootto invited the Indian Diaspora community to consider Guyana as a destination for investment and business and spoke on many incentives Guyana could offer. India’s Consul General in New York Ambassador Riva Das Ganguly Das representing Govt. of India, delivered the inaugural address in which she noted the role played by GOPIO in launching and building a worldwide movement as a united force for the Indian Diaspora. The evening program ended with classical and semi-classical dances performed by students of Pandit Satya Narayana Charka.

On Saturday June 25, a full day GOPIO conference was held at the New York LaGuardia Marriott Hotel from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There were 9 sessions to deliberate on the Global Indian Diaspora; evaluate GOPIO’s progress in 27 years; network, exchange ideas, and connect with PIO/NRI delegates from around the world. The conference, organized by Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, Conference Committee and Founder President, GOPIO International, consisted of an inaugural plenary session with keynote speaker Raj Jaswa, former President of TiE Silicon Valley and director and trustee of TiE International, Serial technology entrepreneur, and an Adjunct Professor at several Universities in India. This was followed by two track conference sessions, (1) Business and Technology ventures and opportunities and (2) Social, Political, Gender and Health challenges.

The conference ended with a concluding presentations session from the Session Chairs, namely, Prakash Shah, Dr. Rajeev Mehta, Nitin Shah, Dr. Neerja Arun Gupta, Viresh Sharma, Sudha Parekh, Dr. Asha Samant, Jagdish Lodhia and Ram Gadhavi. Several resolutions were presented by a committee headed by Dr. Rajeev Mehta. Resolutions for the conference session were added to these, and will be sent to Govt. of Indian and other government agencies.

The 27th Anniversary celebrations concluded with a Grand Finale Banquet and Recognition of Businesses and Entrepreneurs with Social Responsibility at the World’s Fair Marina. The honorees were Lord Diljit Rana of Belfast (Northern Ireland, UK), Raj Jaswa of Silicon Valley and TV Asia Chairman H.R. Shah. Dr. Sudhir Parikh, Chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media and Prof. Indrajit Singh Saluja were honored with Media Awards for their contribution and support of the community.

The Chief Guest was Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE, known as Viv Richards, a former West Indian cricketer, regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He was joined in the evening by Antigua & Barmuda Minister Trade, Industry, Commerce, Sports and National Festivals Mr. E.P. Chet Greene. The banquet ended with a Bolliwood performances put together by Dharmatma Saran of India Festival Committee and Anita Bhat of Miss India-CT.

With gratitude, GOPIO acknowledged support of Platinum sponsors Embassy National Bank, State Bank of India, Labidco Port Services Ltd; Gold sponsors Dr. Asha Samant and Kenny Desai; and Silver sponsors Bank of Baroda, Adani North America, S.S. White Technologies Inc. and Dr. Praveen Chopra.

Resolutions passed at the GOPIO Convention in New York (USA) on June 25, 2016, included: 1. Voting rights for Indian citizens living outside India; 2. Rajya Sabha seats for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs); 3. Pro-active Role for Indian Missions to Reach Out and Help Indian Citizens Needing Emergency Assistance; 4. Engaging NRIs/PIOs for Educational, Health and Social Causes; 5. Protection of Real Estate and Business Investments as well as Inherited assets;  6. Discriminative Admission Fee Rates for PIOs and OCI Card Holders; 7. Taxing of NRIs/PIOs Social Security Benefits in India; 8. Expand Know India Program; 9. Set Up for Involvement with Ministries of Commerce, Science and Technology, Power, Rural Development, Tourism; 10. Set up NRI Ministry or NRI Coordination Office with all state governments.

San Jose, CA: Omar Golamrabbi, a juvenile charged in the killing of his parents here, has been cleared of murder and was released from police custody on June 24th, reports here say. “Santa Clara County prosecutors dismissed murder charges Friday against the younger of two brothers accused in the shooting deaths of their parents at their San Jose home in April,” wrote San Francisco Chronicle.

The decision means Omar Golamrabbi, 17, is expected to leave the Santa Clara Jail where he had been held since the April slayings off his parents, Shamima Rabbi, 57, and her husband, Golam Rabbi, 59. Prosecutors had decided to charge him as an adult before they reversed course and dropped the charges. The Bangladeshi American couple was found dead on April 24 by relatives who had been trying to reach them for several days.

Public defender Sajid Khan, is reported to have said, Omar had been released because prosecutors said they had an “insufficiency of evidence” of his involvement in the murders. “He was present at the time, but we believe he was just a witness to the scene,” said Khan. Omar Golamrabbi  has been taken to a group home, according to Khan. His social worker will determine whether he can live with other family members.

After the killings, the two brothers allegedly went to an anime cartoon convention, according to court documents. On the floor near the bodies were at least two handwritten notes in black marker pen. One chillingly read: “Sorry, my first kill was clumsy.” The other note read: “I can’t be like you, telling a lie.” Omar Golamrabbi was initially suspected of writing the notes.

Upon his arrest April 27, Hasib Golamrabbi — who initially could not be found for three days — told police he had shot his father multiple times, but added that a stranger had come into the house and forced him to do it. Hasib told police that the stranger had killed his mother.

As per reports, Omar Golamrabbi told police that his brother had murdered both his father and mother and then told him to check the garage — where the bodies were found — to make sure blood was not seeping out.

Hasib Golamrabbi is being held in Santa Clara County Jail without bail. His next court appearance has been scheduled for July 13. Documents filed in court indicate that Hasib Golamrabbi has previously been identified as having psychological issues.

“We are grateful and excited that the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has dismissed the murder charges against Omar,” the public defender’s office said in a written statement. “We are thankful to Deputy District Attorney Matt Braker for examining the evidence in this case with an open mind and for exercising his discretion to dismiss.

After spending 16 years in prison for the killing of his former high school girlfriend, a man at the center of popular podcast “Serial” has been granted a new trial. Retired Baltimore Circuit Judge Martin Welch ruled June 30 that Adnan Syed, 35, deserved a new trial because his lawyer didn’t challenge testimony in the case that became the focus of the podcast, which captivated millions of listeners around the world.

The Pakistani American was convicted in 2000 of murdering Hae Min Lee a year earlier and burying her in a shallow grave in a park in northwest Baltimore. He was sentenced to life in prison.

During a post-conviction hearing in early February, Syed’s attorneys argued he deserved a retrial on the grounds that his original attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, did not contact Asia McClain Chapman, an alibi witness who said she saw Syed at the Woodlawn library about the same time prosecutors say Lee was murdered.

Additionally, Syed’s current attorneys argued cell tower data linking Syed’s phone to the burial site on the day of Lee’s murder was misleading because it was presented to jurors without a cover sheet warning that incoming call data was unreliable.

In Welch’s order, he disagreed that Gutierrez erred when she failed to contact Chapman, or that prosecutors breached their duty by withholding exculpatory evidence. But Welch did agree that Syed’s attorney provided “ineffective assistance for the failure to cross-examine the state’s cell tower expert about the reliability of cell tower location evidence” that placed him near the burial site.

The state had argued that because Syed didn’t raise the issue of his trial attorney’s failure to cross-examine the state’s cell tower expert in a prior proceeding, he waived his right to make it an issue now. But the judge ruled that Syed didn’t “intelligently or knowingly” waive his right to raise the issue, noting that he never completed his high school degree.

“Requiring a layman who lacks a complete high school education to understand the intricacies of cellular network design and the legal ramifications of trial counsel’s failures to challenge the evidence would be inconsistent with the spirit of the Sixth Amendment,” the judge wrote.

The judge said the attorney’s performance “fell below the standard of reasonable professional judgment” when she failed to confront the state’s expert about the reliability of the cell tower evidence.

At a news conference, Brown said he “fully expects” the state to appeal the judge’s decision. But he said he and the rest of the defense team have “dug our heels in” and remain determined to fight on Adnan Syed’s behalf, including requesting that Syed be released from jail while he awaits retrial. “This is obviously an incredible victory,” he said. “We know the state is not going to give up, and we’re ready.”

The Tamil Entrepreneurs Forum (Tefcon) at FeTNA’s annual conference this July 4 weekend in New Jersey promises to be very exciting with 25 top executives as speakers including Arvind Swamy, the actor-entrepreneur. Speaking to the media, the NJ based Nagappan,  who is Chief Information Officer with Pershing, BNY Mellon, says that Tefcon has been part of FeTNA’s annual celebration for some time, but this year the scale is a lot bigger.  There will be keynote addresses, panel discussion and inspiring TEF talks –  taking the stage will be at least eight successful women.

The presenters at the July 2 full-day session inside Patriots Theatre at the War Memorial, Trenton, will not be confined to tech fields. Inspiring speakers include ‘Dosa Man’ Thiru Kumar who started with a tiny food cart in Manhattan and has been featured widely in international media, and Hemalatha Annamalai, who makes battery operated motorcycles at low cost and her firm may turn out to be India’s future Tesla.

At the Tefcon some startups will make a pitch to investors, who would include Arvind Swamy, N. Chandra of TCS, and Jet Blue’s Eash Sundaram.  So Tefcon also acts as an incubator. Fittingly, the conference theme is Link Learn Lead.

About the stereotypical image of Tamils being the service class in India, Nagappan says the community had great entrepreneur zeal before the British rule. Then, being educated, they got into government jobs and became complacent.  But after Independence, thing have been changing again. In Silicon Valley, many Tamils hold top technology positions today.

FeTNA (Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America) convention is expecting about 2,000 attendees. Performers will include Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna, playback singer Vijay Prakash, and Super Singer title winners Hari Priya and Jesica Jude

Namboori Sridatta, 25, and P. Naresh, 24,  are reported to have drowned in two separate incidents in the U.S., according to information from their families.

Namboori Sridatta, who was working with Tata Consultancy Services in Arizona, drowned while picnicking with friends at a waterfall. According to his family in Vanasthalipuram in Hyderabad, the incident took place June 19, but they received the information late June 20. Sridatta, who was with friends, slipped and fell down into the water. Rescue workers recovered his body.

The youth had come to the U.S. five years ago and, after his education at Arizona University, got a job at TCS. “He was to come home next month, but yesterday we got this shocking news,” said Sridatta’s father, N.V.M. Swamy, a private employee. The family has appealed to the Indian government to ensure that the body is brought home early.

In another incident, P. Naresh, 24, a student in California, drowned in a river during a picnic. The incident occurred at Livermore River Park June 19. According to information that reached his family in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, he was on a picnic with his friends on a boat when he slipped and fell into the water. His body was recovered during a search operation launched by the local police.

Naresh was a second-year student studying for his M.S. His death shattered the dreams of his poor family in Bandipalem village. His father, Purnaiah, a small farmer, said he had telephoned him recently to inform him that he will be doing a part-time job and will send money home starting next month. Naresh’s family has urged the Indian government to make arrangements to bring the body back home.

Nethinaidu Veluchamy and his wife Parameswari Veluchamy, the principal shareholders of First Mutual Bancorp of Illinois Inc., a holding company for Mutual Bank, allegedly hid cash and assets from creditors intentionally, after defaulting on $40 million in personal and corporate loans, according to an indictment returned in federal court in Chicago on June 22.

As per reports, in June 2009, the couple defaulted on personal and corporate loans totaling $40 million. The following month Mutual Bank was shut down by federal regulators. Prior to the shutdown and continuing until at least November 2015, the couple hid millions of dollars in assets by allegedly falsifying documents, moving money into domestic and foreign bank accounts, and directing employees to destroy financial records. The indictment says the couple also transferred cash to their two adult children, with nearly $8.5 million going to one and more than $10.1 million to the other.

The 12-count indictment was returned last week in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Each count of bank fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The indictment charges Pethinaidu Veluchamy, 70, with four counts of bank fraud, two counts of destroying records to obstruct a bankruptcy proceeding, two counts of making a false statement under oath in a bankruptcy proceeding, and one count of making a false statement in an application for a U.S. passport.

Parameswari Veluchamy, 65, is charged with four counts of bank fraud, two counts of destroying records to obstruct a bankruptcy proceeding, one count of making a false statement under oath in a bankruptcy proceeding, and one count of making a false statement in an application for a U.S. passport.

According to the charges, Pethinaidu Veluchamy caused his relatives to obtain legal judgments against him for loans for which he knew he was not personally liable so that he could later assert those liens as superior to a bank creditor’s anticipated judgments.

In a 2011 deposition in a separate court case, Pethinaidu Veluchamy fraudulently claimed that certain funds transferred to his adult children represented indemnity obligations for their investments in First Mutual Bancorp. He produced a document to support this claim, but when questioned about the timing of the creation of the document, he claimed the computer he had used to create it crashed in a snowstorm.

Imran Yousuf, a former US Marine sergeant of Indian origin, has been hailed as a hero for saving scores of lives at the Orlando night club when a terrorist went on a rampage killing 49 people.

When Yousuf, who was working as a bouncer at the Pulse night club catering to the gay community in Orlando, Florida, heard the first gunshots his military experience fighting in Afghanistan kicked in, according to media reports. As everyone in the packed night club froze in fear, he jumped up and at personal risk opened a back door allowing many people to escape.

He told CBS News television that as panicked people streamed to the back of the hall, “I’m screaming ‘Open the door! Open the door!’ And no one is moving because they are scared. There was only one choice,” he added in the interview. “Either we all stay there and we all die, or I could take the chance, and I jumped over to open that latch a we got everyone that we can out of there.”

Yousuf – whose mother and grandmother are Hindus – risked his life because he could have drawn the attention of Omar Mateen, who had sworn loyalty to the Islamic State and was carrying out the attack, considered the worst mass shooting in US history.
Yousuf said his quick action saved 60 to 70 lives . CBS reported that he cried as he said, “I wish I could have saved more to be honest. There are a lot of people that are dead”

And Yousuf has been modest, brushing off the praises as a hero. Marine Corps Times newspaper reported on its web site that Yousuf posted on his Facebook page, “There are a lot of people naming me a hero and as a former Marine and Afghan veteran I honestly believe I reacted by instinct. … While it might seem that my actions are heroic I decided that the others around me needed to be saved as well and so I just reacted.”
Yousuf had left the Marine Corps just last month. His family emigrated from Guyana, where his ancestors had gone from India.

Imran Yousuf graduated from Niskayuna High School – near Schenectady, New York – in 2010 and immediately joined the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Times reported that Yousuf served as an engineer equipment electrical systems technician in the Marine Corps from June 2010 to May 2016, according to service officials. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. He was last assigned to 3rd Marine Logistics Group. His military awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Korean Defense Service Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal.

Forty civil rights organizations, along with the Sikh Coalition, jointly sent a letter to law enforcement officials June 1, demanding justice for an Indian national and a Pakistani national who were accused of terrorism and arrested at gunpoint while riding a Greyhound bus in Amarillo, Texas.

On Feb. 21, Daljeet Singh from India, and his friend, Mohammed Chotri from Pakistan, were on board a Greyhound bus and speaking in Punjabi. According to the Sikh Coalition, a woman on the bus reported to police that the two men were “acting weird,” speaking Arabic, and discussing a bomb.

Two other passengers detained Singh and Chotri in their seats until police came and arrested them at gunpoint. Singh and Chotri were interrogated at length, and taken to jail. Both men were released the following day, with no charges filed against them.

“Mr. Singh’s turban was removed in violation of his religious rights and not returned to him until the next evening after he was released from detention,” wrote the organizations, in a letter sent to Potter County, Texas Sheriff Brian Thomas and Potter County Attorney Scott Brumley.

“Mug shots of him without his turban were taken and widely distributed to the local media, causing him shame and grief. For a Sikh, the forced removal of a turban is akin to a strip search,” wrote the organizations. “To add insult to injury, Mr. Singh was even accused by a deputy of pretending to not know how to speak English, when in fact he is from India and recently applied for asylum in the United States.”

“Mr. Singh believes that he and Mr. Chotri were profiled because of their skin color and language abilities, and in the case of Mr. Singh, also because of his turban,” said the Sikh Coalition.

“The undersigned groups believe strongly that no one should be subject to discriminatory treatment and policing on the basis of their religion, ethnicity, or English language skills. This humiliating and offensive encounter could have been avoided if the officers were properly trained in diversity and nondiscrimination; had summoned an interpreter to the scene immediately so that the two Punjabi speakers could explain themselves; or more thoroughly investigated the basis for the terrorism allegation, including rigorously questioning the passenger who filed the false police report,” wrote the organizations in their letter to Thomas and Brumley, adding: “All of us have the right to live in America free from profiling and law enforcement abuse.”

The organizations asked to review the anti-profiling policies of the Sheriff’s Department, and requested that the county require each officer to undergo diversity training. The group also asked the county to provide translation services, and to investigate future incidents of discriminatory behavior.

“I still cannot believe that this happened to me in America,” Daljeet Singh told local press after the incident. “The only crime I committed was wearing a turban, having a beard, and speaking in a different language to another brown man on the bus.”

“What happened to these two men is unconscionable. We intend to work closely with local authorities on their training procedures and response protocols to ensure that history isn’t repeated,” said Sikh Coalition policy director Arjun Singh.

“The steady stream of xenophobic rhetoric from politicians in Texas has contributed to a climate in which innocent people are targeted for discrimination, racial profiling and police overreach,” said Rebecca L. Robertson, legal and policy director at the ACLU of Texas.

“In a state as diverse as our own, it’s unacceptable that anyone could be arrested, searched, interrogated and forced to spend the night in jail for speaking Punjabi on a Greyhound bus. And, in a state as deeply religious as Texas, we should demand that police respect all faith traditions,” she said.

Davinder Singh, 47, a Sikh gas station owner was shot to death in Newark, New Jersey, by an unidentified assailant on May 30. The fact that there was no apparent sign of robbery or confrontation, family suspects the killing to be of hate crime.

The incident was being investigated by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Major Crimes Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department, news reports said. But at press time the motive of the crime was not established, not the identity of the attacker.

ABC New York reported that Singh, 47, was shot at the Power Gas Station on West Market Street sometime before 4:25 p.m. May 30. Police said Singh of Iselin, was found unresponsive at the gas station and taken to a University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 4:45 p.m.

The report quoted Singh’s son Jatinder Singh as saying that he thought his father, who had moved to the United States from India 25 years ago, may have been targeted because he was Sikh and wore a turban. “There was no robbery, no struggle, no confrontation,” he said. “I don’t know what else it could be other than a hate crime,” he was quoted as saying.

He said that his father had been robbed before but had always fought back. “My dad came out to get some fresh air and the male came up to my dad, pointed a gun and shot him point-blank,” he said.

Detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Major Crimes Task Force were quoted by ABC saying that an investigation was on but not confirming if the case was being investigated as a hate crime.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York has declared that the Union Carbide Corporation was not responsible for cleaning up the mess created by the 1984 Bhopal tragedy in India, which had killed approximately 10,000 people and injured about 600,000.

Thirty years after methyl isocyanate leaked out of the Bhopal plant, aquifers as far as 3.5 kilometers away are still contaminated with toxic wastes. Owners and occupants of land near the Bhopal plant are suing UCC – which was bought by Dow Chemical in 2001 – for causing injuries resulting from hazardous contaminants attributed to the plant’s inadequate waste management system. Residents living near the now-shuttered site have suffered from a variety of illnesses from drinking contaminated water, and a huge number of babies have been born with birth defects. EarthRights and the plaintiffs want UCC to clean up the toxic wastes from the site; UCC has said it is not responsible.

The plaintiffs – through EarthRights International, a non-profit organization representing thousands of Bhopal victims – have stated that UCC provided the design of waste contamination pits necessary to store hydrochloric acid, a by-product of the methyl isocyanate manufacturing process. Hydrochloric acid is the primary source of groundwater contamination emanating from the Bhopal factory.

Judge Robert Katzmann on May 24 upheld a 2014 ruling by New York District Court Judge John Keenan, which found that the Union Carbide Corporation – UCC – had turned over the day-to-day responsibilities of managing the pesticides plant to Union Carbide India Limited – UCIL — which owned and operated the facility. UCC, however, owned 51 percent of UCIL’s stock.

Keenan has ruled in favor of UCC on three previous occasions. In 2014, Keenan ruled that UCC had supplied a design to UCIL which would use non-porous clay to line the waste contamination pits. UCIL instead used a cheaper, thin polyurethane.

In his decision on the case – known as Sahu vs. Union Carbide Corp, named for the chief plaintiff Jagarnath Sahu – Katzmann quoted from Keenan’s 2012 ruling, which noted: “Even after undertaking “a discovery expedition worthy of Vasco de Gama, it is clear from the undisputed facts that UCIL, and not UCC, designed and built the actual waste disposal system.”

Katzmann also found that testimony from two witnesses – Jurgen Exner and Ian von Lindern – was not substantive enough to support EarthRight’s contention of UCC’s involvement in designing and making the waste contamination pits.

Critically, Katzmann also upheld that Lucas John Couvaras, a plant manager at the Bhopal site at the time of the gas leak, could not be deposed. In a statement introduced in court, Couvaras claimed that he worked for UCC.

UCC however, claimed that Couvaras was a contractor employed by UCIL. Couvaras’s deposition is key to the case, as his testimony stating that he was an employee of the Union Carbide Corporation would be sufficient to establish UCC’s responsibility for the industrial disaster.

A former school teacher and colleagues of Indian American Mainak Sarkar have expressed shock and sadness over news of the researcher fatally shooting his wife and a University of California-Los Angeles professor before turning the gun on himself.

Sarkar, 38, fatally shot engineering professor William Klug, 39, in his office at UCLA on June 1. Klug had refused to give him a passing grade. Before killing Klug, he killed his wife, Ashley Hasti, who was found dead in Brooklyn Park, in Minnesota.

Sarkar passed his ICSE exam from St. Michael’s School in Durgapur town of West Bengal’s Burdwan district, before passing Class 11 and 12 from another school. Lily Chowdhury, a biology teacher at St. Michael’s, described the news of the shootout as “very shocking.”

“He was a very brilliant student, meritorious student, I should say. He was one of the toppers of the class. He was the pride of our school,” said Chowdhury. She remembers Sarkar as “very well behaved.”

Some Indian researchers in the U.S. said they were “discomfited” that Sarkar, who was an IIT Kharagpur graduate, could commit such a heinous crime. Researcher Sohini Ray, who was in “lockdown” for around two hours along with her lab mates in a UCLA building, said taking someone’s life was not justifiable.

“It’s a very sad affair. We do not know what transpired internally but taking someone’s life is not justifiable and whether the person had tried to solve the problem through another method before taking the drastic step is not clear. Not just as a Bengali but as an Indian, I feel sad,” Ray told a local TV channel.

Sarkar had written the names of Klug and his wife in a note, titled “Kill List,” that police found while searching his residence. The third person Sarkar intended to kill was another professor at UCLA. However, the faculty member was off-campus June 1.

IIT-Kharagpur director Partha Pratim Chakrabarti June 2 expressed grief at the “senseless loss of life.” “We are extremely sad at this senseless loss of life and our hearts go out to the families who lost their loved ones,” Chakrabarti said when asked about the development. Shubham Goel, an economics major at University of California, Los Angeles, was in class with fellow students when all hell appeared to break loose June 1.

Indian Institute of Technology graduate and former UCLA doctoral student, Sarkar, 38, shot to death his professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, William Klug, 39, in a small room in Engineering Building 4 on South Campus. His killing spree however, had begun earlier, in Minnesota, where the body of a medical student he married in 2011 was found.

“What actually happened on our campus was very different from what we were led to believe (through the alerts and rumors),” Goel recalls. But the terror was etched in their memories and even into the day after the horrific incident, students were afraid to go back to campus, he said.

Gupta indicated that the competitive academic environment at UCLA could be difficult, and recalled his own experience. “A few years ago, some student thought I had taken his work. I hadn’t but he made a big deal about it. UCLA is a pressure cooker in that sense,” Gupta said.

“There’s been no racializing of the incident,” said Gupta. The main conversation among students is focused around issues of mental health, and the academic pressure to excel, he said rather than the shooter’s ethnicity. “There is also a lot of discussion going on about gun policies,” he added. Chief of LAPD Charlie Beck told reporters Sarkar had two semi-automatic weapons legally purchased.

Details given by the police and media reports about Sarkar’s background, as well as his Web entries, reveal that after IIT he did his Masters at Stanford University and got his doctorate from UCLA in 2013. A professor at IIT-Kharagpur’s aerospace department said he recalled that Sarkar, “a brilliant student,” was from Kolkata, according to The Hindustan Times. “He remained busy with studies and did not talk or socialize much.” The newspaper also reported that he had worked for Infosys in Bangalore before coming to the U.S.

Phani Guthula, an Indian American engineer, who had sued after he fell nearly 40 feet through a glass ceiling at Rodin Museum in Philadelphia, has settled for $7.25 million. According to his attorneys, earlier this month with the defendants, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the security company, AlliedBarton Security Services.

Guthula says a guard at the Rodin Museum in 2012 told him he could step on the glass to inspect lighting fixtures before he fell. His attorneys say he was hospitalized for over a month with injuries including femur, hip, pelvic and rib fractures. “It was the most terrifying moment of his life,” Guthula’s attorney Larry Bendesky told the media. “It’s a more terrifying moment than most of us would ever be able to come to grips with.”

As per the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Rodin Museum had completed a $9 million renovation. Guthula, then 27 and working as an engineer for ICF International, was conducting an energy audit of the building, which had applied for an energy rebate with Peco.

While conducting the audit, an AlliedBarton security guard gave Guthula access to the museum’s attic area, the lawsuit said. Guthula was required to inspect light fixtures located above a glass-paneled surface, and the guard told him he could step onto the glass. He soon plummeted to the museum floor.

Guthula’s lawsuit had accused the museum and its security company of not protecting him. In a court filing, AlliedBarton said its security guard had never been properly warned about the safety risks by the museum.

Guthula’s attorneys said he was hospitalized for over a month with injuries including femur, hip, pelvic and rib fractures. Guthula has partially recovered, but walks slowly, and suffers from a lack of energy and an inability to concentrate at times.

Guthula’s attorneys say the settlement brought some sense of closure to their client, but the effects of his injuries will likely linger the rest of his life. “He’s doing the very best he can do. He is living every day fighting through it, putting his best foot forward, and working towards living a normal life,” said Bendesky.

Queens, NY: Jackson Heights in the Queens Borough in New York has come to be recognized as the hub of multi-culturalism. But for Indian Americans, it’s their prime center, where one will find dozens of Indian businesses flourish with the active support of the influential Indian American community.

Recognizing the presence of these diverse groups, representing peoples from around the world, showcasing different cultures, a stretch of road in New York’s Jackson Heights, was officially co-named “Diversity Plaza.”

“Diversity Plaza has truly become a neighborhood gathering point for Jackson Heights and Elmhurst residents,” said New York City Council Member Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights, Elmhurst). The plaza serves as a town square, concert stage, festival space and cafe year round. There is always something exciting taking place there,” Dromm said at the co-naming ceremony.

Others who were present at the event included U.S. Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx), N.Y.C. Public Advocate Letitia James (D-NYC), Queens Borough President Melinda Katz (D-Queens), N.Y. State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Queens), the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), the Friends of Diversity Plaza, SUKHI New York, and the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership, among others.

“We are very excited about the co-naming ceremony and the designation of our special public space as, officially, Diversity Plaza,” said Shekar Krishnan, Chair of Friends of Diversity Plaza. “As the gateway to Jackson Heights, it is a reflection of the incredible cultural vibrancy and diversity of our neighborhood,” he said.

“I’m proud to see my vision of Diversity Plaza as the capital of the living United Nations in New York City became real,” said Agha Saleh, founder of SUKHI, a nonprofit for South Asian community in New York. “SUKHI’s inclusive team of diversity lead by two women, Shazia Kausar and Fatima Baryab, and their dedicated work with Council Member Dromm at 37th Road during the past four years made this plaza famous around the world,” Saleh said.

In a statement Mayor Bill de Blasio noted that Diversity Plaza has been a mainstay of Jackson Heights – ‎one of the most diverse neighborhoods in one of the most diverse cities on earth – for years. “We are proud to stand with Council Member Dromm and the people of Queens to formally recognize the importance of this plaza for the folks here — who speak over 150 languages,” the mayor said.

The name “Diversity Plaza” was coined by Dromm’s former chief of staff Will Sweeney who lives in Jackson Heights. The co-naming ceremony coincided with World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, designated by the United Nations in 2002. A special performance by Calpulli Mexican Dance Company followed Dromm’s remarks and the unveiling of the official “Diversity Plaza” street sign.

NEW YORK CITY, NY: With an aim to strengthen ties with the local Indian community in Connecticut, a high level delegation led by Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das would be visiting Hartford, Connecticut (CT) on June 3rd, 2016 for an Outreach Program.

The delegation will comprise of representatives from nationalized Indian banks, Air India, India Tourism Office, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), United States India Business Council (USIBC), Make my Trip and Cox and Kings Global Services (CKGS).

During the visit, the delegation would be meeting the Honorable Governor of Connecticut Dannel Malloy, the Honorable Mayor of Hartford, Luke Bronin, local chambers of commerce, business communities and the Indian-American communities.

The delegation will address the Indian Community at a reception in the evening, starting at 7pm, at the Comfort Inn & Suites. The Consulate and the accompanying delegation members from the chambers of commerce, banks and tourism office will address any queries related to steps taken to improve consular services, passport, visa and banking services, business environment and economic reforms. This platform will provide a great opportunity for the community to interact with the Consulate and its partner stakeholders.

New Jersey: Thiruvalluvar Tamil School in Edison celebrated its 6th Annual Day with much fanfare on May 15. Dr. Palanisamy Sundaram, a renowned pediatrician and the founder of New Jersey Tamil Sangam (NJTS), a longtime promoter of Tamil language and supporter of New Jersey Tamil community, presided over the function. Current office bearers of New Jersey Tamil Sangam, Mrs. Usha Krishnakumar, President and Kalyan Muthusamy, Vice President, in their speech, heartily applauded the eagerness of students in learning the Tamil language and encouraged them.

Founded in 2010, Thiruvalluvar Tamil School, a nonprofit organization, has continually provided Tamil education to hundreds of Tamil families that live in New Jersey and has been a champion and bulwark of Tamil culture and traditions. While the school began with 12 volunteers and 65 students, its strength has grown over 500%, and today, more than 325 students are taught to speak, read, and write Tamil language with the help of 60 teachers. The students are grouped at various grade levels based on their age and caliber.

The annual day festivities at Thiruvalluvar school is an occasion for celebrating the Tamil language, promoting the arts, the culture and the heritage of the Tamil people, and showcasing the various talents of the Tamil school students.

On Sunday at 2 PM, the annual day celebrations began with a moving rendition of Tamizhthai vazhtthu (Praise of Mother Tamil) by select students in the J.P. Stevens high school auditorium, Edison. Volunteer teacher, Mrs. Sathya Paul welcomed the guests and spoke about the achievements of the school.Senthilnathan Muthusamy, Treasurer introduced the chief guest, Dr. Palanisamy Sundaram. Commending his long service to Tamil language and Tamil people living in New Jersey, Mrs. Shanthi Thangaraj, Principal, awarded a plaque to the chief guest while Lakshmikanthan Sundararajan, Vice Principal, honored him on stage with a ponnaadai (meaning, gold cloth).

Volunteer teachers, Sridhar Kumaravelu, Mrs. Srilakshmi Premkumar, Karuppaiah Ganesan and Mrs. Senthilnayaki Selvakumar compèred the event. Over 300 students, between the ages of 3 and 15, performed in various programs on stage while more than 500 people in the auditorium, clapped, whistled and whooped in joy cheering them up.

East Hanover, New Jersey – GOPIO International has elected to reach out Indian Diaspora Community through its chapters. New Jersey has a large Indian Diaspora Community and there is only one chapter, GOPIO Central Jersey based in Edison serving the New Jersey Indian community.

According to GOPIO Vice President Ram Gadhavi, GOPIO has plans to expand in other areas of New Jersey. With that objective, GOPIO officially launched inaugurated a second chapter GOPIO-North Jersey on Sunday, May 22nd at the Fairbridge Hotel, East Hanover, New Jersey. Chapter President Dhiraj Solanki welcomed guests and said that the chapter will reach out Indian Diaspora (NRI/PIO) community and involve youth and young professionals in the chapter activities.

The chapter was inaugurated in the presence of many dignitaries and community leaders Th3e chief guest was India’s Deputy Consul General in New York Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapara who welcomed the formation of new chapter and promised to work closely with the new chapter on issues of Indian community in North Jersey.

“The consulate has improved the response and turnaround time for visa, passport and OCI cards services, because of feedback from GOPIO Chapters and GOPIO International,” said Dr. Mohapatra. “When GOPIO brings any matter to us, we look at it and work on it right away,” said Dr. Mohapatra. “With a population 1.8 million NRIs/PIOs in the Northeast Region, the consulate can provide better service only with the help of organizait6ons such as GOPIO,” Dr. Mohapatra added.

New Jersey Assemblyman from district 33 Raj Mukherji praised GOPIO for the services provided to 380k Indian Diaspora community residing in New Jersey. Mukherji called upon the community to be pro-active in the political process. Former Deputy Speaker of New Jersey State Assembly Upendra Chivukula who is currently the Commissioner on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities said that when GOPIO recognizes a person, Govt. of India notices it and the recipients are likely candidates for receiving Pravasi Bharatiya Samman. Chivukula congratulated the organizers for opening a chapter in North Jersey.

GOPIO-Founder President Dr. Thomas Abraham said that unlike other India association, GOPIO chapters will be involved in civic affairs and service to the local communities. GOPIO motto is “Think Globally and Act Locally.”

Community leader and TV Asia Chairman H.R. Shah, GOPIO Vice President Ram Gadhavi and GOPIO International Coordinator for North America Dr. Rajeev Mehta and GOPIO Coordinator for Tri-State New York area Lal Motwani were also present at the inauguration ceremony. GOPIO Silicon Valley President Ashok Bhatt, GOPIO-Central Jersey President Dinesh Mittal and GOPIO-CT President Shelly Nichani showed their support by attending the inauguration ceremony. GOPIO-North Jersey Vice President Rajul Shah served as the MC while the chapter Secretary Ahi Adukia gave the vote of thanks. For more information on GOPIO-North Jersey Chapter, contact its president Dhiraj Solanki at  973-714-5249, dnsolanki@hotmail.com or Vice President Rajul shah at 908-327-0605, rajulpshah@aol.com.

Attached Photo: GOPIO-North Jersey Chapter is inaugurated in the presence of dignitaries and GOPIO officials with lighting of the lamp. From l. to. r.: Dinesh Mittal, Lal Motwani, Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, H.R. Shah, Dr. Sudhir Parikh, Raj Mukherji, Dr. Rajeev Mehta, Dr. Thomas Abraham and Shelly Nichani

With record numbers of people requiring life-saving assistance and funding drastically short of meeting those needs, leaders today concluded the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul endorsing five responsibilities to improve aid delivery, support refugees, uphold international law, increase financing and prevent the crises generating the largest migration flows in 70 years.

The two-day Summit brought together 55 Heads of State and Government and other officials from 173 countries in Istanbul, Turkey from May 23-24, 2016. Hundreds of representatives from the private sector and thousands from civil society also attended, marking a diverse range of actors discussing new ways to alleviate suffering, including by addressing the social, economic and other inequities that could ignite simmering tensions into violent conflict.

“This unique Summit has set us on a new course,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in closing remarks. “It is not an end point, but a turning point”. Governments, people affected by crisis, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and the United Nations had come together to support the Agenda for Humanity and its five core responsibilities. “Implementing this Agenda is a necessity if we are to enable people to live in dignity and prosperity,” he declared.

Indeed, he said, humanitarian and development partners had agreed on a new way of working to reduce the need for humanitarian action, while aid agencies and donor Governments had committed to a “Grand Bargain” that placed resources in the hands of those who needed them. Governments had committed to do more to prevent conflict, uphold international law and live up to the promise of the United Nations Charter.

Ban said he would report to the General Assembly in September on the Summit’s achievements and propose ways to advance the commitments. To be sure, the people enduring conflict today and those working to alleviate their suffering were the true humanitarian heroes. “The World Humanitarian Summit must deliver for you,” he said.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, said that, given the commitments participants had made during the two days, strong action, rather than empty words, must now follow. Indeed, no country could remain indifferent to the stark differences among countries, where one could be wealthy while millions of people lived in poverty in a neighbouring State. “We must share our moral, political and financial obligations and act swiftly,” he said. “Any day that we wait causes the deaths of hundreds and the suffering of thousands.” With that in mind, he expressed hope that the Summit would open the door to a more peaceful world.

In addition, the Summit featured seven high-level leaders’ round table discussions in which Heads of State and Government and representatives of civil society, the private sector, philanthropy and the United Nations announced commitments to improve humanitarian responses. In three of those round tables held today, discussions focused around broad themes titled: “Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity”, “Natural Disaster and Climate Change — Managing Risks and Crises Differently” and “Women and Girls — Catalysing Action to Achieve Gender Equity”.

Throughout, participants decried that civilians were being indiscriminately killed in armed conflict, that the Geneva Conventions were being routinely ignored, that women and girls continued to suffer sexual abuse in emergency settings and that some 218 million people every year were impacted by natural hazards. Indeed, participants said, the Secretary-General’s core commitments were a collective promise to never overstep the limits of humanity.

Fifteen special sessions were held, in which participants outlined individual pledges to help those affected by disasters and conflict. Seven of the special sessions were held today, covering themes of humanitarian principles, protection of journalists, humanitarian intervention, young people, business, risk analysis and efforts to place people at the centre of humanitarian action. Speakers announced commitments to better engage a range of stakeholders in the search for pragmatic solutions to complex dilemmas. The eight special sessions held on Monday, 23 May, covered religious engagement, migrants, persons with disabilities, education, Islamic social finance, global health, regional action, and a global alliance for urban crises.

The plenary sessions, which was held alongside the other events, closed with an interactive panel moderated by United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson and featuring discussion with Maria Verónica Bastias, Regional Coordinator for the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction; Butch Meily, President of the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation; Françoise Sivignon, President of Médecins du Monde; and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Foreign Minister of Turkey. The Summit’s closing ceremony featured performances by the Kenya State House Girls Performance Group, Syrian Boys Choir and the Adiyaman Temporary Housing Facility Performance Group, as well as Yvonne Chaka Chaka, United Nations Millennium Development Goals Envoy for Africa.

Two top American immigration-related advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit against the federal government seeking transparency into the lottery process of H-1B work visas, the most sought after for IT professionals, particularly those from India.

The lawsuit has been filed by the American Immigration Council and American Immigration Lawyers Association against the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services seeking information about the government’s administration of the H-1B lottery.

The two advocacy group alleged that USCIS has never been forthcoming in describing the selection process, a statement said. “When petitions are submitted to USCIS in April, it’s as if they disappear into a ‘black box’,” said Melissa Crow, legal director of the American Immigration Council.

“This suit is intended to pry open that box and let the American public and those most directly affected see how the lottery system works from start to finish, and to learn whether the system is operating fairly and all the numbers are being used as the law provides,” Crow said.

“Despite the Obama Administration’s public commitment to the values of transparency and accountability, frankly, our attempts to see into this process have been resisted,” said AILA executive director Benjamin Johnson.

“Instead of responding to our requests for information about how the lottery is conducted, how cap-subject petitions are processed and how the numbers are estimated and tracked, USCIS has kept the process entirely opaque,” he alleged.

“This litigation is intended to shine a necessary light on an important process in America’s business immigration system,” Johnson said.

German government has honored missioner Sister Hermanelde Pulm for her five-decade-long work for the poor in India with the prestigious ‘Bundesverdienstkreuz’, Germany’s Cross of the Order of Merit.

Michael Siebert, the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Mumbai, on behalf of German Federal President Joachim Gauck, conferred the award to Sister Pulm in a ceremony held in Mumbai on May 23.

Sister Pulm, 79, is a a member of the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit in Mumbai. She has been working in India since 1963 through her engagement at the Holy Spirit Hospital in Andheri, Mumbai.

The hospital caters for the medical needs of Indians of all religions, especially the poorer sections of society. With this honour, Germany acknowledges her decades-long, outstanding efforts in serving Indians in need.

Siebert said the nun has “spread a very positive image of Germany in India amongst so many, but without ever stepping into the limelight. You have helped, physically and spiritually, so many babies, children, mothers, fathers, uncles and aunties in the pediatric ward.”

He lauded the nun’s efforts to build “what was then called the ‘jungle hospital’ by many in Andheri” and said her “part is huge in making it into today’s Holy Spirit Hospital.”

The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany was instituted in 1951. It is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the Nation.

The Order of Merit may be awarded to Germans as well as foreigners for achievements in the political, economic, social or intellectual realm and for all kinds of outstanding services to the nation in the field of social, charitable or philanthropic work.

Chicago IL: Dada J.P. Vaswani, or “Dada” as he is lovingly known, belies his age of 97, in his address to the devotees in Chicago last week, spoke of forgiveness. “The only way to forgive completely is to forget. You cannot forgive if you continue to hold the feelings of the past. The past is over, Dada said. Move on with only love in your heart. Your mind will be at peace,” he said.

His message is of love, forgiveness and bringing God back into our daily lives. He talked of respecting all forms of life, be they of animals, insects or of plants. The 21st century, Dada said, should be the century for protecting Animal Rights. Killing animals for food is inhumane. “Let us not make our stomachs graveyards for animals,” he said.

Dada emphasized the need for having humor in our daily lives. “People have forgotten to smile and laugh,” he said, and added, “You are not fully dressed till you wear a smile on your face.” Dada told us to stop complaining and start thanking. Be thankful to God. More good things are happening than bad things in our lives. Focus on the good things.

Dada underscored the need to bringing God back into our daily life. “Everything you do, do it as if you are doing it for God. Remember God as many times a day as possible and in all that you do. Make God your partner in your daily life, be it your business or your personal life. Loneliness can be overcome if you believe that you are not alone, that God is always with you every moment of the day,” he said.

Pujya Dada was brought to the banquet hall by his personal cardiologist, Dr. Ramesh Chhablani from the home of Dada’s host family, Dr. Gopal and Neetu Lalmalani. It was an evening of enlightenment with a spellbound audience and a spiritual Master at the beautiful banquet hall of the Oakbrook Marriott, Chicago, IL. The evening began with devotional music by two renowned singers of Chicago: Pramila Bhatia, a well known disciple of the famous Purshotamdas Jalota, a singer at the Chinmaya Mission Center of Chicago; and Anil Sharma, a talented professional singer whom the Chicago community has had the privilege of hearing for many years. The bhajan singing primed the audience to a religious mood and focus on the arrival of the highlight of the evening, Dada J.P. Vaswani.

Dada is the head of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission based in Pune, India. The Mission has centers all over the world. The goals of the mission are to serve the needy and less fortunate people. It has Cardiac and Eye hospitals where free surgeries are done for the poor. Dada has written over 150 books with very leading titles, some of which are available on Amazon. The details and activities of the Sadhu Vaswani Center of Chicago, under the leadership of Prakash Jotwani, can be seen on its website www.svc-chicago.org.

Chicago IL: In the presence of over 1,000 devotees, dozens of prominent community leaders, generous sponsors, committee members, super donors and volunteers, Umiya Mataji Sanstha Chicago Midwest (UMSCM) celebrated a historic event, honoring and celebrating arrival of Umiya Mataji Jyoti Rath (Chariot) arriving from Macon, Georgia to Chicago, at Itasca Temple, 21W Irving Park Rd, Itasca, Illinois on May 1. The striking Rath representing the temple on the wheel, made this momentous voyage from the Umiya Mataji Temple, a kuladevi of Kadva Patidar Patel.

The event progressed with the exhibit of Jyoti Rath in front of Itasca Temple. Shree Ganesh Stuti was performed followed by Grand Parade (Shobhayatra) of the Rath in perimeter of the Temple. All the devotees followed the Rath with a great gusto by dancing and singing devotional songs.

After this Shubh Yatra, indoor gathering started with welcome speech by M.C. Devendra Patel with Deep ceremony performed by Lalbhai Babu ‘Marsha’, Sitarambhai, Bhailalbhai, Kantibhai (KS), Kantibhai (Kapoor), Mafatbhai (Patel Bros.)  and others. Khodabhai (Ken) Patel introduced first Home ‘Padhramni’ host Shree Lalbhai Patel.  Dr. Paresh Patel encouraged everyone to join in this project.

KK and Andy Patel successfully managed a fundraising auction program. Members showed their devotedness towards Shree Umiya Mataji by opening their pockets and making financial pledges. Event was followed by Garba and Lunch. At the conclusion, The Rath was taken to the house of the Hiraben & Lalbhai Patel, host of the 1 1st Padharamni’. At their house located at 5225 W Fargo Ave, Skokie, IL. As a result of overwhelming devotion, as of May 14 Rath has already performed ‘Padharamni’ in 41 different homes of the devotees in Chicagoland.

Umiya Mataji Sanstha Chicago or UMSCM is a not for Profit, 501 3 (c), organization was establish in 2016. With a objective to build a first ever Temple of Mataji along with great Community center. The main purpose of the association is to provide a platform for Cultural, Educational, Social, Religious and spiritual needs of Kadva Patidar Samaj. Anyone interested in Jyoti Rath Padhramni at their home or place of business may contact Raju Bhai at 773-716-8459 or Piyush 630-290-9891.

Chicago, IL: Indian Community Outreach and The City of Naperville will be hosting the second grand India Day Parade and Celebration on August 14, 2016 (Sunday) to mark the 70th anniversary of India’s independence. Several thousand people from Chicago and the suburbs are expected to attend the parade and event to be held in downtown Naperville.

The India Day Parade will serve as a showcase of India’s rich and diverse culture, with more than 100 floats organized by Indian cultural, local business and political organizations. Spectators will be treated to a rich variety of Indian cuisine, ethnic arts, apparel, and jewelry. This event has the distinction of being the 2nd India Day Parade backed by any city in Midwest America.

The event is being organized by the Indian Community Outreach Organization (ICO) in association with the City of Naperville. The ICO is a non-partisan and a not for profit organization whose mission is to preserve and promote the cultural heritage and contributions of Indian Americans while promoting their integration in the growth of Naperville. Its chairman Krishna Bansal has been appointed by, and reports to the Mayor of Naperville.

Bansal said he and his team are excited to have the ICO organize this pioneering event. “Indian Americans are now a significant part of Naperville’s population in both numbers and impact,” he said. The community, which saw a dramatic growth since the nineties, now comprises over 10 percent of the suburb’s total population. Moreover, with the recent influx of information technology workers and other professionals from India, over 70 percent are first generation immigrants.

Viral Shah, board member and treasurer of ICO described several South Asian community leaders, restaurants, businesses and cultural organizations have come forward to support the event. While Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico and Consul General of India in Chicago, Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, will be chief guests, Sunidhi Chauhan, Indian’s sensational singer will be the Parade Marshal.

Chirag Jani, board member of ICO and lead of event logistics explained that parade will begin in Downtown Naperville at 5:00 PM and end at Knoch Park, 724 S West St, Naperville, IL 60540 where the celebration will kick off. The final route details are being worked out with the City of Naperville. While providing outline of the event, he emphasized this to be an excellent opportunity for local businesses and groups to partner, participate and gain visibility.

The parade may be seen as a symbol of the rapid growth of the Indian American community in the Chicago suburbs. Among the other dignitaries attending are the state and local elected representatives and prominent leaders of the Naperville community.

The hip and happening Bollywood singing sensation, Sunidhi Chauhan, with several big hit under her belt, will present a number of soulful melodies on August 14, 2016, at 5.00 PM, and capture the hearts of music lovers of Chicago. She will be supported by a state-of-the art orchestra. It is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her fans considering the fact that the entry to the concert will be FREE. Additional information about the parade and celebration including applications to participate in the parade and celebrations as well as sponsorship is available on our web site www.napervilleindian.com. We encourage everyone to visit and review our website.

Harendra Singh’s lenders have demanded that the town pay more than $14.6 million after Singh defaulted on loans guaranteed by the town of Oyster Bay, according to media reports. The town of Oyster Bay on Long Island, NY has been facing a lot of heat after the Harendra Singh’s indictment last year and the troubles only seems to be growing as Oyster Bay’s credit rating has dropped to junk status after a decade of deficits, weak fiscal management and growing debt.

The Recovery – In three separate letters dated Feb. 26, representatives with the lending company wrote, “Phoenix Life hereby demands payment from the Town of Oyster Bay.” In one of the letters, the attorney and the chief investment forofficer subsidiaries of Connecticut-based The Phoenix Companies demanded payment of $9.1 million for money loaned to SRB Concession Inc., which runs Tobay Beach, and $5.4 million for money loaned to S.R.B. Convention & Catering Corp. which runs the Woodlands catering hall at the town golf course. In 2014, the town board extended the concessions agreements with the Singh companies to 2065 and 2070. Singh sold his shares in the companies to outside investors, but his wife Ruby retains controlling ownership.

Singh on Sept. 9 was charged in federal court with 13 felony counts including bribing an Oyster Bay official to obtain $20 million in loan guarantees. He has pleaded not guilty. A spokesperson for the town says it is not responsible for repaying the loans and has questioned the legality of the guarantees, but legal experts disagree.

A town spokesperson told News 12 that Oyster Bay officials are currently in settlement negotiations with the lender and new investors. The goal is to avoid a lawsuit and “amicably resolve all issues.” Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto said Wednesday, May 18, that “a lot has occurred” since the letters were sent and referred questions to the town’s outside legal counsel, Jonathan Pickhardt, at Manhattan-based Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP. “Phoenix was in discussion before and after the date of these notices with the investors at the SRB entities,” Pickhardt said. “There certainly have been no legal claims that have been filed, seeking to have any court involvement in this. It continues to be the town’s position that these amendments were not properly authorized, they’re not enforceable,” he said.